Introducing Mindfulness
A 3-week mindfulness program for beginners
About Introducing Mindfulness
Introducing Mindfulness is a 3-week course developed by Oxford Mindfulness, offering a brief yet meaningful introduction to mindfulness practice and theory. Perfect for beginners or anyone looking to reconnect with their mindfulness practice, this course explores key mindfulness themes and practical techniques that can support you in everyday life and work.
Discover how brief moments of mindfulness can foster greater calm, clarity, and wellbeing—whether you’re brand-new to this journey or looking to deepen your practice.
Learning Outcomes
SESSION 1
Understanding the mind’s natural tendency to be scattered and to wander; how we can train attention to create choices about where and how we place attention, and how this can fundamentally shape our experience. Please allow for 15 minutes extra for this first session.
SESSION 2
Exploring different ways of being and knowing; recognizing how much of our experience is shaped by thought; that other more experiential and observing modes are also available to us, and how we can learn to use them to help us flourish over time
SESSION 3
Recognizing the difference between reacting and responding; developing ways to create the space to make choices between them, and exploring how this understanding can shape our experience and the quality of our lives
Current offering
This course is not currently running.
Please contact me if you would like to organize an Introducing Mindfulness course in your group or organization.
Why Practice Mindfulness?
Mindfulness practice is known for the many benefits it may provide, including:
fostering a more skillful relationship to life's stressors and unpleasant events;
cultivating self-awareness - awareness of the nature of our body, mind and emotions;
developing the ability to work with difficult emotions from a new, kinder perspective;
and much more.
Course Information
-
3 weekly sessions lasting one hour each week.
Please allow for 15 minutes extra for the first session.
This is a structured course where each session builds upon what has been introduced before. This is why it is important to attend all the sessions
You will be in a group of up to 22 people.
Each session will have guided and structured meditation practices. Many drawn from modern psychology
Each practice or exercise is followed by a review of what you and/or other participants experienced or discovered in that practice/exercise. This review does not include a discussion of participants’ past history
Each session is followed by suggestions for personal practice. This includes both recommended guided practices, and also ways to cultivate new habits of mindfulness in everyday life
Each session (except the first) includes a review of the previous week’s personal practice
You will have access to guided practices and written material to support each session
-
Please attend every session, as the sessions build on each other. Please let the teachers know, or email/chat them, if you are unable to attend, and the teachers will do what they can to catch up on things that you have missed.
Even if it feels difficult to come back from a missed session – come anyway!
There may be times when you do not feel like coming or ending the course. In such cases, please contact one of teachers, to discuss any problems you are experiencing.
Other difficulties can get in the way of sessions and home practice – please feel free to discuss this with your teachers.
Sessions involve spending some time sitting and doing some simple movements, so please dress comfortably and preferably in layers so that you can adjust for feeling warm or cool.
Physical concerns can make people feel overwhelmed – for example if you experience back pain, you may be worried about sitting still for long periods. Please discuss this with the teachers – it is always possible to adapt practices.
For a safe and transparent atmosphere, participants are asked to leave their cameras on during the program.
-
This course is delivered online via Zoom. This doesn't mean that you have to do the course at a desk. If possible, create the space first, then invite the computer ;).
For best results, a computer and good internet connection are requested, as participants will be asked to use their video. Cellphones and tablets are discouraged if they can be avoided.
For a safe and transparent atmosphere, participants are asked to leave their cameras on during the program.
-
This course is not being offered as a treatment for any specific physical or psychological conditions. If you are struggling with significant challenges in these areas at this time, this might not be the right time for you to do this course.
If you have any questions or concerns about accessing or fully participating in this course, please email us.
-
Our tiered pricing ensures access for all. The sponsor tier helps support others in the community, the standard tier reflects the true cost of the course, and the supported tier offers a reduced rate to those who could benefit from community support. Please choose the option that feels right for you.
The Instructor
Victoria Fontana
Victoria Fontana is a mindfulness and compassion teacher and Executive and Leadership Coach, PCC. She is certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT). She teaches mindfulness-based courses for The Mindfulness and Health Institute, as well as collaborates with the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science and offers courses in organizations and privately.
As an adjunct professor at IE University’s Center for Health, Wellbeing & Happiness and the Master in Management, she has developed courses in mindfulness, compassion, well-being, and Authentic Leadership. She also co-founded and oversees the Spanish-language International Mindfulness Day, introduced in 2020. Victoria has coached faculty members and academic leaders as well as in organizations. She serves as an Executive Coach at Harvard Business School.
Trained internationally in mindfulness, compassion, and embodied practices, Victoria holds an MSc in Mindfulness-Based Approaches from Bangor University, an MA in Education from the University of Washington, and a Certificate in Contemplative Psychotherapy from the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science.
