Mindfulness for Life | Eight Week Course | Wittering Wellbeing

Next cohort: Tuesday 29th October 2026, online via Zoom. Spaces are limited to 16.

Book your place — £100
Eight week course · Online via Zoom

Mindfulness for Life
An eight week MBCT course

For anyone carrying more than they would like. Stress, low mood, anxiety, a busy mind that will not quieten. Eight weeks of structured practice, with a teacher, in a small group.

This course will not solve the things making life difficult. What it offers is a different relationship with them: the ability to notice what is happening in your mind and body before it has already carried you somewhere you did not want to go.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is recommended by NICE and supported by decades of research. The course draws on that lineage and is delivered in plain language, in a small group of up to 16, weekly via Zoom.

You do not need any experience of mindfulness. You do not need to be in crisis. You need to be curious, willing to practise at home between sessions, and ready to give eight weeks of Tuesday evenings to something that might actually help.

The price is £100 for the full eight weeks, around £11 per session. It is priced that way deliberately. This course should be accessible to anyone who needs it.

Next cohort
Tuesday 29th October 2026
Online via Zoom · 7.30pm to 9.45pm
Duration Eight weeks
Sessions Weekly, 2hrs 15 mins
Day of practice One five-hour session
Group size Up to 16
Home practice Up to 45 mins daily
£100
full course · all sessions included Book your place
NHS referral places also available.
Ask your GP or contact us directly.
Is this right for you

You do not need to be
at rock bottom to benefit.

This course suits people who are:
  • Carrying persistent low mood, anxiety, or stress that does not seem to shift
  • Feeling reactive, on edge, or like the mind is running away with itself
  • Moving through life on autopilot and wanting to feel more present
  • Recovering from a difficult period and looking for tools to stay steadier
  • Curious about mindfulness and ready to do more than read about it
  • Referred by a GP, therapist, or other healthcare professional
What the course requires from you:
  • Eight weekly Tuesday evenings, 7.30pm to 9.45pm via Zoom
  • One five-hour day of practice, date confirmed at the start of the course
  • Daily home practice of up to 45 minutes between sessions
  • Willingness to engage honestly with what comes up, without needing to share it with the group
  • No prior experience of mindfulness is needed
The programme

Eight weeks.
One session at a time.

Each week builds on the last. By week five or six most people find themselves reaching for the practices without being prompted. That is when you know it is working.

01
Automatic pilot
How much of daily life we move through without really being present. The body scan as a foundation practice.
02
Living in our heads
The difference between thinking about experience and being in it. Bringing awareness to the body as a way back.
03
Gathering the scattered mind
Breath as an anchor. Working with distraction rather than against it. Mindful movement.
04
Recognising aversion
How the mind pushes away difficulty and what that costs. Staying with discomfort as a learnable skill.
05
Allowing and letting be
The difference between acceptance and resignation. Turning towards difficulty with curiosity.
06
Thoughts are not facts
Stepping back from thoughts to observe them rather than inhabit them. What changes when you do.
07
Taking care of yourself
The exhaustion funnel. Nourishing and depleting activities. Building an early warning system for your own stress.
08
Using what you have learned
Consolidating the toolkit. Building a personal maintenance plan. How to keep the practice alive.
Day of
Practice

The day of practice

Between weeks six and seven, the group meets for a five-hour session of sustained practice. Longer periods of sitting, walking, and body scan meditation, mostly in silence. It is the session most participants say they did not expect to value and ended up valuing most. Delivered online via Zoom.

What to expect

A group, a teacher,
and a lot of practice.

Weekly sessions
Each two-hour-fifteen-minute session includes guided practice, a short teaching on that week's theme, and group discussion. The discussion is reflective rather than therapeutic. You share what you notice, not what you are carrying. Nothing is compulsory.
Home practice
Between sessions, participants practise daily with guided audio recordings, typically twenty to forty-five minutes. This is where the change actually happens. The weekly session provides the structure; the daily practice does the work.
The group
Up to 16 people, all starting from roughly the same place. The group is a significant part of the programme. Hearing how others relate to the same practices, the same difficulties, and the same small shifts tends to be unexpectedly helpful.
Evidence and recognition

Recommended by NICE.
Supported by decades of research.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the prevention of depressive relapse. It has an extensive evidence base for stress reduction, improved attentional control, and emotional regulation across a wide range of populations.

A recent study published in The Lancet Psychiatry found MBCT to be as effective as antidepressants for people with difficult-to-treat depression. It is one of the most researched psychological interventions available.

GP and NHS referrals are welcome. Funded places are available via some local wellbeing teams and GP surgeries. Contact us or ask your healthcare provider for more information.

NICE recommended
MBCT is recommended for the prevention of relapse in recurrent depression, and for people who have experienced three or more depressive episodes.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clinical Guideline CG90
The Lancet Psychiatry
MBCT found to be as effective as antidepressant medication for people with difficult-to-treat depression, with lower rates of relapse at twelve-month follow-up.
Kuyken et al., 2015
Neuroplasticity
Eight weeks of daily mindfulness practice produces measurable changes in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, the parts of the brain most involved in emotional regulation and stress response.
Hölzel et al., Massachusetts General Hospital, 2011
What people say

In their own words

"
The Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy course that I did with James was a fantastic reset that allowed me to slow down, breathe, refocus and learn some amazing techniques that have helped me almost every day since then. Our small group sessions were relaxed and friendly, yet really productive and I left each session feeling more balanced and more confident in my ability to deal with life's tricky situations.
Sarah
I almost gave up after the first week but I am so glad I did not. James was tremendously supportive and everything really started to click during the last couple of sessions. I feel I have benefitted enormously from the course.
Jane
One month out, I am still using the practices we learned and feel just that little bit more equipped for handling the noise of life. Thanks to James's kind guidance, clarity, and patience, I left every session feeling nourished and peaceful.
Rory
I couldn't ask for a better MBCT teacher. James is the most patient and gentle person you'll ever meet. I feel better equipped to deal with inevitable changes in life and stress. I'm looking forward to trying some SUP sessions too.
Daria
I have really enjoyed having the time and space to work through some practices of my own. I thought the course and content were brilliant, and your approach calming and welcoming.
Stephanie
Book your place

October cohort.
Sixteen spaces.

The October cohort starts on Tuesday 29th October 2026 and runs for eight consecutive Tuesday evenings, 7.30pm to 9.45pm via Zoom. The day of practice will be confirmed at the start of the course.

Booking is via Stripe. Once you have booked you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link and information about what to expect in the first session. You do not need to do anything to prepare. Just turn up.

If you have questions before booking, or would like to speak to James before committing, email james@witteringwellbeing.co.uk and he will get back to you.

NHS and funded places. If you have been referred by your GP or a healthcare professional, or if the cost is a barrier, get in touch. Funded places are available through some local wellbeing teams and GP surgeries. We do not want cost to be the reason someone does not do this course.

October 2026 cohort

Tuesday 29th October 2026

Online via Zoom · 7.30pm to 9.45pm
£100
full course · all sessions and materials included Book your place now
Secure checkout via Stripe.
Questions first? Email james@witteringwellbeing.co.uk
Your teacher
James Wittering
James Wittering
MBCT Teacher · Blue Health Facilitator

James is a qualified MBCT teacher trained through the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. He has been delivering the Mindfulness for Life programme since 2021 and has worked with individuals across a wide range of backgrounds, including self-referrals, NHS referrals, and employer-funded participants.

He is also the founder of Wittering SUP, a paddleboarding school on the River Avon in Worcestershire with over 620 five-star reviews. His background in blue health, mindfulness, and time on the water shapes how he teaches: practical, patient, and grounded in the body as much as the mind.

He does not ask people to believe in anything. Only to notice what is already happening, and to practise until they can do that reliably.

MBCT-L Qualified Oxford Mindfulness Foundation ASI Blue Health Instructor Blue Health Facilitator
© Wittering Wellbeing · witteringwellbeing.co.uk Online via Zoom · Tuesday evenings