Ann O’Keeffe

Mindfulness Movement & Meditation (3M)

email: ann.okeeffe@btinternet.com    

Telephone: 07791171980

clophill Centre website page for class information and booking- Mindfulness Movement & meditation

Some years ago, I trained as a yoga and meditation teacher at The Yoga for Heath Foundation where I found their holistic and considered methodology to be completely compatible with my own approach to yoga practice. I went on to work for Adult Education in Milton Keynes and also at the David Lloyd and Stevenage Leisure Centres and now run private classes and workshops.

Mindfulness has always been an intrinsic part of yoga philosophy and practice but over the past few years it has also evolved as a discipline in its own right. My own interest in this area developed when studying for a Master’s degree, where my research based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder of the early Mindfulness programs in the USA), convinced me of the many benefits of this practice. The outcomes were so encouraging I decided to put together my own ‘Mindfulness, Movement & Meditation’ (3M) program using my skills as a yoga practitioner. I considered that this gentle approach, with the emphasis on breath work and mindful awareness introduced through gentle stretches would be helpful for many.

I currently run 3M classes and workshops and hope to expand my teaching as I believe this course teaches some really useful skills which can be incorporated into everyday life.

I have also worked within the Learning Difficulties & Disabilities department at Milton Keynes College and was a tutor for the Distance Learning Program in Psychology. I have a Psychology degree and Masters in Psychology and Consciousness Studies which together with my yoga teaching has reinforced to me the importance of finding some quiet, contemplative time in our lives. There is now a plethora of research which supports the effectiveness of mindful work in enhancing quality of life generally, most notably in relation to stress and anxiety.

The class if very gentle and allows people to draw on their own intuition when moving and stretching so they can work safely but also further develop that inner awareness and connection of mind-body; in essence – becoming Mindful.