Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an 8 week programme which was founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979, to help people with a wide range of physical and mental health problems and to deal with stress from a wide variety of causes.
The central focus of the 8 week MBSR programme is an experiential training in mindfulness. It supports the development of a strong foundation of personal mindfulness practice in everyday life, to help gain skills and access inner resources to cope more effectively with stress and life challenges.
The aim of the course is to develop new ways of handling challenging physical sensations, thoughts, feelings, moods or experiences, and to deepen understanding of the way we think, feel and react to stress, and to learn and practice mindful responses to stress. The course is completely secular in nature. You do not need to have any previous experience of mindfulness or meditation to come on this course.
Mindfulness is learned through “formal” mindfulness meditation practices, including body awareness exercises, gentle movement and stretching and sitting meditation, and also though “informal” practices to integrate your mindfulness practice in daily life. Home practice of up to an hour a day is an essential part of the course to help establish the skills that are being learned.