My name is Barbara Boxhall. I have been practicing Mindfulness for over 20 years. As I was growing up I didn't know what it was not to be anxious.  That to me was how life was. It was the norm. Over years of practising Mindfulness I became aware of the toll anxiety and it's related conditions of stress and depression take on people's lives, including my own.  Increasingly over the years of practicing Mindfulness, a sense of calm, well-being and stillness became the bedrock from where I lived, taught and Counselled. More recently, the addition of self compassion practice deepened this way of being. I have a great sense of gratitude to all my many teachers of Mindfulness, Compassion and Presence.

I am a qualified as a teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy from the Institute of Mindfulness Based Approaches. This was a 16 month professional teacher-training and adhere to the 'Good Practice Guidance for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses'. I studied for an Msc in Mindfulness and Compassion with Aberdeen University at Kagyu Samye Ling in Scotland and gained a diploma in Mindfulness. This course covered Mindfulness, Compassion, Insight and Wisdom. I completed a international teacher training for an eight week course on  Mindful Self Compassion.  I am currently on hold as a member of the Mindfulness Association which also requires members to abide by their ethical code for teachiing Mindfulness. I am for the time being not on the UK listing of approved mindfulness teachers either.

I am also a qualified Counsellor with over 20 years experience and was Registered and an Accredited Member of the BACP. I  worked with clients from 1994 to 2017.  In 2017 my beloved son and only child Julian died tragically.  After this terrible experience a series of continuing personal difficulties arose, including losing my husband Mike Boxhall to cancer followed swiftly by a mastectomy to prevent cancer spreading in myself and then developing chronic fatigue. I am currently in semi retreat and not working.  It may be that in the future I will return to teaching Mindfulness and Mindful Self Compassion but in the meantime I am listening to my body and my needs and taking time to adjust to a completely different life.  I hope that this my website is of some help to you. Please do use the meditations and any of the texts for your personal development (only). I will be glad if you do. Below is a continuation of my professional history.

In the early 90’s I started integrating Mindfulness and Radical Acceptance approaches informally into my teaching in a men’s prison where I ran the Art Department for 12 years.

I taught Mindfulness: eight week courses to groups, gave talks and shorter Mindfulness courses, practice and  introductory days and led weekends in beautiful places.

"I found the day really energising, and appreciated the strong emphasis on practice. I came away with renewed enthusiasm for the principles of Mindfulness, and a clearer awareness of the warm, friendly, accepting and positive character of it that you spelt out for us" . Robert. 

I also taught Mindfulness including the MBSR eight week course, on a one-to-one basis and integrated Mindfulness and Counselling together if it was asked for. These one-to-one sessions were from my office in Oving near Chichester.  I also taught Mindfulness courses and counselled via Skype. Since 2017 I ceased to work as a Counsellor and this has become permanent.

From 2004 to 2009, as a joint director with my husband Mike, I ran ‘Duncton Mill Retreat Centre’ listed by the Guardian as 'one of the ten best retreat centres in the world'.

From 2009 to 2011 I co-ran the ‘Mill Retreat Centre’ Normandy France.

From 2004 to 2017 I  studied Mindfulness through the work of my husband Mike Boxhall, international teacher of Embodied Presence.  I attended over thirty 4 - 5 day residential courses with him, in America, Ireland, France, Spain and England. These were recognised and accredited for ‘Continual Professional Development’ in several countries.

Currently I am focusing on developing self compassion practices. I  began to teach these as a result of the experience of compassion training on the Msc. in Scotland. More recently I trained in Mindful Self Compassion with Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff, world leaders in secular self compassion practice. I am qaulified as a Mindful Self Compassion teacher and find that this path dovetails perfectly with everything I have been involved with, until now.

I have also been a Supervisor and Mentor to the CEO of Mindfulness at Work and for those teaching Mindfulness in the corporate world, and for those working in other disciplines.

If you are committed to your practice, you need a great supervisor to grow and expand.  You need someone who will both challenge and nurture you as well as gently, yet firmly push you to bring your best to your work.  Barbara is that person.  She has a gift for keeping our time together both exploratory and interesting, yet also on task and focused.  Barbara has surpassed my expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend her highly. Meredith G. Oct 2016.  I was given the role of 'Wise Counsel' for Mindfulness at Work, supporting those in difficulty both at work and domestically.

I live in a village near Chichester, West Sussex surrounded by my extended family. I am trying to learn to live again. Several years ago when my nuclear family was still alive I had an idea for a series of images (see below). This grew into an expression of love of our family, garden, village, locality and life.  It was the inspiration for me to create and photograph twelve heart images, one for each month of the year.  They are made from found, natural materials collected in our garden and village.  The whole project took three years to complete.

 My life's aim is to introduce Mindfulness and Compassion including Self Compassion to as many people as I can, not only to those who are suffering but to help all people to live their life as fully as possible.