ABOUT

Global research indicates that between 10 and 30 percent of people who get COVID-19 will develop long COVID – a condition which can last for months, with symptoms and recovery times that can vary between individuals. In addition to unpleasant physical symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain and brain fog, many are facing low moods, depression and anxiety for the future. 

This Mindfulness for Managing long COVID course has been developed with University College London and forms part of the 'Living With COVID Recovery Programme’ that is in the early stages of being made available within the NHS. 

This Breathworks course has been designed to support people on their recovery journey and to help them live with their symptoms while their body is healing. 

Through a combination of teaching and guided meditation, you will learn how to manage fatigue caused by the virus, how to pace physical activity as well as tools for managing anxiety and suffering associated with long COVID as you progress to recovery. 

The course centres on four key principles: Awareness, Relaxation, Pacing and Self-compassion and is based on our 8-week Mindfulness for Health programme, which studies have shown leads to a wide range of physical and mental wellbeing benefits, such as improved mental health, energy, sleep, quality of life, and confidence to manage symptoms. 

You can complete the course across 7-stages at your own pace and come back to it at any time via our Community of Practice platform.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

• Breathing techniques to help ease tension and pain in the body 
• Methods to calm the mind and work with anxiety 
• Pacing strategies to manage fatigue, gradually build up activity and rebuild confidence
• Meditation practices to help the body to rest and encourage deeper sleep
• Compassion-based practices to help restore self-worth and find a kind and helpful relationship with difficulty
  
  

COURSE FORMAT

This 7-session course is designed to be self-led so you can work through the content at your own pace. The course run sequentially - as you complete one session, the next will be unlocked. 

Each session will introduce a new topic and include both educational teachings and guided meditation practices. These materials will be available both as an audio file and transcript which can be downloaded to your device and used offline. 

The sessions are outlined in the table below: 

Session	Session Focus
Session 1	Helping you relax
Session 2	Finding more peace
Session 3	Getting better sleep
Session 4	Building emotional strength
Session 5	Finding balance: beating boom & bust
Session 6	Letting in the good
Session 7	Calming stressful breathing

WHAT WILL I GET WITH THE COURSE? 

• Teaching and practices to take forward as you navigate your long COVID recovery
• Audio files and transcripts of a variety of meditation practices, guided by Breathworks Co-founder, Vidyamala Burch
• Access to our wider Community of Practice, in which you can continue to explore all the free resources and events we have on offer
• A space to connect with and support other people living with long COVID, within a community of people who truly understand what it’s like to live with this condition
• Suggestions for next steps, including additional resources or reading materials that you may find helpful 
  
  

HOW TO ACCESS

You can access the course through our online Community of Practice – our free social community for mindfulness and meditation. You can sign up for and access platform through your desktop, or via the Mighty Networks app for your smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android). 

Once you are in the Community of Practice, you can find the course on the left-hand navigation menu under ‘Courses / Resources’.

DISCLAIMER 

Please note that resources provided by Breathworks are designed to be a support, not an alternative, to existing medical treatment. Please consult and follow the guidance of your healthcare professional and be sure to take responsibility for your own safety. 

MEET YOUR TRAINER

Vidyamala Burch

Vidyamala Burch is a mindfulness and compassion teacher, author, disability spokesperson and Co-founder of Breathworks. 

Originally from New Zealand, Vidyamala sustained life-changing spinal injuries in her teens. She started exploring mindfulness and meditation to help her manage her condition and found the results to be life changing. 

Vidyamala’s vision in establishing Breathworks was to translate ancient Buddhist practices into language that is accessible to anyone living with difficult circumstances - regardless of faith, culture or race. Her particular interest is how to work with physical suffering, but her approach can be applied to working with any sort of pain or difficulty. 

Vidyamala is an award-winning author and has written three books: Mindfulness for Health, Living Well with Pain and Illness and Mindfulness for Women. She was awarded an honorary membership from the British Pain Society for her contribution to the field of pain management in 2018, and the Shaw Trust’s Power List has named her one of the most influential disabled people in the UK for three years running.

Vidyamala teaches retreats and workshops and speaks at a number of international summits and events. Her teachings can also be found on meditation apps Insight Timer, Simple Habit and Mindfulness.com. See more about her work here.

TESTIMONIALS 

“Mindfulness, for me now, is about being aware in that particular moment, and just being with the moment. I'm not giving up hope that I'm going to be better, but I have been working a lot more on accepting of the here and now, and that makes it more bearable. [Mindfulness] is not going to cure you, but it can help you cope with the day to day living that little bit better" 

– Person living with severe long COVID, who participated in a Breathworks Mindfulness for Health course 

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