MBSR - “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction” Course
9 weeks long, 1 night a week + a half day retreat
MBSR is a class that teaches you the skills to help manage and lower your stress and find calm in your day-to-day life. The class was created based on years of research by Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues at UMass Memorial Health.
Topics discussed include: the mind/body connection, reacting vs. responding, communication patterns, and how we perceive the world.
Skills learned include: mindful meditation in various forms, basic yoga, body scans, and how to respond rather than react in stressful situations.
“Having Kate as a mindfulness teacher helped me stay grounded throughout my day, build better coping skills, and helped ease some of my anxiety.”
— Ella
Agenda for the 9 weeks
This is a general overview of each week, but it is subject to change depending on circumstances. In addition to what is noted below, each week we will learn new mindfulness practices, as well as practice the mindfulness tools that we have learned in the prior weeks.
Orientation
We’ll start with an introduction to the history and development of MBSR. As well as an introduction to each other and what the next 8 weeks will look like. It will also be a chance to try out our first mindfulness techniques.
Week 1
This week will be introduced to some of the basics of MBSR, including mindful eating, mindful breathing, and the body scan. We will also talk about the research and evidence that is at the core of this course.
Week 2
Starting off this class we will discuss our perceptions, and how they affect the way we deal with the world around us. We will go back to the body scan and then have a chat about how stress feels in the body.
Week 3
And this week is when we start with a bit of yoga (nothing fancy, I promise!) we will also give sitting and walking meditation a go. We will continue our discussion about being in the present and how to bring that awareness into our daily lives.
Week 4
In week four, we will talk about how our bodies react to stress and how mindfulness can help mitigate those effects. At this point, we are going to start looking at ways to apply what we have learned so far, to the stressful situations in our own lives.
Week 5
Self -talk and self-sabotage will be a big part of our discussions this week. We will look at the triggers for some of our thought patterns/ emotions/ and behaviors that no longer serve us as well and how we can use mindfulness to help change these patterns.
Week 6 + The Retreat
Relationships are the topic for this week. They can be joyful and stressful sometime both at the same time! Our discussions will center around how we can bring our mindfulness practices to help us with tough and potentially rewarding interpersonal communication.
This week, we will have a second session where we spend half of a day in silent meditation and reflection.
Week 7
Our conversations will continue to look at ways that we can integrate our mindfulness practice into all of the aspects of our lives. We will also begin to talk about how to continue our commitment to mindfulness after the end of the class. This will also be a class to dive into questions and confusions about any of the practices.
Week 8
And with our last class, we will reflect and review what we have learned together. As well as, what we are committing to change in our lives going forward.
Additionally, we will talk about supports for the changes you are making and how to continue your mindfulness practice into the future.
MBSR might be for you if…
You are ready to commit the time to a weekly class
You are interested in learning new ways to think and work with stress
You are ready to make some changes in your life and how you use your time
MBSR might not be for you if…
You don’t have the time for a weekly class
You are not ready to make changes in the way you live and use your time
You are currently in crisis (for ex. suicidality, major medical or addiction issues), if this is the case, please seek professional help and support.