"Life is not hurrying on to a receding future, nor hankering after an imagined past"
- R. S. Thomas
"Despite illness of body or mind, in spite of blinding despair or habitual belief, who you are is whole"
- Danna Faulds
"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity"
- Simone Weil
"At the end of your life, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took but how many moments took your breath away"
- Shin Xiong
mindfulness, self-compassion, psychotherapy + counselling with Lokadhi
experienced psychotherapist and counsellor, supervisor + mindfulness teacher
With busy lives, we can easily lose touch with ourselves and develop unhelpful patterns that undermine our wellbeing.
Mindfulness, self-compassion, one-to-one therapy or counselling can help you develop a different relationship with yourself - and with friends, family, intimate partners, colleagues, people you encounter daily - and life more broadly. Consciously developing kindly awareness can be transformative.
If you're looking for support, I hope this website can help you decide whether we might work well together:
"May you live every day of your life" - Jonathan Swift
"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home" - Bashō
"The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together" - Shakespeare
"The wound is the place where the light enters you" - Rumi
"Happiness is the light on the water. The water is dark and deep "- William Maxwell
"For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" - Shakespeare
mindfulness, self-compassion, therapy + counselling in London
Painful events in the present, memories of the past, or worries about the future can make it difficult to enjoy life or move forward.
If you're feeling stuck - alone, unsure where to turn - I can help you bring compassion and kindness into managing something that's going on right now, changing recurrent patterns, or coming to terms with the past.
Learn more here ...
mindfulness + self-compassion, therapy + counselling in London with Lokadhi
I'm inspired by the capacity of mindfulness - and compassion for self and others - to change lives. I love sharing this so others may benefit.
As one of few people specifically trained to bring mindfulness and compassion-based approaches to psychotherapy or counselling, I have something distinct to offer you. These approaches are found to be highly effective in response to emotional or physical pain - including trauma and other forms of acute distress - as well as day-to-day stress, fatigue and chronic illness.
My work is integrative in style and informed by awareness of the body; intuitive, fluid, sensitive, whilst providing a firm, steady space for whatever you might bring. It's framed by a strong theoretical understanding; and underpinned by a commitment to lifelong learning, supported by regular training.
I understand - from the inside - what it is to feel vulnerable. And I believe that out of personal pain and suffering new strength is trying to emerge - and often does.
As an experienced mindfulness and self-compassion practitioner - and trained in teaching both to an advanced level - from the beginning these approaches have informed my approach as a therapist and counsellor. I also have specific training at post-graduate level to support me in this.
I've offered mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and compassion-focused courses for many years in the voluntary and public sectors.
I care deeply about upholding the quality content and delivery, and as a trained and experienced supervisor of other teachers of mindfulness-based approaches, support others in offering mindfulness training and compassion-based approaches to a high standard of professionalism and integrity by offering one-to-one supervision and group training seminars.
about mindfulness
Mindfulness helps us get more out of our lives. It's learned experientially: we cultivate skills through practice - moving directly towards understanding their effectiveness, rather than reading or hearing about those skills and how to develop them.
At the same time, there is a clear, strong theoretical framework that informs the process. Adapted for modern secular life from ancient meditation-based traditions, the effectiveness of mindfulness has a strong evidence base - explained by contemporary neuroscientific research, and validated by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).
By training us to connect more fully with our body and breath, mindfulness develops awareness of the mind's activity - particularly of patterns that are unhelpful to us. Mindfulness skills help us develop a different relationship with ourselves; different relationships with others, with physical or emotional pain, stress, fatigue, chronic illness - and the ups and downs of ordinary everyday life.
Read more about mindfulness, and how you could benefit ...
about compassion + self-compassion
Self-compassion and compassion for others - sometimes referred to as kindly awareness - place a clear emphasis on the 'heartfulness' implicit in mindfulness.
We gently, compassionately, develop awareness of how we can undermine ourselves; how we can be supported in making subtle but powerful changes to such patterns - through engaging in awareness of the body, breath, and of the activity of the mind, we implicitly develop kindness towards ourselves.
Compassion-based approaches value and nurture inherent human characteristics which - as recognised by ancient meditation-based traditions - can become obscured, minimised or distorted from birth onwards.
As with mindfulness, these approaches have been adapted to contemporary secular life. When appropriately integrated into one-to-one talking therapy (or offered as structured programmes for small groups or one-to-one) by a skilled practitioner, their effectiveness is supported by contemporary neuroscience.
Read more about compassion and self-compassion, and how you might benefit ...
Read what people who've learned mindfulness + compassion with Lokadhi say:
mindfulness + compassion-based therapy online
Though clearly not the same as meeting in person, where appropriate - and when discussed and agreed in advance - I may provide online therapy and counselling, which can offer some significant advantages to those whose choices may be limited.
This greater accessibility may make it possible to start therapeutic work when meeting in the consulting room in the usual way is simply not feasible, and enabling existing clients to continue their work uninterrupted on exceptional occasions when it is impractical to meet in person.
Encouraged by how positive an experience this can be, I have given considerable thought to how working online can be as supportive as possible in providing a space for contemplation, inner reflection and connection - especially important when many of us find ourselves spending more time in front of screens than we might choose.
I also offer online supervision, mentoring and other self-regulatory support for therapists, and mindfulness teachers/trainers.
If you have questions or would like to know more about online therapy that incorporates mindfulness, compassion and self-compassion, read more...
Learn key mindfulness + self-compassion practices to integrate into everyday life.
I offer one-to-one mindfulness and self-compassion training in blocks of 8 weekly sessions, based on well-established course structures - which can, if you wish, be based around a specific life theme, or adapted to your particular needs.
Following an initial consultation - normally in person - where we will explore what the most appropriate approach might be for you, I will guide you through a programme designed to help you establish a personal mindfulness practice.
mindfulness + compassion training sessions for individuals
Initial consultations are normally conducted in person, either at Barnsbury Therapy Rooms, 144 Liverpool Road, Islington, London N1 1LA, or City Therapy Rooms, 3 Furnival Street, London, EC4A 1JQ - followed by a series of 8 weekly one-to-one sessions over Zoom or other remote platform.
It may be possible, where appropriate and by arrangement, to also conduct the initial session online.
how do I arrange a preliminary mindfulness + compassion training session with Lokadhi?
You can send me an email via the contact form at the bottom of this page.
what people say ...
"You have an engaging conversational style of teaching which sits with me very well."
"I've become more aware of being kinder to myself - I look after myself."
"It felt like you're passionate about this approach and are genuinely keen to share it with others."
"Coming to the sessions each week has helped break some of my 'inert' evening patterns of behaviour."
"I'm more centred, self-aware and more able to deal with difficult emotional situations."
"I've valued the group work, and your gentle, skilful teaching. I also enjoyed the practice day very much."
"I feel more alive after doing the course. And I've made good connections with people."
"I've learned new skills for dealing with things that are tough and challenging."
"I've learned to not judge my experience, not be so critical of myself."
"If all working people did this course it would make offices a much nicer place to be!"
"I've recognised how ultimately I have responsibility for my actions and consequently can contain them. I do not have to push them aside."
"I can now recognise the early-warning signs and mechanisms of my anxiety."
"The course was recommended by a friend who also suffers from migraines, as it helped her."
"I've gained a greater understanding of mindfulness in general, and the paradoxes involved in particular."
"I've got some practical tools for practising meditation and a greater sense of how practice interacts with and affects the brain."
"The greatest 'gem' I've taken away from this course is sitting with myself and noticing."
"I found taking on the home practice hard but didn't give up on the bigger picture, allowed for progress."
"I struggled with my stress levels and tiredness due to my domestic situation, but the course was always a real refuge and inspiration."
mindfulness supervision for mindfulness teachers, psychotherapists, counsellors + health professionals
As an experienced, trained supervisor listed with the UK Mindfulness Network I support other mindfulness teachers through regular one-to-one or group supervision sessions in accordance with the ethical frameworks of the main UK regulatory bodies.
I offer mindfulness supervision for psychotherapists and counsellors where appropriate.
I also offer mentoring to mindfulness teachers engaged in specific projects or working in particular contexts. Read more ...
contact Lokadhi
if you'd like to know about my availability for psychotherapy or counselling incorporating mindfulness and compassion-based approaches - or about a tailor-made course of one-to-one mindfulness and self-compassion training - please get in touch using this contact form.
Or if your questions about mindfulness and self-compassion in psychotherapy or counselling are not answered here, please do get in touch.
For information about future courses and other events, please ask to be put on my mailing list using the alternative request form.
By completing this contact form you will be sending an email including your personal data in the form of your name, email address and your message, which will be stored in my email system for the purpose of direct email communication with you. Your personal information will not be passed to any third party.
For event and course updates, audio and other mindfulness resources