Profile

Hello, I am Michael Atkinson. Welcome to my website!

I am a registered mindfulness teacher with the British Association for Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) and have teacher trained with both Suryacitta at Mindfulness Unleashed as well as with Karen Atkinson and her team at MindfulnessUK through which I trained to deliver the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Compassionate Mindful Resilience (CMR) programmes. 

With over 25 years of experience as a mindfulness practitioner, I have taught in diverse settings, including higher education institutions, corporate environments, healthcare settings, and national conferences. I have collaborated with leading figures in the wellbeing field, such as Professor Ron Epstein, Karen Atkinson, Dr. Zoe Williams, and Dr. Kathryn Mannix and interviewed a number of prominent mindfulness and meditation teachers.

Currently, I am also a full-time Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at the University of Sunderland’s School of Medicine, where I help lead the Master of Medical Education programme, chair the university’s annual Medical Education conference, and lecture on mindfulness to undergraduate medical students.

At a national level, I serve as Co-Chair of the Mindfulness in Medical Education (MiME) Special Interest Group for the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME), working to advance mindfulness scholarship in medical education.

In my scholarly work, I regularly peer-review mindfulness-based research for several academic journals, including Mindfulness, Healthcare, Education Sciences, Advances in Health Sciences Education, and International Medical Education. While my published research to date has been largely education-focused, I am currently engaged in three mindfulness-related projects: two journal articles - one examining physician self-care and another exploring the relationship between mindfulness, low-level muscular tension, and anatomical functioning. I am also working on a broader conceptual project in which I am designing a new healthcare and healthcare education system informed by mindfulness principles and eastern philosophy. Further details about my publications, activities, and outputs can be found on my Medical Education webpage.

My professional and personal background is diverse. In my earlier life, I worked within Newcastle’s arts and music scene - as a graphic designer, a DJ at the iconic Riverside Club, and a musician in a psychedelic rock band - while also building a career in the graphics and printing industry. After returning to education later in life, I studied Philosophy at Newcastle University during which I also took modules on Shamanism, Political Philosophy, and Environmental Ethics, graduating with First Class Honours. I subsequently completed a PGCE in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, followed by a Master’s in Education.

These studies led me into roles teaching Philosophy and Critical Thinking at A-level, before moving into Teacher Education at the University of Sunderland. In 2012, I transitioned into Medical Education at Newcastle University, where I introduced mindfulness and the MBSR programme to hundreds of staff and students, and developed and led a unique module on Transpersonal Psychology, Mindfulness, and Wellbeing. After a decade in this role, I returned to the University of Sunderland to continue my work in medical education.

From 2000 to 2015, I was closely involved with the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (now the Triratna Sangha), before adopting a more secular and evidence-informed approach to meditation practice and teaching.

I currently live in Durham, UK with my family.

See below for information on why I have become a mindfulness educator.