ABOUT  |  LIVING MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION  |  JACQUI WINSTANLEY


 
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Living Mindfulness & Meditation 

Living Mindfulness and Meditation was founded by Jacqui Winstanley with the aim of sharing her years of practice and teaching for the benefit of those seeking to live life more consciously and create calmness, clarity and happiness in today’s busy world.

The practices of mindfulness and meditation have been around for thousands of years in many different cultures, and are now being embraced by business, and in the education and healthcare systems for increased wellbeing. Living Mindfulness and Meditation brings you practices originally found in the Buddha’s teachings in the Theravada tradition: mindfulness and meditation, compassion and empathy, and Insight wisdom.

Jacqui's classes introduce and expand the path of living mindfully in a clear and easily accessible way, in a friendly and supportive environment. With regular practice of the techniques provided, you can experience positive changes to your patterns of thought, perspectives on living, and nurture a feeling of contentment and a deeper sense of connectedness with others and the world around you..

'Mindfulness is the miracle by which we restore ourselves' - Thich Nhat Hanh

 
 
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Benefits of mindfulness and meditation

  • Reduced physical and mental stress, anxiety and depression

  • Increased resilience and improved ability to manage stress

  • Greater compassion and empathy to oneself and others

  • Greater clarity, peace, calm, happiness and joy

  • Greater well being including improved sleep patterns

  • Improved emotional intelligence and communication skills leading to less conflict and improved relationships

  • Improved performance through increased memory, focus, planning skills and sustained attention

  • Increased insight, wisdom, understanding, and connectedness

'Neuroscientists have also shown that practicing mindfulness affects brain areas related to perception, body awareness, pain tolerance, emotion regulation, introspection, complex thinking, and sense of self.' - Congleton et al. Harvard Business Review, January 8 2015

 

 
 
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Jacqui Winstanley B.Ed ATMD

Jacqui was authorised to teach the Dhamma (Buddha’s teachings) in 2016 by Philippa Ransome, herself an authorised Dhamma teacher by the highly respected Buddhist nun Venerable Ayya Khema.

Jacqui’s insight has developed through over 30 years of practicing and teaching meditation, mindfulness and yoga. She is grateful for the knowledge passed down from her teachers during many retreats and time spent in yoga ashrams, including a 6-month live-in Sannyasa Training Course at the Bihar School of Yoga, India, led by her teacher Swami Niranjana Saraswati. Recently she has enjoyed retreats on contemplative science and classical Buddhadharma with Tibetan Buddhist monk Tarchin Hearn. Jacqui also acknowledges the writings and teachings of many great teachers, most notably the late Thich Nhat Hanh, who has had a profound influence on her life learnings.

Jacqui has had the privilege of sharing meditation, mindfulness and yoga during classes and retreats, in private, hospital, and corporate settings, with many clients referred by GPs, psychologists and obstetricians, who have seen the benefits that Jacqui’s classes have had on their patients.

Jacqui lives on the Mornington Peninsula with her family and has been dedicated to teaching Environmental Education to students and community for over 20 years at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

"Jacqui is very knowledgeable about the theory of meditation and yoga. She has a beautiful, relaxed manner and my patients found the classes very relaxing" - Mr Ian K Mayes, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist