Mindful Mondays
Start your week with intention on Mindful Mondays
Modern life can be an exciting whirlwind of possibilities and opportunities. But it can also be chaotic, confusing and, at times, very lonely.
In the spirit of the fictional ‘Woodyard’ to create a safe space to connect, to share and to reduce isolation, we will be holding community drop-in sessions at Castle Chambers Café, (26 Castle Street, Barnstaple).
‘Mindful Mondays’ will help you to start your week in a calm and positive way in a warm and welcoming environment with a range of activities focusing on mindfulness, wellbeing and self-care. The very best way to start your week with intention.
Mindful Mondays start on Monday 14th July 2025 and Monday 28th July 2025, and then the second and fourth Mondays of every month. Timings 10am to 2pm. Entry £5 per person.
"The beauty of Mindful Monday is that you choose the level of interaction that is right for you. There's no pressure to join in anything - so you can simply sit quietly with a book or some headphones and relax. Or, if you're feeling more sociable that day, you may get involved in a chatty room, sharing crafts and ideas or making connections with likeminded people. The choice is yours!"
Kayleigh Pullin-Rogers, Project Coordinator
What you will find
The Castle Chambers Café will be hosting Mindful Monday community drop-in sessions the second and fourth Monday of every month from 10am to 2pm. The sessions will feature a combination of wellbeing activities supported by community artists, mindfulness activities, breathing exercises and creative wellbeing practices. Mindful Mondays is a community initiative run by The Woodyard project in collaboration with the Castle Chambers Café and the Castle Centre.
For the fee of £5, you can access any one or all of the following activities and resources in various spaces around the café:
- Chatty room
- Jigsaw room
- Board games
- Reading for Wellbeing – find out more here
- Craft activities
There will also be the opportunity to purchase affordable hot drink and home cooked food (not included in the £5 entry fee).
The sessions will be open to all, welcoming everyone and provide an opportunity to step inside the café and become familiar and comfortable in this space.
Mindfulness Sessions
Jeanine Ash, Director of Space to Be Wellbeing, runs a much loved Mindfulness session in the Castle Centre next door to The Castle Chambers Café. This takes place on the second and fourth Monday of every month from 10.30am to 11.30am. So a wonderful complement to Mindful Mondays!
These friendly and welcoming mindfulness sessions are based on the three Cs of mindfulness – ‘Curiosity, Compassion and a Calm centre’. They may include gentle breath awareness and techniques, calming meditation and mindful movement.
The session supports people of all ages to develop beneficial and effective mindfulness techniques, improving positivity, self-esteem and a settled outlook to everyday life.
Interested in taking part?
If you would like to know more or are interested in joining a session, please email [email protected]. Read more about the work of not-for-profit community organisation Space to Be Wellbeing here. There is a Community Contribution of £3 up to £6 per person per session.
Next steps
Moving forward, our aim is to source opportunities to host events that cater to the needs of the community. In addition to the fortnightly sessions, we will be taking The Woodyard ‘on tour’ out to neighbouring towns and villages to support isolated groups of people to access Reading for Wellbeing and the support the Woodyard can access through signposting.
