ABSTRACT
Mindfulness-based programmes were designed to be taught in a group context. Within the MBP group there are many relationships: the teacher relating to each participant; the teacher relating to the group as a whole; participants relationship to the teacher; and participants relationships with others in the group. It is important to understand how group processes are worked with in MBPs because: The IOG model was developed within the context of the mindfulness training programmes at Bangor University. This chapter explores two aspects of the IOG model: reading and holding the group. Reading the group relates to the teachers' capacity to understand and interpret what is happening in the group at any moment in time. Participants need to feel sufficiently safe in a group in order to risk learning new skills. If participants feel safe in the group, they will be more likely to take ‘risks’ alongside others and allow themselves to learn new ways of relating to themselves through mindfulness.
