Vidyamala has been practising mindfulness since 1985. She is a specialist in mindfulness for health and well-being, and pioneer of Mindfulness-based Pain Management (MBPM). Drawing on her own experience of living with spinal pain, she will explore how we can use awareness and mind training to transform our attitude to life’s discomforts however they manifest: when we resist and fight them, we increase our suffering. When we learn to live with them with relaxed awareness, we can cultivate confidence and happiness. Health, happiness and wholeness are related etymologically and for good reason. Harnessing the power of the mind also leads to positive behaviour change across important health-related domains such as diet, exercise and sleep – which all lead to improved happiness and quality of life. In this talk, Vidyamala will give an overview of MBPM and offer practical ways to cultivate mindfulness for health and well-being.

About speaker
Vidyamala Burch sustained spinal injuries as a young woman which left her with partial paraplegia and severe chronic pain. She has practised mindfulness and meditation since 1985 and pioneered Mindfulness-based Pain Management (MBPM), based on her own experience.

In 2004 she co-founded Breathworks, which has grown into a flourishing international organisation with 500+ accredited teachers in over 35 countries.

Vidyamala has written three books: ‘Living Well with Pain and Illness’, ‘Mindfulness for Health’, and ‘Mindfulness for Women’. ‘Mindfulness for Health’ was awarded First Prize in the British Medical Association Books Awards in 2014. It has also been endorsed by the UK ‘Books on Prescription’ Scheme.

In 2018 Vidyamala was awarded honorary membership to the British Pain Society for her extraordinary contribution to the field of pain management. In 2019 she was named on the Shaw Trust's Power List of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK.

She teaches internationally as well as featuring on a number of apps and on-line summits and webinars.