In this week's episode, Katie talks about how her mindfulness practice supported the few month's leading up to the birth of her daughter and the birth itself.

Please note: in this episode, we talk about challenges birth experiences and Caesarean section so please skip this episode if you don't want to hear about these topics.

In this episode Katie talks about:

🧘🏼‍♀️Key learnings from a 4 week NHS mindful birthing course.

🐌 How mindfulness supporting slowing down in the transition from work to maternity leave.

🤰Unhooking from body-critical thinking during pregnancy.

🍃 How mindfulness supported letting go of expectations during birth.

🧠 Mindfully navigating difficult thoughts and emotions after giving birth.

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Here are links to the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Mindful Birthing Foundation Courses for parents: ⁠https://www.mindfulbirthing.org/parents⁠

• Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond book by Nancy Bardacke

• Meditation Inspiration Podcast - Episode 13: A mindful pregnancy - ⁠https://www.katieaustinmindfulness.co.uk/podcast/episode/1f8b55c3/13-a-mindful-pregnancy-part-1⁠

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About the show host, Katie Austin...

I am mindfulness meditation teacher based in Cornwall in the UK and I am trained through Bangor University to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This is an evidence-based 8 week mindfulness course that draws from the ancient wisdom of Buddhist meditation, modern psychology and neuroscience to support you to shift your relationship to stress in your life to reduce unnecessary struggle and experience greater peace and ease.

You can find out more about me and my offerings here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.katieaustinmindfulness.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Find a Mindfulness-Based Course Teacher in the UK (also lots of online teachers for those not in the UK), a great place to look is the BAMBA website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bamba.org.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ BAMBA stands for British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches.

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New episodes are released every two weeks or so! Happy listening, happy meditating.

Sian has worked in maternity services in the NHS for 40+ years. For much of that time she worked as a consultant midwife and has a keen interest in midwife-led care and perinatal mental health. 

She is also teaches on mindfulness courses and teacher trainings for the Mindful Birth Foundation and the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.  

She is also the co-author of a beautifully simple and accessible book called How to Have a Mindful Pregnancy .

In this episode we discuss:

🏥 How mindfulness found Sian through her work towards improving perinatal mental health in the NHS. 

🧗 How mindfulness didn’t come easily to her at first. 

🤰🏾Her work introducing mindfulness birthing courses into the health service for pregnant people and their families.

🚼 How mindfulness can support parents to navigate the challenges of birth and parenting. 

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Here are links to the resources mentioned in the episode:

• How to Have a Mindful Pregnancy by Sian Warriner and Mark Pallis: https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-have-a-mindful-pregnancy/sian-warriner/mark-pallis/9781916080102
• Mindful Birthing Foundation Courses for parents: https://www.mindfulbirthing.org/parents
• Oxford Mindfulness Foundation Mindfulness Course with Sian: https://oxfordmindfulness.org/course/mindfulness-for-life-21
• Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond book by Nancy Bardacke
• Everyday Blessings: Mindful Parenting book by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Myla Kabat-Zinn
• Oxford NHS 4 week mindful birthing program - Contact [email protected] for more details.
• Meditation Inspiration Podcast - Episode 13: A mindful pregnancy - https://www.katieaustinmindfulness.co.uk/podcast/episode/1f8b55c3/13-a-mindful-pregnancy-part-1

This week Katie explores bringing the attitude of non-striving or not trying too hard in our mindfulness practice and lives.

We discuss:

🌊 What is non-striving?

🪢 Lots of examples of where non-striving is helpful in our lives.

🧘 How to bring this attitude to our mindfulness practice.

😴 How non-striving can be misinterpreted as not bothering at all.

🎸 Metaphors to support you to find an appropriate level of effort to bring to your practice.

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If you want to deepen your exploration of this attitude in your mindful movement and meditation practice, check out my online mindfulness community Rested Beings here.

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In the episode, we mentioned the following helpful things to investigate further if you want to...

• Jon Kabat-Zinn's attitudinal foundations. See his teaching on non-striving here.
• Meditation teacher Martine Bachelor. See episode 4 of this podcast with her here.
• For more from me bringing mindfulness to the first part of my pregnancy see episode 13 here.

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About the show host, Katie Austin...

I am mindfulness meditation teacher based in Cornwall in the UK and I am trained through Bangor University to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This is an evidence-based 8 week mindfulness course that draws from the ancient wisdom of Buddhist meditation, modern psychology and neuroscience to support you to shift your relationship to stress in your life to reduce unnecessary struggle and experience greater peace and ease.

You can find out more about me and my offerings here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.katieaustinmindfulness.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Find a Mindfulness-Based Course Teacher in the UK (also lots of online teachers for those not in the UK), a great place to look is the BAMBA website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bamba.org.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ BAMBA stands for British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches.

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New episodes are released every two weeks or so! Happy listening, happy meditating.

Jem is a Mindfulness Teacher and Teacher trainer and previous secondary school teacher based in Cornwall UK. He shares with us his insights from his discovery of meditation as a support for navigating out of depression in a Buddhist Monestry in Taiwan back to the UK when he discovered modern mindfulness courses for depression to becoming a teacher with a Masters in Mindfulness from Bangor University. 

In this episode we discuss:

🇹🇼 Jem's discovery of meditation whilst experiencing depression in a monastery in Taiwan. 

🩺 Being recommended to do a MBCT course by a doctor in UK. 

🧠 What MBCT is - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Depression

👨‍🏫 From teaching mindfulness to teenagers to teaching adults 

🪷 Jem’s current practice of Samadhi and tuning into joy

📊 Scientific research into the effects of long term meditation practice and meditation for depression.

🌎 Why does meditation open us up to caring for the wider world?

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Some of the links we mentioned in the episode:

• Free meditation sessions with Oxford Mindfulness: https://oxfordmindfulness.org/live-online-meditations#teaching-schedule
• Jem’s next online Mindfulness for life course: https://oxfordmindfulness.org/course/mindfulness-for-life-10
• Rob Burbea talking about Samadhi Practice: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/12294/
• Brahma Viharas Book - The Boundless Heart by Christina Feldman 

The word intention gets mentioned a lot in the New Year, especially in wellness spaces. So let’s dive into what we really mean by intentions and how hey can help us motivate ourselves to practice mindfulness and other things we might want to cultivate in our lives. 

In this episode we talk about: 

❓Why connecting with our intentions for practicing mindfulness is important 

📖 The definition of intention 

❇️ My personal intentions for practicing mindfulness 

🏃 How reflecting on intentions is helpful for other goals we might have

📆 How our intentions change over time

🫶 Tips on how to connect with your intentions.

Find out more about my mindfulness community Rested Beings mentioned at the end of the program here.

Find out more about the next mindfulness courses I am offering here.

Mindfulness teacher, teacher trainer and secondary school teacher based in South west London and past professional dancer. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Michelle’s experience teaching mindfulness to children in schools. 
• How mindfulness helps her to meet the challenges of being a teacher and the wider world.
• How she discovered mindfulness as a support for her mental health. 
• Advice for those wanting to teach mindfulness in school. 
• Mindfulness as a way of returning home to ourselves. 
• Where to connect with BIPOC meditation groups. 
• The power of curiosity and coming home to our own inner wisdom.
• How mindfulness supports noticing ADHD traits.

Here are a few links mentioned in the podcast:

Mindfulness in Schools Project (MISP): https://mindfulnessinschools.org/

Mindfulness Network for People of Colour (MNPC):

https://www.mnpc.co.uk/

Plum village BIPOC Sanga:

 https://www.hols.org.uk/colours-of-compassion

Rosalie is a mindfulness teacher, supervisor, teacher trainer and mentor based in the UK. In this episode, she shares her passion for mindful movement as a way of taking care of our precious bodies and supporting our relationship with those around us and our planet.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Rosalie discovered mediation and mindfulness in her early 20s.

• Discoveries made teaching English to Tibetan refugees that led to learning to teach. 
• Experience of training as a yoga teacher whilst doing a Masters in Teaching Mindfulness. 
• The difference between yoga and mindful movement.

• Body Facism - how we are living and breathing advertising messages that tell us how our body should look. 
• What mindful movement practices offer us that stiller meditation practices don’t. 
• Mindfulness as a way of living into our full vitality. 
• The interconnectedness of taking care of ourselves and the planet. 

You can discover more about Rosalie and find out about her offerings on her wesbite: https://optimalliving.co.uk/

As mentioned, she runs an online meditation community with Alex Irving and Zoe Shobrook-Fisher called 'In Good Company' which you can find here: https://ingoodcompany.mn.co/

You can find details of her next two mindfulness courses starting in January 2026 here:

https://www.londonmindful.com/8-week-interpersonal-mindfulness-course.html

https://www.londonmindful.com/8-week-mindfulness-course-online-tuesday-evening.html

About the show host, Katie Austin...

I am mindfulness meditation teacher and yoga teacher based in Cornwall in the UK.

You can find out more about me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.katieaustinmindfulness.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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To find a Mindfulness-Based Course Teacher in the UK (also lots of online teachers for those not in the UK), a great place to look is the BAMBA website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bamba.org.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

BAMBA stands for British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches.

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New episodes will be released on the first Friday of each month! Happy listening, happy meditating.

It's been a hot minute, but we are back with season two of the Meditation Inspiration Podcast.

This episode is a brief welcome back and I share a little life update.

I also shares my intentions for this season and a dedication to my dear teacher and Vici Williams who I interviewed in Episode 10 of Season 1. Vici sadly passed away last Summer. Sending love to everyone who had the huge privilege of knowing her 🤍

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About the show host, Katie Austin...

I am mindfulness meditation teacher based in Cornwall in the UK and I am trained through Bangor University to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This is an evidence-based 8 week mindfulness course that draws from the ancient wisdom of Buddhist meditation, modern psychology and neuroscience to support you to shift your relationship to stress in your life to reduce unnecessary struggle and experience greater peace and ease.

You can find out more about me and my offerings here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.katieaustinmindfulness.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Find a Mindfulness-Based Course Teacher in the UK (also lots of online teachers for those not in the UK), a great place to look is the BAMBA website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bamba.org.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ BAMBA stands for British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches.

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New episodes will be released on the first Friday of each month! Happy listening, happy meditating.

In this extra bonus episode to round off Series 1, I was lucky enough to chat to Professor Rebecca Crane and Dr Ken Lunn about the upcoming International Conference on Mindfulness 2024 in Bangor, Wales UK, from 2-6th August.

Rebecca and Ken share exciting details about the conference such as:

See the website for the conference here to find out more and book a ticket: https://www.internationalmindfulnessconference.com/

Rebecca is the Chair of the conference and led the Centre for Mindfulness at Bangor university for nearly 20 years. Ken is the director of the conference and is executive director for The Mindfulness Network.

Imani is a mindfulness teacher, Ausarian Priestess, Holistic Health Practitioner, Author, Lifestyle and Resilience Coach and Program Manager for The Mindfulness Network for People of Colour (MNPC). 

Imani has a wealth of experience offering mindfulness practice in diverse communities in the UK including prisons, refugee and asylum communities, health patients and women’s groups. 

In this episode she shares wisdom on topics such as: 

You can find out more about Imani’s work through her website KMT Rising here: https://www.kmtrising.com

Watch Imani’s talk at the Manchester Mindfulness Festival here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTbTjOKpdWY

A self-anchoring practice with Imani: https://youtu.be/JQFSi7RTBbA

The website for The Mindfulness Network for People of Colour (MNPC): https://www.mnpc.co.uk/

Buy tickets to the NMPC’s Belonging Event July 2024 here: https://www.mnpc.co.uk/events/belonging-6th-annual-empowerment-symposium-live-at-birkbeck-college

Watch Rhonda Magee’s TED Talk here:  https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#search/kmtrisingltd%40gmail.com/FMfcgzGxRdzKqDjqqQgcbXcfSJXPVvjw?projector=1