The Rock Through Life group, based in the Bridgend area, was set up several years ago to support people who had completed an 8-week mindfulness course to keep their meditation practice going. During lockdown, to enable connection in those long days of isolation, it was taken online, but as soon as possible they came together in person and have continued to meet monthly.
“We support each other.” “We’re like a family.” “This group is so important to me.” “It’s a safe space” “I talk about things I wouldn’t talk about with my friends and family.” “The group are my mindfulness family.” (Rock Through Life participants)
Rock through Life has four strands – a free Facebook Community, a weekly online group, a monthly in-person group, and a retreat day three times a year.
At the centre of these groups is their founder Laura Evans. Laura has a day job as well as her work in mindfulness, compassion and grief recovery support. She brings her own experiences to the expertise she has developed.
Laura says:
“When life changing events happen, it can really change our perspective on life. After hitting rock bottom in 2002, I went on a journey of self-help, healing and discovery. I discovered an 8-week Mindfulness Course which was so life changing that I went on to train to become a mindfulness teacher.
“My passion had always been to help others who were struggling. I have spent the last few years healing my own grief and trauma. When faced with grieving for loved ones or being faced with health conditions and our own mortality it can prompt us into reflecting on what is important to us. I have gone on to train to become a grief recovery specialist in addition to being a mindfulness for stress/pain/illness teacher and a health and wellbeing coach.
“I have been talking with my Rock Through Life group for several years now about how stress, grief and trauma show up in the body as physical symptoms and can lead to a variety of illnesses. There is so much we can do to help ourselves but most of us don’t get taught how or feel that we don’t have the time. Being self-compassionate isn’t selfish – it is necessary so that we can be our best selves, flourish, and keep helping others.
“My mission in life is to take the guesswork out of managing stress, grief and loss and the impact they have on the mind, body and spirit, so that instead of struggling, people can Rock Through Life instead.
“I do this in a variety of different ways and aim to give people a range of options:
- I am an accredited Breathworks teacher (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Pain Management); an Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist; Advanced Support Group Facilitator; SOMABreath Facilitator; and Accredited Coach and Supervisor trained in CBT and NLP approaches.
- The free Rock Through Life Community – to empower people to prioritise their own health and wellbeing. Do come and join us.
- Monthly face-to-face mindfulness and meditation drop-in days in Bridgend, donation based.
- The Cwtch: Weekly online membership of a community of practice to learn the tools of mindfulness and meditation and apply them to day-to-day life, develop self-compassion and build your own self-care toolkit.
- The Freedom from Grief 8-week course – an evidence-based course to help you heal from the heartbreak of the death of a loved one, divorce or separation or any other reasons why we grieve.
- One-on-One bespoke Coaching – I will draw on the tools of grief recovery, mindfulness, CBT, NLP and coaching depending on your needs.
“After my son’s death, my passion for helping children and young people to thrive in life rather than struggling with mental and physical health issues has also been re-kindled. I believe in helping those who help, lead and support others, so that through healing their suffering, and calming down their own nervous systems, they can then be safe people for the people they care for. This will enable me to create a ripple effect, to reach young people and do my part in creating a better world.”
Email: laura@rockthroughlife.com
Rock Through Life Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockthroughlifecommunity/
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