The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation

Considering if our 12-Month Teacher Training Programme could be your next step?

Nothing speaks louder than the voices of our brilliant alumni community.

Our programme, in their own words:
“world-class”
“intellectually rigorous”
“scientific”
“inspired“
“life-changing”
“deep learning”

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Our next cohort starts Wednesday 30 September!

If you’ve ever considered training to bring mindfulness to your community why not join our Director of Teaching & Training, Claire Kelly, for a free Information Session to hear about our programme.

👉 Taking place Monday 15 June, 18:30-19:30 (UK Time), there’ll be space for you to ask your questions in a live Q&A ahead of the 30 July application deadline.

Book your space via the link below.

🔎 We’re pleased to read a study from researchers at Tianjin Anding Hospital, China:

“Mindfulness-based intervention for patients with generalized anxiety disorder”

Their randomised controlled trial suggests that an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, in conjunction with medical treatment, “is effective in not only reducing anxiety symptoms but also enhancing mindfulness skills, improving sleep quality, ameliorating negative cognitive biases, and boosting psychosocial functioning” in patients with generalised anxiety disorder.

“These results advocate for the integration of such evidence-based mindfulness programs into routine clinical pathways for anxiety disorders to promote a more holistic and functional recovery.”

Read the study via the link below.

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Working in a clinical setting and interested in bringing mindfulness into patient care? Our 12-Month Teacher Training Programme is tailored for clinical as well as educational, community or workplace environments, and will help you develop the skills, competencies, and confidence to teach mindfulness in your professional context.

Visit our website to find out more.

📚Mark Williams joins us at ‘Between the Lines’!

We warmly invite you to join our upcoming Between the Lines sessions, where we will explore Mark’s inspiring keynote ’Passing the torch', which headlined at our 2025 Annual Gathering.

• Community Session: Wednesday 17 June 2026, 15:00 – 15:45 (UK time)

• Author Session with Mark: Wednesday 24 June 2026, 15:00 – 15:45 (UK time)

💬 The first session is a facilitated community discussion to reflect on the keynote, share insights, and explore questions together. Themes from this session will then be brought into a live conversation with Mark in the second session. You’ll be provided with a recording of the keynote in advance.

💫 This online series is part of our work to build strong, connected, mindful communities. For Oxford Mindfulness members, participation is included as part of your membership.

Non-members are warmly invited to join our Members’ Programme or register for this event with a small admin fee.

Book your place via the link below.

📊 Research blog: Can mindfulness improve romantic relationships?

In our latest blog, Andreas Voldstad, DPhil candidate in Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, examines the role of mindfulness in romantic relationships, drawing on his systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, as well as ongoing empirical research.

“Mindfulness can influence how we relate to our thoughts, emotions, and impulses. This in turn might influence what we experience and how we behave with the people in our lives. When we are present, it’s possible to connect with each other.”

Read his summary on current and emerging findings in the field via the link below.

👥 Be part of the science

Andreas is currently seeking participants for his new study examining the day-to-day experiences of mindfulness and close relationships. Find out more via the link below.

⭐Exciting Oxford Mindfulness news ⭐

We’re pleased to share that we're now an approved CPD provider with The CPD Group!

This means we’ll soon begin accrediting selected courses, workshops and professional development activities with recognised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits.

CPD matters. Across many professions, continuing development is not simply encouraged, it’s expected, and CPD credits are a trusted standard to evidence the learning many workplaces require.

For us, this step reflects our ongoing commitment to evidence-based programmes that support both personal practice and professional development.

We’ll be announcing more details about our accredited courses soon. In the meantime, you can read our full CPD update via the link below.

What will you learn on our 12-Month Teacher Training Programme?

With the application deadline for our September Teacher Training cohort just under one month away, now’s the time to explore how our 12-month programme could align with your goals.

You’ll learn to:

• Deliver at least three mindfulness courses to your community, each with their foundations in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

• Lead all elements of the curriculum in an embodied way

• Conduct inquiry and manage group processes

• Apply the theoretical, empirical, and ethical foundations of MBCT

• Understand the intentions, structure, and practices of each curriculum

👉 Join our online Information Session, Monday 15 June, 18:30-19:30 (UK Time), to explore how our 12-month programme could be your next step.

🌐 Visit our website to book your free place.

“As we connect to the spaciousness of that ‘observation deck’ of the mind, we can begin to see more clearly. In that clarity, we may recognise that our thoughts, emotions and states of being become events that arise in our awareness and are actually quite transient.

We often use the metaphor of the sky and the clouds. The sky represents the spacious mind from which we can observe the clouds (thoughts, emotions, sensations).

We're not in the clouds, but we can see them pass by and even label them. Clouds come and go, transform and shift, just like our moods, thoughts and body sensations.“

Victoria Fontana, mindfulness teacher

☁️☁️☁️

Decentring, so beautifully described by Victoria Fontana of our ‘Getting Real with Mindfulness’ podcast duo.

Read Victoria’s latest blog, ‘Why Mindfulness Begins with Noticing, and How That Leads to Real Change’, via the link below.

🧠 Why Mindfulness Begins with Noticing, and How That Leads to Real Change 🧠

Read Victoria Fonatana’s new blog as she reflects on why mindfulness starts with “just noticing”, and how what can feel like a passive step can become the foundation for change.

“We begin by noticing. We see where our reactions are not aligned with reality, and often, simply seeing that clearly, softens the reactivity.

Alongside this, we start to recognise that this is part of being human. That mistaking our perception for reality is not a personal failure, but a very common pattern of mind.”

Read the full blog via the link below.