About the Trainer
Rita Riccola
Rita Riccola is one of New Zealand’s leading mindfulness trainers.
She is the author of the book ‘The Practice of Mindfulness and Balance’ and a trained mindfulness teacher with over 30 yrs experience.
“Rita is a fabulous facilitator – she made us feel extremely comfortable, was open minded and encouraged us all to share from our diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. I came away with many very practical, easy to use exercises that I have since been using with with my classes of various ages. Thank you Rita for gifting me such a wonderful and enjoyable afternoon of learning”.
-Louise Dore, Auckland
NEW BOOK-COMING SOON!
THE PRACTICE OF
MINDFULNESS AND BALANCE
BY RITA RICCOLA
A Mindful Approach to Navigating the Nervous system for Calmness & Mental Clarity
A book for anyone who is ready to explore their inner world of thoughts and feelings…
Rita Riccola Has been a Vipassana and yoga practitioner for 30 years after discovering there was a way to ‘tame my mind’.
“I have attended many silent retreats over the years. I always believed that life is the teacher and was sceptical of dogmatic, religious practices so for me Mindfulness was perfect. From 2000-2002 I went to a number Barry Long’s seminars (Aust.) on a Course in Being (Barry Long was a teacher of Eckhart Toll).
I have been trying to find a way to pass on all I have learned about the mind and emotions and finally as Mindfulness has reached the mainstream and has allowed that to happen. In 2012 I set up Mindful NZ Schools in an effort to bring Mindfulness practices and the proven benefits to schoolchildren in New Zealand.
In 2023 I founded Mindfulness in New Zealand and Mindfulness in Australia and started to run courses in mindfulness facilitation for teachers, social workers, counselors etc. I have also done staff trainings in many schools and organisations both in New Zealand and Australia.
I have completed courses with Mindful Schools USA in preparation to offer schools in New Zealand Mindfulness classes (Mindful NZ Schools) which I have been doing since 2012: More recently I have been training teachers at Diocesan and Dilworth Junior College in Mindfulness in an effort take the practices to their students. I have been running an after-school programme for children and parents for the past 2 years at Grey Lynn Community Center. I get regular requests to run public Mindfulness classes which I am now offering”.
Private Consultations
PRIVATE MINDFULNESS ZOOM TRAINING WITH RITA RICCOLA
Learn mindfulness strategies, breathing awareness exercises and body awareness to decrease/eliminate overthinking and anxious thinking from a trainer with 30 years expereince in a private setting.
LEARN MORE
“Practicing Mindfulness has been shown to alter the structure and function of the brain, which is what allows us to learn, acquire new abilities, and improve memory.” DR. ROMIE MUSHTAQ
Mindfulness trains the mind to be observant and responsive to the many challenges we face every day.
Harvard, Oxford and Stanford Universities offer Mindfulness courses. Mindfulness is not just a trend but a proven method for success.
“Rita is a fabulous facilitator – she made us feel extremely comfortable, was open minded
and encouraged us all to share from our diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. I came
away with many very practical, easy to use exercises that I have since been using with with my
classes of various ages.
Thank you Rita for gifting me such a wonderful and enjoyable afternoon of learning”.
Louise Dore
“When I am trying to get to sleep I use the body scan. It really works!”
Studen
‘The body scan felt relaxing and calm which took all the anger away”.
Year 5 student
Why Mindfulness?
Evidence based results from around the world continue to show that the regular practise of Mindfulness has ongoing benefits for physical and mental health. Research over the past few decades has found that Mindfulness training helps to;
Relieve Anxiety & Stress
In our fast paced lives, where we rush from one demand to another, there is very little time or space to stop and pause. Mindfulness offer the tools needed to connect with our inner intelligence, where we can access natural calmness beneath the busy minds.
Let go of Anger & Frustration
Coming in contact with your direct experience in the mindful state allows us to become familiar with the patterns that direct our lives; our thoughts, emotions and reactions.
OVERCOME WORRYING
& NEGATIVE THINKING
Pain is an inevitable part of being human but suffering is optional. In Mindfulness we learn how to manage our thoughts and emotions instead of letting emotions and thoughts manage us.
STOP INNER CHATTER
Aimless thinking and inner chatter is draining our energy and clouding over the present moment. One of the most common benefits from regular Mindfulness training is greater mental clarity and a new sense of inner peace.
Have Better Sleep
To be able stop incessant thinking and worrying is one of the great benefits of Mindfulness and it makes it easier to sleep in and have unbroken sleep throughout the night.
STOP LIVING IN THE PAST
Mindfulness practices increasingly bring you more into the present with the growing awareness that going over the past keeps you stuck in the past.
Related Courses
A NEW WAY OF BEING
Start Practising Mindfulness
Self-Paced Online Course
Learn the effective mindfulness techniques that are helping individuals from all walks of life to have more balance and focus in their lives.
Bring Mindfulness to the Classroom
ONLINE TRAINING
For teachers and consultants who want to introduce mindfulness to their students, children and staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mindfulness is a way of noticing where your attention is in the present moment without judging it good or bad. It’s about not wandering off into an imagined future or going over the past but fully engaging right here right now.
Through guided, simple easy-to-do practisies you are training the mind to be more present in the moment. resulting in it to be less anxious, more alert and alive.
- Who over-thinks
- Thinks anxiously as a regular behavior.
- Stressed people
- People who engage in constant negative self-talk
- People who can’t sleep because of incessant inner chatter
- People who operate on ‘auto-pilot’ and are always ‘on’..
NON RELIGIOUS
There is no religion, dogma or beliefs attached to Mindfulness. Mindfulness has it’s roots in many contemplative practices but doesn’t require or impose on anyones belief systems. It’s a mental activity that has proven to be of great benefit for maintaining physical, mental and emotional balance.
Evidence Based
The many benefits of Mindfulness have been well documented especially in the past 30 years since Jon Kabat-Zinn established the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme that has led to the wide-spread, evidence based research and the acceptance of these non-religious, practical exercises anyone can do.
MINDFULNESS FOR EVERYONE
Mindfulness practice doesn’t require any preparation or beforehand knowledge about meditation. Anyone can experience the effect from these simple exercises.