Becky Ridgewell, Teacher, Supervisor and Director of This Mindful Life CIC

I have been teaching Mindfulness-Based courses to diverse communities since 2014. I am a listed Mindfulness Teacher with BAMBA (British Association for Mindfulness-based Approaches). I am also a psychotherapist with diverse clinical experience in several agency settings and a member of BACP.

My Mindfulness Practice: I have been meditating (patchily at first!) since I was 16 when I discovered a chant in a magazine which helped calm my exam nerves. Since then I have meditated with varying degrees of success. At first, using it only when stressed, meditation did not have a great impact. Then in 2001 I studied Yoga, Movement and Meditation in Rishikesh, India and made meditation part of a weekly practice alongside yoga. In 2006 I started learning about secular mindfulness meditation and committed to daily meditation practice. This led me to complete an MBSR course (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), taught by Michael Chaskalson.

My Mindfulness Teacher Training: In 2012 I decided to combine my interest in mindfulness meditation and my experience as a teacher by training to teach mindfulness. I undertook a reflective practice journal to deepen my practice and to get to know each meditation taught on Mindfulness-Based courses thoroughly. As well as the mindfulness teacher training and CPD events detailed below I also hold a Teaching Qigong for Health Certificate which I incorporate into my Mindfulness-Based courses. You can also read about my therapeutic and trauma training here: Therapeutic and Trauma Informed Training Attended

Year	Title	Provider
2013	Teach .b certificate	Mindfulness in Schools Project
2014	Inquiry Process in Mindfulness-Based Courses	CMRP Bangor University
2014	Teaching Mindfulness/MBCT to Non-Clinical Populations	Oxford Mindfulness Centre
2015	Certificate of Readiness to Teach MBLC	Mindfulness Association
2016	Mindfulness-Based Well-being for Parents	Tavistock & Portman/CMRP Bangor
2017	Mindfulness-Based Interventions	Jon Kabat-Zinn/OMC
2019	Mindfulness-Based Supervisor Training	CMRP Bangor
2019	Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness	Mindfulness Practitioners
2020	Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery	Valerie Mason-John
2021	Mindfulness and Autism	Mindfulness Practitioners

I am registered with BAMBA as a Registered Mindfulness Teacher and I am a member of The Mindfulness Association. I follow the UK Network Mindfulness-Based Teachers Good Practice Guidelines for Teachers and Supervisors bamba.org.uk/…rs/good-practice-guidelines

My teaching is further supported by being part of various mindfulness-based practitioner networks, online groups  and through regular supervision. I invest in CPD (Continuing Professional Development) whenever possible to support and enhance my mindfulness teaching,  recent CPD has included training on teaching mindfulness to parents and a workshop on loving kindness facilitated by Sharon Saltzberg alongside a day of practice and inquiry facilitated by Jon Kabat-Zinn. My most recent 7 day teacher-led retreat was in August 2019 at Gaia House. Read more about the retreats I have attended here: Retreats Attended

Alongside teaching mindfulness I am currently training as a therapist, to read more about my therapeutic training to date follow this link here: Therapeutic and Trauma Informed Training Attended When not working I enjoy spending time in nature with family and friends, writing and doing yoga. I have two children and I am a keen allotment keeper.

This Mindful Life CIC

This Mindful Life CIC underwent company formation in June 2017 with the aim of expanding the reach of Mindfulness to diverse communities in Hertfordshire, London and Cambridge. Prior to June 2017 This Mindful Life has been delivering mindfulness courses since 2014 but had not been through the formal route of formation as a CIC. This Mindful Life was formed by Becky Ridgewell, who continues to provide mindfulness courses and training through This Mindful Life CIC. You can support the work of the CIC by donating here:  https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=U8F7MVGCTSZUN

More about my mindfulness practice:
I am a secular mindfulness practitioner. You can read my blog, usually updated once a month, with reflections on my practice and aspects of mindfulness. I blog because I think it’s important to be authentic about mindfulness. I’m not a wise sage who surrounds her practice in mystery. I have a busy life and I am very much a work in progress. I live in the real, hectic, modern world of managing childcare needs, the school run, commuting to a demanding charity sector job, squeezed finances and juggling to balance work and family life. I don’t live in a monastery or even a large house with a quiet study that I can retreat to for some undisturbed meditation.

I integrate my daily mindfulness practice into a busy life. Sometimes I practise in my living room or my daughter’s bedroom. I might practise on the train as I commute to work, at other times I practise as I walk. It can be hard to find the time but I passionately believe it’s worth finding that time. I think it’s important to be honest that undertaking to do anything everyday is a challenge but with mindfulness meditation the effort ultimately pays dividends in terms of quality of life and well-being.

Becky Ridgewell