Mindfulness here and now 2026

Have you ever thought it would be nice to slow down? To allow your mind to pause, and stop whirring for a while? It is all too easy to get caught up in thinking, then overthinking, then fretting, and then worrying some more. This feeling is not enjoyable in its own right. And it occasionally leads to actions and
reactions that, in retrospect, we would rather avoid or have done differently.

So, what can you do avoid this scenario?

In this 3-hr online workshop by Jamie McDonald, you will be introduced to tools for bringing mindfulness. With practice, these methods can help you find moments of calm and quiet wherever you may be. 

The principles on which the workshop is based are grounded in the following:

• Zen and mindfulness practices (influenced by Beck, Nat-Hanh and Watts)
• Progressive relaxation and soothing rhythm breathing (from compassion
  focused therapy)
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavior therapy (Kabat-
  Zinn and Penman/Williams)
• Reflective practice and peer-based experiential learning
  
  

Methods

This event is a highly interactive, hands-on workshop – we won’t be lecturing or diving deeply into theory. We use small group, paired and whole group discussions to review a range of focused, structured activities and reflective exercises that raise fundamental aspects of mindfulness. There is no role play, and we ask participants to apply what they are learning to genuine situations, to make things practical, useful and personal, as well as enjoyable and informal. Models and personal experience are the foundation of the programme. Please come along ready to reflect, to contribute and to practice.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will have learned:

• Core attitudes for mindfulness and how the mind often behaves when it moves away from a mindful state
• How to use different cues to bring your attention back to the ‘here and now’
• How to respond to some of the challenging aspects of mindfulness practice
• Practical steps you can take to put this into practice outside of the workshop

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In the current workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

Intellectual competences: Problem solving

• Personal effectiveness:
  • Self-development
  • Autonomy
  • stress management
• Intellectual competences:
  • Learning ability
    
    

For whom?

• PhD students & postdocs -  24 places available. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

When & where?

• June 17, 13:30-16:30
• Online

Preparation?

Come along with some experiences or your current thoughts of mindfulness, or even the lack of it, to work on. These should be things you are happy to work on and chat about during the workshop with other participants. These could equally usefully be from different aspects of your life. We will use these on the programme.

During the workshop, we will use the online note-taking package, Padlet – and the calls will be on Zoom. Please familiarise yourself with these packages before coming. Specifically, the desktop app for Zoom is better than the mobile and web-based versions. 

Registration?

• Registration will open on 2 March 2026. 
• As places are limited, registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. You will be notified by email after the registration deadline has passed.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as?

• DS BSH: category 'career management & personal development' - session aimed at personal development
• DS ST: category 'career management & personal development' - course/session about career or personal development
• DS HLS: category 'transferable skills' - half of a transferable skills course