‘I love the simple definition of mindfulness as paying attention. If that is what we
are doing in our practice then whatever shows up can be welcomed. Of course,
the reality is more challenging than the theory, but it is wonderful to have
this as our north star!’ (Jenny Smith)
Jenny Smith is passionate about the power of listening to ourselves and to each other and incorporates mindfulness teachings and techniques into the ways she supports people.
With a history of managing mental health and working in addiction crisis support services, Jenny recognised early on in her career how important it was for people working in this sector to be able to listen to themselves as they listened to others in distress. At one end of the scale, it was basic self-care, and at the other it was burnout prevention. As a way to walk her talk on this she started attending meditation retreats and courses several decades ago, including an 8-week MBSR, and subsequently developed a daily practice that has strengthened over time to become a firm pillar of her own self-care and stress management.
Since those days working on crisis lines, Jenny has gone on to become a freelance mindfulness and stress management trainer. Her mindfulness training was with Zenways in London, and she completed the 200 hours Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress and Wellbeing teacher training in 2023. She has also studied David Treleaven’s Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness to support her students to adapt their practice to stay regulated and present rather than risking dissociating or becoming highly dysregulated whilst practicing. She teaches an 8-week mindfulness and meditation course and incorporates mindfulness practices into her other courses of ‘Stress Management’ and ‘Listening with Skill and Sensitivity’ via Aberystwyth University’s Lifelong Learning department.
Her courses attract participants who have identified varying reasons for wanting to explore and practise mindfulness. Participants have included exam-pressured students, work-overloaded staff, community health practitioners who are listening to the stress and strain of others all day, and parents who constantly juggle the demands between work and home. As much as having a daily formal practice is a desire for people at the start of the course, Jenny is noticing that on-the-spot mindful practices that support nervous system regulation are equally appreciated by her students. As a closure to these courses the students are invited to complete a reflective essay that explores their own journey of applying the theory and practice in their own lives. This deepens their learning and offers an opportunity to consider the distance they have travelled over the 8 weeks.
Jenny’s own practice comprises a daily formal 30-minute meditation where she might include techniques of following the breath or a body scan as well as a Zazen practice of just sitting. She also sits weekly with others online and believes this to be a significant factor in sustaining and deepening her practice. During the day Jenny will bring micro-mindfulness practices into her routine such as a 1-minute body scan or taking 5 conscious breaths.
Jenny is also a Hakomi practitioner. Hakomi is a psychotherapy that has Mindfulness as one of its pillars. Devised in the 1960s, Hakomi recognises the value of slowing down and coming out of ordinary consciousness into a more mindful state during therapy sessions so that we can notice and track more of our direct experience. Applying Mindfulness in therapy helps us to become curious rather than unconsciously reactive, which in turn enables us to take different perspectives and make different choices.
As far as her mindfulness related future goes Jenny has two long term goals, one for work and one personal practice. For her work she is dreaming up a comprehensive training in Deep Listening for any professionals or individuals who need to listen deeply to content that has the potential to be stress-inducing. Jenny’s personal mindfulness goal is to practise contentment regardless of how life is showing up!
Email: jennyrosesmith123@gmail.com
Website: www.jennyrosesmith.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenny.rosesmith/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jennyrosesmith/