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Carers Mindfulness Movement Nature

Great News!

Healthy Arts are so pleased to have been awarded £2,502 of National Lottery Funding through the Sport England Movement Fund to boost movement, mindfulness and walking session in Leigh. Thanks to everyone who plays the National Lottery games for your support.

This award will fund weekly afternoon and some evening sessions, new FREE easy going walks and wellbeing trips, some with transport and refreshments next year. Look out for a new leaflet soon to spread the word about how these sessions boost health and wellbeing. Can’t wait!

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Carers Dementia Mindfulness Movement

New Film!

A few weeks ago Yellow Jigsaw visited the Creative Mindfulness for Dementia Course to make a short film for the Dementia United website.

https://dementia-united.org.uk/news/

This years course is going very well. It is a lovely, big and enthusiastic group which this film shows!

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Art Carers Dementia Mindfulness Movement

Creative Mindfulness for Dementia Course Is Back!

This “excellent” course is back this year thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund, Healthy Arts Power of Good, Wellbeing Activities project, Healthy Arts | Power of Good

Are you or someone you care for living with a Dementia diagnosis?

Would you like to live well with this disease, sooth your mind & body and have some fun?

The first Creative Mindfulness for Dementia Course in 2023, based on the renowned Breathworks Mindfulness for Stress was described as “excellent” and increased every participant’s sense of wellbeing. It includes learning skills to calm worry and anxiety, enjoyable creative activities, tea and cake in a small group.

“I have found it very useful; the course is very important in your everyday life”

Taking place over eight weeks it is FREE to attend for both you if diagnosed with Dementia or a family member, Carer or friend.

“Hi, I’m Cath the course teacher. I’m Breathworks trained and offering this course as I wish my Dad and I could have done this in the first few years of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.”

Thursdays 18th April-6th June/ 1-3pm

The Gold Room at Leigh Miners Welfare Institute, 1 Kirby Road, Leigh, WN7 4EF

Contact Cath for a chat about the course on,

Mobile-0798 4123 445 or Email-cathhawkins@yahoo.co.uk

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Carers Dementia Mindfulness Movement

Good News!

We are part of the Healthy Arts-Power of Good Wellbeing Activities Project funded by the National Lottery, Community Fund. So, Mindfulness weekly sessions, trips and course are on and all FREE for Carers and people living with Dementia.

Sessions restart on 19th September and run up until 5th December.

This weekly session is open to anyone. Come regularly or drop in when you can on Tuesdays, 1.30-2.30pm at Kingsleigh Methodist Church, Leigh, WN7 4LR. Enjoy a de-stress with short and longer restful meditations and gentle tension releasing movement in a friendly group.

Session’s cost: £6/£5 Conc, Drinks and biscuits are free.

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Art Carers Dementia Mindfulness Movement

Creative Mindfulness for Dementia

“Overall, I think it was an excellent course”. Participant diagnosed with Dementia.

“All excellent”. Carer

In Spring, thanks to funding from the Breathworks Seed Fund, Dementia United, Big Brain Health Fund and The Deal Wigan, I offered a new adapted model of the Breathworks Mindfulness for Stress Course to an amazing group of people living with Dementia. One week of the course, Ginny Wall, who provided excellent supervision and support with planning suggested I ask people to bring in something that made them smile to explore ‘letting in the good’. The image above shows the beautiful saris, pebbles and funny, smiling little moving man that the group brought in. Another week we enjoyed wonderfully calming guitar and song from Corrie Shelley, which encouraged a member of the group to bring his guitar and and supply us with live music nearly every week. Writer Chris Harter also took away our writing from a session and returned some amazing poems.

How I See You

Breathing in the moment with courage and daring.

Loving in the moment with laughter and sharing.

Living in the moment with kindness and caring.

As you have probably guessed the course went very well. I want to thank Julie Phillips, my fellow Breathworks teacher who supported me, (don’t know what I would have done without her!) as a volunteer. Leigh Youth Hub was also a great venue.

Here are some more quotes from the evaluation:

“I felt the course very interesting and unusual. I feel relaxed and it kept me interested right through”. Participant diagnosed with Dementia.

“I have found it very useful, the course is very important in your everyday life”. Carer

“Everyone has been loving and caring, restful and calm. Going to miss our Wednesday afternoon”. Carer

“Venue all fab, easy access, light and airy. Tea, cake and strawberries lovely. Timing just right”. Carer

Finally some quantitative evaluation:

WHO-5 Well-being Index/Completed Pre and Post Course:

4 Participants with a Dementia diagnosis began the course with an average well-being score of 35%. This rose to 57% at end of course, a 22% rise in sense of wellbeing.

3 Carer Participants began the course with an average wellbeing score of 25%. This rose to 65% at end of course, 40% rise in sense of wellbeing. 2 Carers sense of wellbeing score more than doubled by end of course.

With funding from, so far, the National Lottery Community Fund, I am inspired to offer the course again in Spring 2024.

Many thanks to everyone involved!

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Art Carers Dementia Mindfulness Movement Nature

Creative Mindfulness for Dementia

I am really excited to be offering this new course soon!

Are you living with a Dementia diagnosis?

Do you know or care for someone affected by Dementia? Would you like to live well with this disease, soothe your mind and body and have some fun?

Creative Mindfulness for Dementia is a new opportunity, based on the renowned Breathworks Mindfulness for Stress course. It will include learning skills to calm worry and anxiety, enjoyable creative activities and tea and cake in a small group. Taking place over eight weeks it is FREE to attend whether you are diagnosed with Dementia or a family member, Carer or friend.

“Hi, I’m Cath the course teacher. I’m Breathworks trained and offering this course as I wish my Dad and I could have done this in the first few years of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.”

Contact Cath for a chat about the course on,

Mobile-0798 4123 445 or Email-cathhawkins@yahoo.co.uk

When-Wednesday, 1-3.30pm, 26th April-14th June

Where-Leigh Youth Hub, Sale Way, Leigh Sports Village, Leigh, WN7 4JY

Breathworks Accredited Teacher

Supported by the Breathworks Seed Fund, Dementia United Big Brain Health Fund and The Deal, Wigan.

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Mindfulness

Evening Mindfulness Sessions in March

As the evenings get lighter, there will again be evening mindfulness sessions in March, on Thursdays, 6.30-7.30pm from 9th-30th at Kingsleigh Methodist Church, opposite the bus station with parking at the rear, off Cook Street.

This session is open to anyone and you may attend just one or all. In October the evening group really enjoyed an introduction to one of the Breathworks courses so I thought I would dip into the other, Mindfulness for Health. It again offers skills for calmly dealing with whatever (crisis!) life may bring, even if you have a long-term health condition. It will also be an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate at winters end. Let me know if you would like to come.

Thanks to Sarah Mason for this image, Filmmaker and photographer for brands and families (sarahmasonphotography.co.uk)

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Art Mindfulness Movement Nature

Movement & Mindfulness 2022

Image by Sarah Mason

Earlier this year I received Arts Council England, Homepage (artscouncil.org.uk)Developing Your Creative Practice funding to research combining my movement and mindfulness practice. I spent the summer returning to studio spaces in Liverpool and West Yorkshire and also worked in a new environment for me, up on the moors above Hebden Bridge.

I created four postcards to document, what was a precious time that feature images by Sarah Mason, Filmmaker and photographer for brands and families (sarahmasonphotography.co.uk)a photographer and film maker who I was so lucky to work with and whose amazing images I will begin to include on this website. The postcards include information about the project and also dip into the process I explored.

Here is the back of one postcard:

A summer spent combining practice in movement studios and the natural environment. Catherine Hawkins has worked in dance for nearly thirty years, in improvisation, environmental movement and art making. In 2021 she became an Accredited Breathworks Mindfulness teacher.

“This research harboured a powerful autobiographical undercurrent. High in the hills on the West Yorkshire moors I could reflect, hearing the roar of water flowing lower down in the valley. Mindfulness has offered new paths, un-paths even to help me find my way to wellbeing. To be with challenges of recent years and a strong, supportive feeling that something creative is gathering to further express this being human.”

Thank you to Helen Poynor and Padmadarshini Cole for your mentoring, Mary Prestidge at the Liverpool Improvisation Collective Studio, Bluecoat, Liverpool, Rob Hopper at Wainsgate Dance, West Yorkshire and photographer Sarah Mason for supporting this process-based research.

I’m really looking forward to what comes next after this valuable time to follow an ‘un-path’.

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Mindfulness

Mindfulness Group Autumn Sessions

The Mindfulness Group sessions have restarted following a break for the summer. They will run right up to 6th December, with no session on 8th November, then begin in 2023 on 10th January.

This session is open to anyone. Come weekly or drop in when you can on Tuesdays, 1.30-2.30pm at Kingsleigh Methodist Church, Leigh, WN7 4LR. Let me know if you would like to come. Be kind to yourself, take an hour to de-stress, meditate, enjoy restoring your wellbeing with a small friendly group.

“Thank you so much for making Tuesday afternoons a haven of calm that carries on into everyday life.”

Session Cost: £6/£5 Conc, Drinks and biscuits are free.

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Art Mindfulness Nature

Mindfulness Group, Getting Out More!

Thanks to funding from the Dementia United, Carers Groups Bounce Back Fund the Mindfulness Group can continue into the spring and summer, Carers and those affected by Dementia can enjoy FREE sessions and everyone can experience the benefits of a number of wellbeing trips. The Group recently enjoyed a relaxing visit to The Monastery, Manchester.

“The trip to Gorton was beautiful, Catherine. Thank you for arranging it.“

Over the coming months we will be continuing the Tuesday afternoon sessions in Leigh at Kingsleigh Methodist Church, taking another trip to The Wellbeing Program at RHS Bridgewater, taking part in the Healthy Arts ‘This Mine Is Yours’ project at Lancashire Mining Museum, Astley Green and enjoying getting outdoors practicing mindfulness. Get in contact if you would like to come along.

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Art Nature

‘Animated’ Article

It’s great to see my short reflection on participating in the People Dancing, Perspectives on Practice, Tree Time by Helen Poynor, included as an article in ‘Animated’, the People Dancing magazine.

Read and download the Spring/Summer 2022 digital edition of Animated magazine online in a flipbook. This is an 80 page bumper edition offering contributions from 30 diverse dancers, teaching artists, community practitioners, academics, researchers and leaders. Produced in collaboration with the Centre of Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University.

https://www.communitydance.org.uk/developing-practice/animated-magazine

Many thanks for including this People Dancing.

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Mindfulness

New 1-2-1 Sessions on Zoom, Half Price Special Offer

I’m offering one-to-one Mindfulness sessions at the special introductory price of £20 an hour, just until April 2022 (sessions should cost £40). Anyone who; finds it difficult to commit to a group course because of work, family, or cost, wants to try Breathworks Mindfulness out after trying out Apps, doesn’t want to be in a group because of anxiety or health reasons, has had Mindfulness suggested by your GP, get in contact for more details. No need to book more than one session at a time.

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Mindfulness

New Year, New Course

Introduction to Mindfulness

Interested in learning more about Mindfulness in the New Year?

This short course, based on the Breathworks (Breathworks – Mindfulness and Compassion Training) approach will introduce you to skills to live a happier and more fulfilled life especially if you feel stress, anxiety or have a long-term health condition. It is suitable for complete beginners, those who want to learn more, use it in their work or wish to refresh their meditation practice. In a small group you will experience how Mindfulness can change your whole perspective on life.

You have the option to attend this course in two ways:

Via Zoom, 1-2.30pm Wednesday 19th, 26th January & 2nd February or

In person, 6.30-8pm, Thursday 3rd, 10th & 17th February, at Kingsleigh Methodist Church, Leigh, WN7 4LR.

The course cost will be £30/£25 conc, and FREE places are available for Carers or those affected by Dementia thanks to funding from Dementia Friendly Communities.

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Mindfulness

Weekly Mindfulness Group Restarts!

I’m really happy that the Mindfulness Group is to restart again from October 5th! Again sessions take place from 1.30-2.30pm at the town centre venue, Kingsleigh Methodist Church, 73 King Street, Leigh, WN7 4LR. I just want to thank Kingsleigh for keeping in contact throughout the lockdowns, being hopeful that groups will meet again and now supporting us as we restart. At present the group has funding in place to continue until Easter 2022.

So, enjoy weekly sessions or come when you can. The sessions are informal and perfect for complete beginners or those who  wish to refresh their meditation practice. Tea, coffee and biscuits are free and funding from Dementia Friendly Communities, Wigan Council provides two free sessions for Carers and those affected by dementia. Please let me know if you would like to attend.

Cost:£6/£5 Conc

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Mindfulness

Mindfulness for Health

Earlier this year I was awarded a Wigan and Leigh Carers Centre Training Grant (Wigan Council) to run a Breathworks 8-week Mindfulness for Health Course specifically for Carers with WLCC, in a Leigh venue over September and October. I’m thrilled to be teaching this course that I attended as a participant in 2018, thinking that I would give it a try and doubting it would make a difference to my health. It did make a huge difference to my health and wellbeing! I’m so glad Carers registered with WLCC can do this course for FREE!

Places are limited so follow this link for all the information and booking:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/wigan-and-leigh-carers-centre/mindfulness-for-carers-health-8-week-course/e-gvqemq

See my Mindfulness page for the great feedback Carers gave about the Mindfulness for Stress Course I taught with WLCC earlier this year.