Reactions of participants

I ordered the course to get it as a present later. The presentation of the course in the carton was great. I experience the course as enjoyable and very clear. It is all pretty much self-explanatory, easy accessible and motivating. I notice I need to get more experience in time-management. When I ordered the course, I knew it would require practising time every day, and off course also time to apply it to your normal daily life. Although I didn’t have a clue how much time it would require. I do notice the exercises, especially the body scan, do ask a lot of time and energy. Unfortunately I do not always have the possibility to withdraw myself to do the exercises. This makes it difficult to proceed quickly with the course. Anyway, I am very happy I have this course and hope I will take full advantage of it in the future
Christel

Mindfulness is exactly what we were looking for. That is, learning to look at your thoughts instead of being controlled by them. And learning to be in the present moment instead of in the past or in the future. A nice side-effect is that it can sometimes be very relaxing.
Christina

I have arrived at week 5 of the Mindfulness training. I am very happy with the training. It does require a lot of time, but it is worth it. I notice you need to be and stay disciplined. When I felt really depressed this training has been a major support and I practiced faithfully. In week 4 I fell of the wagon. That was no good. I relapsed a couple of times and noticed that because I stopped paying attention to my breathing. It really helps to use your breath as an anchor, but it doesn’t happen by itself. I found it needs hard working. I especially find it difficult to really allow myself the time to do this for myselfIt is funny that every time I had a thought or got distracted during the exercises, this was being acknowledged by the voice on the CD and also that it does not matter when it happens. Awareness and acceptance of reality is what I merely learned to do till now. I have not reached my goal yet, but for me, the training is a support in the search to myself. It brought my body and mind closer together and I experience more peace. Now I need to persevere!
Debbie

Some weeks ago I started the ‘do –it-yourself’ Mindfulness training. When you are a thinker, it is difficult to start this course. It took me three weeks to finish the programme of week 1. Then I started to get into it. Now I manage to do the programmes in one week. It requires time and discipline but it starts to be fruitful already. I am curious what the next weeks will bring, but I won’t look ahead! A lot of explanation is being given and fortunately many things are appointed that gives you new material to think about. Shortly, as far as I am concerned, I think it is easy to do the raining by yourself.
Els

I use my mindfulness CDs everyday. I especially like the yoga, but I also practice the meditations regularly. What I like about the meditations is that you do not have to accomplish anything. In the past, when meditating, I was always waiting for the big silence and because I couldn’t get there with my restless thoughts, I always gave up.
Now I do the meditations, knowing it is okay, and that after every thought I can go back to the silence. It is nice to notice how you take the attitude you gain doing the meditation and yoga with you in your daily life. As you notice, I am very enthusiastic about mindfulness, It also comes at a moment in my life where I notice I always used to do things by head, not by heart, maybe that’s why mindfulness is such an important tool for me to live in the present moment.
Hetty

Hello, I would like to respond to your request to tell something about my experiences with the mindfulness training. I thought receiving the material was already a present in itself! Very nicely presented and with a starting and ending present. Rzijn felt good already. Listening to the CD gives me a feeling of relaxation. I haven’t started practicing the course intensively, but that will come. I share the desire for mindfulness with my daughters. We will continue. Thank you…good luck with your website and your chosen path of mindfulness.
Irene

I got interested in the ‘do-it-yourself’ mindfulness training in a period where I worried a lot about my future. Work, income, private life, everything seemed to be falling apart. And as it works with worrying: it didn’t get any better. Actually I drove myself crazy, especially when I looked at myself from a higher perspective. As the website says ‘The Mindfulness Training teaches you to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and body sensations. By giving attention in the present moment you become aware of your own automatism, your patterns, and how you keep on repeating the same (destructive) behaviour. You will learn how you can choose in awareness: do I want to invest in this thought or do I want to let it go? You are no longer enslaved by your own thoughts, feelings and actions. Instead, you will create freedom, peace and relaxation.’ Well, that would do it for me, so I thought. I would have no problem with disciple, I thought. I opened the carton a bit nervous and curious and the raisin made me laugh. Then I started seriously. And I have to say, not every week was easy, but just the simple fact I had started gave me peace. I had been handed a tool and with that a feeling of purpose. By now, thanks to a strong feeling of liberation, I have made some firm decisions regarding my work that I haven’t regretted for a moment. All and all it was really worth to try and I didn’t have to leave it for the price..
Hans

Here a response to the mindfulness training. I really enjoy doing it. I make time to do it and experience that by practising the sit meditation, the yoga and the body scan you can really stay in the present moment. To transform it in activities is challenging, but this is how you internalize it. I was meditating actively already and I will keep on doing it next to this training. The breathing space gives peace and when I come across bad experiences, I can accept it by doing the breathing space. I will continue with this training/these exercises, it feels right. I am now working in week four and will gladly proceed. The voice on the CD is nice to listen to.
Liesbeth

I have a hectic job on a secondary school. In order to relax I started meditating on my own, but I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right. I wanted to join a meditation group, but didn’t have the time. The ‘do-it-yourself’ mindfulness training was a method for me to continue meditating. Next to that I get a lot out of the ‘being in the present’ techniques. I am now able to deal with situations in my job that before would make me nervous. I find the training very nicely down to earth
Paula

I thought it was a very good and clear training. The book and CDs were very clear. It kept me occupied for nine weeks, every day. You do need the discipline to do it by yourself, but I know that if I really want something, I go for it. And then this is an excellent course. Because you are doing it on a daily basis you learn to integrate the anchor of your breathing to come back to yourself, and I listen more to my thoughts and are able to see they are just thoughts. I am also more aware of things that I do. I finished the nine weeks the first week of January, but still I regularly listen to one of the CDs to do an exercise. I am glad I took this course and think it should be recommended to everyone who can find the discipline to spend 45 minutes a day on him/herself.
Ria

I ordered the training because I was home, overworked, and wanted to get closer to myself. It was not and is not the only thing I do. I do cognitive behaviour therapy and the mindfulness supports me to order my thoughts and to practice letting go of judgements, ideas etcetera. It connected me to myself again and I had lost that. In the beginning I found the exercises well doable and enjoyable, although it was hard. The last exercises were a bit too much for me, it took too much to do everything in one sequence. That made it a burden and something I was not looking forward to. I then made the decision to merely do the sitting meditation and the breathing exercises. I found the texts in the book inspiring, especially the short proverbs and points of attention. Joined with therapy, some theory about the working of the mind (RET) it slowly brings me back in the present moment.
Tom