“I’ve worked in community settings involving gardens and nature for 20 years. Eventually I realised that being absorbed ‘in the now’ with plants and natural spaces was a form of mindfulness, and that’s what drew me to it. My mindfulness practice has helped me through difficult times with work related stress, given me the strength and calm to be a support to others in emotional turmoil, and more recently allowed me to have a calm birth experience with a totally different relationship to pain. I originally studied Zoology, followed by Environmental Science, completing an NVQ in Volunteer Management and changing direction to study for a BTEC in Horticulture in 2009. I qualified as a Horticultural Therapist in 2015 and in 2018 I trained in Landscape Design.

I began working with Leeds Mindfulness Coop in 2021, and we incorporated mindfulness training into programs of Horticultural Therapy. I studied to be a Mindfulness Teacher with Breathworks while I was on maternity leave in 2023-4. I’m currently working freelance and part time helping an NHS hospital grow and develop their Wellbeing Garden and Horticultural Therapy Unit with Mindfulness at the heart. I hope to do this for other hospitals and public settings in the future.”

Chris brings extensive experience in the third sector in Leeds to support the co-operative, particularly in the areas of governance, planning and preparing funding applications. Chris was inspired to volunteer as a director after seeing the positive changes that the co-op’s mindfulness training has brought to staff and local members of the LS14 trust in East Leeds.

“I founded Leeds Mindfulness Co-operative in 2017 with Uddyotani, Gunasakhi and other mindfulness teachers and am currently supporting the organisation’s transition to new directors. When I was 23 an injury left me with chronic pain.  A Breathworks Mindfulness Course taught by Vidyamala in Manchester was transformative and I went on to train to teach in 2012.  Every time I teach a course I learn something new from the participants and from the content.  I am also a postdoctoral researcher on ecology, environment and health at the University of York. I’m particularly interested in our nature connection work and helping more people access this through green social prescribing.”

“Practising mindfulness has helped me to experience a greater freedom to make choices about how I react to events.  I’ve enjoyed the feelings of community and connection that are important aspects of the courses, and I’ve begun training to teach mindfulness as a continuation of the positive feelings I’ve experienced as a participant.”