Online Live Seminar – Breathworks Introduction

Mindfulness and Compassion in Dealing with Pain and Chronic Illnesses
The Breathworks Method
MBPM – Mindfulness-Based Pain Management

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Online Introductory Seminar for MBSR, MBCT, MSC or MBCL Teachers

February 3 – 5, 2023

In this three-day intensive course for MBSR, MBCT, MSC, or MBCL teachers, Vidyamala Burch and Dr. Colette Power convey the mindfulness-based Breathworks approach for the compassionate treatment of chronic pain and other chronic illnesses.
The Breathworks approach includes mindfulness and compassion practices that support individuals affected by chronic pain in dealing with the disease and to live a joyful and vivid life despite the illness.

The seminar provides an overview of the methods and content of the Breathworks program as originally developed by Vidyamala Burch. For all MBSR, MBCT, MBCL or MSC teachers who work or want to work with chronically ill people, especially those living with pain, the seminar offers the possibility to deepen their knowledge and skills in teaching mindfulness for this specific challenge.

We are very happy that Vidyamala has now accepted our invitation to teach at the Mindfulness Institute Ruhr for the fifth time. She communicates her work with authenticity, warmth, clarity and great professionalism.

About “Breathworks”
“The Breathworks/Mindfulness-Based Pain Management (MBPM) approach is the most comprehensive, profound and practicable approach for learning to live with chronic pain that I know … I admire Vidyamala incredibly … her approach is based on the most recent research and could save your life and give it back to you.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, author of “Full Catastrophe Living” and “Coming to Our Senses”. Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and founder of MBSR, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Breathworks was developed by Vidyamala Burch based on her own experience with chronic pain. At the age of sixteen, she suffered a serious spinal injury and subsequently had to undergo several operations. Chronic pain and partial paralysis have remained to this day. In search of a helpful way to deal with this serious challenge, she began to explore the effects of mindfulness practice and meditation in order to cope with the persistent pain.
In 2001, she decided it was time to pass on the skills and techniques that had helped transform her life. These efforts culminated in a structured eight-week program. Alongside mindfulness practices, Vidyamala developed a series of movement and body awareness exercises designed for those living with chronic pain. The program includes information about pain, the careful handling of pain and everyday methods for pain regulation.
A special emphasis is also placed on the practice of self-compassion and compassion towards others. Through compassionate awareness, it is possible to promote the experience of connection as a counterweight to loneliness, abandonment and tendencies to withdraw. Together with Gary Hennessey and Sona Fricker, both very experienced mindfulness practitioners, Vidyamala Burch founded the “Breathworks Method”, which she still teaches and in which she trains.

Training Content

• Learn about the content and structure of the Breathworks Method, especially for people with chronic diseases – this method aims to reduce the secondary experience of emotional and mental stress, which often comes along with physical pain
• Addressing the question: How can we use the breath to soothe the reactions to pain that often result in tension and stress?
• Becoming familiar with the specific didactics of the Breathworks method
• Get to know the Breathworks exercises for everyday life, with the main focus on finding the right pace, which helps to avoid a sudden intensification of pain in daily life
• Get to know and practice the Breathworks meditations for dealing with chronic pain – these were developed on the basis of Vidyamala’s own experience and the years of experience of the course participants
• Experience with the Breathworks exercises of mindful body work
• Learning the meditation instructions especially for people with chronic illnesses and pain

In addition, Vidyamala will report from the rich treasure of her own teaching experiences and present qualitative and quantitative research results on the Breathworks method.

Target Group
MBSR, MBCT, MBCL or MSC teachers who have led at least 1-2 mindfulness courses

Seminar Directors
Vidyamala Burch
Founder of the Breathworks method. She teaches this program worldwide and trains teachers in the Breathworks method. Vidyamala Burch learned meditation and its use for stress management, inter alia, with John Kabat-Zinn at the Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School.
She is the author of: “Living well with pain and illness – The mindful way to free yourself from suffering“ (2009)
and co-author of “Mindfulness for Health – a practical guide to relieving pain, reducing stress and restoring wellbeing” (2013) with a foreword by Prof. Dr. Mark Williams

Dr. Colette Power
was trained at the University of Bangor, Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP), in MBSR and MBCT. She is a certified mindfulness teacher and supervisor from Breathworks. She is also a qualified MSC-teacher (Mindful Self-Compassion). As a freelance mindfulness teacher, she offers mindfulness-based courses (e.g., MBSR, MBCT, MSC). She holds a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy from the University of Liverpool.

Seminar Location
Online via Zoom

Seminar Times
Friday and Saturday: 10 am to 5.o0 pm
Sunday:  10am to 3.30 pm

Seminar Fee
€550.00 including teaching material

Translation
Vidyamala and Colette speak English and are translated into German by Petra Meibert.

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Testimonials
from previous Breathworks-introductory seminars:

“Exciting and interesting in terms of content, well composed in terms of method, structured and authentically presented by everyone involved, summarized: highly recommended!”

“The course leaders were caring and full of humor and managed to convey the content with simple, experience-based exercises. The theoretical background was demonstrated clearly and vividly using flipcharts and PowerPoint. An awesome group, good organization and a very nice seminar house in a good location in the Bergische Land.”

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