About

Lindsay Anderson, the founder of Coach Lindsay, is an accredited mindfulness and meditation practitioner. Here are her qualifications:

  • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) Teacher Development Programme, awarded by The British Mindfulness Institute
  • Professional Training in the Applied use of Mindfulness for 12-18 year olds, awarded by The British Mindfulness Institute
  • Professional Training in the Applied use of Mindfulness for 7-11 year olds, awarded by The British Mindfulness Institute
  • Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion in Professional Practice Qualification awarded by Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body
  • NLP Practitioner qualification, awarded by the International NLP Trainers Association
  • Adult and youth Mental Health First Aider

Here she explains her journey:

After dabbling with meditation for most of my life, I actively started learning more about meditation and mindfulness in 2015. I developed a deep love for it and after being a stay at home mum for several years, I decided that I wanted to get back into some sort of work that involved meditation and mindfulness. My background is working with troubled teenagers in an educational setting and although I knew I didn’t want to get back into the teaching/support role I had previously worked, I knew that my heart belonged to working with children and young people. I just didn’t know in what respect this would be.

The Meditation Centre, Dent

I became a fully qualified meditation teacher in September 2018 after 7 months of intensive study, spiritual growth, deep meditation practice and a lot of reflection. My place of study was at the magical Meditation Centre in Dent. This has since become my spiritual home and holds a very special place in my heart. People often talk about journeys and even though that word has become somewhat of a cliché it describes my time at the centre studying this ancient and spiritual practice perfectly. The course differs from others currently being offered as it gave me the opportunity to learn about different philosophies and meditation techniques which are embraced at the Centre – spanning both Eastern and Western tradition. I was blessed with 2 teachers, Annette Brooks and Julie Darling whom delivered the course with an open heart, a firm wisdom of their craft and a real kindness to which I will be forever grateful. There were only 6 students on the course so it was very intimate and felt extremely special. The friendships that were made with my fellow Teacher Training Tribe will stay with me forever and out of that I have gained some of my closest and most treasured friends. The experience, kindness and warmth that each of them brought to the course taught me things that will help embody anything that Coach Lindsay does in moving forward. I am now a very proud affiliate teacher of the centre and am involved with many aspects of it.

Alongside my meditation teacher training in 2018 I wanted to develop my understanding of mindfulness and how to deliver this to others, in particular young children and teenagers. I was lucky enough to gain a place on the MBCT Teacher Development Programme, awarded by The British Mindfulness Institute run by the renowned Dr Patrizia Collard, a prominent member of the UK Network of Mindfulness-based Teacher Training Organisations. This intimate foundational training provided me the opportunity to learn in depth about the programme, but more importantly to explore it “from the inside out” in the role of teacher, through small group exercises, mindful feedback and reflection. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an evidence-based group modality to treat acute anxiety and mood disorders that combines the tools of cognitive therapy with the practice of Mindfulness Meditation. 

Again with the British Institute of Mindfulness I was grateful to gain a place on their Professional Training in the Applied use of Mindfulness for 12-18 year olds. During my time studying this I was trained in incorporating Mindfulness into a Primary and High School setting and Youth Organisation. I then went on to study the Professional Training in the Applied use of Mindfulness for 7-11 year olds as I wanted to gain even deeper knowledge of the subject and to be able to deliver it to younger children.

I am also a qualified Mental Health First Aider and Mental Health Ambassador for MHFA England. I gained my Youth Mental Health First Aider qualification and this enabled me to have…….

  • An in-depth understanding of young people’s mental health and factors that affect wellbeing
  • Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues 
  • Confidence to reassure and support a young person in distress
  • Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening 
  • Knowledge to help a young person recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s through self-help sites, their place of learning, the NHS, or a mix – engaging with parents, carers and external agencies where appropriate
  • Ability to support a young person with a long term mental health issue or disability to thrive.

I also qualified as an Adult Mental Health First Aider which enabled me to have……..

  • An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
  • Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
  • Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
  • Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
  • Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s self-help resources, through their employer, the NHS, or a mix.

In June 2020 I passed my Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion in Professional Practice Qualification awarded by Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body with Mindfulness UK which takes place at Yoga Campus in Finsbury park, London. This programme was developed in response to a clear need to create a benchmark as a standard for professionals wishing to offer mindfulness and compassion as therapeutic intervention. Gaining this qualification will enable me to be recognised and accredited in the field of mindfulness. I am a proud member on the list of accredited mindfulness teachers in the UK. As always, the thread of authenticity runs through my practice and I trust that studying to this level in a subject that I truly believe has transformational qualities will strengthen that thread.

The view with brew from the NLP Practitioner course at the wonderful Sanctuary of Healing at Langho

I also gained my NLP Practitioner qualification with the amazing Chris Grimsly at NLP North West. I enjoyed the diploma so much at the beginning of 2019 I developed a hunger for a more in-depth wisdom of this highly addictive and somewhat magical way of thinking. Its teachings allows you to leave behind negative emotions, beliefs and thought patterns and to silence unhelpful self talk. It invites you to think more positively, to be decisive and to see a clear path ahead. The skills learnt can have a transformational effect on participants of the work and as a meditation and mindfulness practitioner I believe this can only help in not only my profession but also on a personal level. Through the core of my business is a thread of authenticity, this is something that I am passionate about maintaining throughout all of my work and self development is so important to fulfilling this promise. 

I am fully DBS checked and cleared.