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Professor Mark Williams – An Introduction to Mindfulness

Professor Mark Williams – An Introduction To Mindfulness

Professor Mark Williams is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford and was also the Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre until his retirement in 2013.

Professor Williams, along with colleagues John Teasdale (Cambridge) and Zindel Segal (Toronto), developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for prevention of relapse and recurrence in major depression. He is also co-author of the best selling book ‘Mindfulness: Finding Peace In A Frantic World.’

In this interview Mark elegantly answers the question ‘what is mindfulness?’ He also leads 2 simple introductory practices for beginners and talks about why mindfulness is so effective for the treatment of depression relapse.

In this interview you’ll also discover…

  • The difference between mindlessness and mindfulness.
  • Why mindlessness often gets us into so much trouble.
  • The cutting edge research on mindfulness for depression (Mark is one of the world premiere researchers in this field).
  • The ‘breathing space’ mindfulness practice, which is great to use in times of stress and difficult emotions
  • How to use ‘habit releasers’ to bring more mindfulness into daily life.
  • An experience of the ‘body scan’ mindfulness practice.


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Listen to the audio version here

 

Show Notes

Join the The Mindfulness Summit Journey here

Come and join the community discussions at any time on our Facebook page

Check out Melli’s blog, events and retreats at MrsMindfulness.com

More about MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy)

Check out Marks books ‘Mindfulness: Finding peace in a frantic world’

More about the Oxford Mindfulness Centre

 

Audio

Video

Transcript

Download Mark Williams audio interview

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Download Mark Williams audio meditation

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Download Mark Williams breathing space meditation

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Download Mark Williams video interview

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Download MP4 – Standard Def, 640×240 (Right click to save)

Download Mark Williams interview transcript

Download PDF (488kb)

 

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1165 Responses

    5. Elisabeth Olsen

      Thank you! I’m really looking forward to participate in this. Have taken the 8 week MBSR online course last year, but need to get some inspiration and get back to a daily formal practise routine again!

    18. Teece Nowell

      Really great conversation! I’m very much looking forward to this month of taking time for self and learning new and different techniques to share with my clients! Thanks

    21. Allyson DeMaagd

      I’m listening from Morgantown, West Virginia where I’m working on my PhD. I’ve lived in this teeny town for three years but, being from a big city, I often still find it unfamiliar and isolating. I’m grateful to be part of this event, which is so far-reaching and communal! Thank you, Melli, for sharing.

    23. Roberta Dianne

      Hi everyone……I live in Washington state, or “the other Washington” as some say, but I’m currently in Tuscany on vacation……a wonderful place to ease into mindfulness and meditation.

    24. June Rittmeyer

      I sign up for so many different programmes that I wondered if I would stick with this one. Well, after just a few minutes I signed up for the Full Access Pass and I think that was probably one of my best decisions.

      Thank you.

    33. Barb Kelley

      I would like to make a suggestion. I find it very distracting that Mrs. mindfulness interjects constantly while the speaker is talking. She constantly says yes, uh huh, umm hmmm etc. I found that I was no longer listening to the speaker.

      1. Oblong Orb

        I also had this problem! I learned in college that when we nod and say “yeah” and “ah” and “uh-huh” while someone is speaking we are actually making them and anyone listening feel that we are not listening to the speaker even though, I know from my own self doing this, we are merely trying to show agreement. It’s actually extremely counterproductive to that goal of listening. Like you said, Barb, it is very distracting. Thanks for bringing that up, I felt like I was being too critical thinking it but I feel it’s good for the interviewer to know to be even better.

      2. Victoria Dawar

        I think the interviewer must have been quite nervous. She clearly respects and admires Mark a lot. It is so difficult to control our body language and the little things we do or noises we make to give us more thinking space. I wonder if practicing mindfulness would make us more aware of this and make it easier for us to alter our body language and the way we present?

        1. Melli O'Brien

          Yep, I was nervous. Mindfulness gave me the choice to feel the nerves and do it anyway. The capacity to be kind to myself when i watched the video back and saw those nervous signs. It gave me the perspective to see that I needed to practice more to get better without taking it to personally or ruminating. It gave my the sense of deep connection and love with my fellow humans to want to do this crazy project in the first place. Mindfulness doesn’t take nerves away but it helped me have more choice in how to respond to them. Practice hopefully made me a bit better so hopefully you’ll see a reduction in those signs as the summit goes on! ????

          1. annie lesthaeghe

            Hi Melli, you are really okay just as you are!!!
            You seem to be a lovely person!!
            As a mother who had a child with speech problems ( stutter) I can imagine that some comments
            on your speech could hurt.
            Being able to love a person just the way he is a wonderful thing to do!

      4. trudy toliver

        I agree that MM’s interjections are distracting. While I enjoy her conversational style and questions. She does not need the make the brief one word acknowledgements or other agreeable sounds.

    38. marina bresciani

      What a great project! Amazing first presentation. Thank yhou to share all those keys. I also think this will be the new revolution. Peace and happyness to everybody

    40. Michaela

      Hi there, dear friends all over this planet. Want to tell you, that there is a lot more beyond Mindfulness. Without loving mindfullness we are lost in ignorance and aversion. But there is liberation from suffering: just listen to talks about Buddhas recommendations about more freedom and happiness: http://dharmaseed.org/.
      Love you all, wish you the very best, hugs from between the fields of Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, World, Universe, I don’t know,
      Michaela

    43. Rosann Lampkin

      Hello all! I feel so blessed to be able to participate in this Mindfulness Summit… so amazing to see how it is a global experience! Rosann, from Chico, CA

    48. danyell bellinger

      Greetings! I am listening from Washington State USA….Be curious, Practice, Save Guard your Daily Practice, Cultivate Compassion for Self, Live with the world in side You, Let Life Live Through You, Don’t Be Afraid…… Day one has been marvelous!

    55. Valerie Milon

      It’s already Oct 2nd here, in Paris. I just finished watching the talk! What a Great start!
      now going off to bed, hopefully mindfully and enjoying every minute of it…?!
      Have a great day/night everyone! 🙂

    58. Eleanor Sheff

      Hi Mark!
      thanks for your enthusiasm, research and commitment to mindfulness…
      and for the simple reminder—-that
      LIVING mindfully, depends on DOING the practices.

      Thanks Melli for the 31 gifts!

  9. Heather Frahn

    Thanks Mellie, it’s so wonderful that you’re doing this 🙂 I look forward to listening to all the insightful mindfulness teachings over the coming month!

    1. Liza Sonnekus

      Hi Emma

      I also have a slow internet connection. Where did you get the transcript? And yes, I also loved the Hokasui says reading. (I watched this on my cell phone). Enjoy the rest!

  14. Urmila Dhar+Zutshi

    The sound in both audio and Video is muffled… unable to make out the words… will there be a hard copy one can read and save for future re-reading…???

      1. Zahava Scheiman

        I would prefer if you could mute your microphone whilst the speaker is speaking. Your comments and ‘ahas’ do not add to this in fact they detract fro the speaker.

        3. Liz Boyer

          I agree. I felt it interrupted the flow of the speaker’s thoughts and found it distracting as I tried to focus on what he was saying. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but would prefer to just hear the speaker.

        5. Yas

          Oh, thank God someone already mentioned this. I couldn’t listen to the video because of the noises she was making during the interview. Please please address this issue so it’s not there for the rest of the presentations!!!! Also, it would really help if she prepared her questions so that she wouldn’t be umming through the whole interview. Thanks!

          1. Melli O'Brien

            Ok guys, noted. Thanks very much for taking the time to feedback. We did this in one video though and i though it was a bit unatural looking since you could see every now and then my mouth moving and nothing coming out. Sorry you found it distracting. Much to learn i do have!

          2. annie lesthaeghe

            Instead of being so upset and distracted, maybe being mindfull could be another option.Allowing things as they already are.
            STOP practice:
            Stop
            Take a deep breath
            Observe
            Proceed

      4. Hugh Alexander

        I believe that if you have a thought or idea, someone else in the world has had the same one!!!

        Anyway, I logged in to ask if during interviews there could be some control over the interviewer being chatty with the expert — “yea,” “yep,” “uh hum,”, “I see,” “right,” etc. On the one hand, maybe this helps the interviewer/expert feel like they are having a conversation, but as a listener, it presents some challenges. Maybe the interviewer could wait until the expert (here Mark Williams) is done with an entire thought or idea and then ask the next question?

        Same with respect to follow up questions: rather than give your own commentary, “One of the things I do or I think” is to instead go straight into the next question.

        BTW — this guy is fantastic. Truly amazing. I’m definitely going to read whatever he’s written.

        Thanks again!

  23. Michael Rose

    “A wandering mind is an unhappy mind” Matt Killingsworth, Happiness Researcher (Quoted by Matthieu Ricard at the recent Action for Happiness event in London).

  24. Susie Hopkins

    Hi guys, awesome start, awesome project – congrats!! So, a practical question. It can be really tricky to meditate in a separate space at specific times at certain times in life, if you live with a big family, running a busy household or you are up with the birds caring for young children. In times like this my instinct tells me that even just sitting up in bed and meditating for 5 min’s first thing, or perhaps doing a body scan before sleep last thing is better than nothing? As long as you do something every day? Thoughts?

    1. Melli O'Brien

      I agree Susie, a little bit of something you can fit in is better than nothing. I can;’t wait for you to see Shamash Aladinas talk and Elisha Goldstein talking about integrating mindfulness into daily life. Stay tuned, love Melli

      1. Robbin Davis

        Logging in from Florida, USA, and very grateful to have found and joined the mindfulness summit. The first day has been lovely so far, lots of good information that I can process and put into use immediately. Thank you for putting this together, Melli.

    2. Viki De

      Susie – Same here, busy household with young ones who understandably don’t understand how to let me have a little bit of uninterrupted time and FT job, all the more reasons to try and practice mindfulness but it’s so hard to fit it in regularly.

      Hope to share tips on how to fit in the practice with less external distractions and gradually increase time we allot for it. I wonder if maybe for us its better to practice in more frequent, shorter intervals throughout the day.

    3. jetta_peltonen6770

      Hi Susie, don’t get stressed over not meditating 😉 How about brushing your teeth mindfully once in the morning and once at night. I found it was the only time on my days when I was not interrupted and could have 3 mins to myself. Now the kids are older and life at home has an easier pace. You’ll get there too.

  30. Michael Rose

    I’m really glad he spoke to the panacea issue and the specificity needed for particular problems. I wish the whole world could “get half way there” with generic mindfulness practices and then seek out teachers who help them deal with the specific problems of suffering, something a therapeutic or Buddhist practice can help start to unpick.

  34. Annelieke

    Hi everyone! Starting to listen from Amsterdam, Netherlands. Many thanks for those who’ve put this all together. It’s very thorough with the links to find at what time a new post is available in your time zone. Have a nice journey everyone!

  37. Joleen

    Good morning. I’m excited & nervous at the same time. I’m new to the concept of mindfulness (less than a month). I’m grateful to be receiving new insight and tools to live a more peaceful and purposeful life, but at the same time, having some anxiety about what I might find out about myself… It will be interesting to see where this journey takes me in 31 days. ~ Sending everyone love and light from Austin, Texas <3

    2. Cecelia

      Joleen good morning from New York. I can so related to your comment. Before I took a 5 day workshop on Living Freedom I had some anxiety, what will I find out, what will happen to me,. Even when the 5 days were over and I had to come back to the real world. But I just did a little practice each day and just hearing the word “Mindful” puts me back on track. I am home 2 weeks from my workshop and my niece turned me on to this challenge. It all just seems to come into place. Enjoy and feel the excitement and nervousness!
      Peace to you on this Journey! Cecelia

  43. Victoria Reynolds

    This is a marvellous event – adding to my mindfulness muscles every day, I can never have too much mindfulness support and resources. Also from Australia.

    1. mindsummit

      Is the video not loading for you? Since your commenting here you seem to be in the free access area already. Try a different browser and see if that helps. Don’t worry if you miss this one in the next 24 hours, we’re keeping it open for the whole month of October now (just this one intro session) because we were late getting it live

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