It has been one-and-a-half years since I started on my mindfulness journey. It helped me to get out of many years of misery, for which I am grateful for. 2021 was an exceptionally painful year for me, as I plucked up the courage to walk out of a 30-year marriage. I was feeling very down for a long time. Then I chanced upon Brahm Centre’s Mindfulness poster next to an MRT station, and I walked into the nearest Brahm Centre branch to enquire about mindfulness.

I attended the Mindfulness Foundation course via Zoom in December 2021. In 2022, I attended several courses at the Newton branch, namely, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness Compassion Course (MCC) and Mindfulness Advance Course (MAC), in addition to attending five retreats from March 2022 to March 2023.

The courses were a paradigm shift for me. I was able to experience inner peace at last, something I have been looking for in the past 20 years but to no avail. First, I learnt how to forgive myself. I love my family very much and would not intentionally hurt them. If only I had the chance to learn about mindfulness 20 years ago, it would have been very different outcome. I learnt to forgive those who had hurt me, though I still do not wish to see them yet; I am respecting my own wishes. I learnt to be generous, and to be kind to my body.

I learnt to be grateful to the kind souls I have met so far, who have helped me in one way or another. Without these kind souls appearing in various stages of my life, I will not be where I am today. I learnt to relax through mindfulness practices and activities that I enjoy doing. Now I do not feel as anxious or as fearful, compared with two years ago. I learnt to love myself and to have self-compassion. I’m also convinced that loving myself is not a selfish act, because without self-care and self-love, I cannot show compassion for others. I learnt to cherish what I still have. I believe I am good enough. I am able to accept myself. Although I have not fully learnt how to let go of the past, I accept that it will take some time for me to make that happen. May I be well and happy, may you be well and happy, may all be well and happy.

Grace Yeo,
Course Participant