Course Outline
About the course
The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course is the world renowned 8-week course created by Jon Kabat-Zinn, an established American Doctor and Professor, founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic, and Centre of Mindfulness in Medicine and Health Care. It is the most well-researched Mindfulness course and thousands of people have benefited from it worldwide.
Compassion for yourself and others is also an integral part of this course, which is group based, interactive and practical and teaches you to live more mindfully and compassionately to enhance your sense of physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
You will learn the essential principles of mindfulness and simple techniques to build your personal practice, so that mindfulness becomes part of your life well beyond the course.
The course combines modern neuroscience and ancient meditation practice. I teach mindfulness in a light-hearted, engaging, and practical way, with compassion at its core and so it is easily accessible and applicable to daily life.
Learning and practicing mindfulness as a group fosters connection, helps us see and experience common humanity, develop empathy and gratitude and creates a nourishing community of like-minded individuals, who often stay connected beyond the 8-week course. Experiencing the course online allows us to share the space with participants from all over the world and from all walks of life.
Key Learnings
You will learn the fundamental principles of mindfulness through guided meditations, group dialogue and practical tools and techniques that you can apply in everyday life.
- Learn various formal and informal mindfulness practices using the breath and body as a focus to cultivate present awareness and build greater connection with mind and body.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the neuroscience of mindfulness, the physiology of stress and how to deal with stress by managing our responses.
- Establish daily at home practices to live more fully in the present moment and integrate mindfulness into daily life.
- Identify patterns of self-judgement or criticism and cultivate self-compassion, acceptance, and kindness towards yourself.
- Learn to respond rather than react to improve your communication, listening and awareness in relationships.
- Foster mindful self-care practices to build resilience, reestablish balance to mind and body and improve overall quality of life so that you can thrive.
Course Materials
- Access to a Facebook community of like-minded people for:
- course material,
- guidance on home practices,
- audio mediations and,
- further reading recommendations
Outline
Week 1
“There is more right with you than there is wrong with you.”
- Opening practice
- Body Scan
- Standing Yoga
- Eating Meditation
- Home Practice
Week 2
“The pivotal role of self-responsibility.”
- Opening meditation
- Sitting Meditation
- Standing Yoga
- Body Scan
- Didactic Presentation
- Home Practice
Week 3
“There is pleasure and power in being present.”
- Opening meditation
- Mindful Lying Down Meditation
- Walking Practice
- Closing Meditation
- Home Practice
Week 4
“Learning to strengthen the mind.”
- Opening meditation
- Standing Yoga
- Sitting Meditation
- Closing Meditation
- Home Practice
Week 5
“Responsive thinking.”
- Opening meditation
- Standing Yoga
- Sitting Meditation
- Closing Meditation
- Home Practice
Week 6
“Interpersonal communication patterns”
- Standing Yoga
- Sitting Meditation
- Home Practice
Week 7
“Daily Mindfulness.”
- Sitting meditation options:
- Mountain
- Lake
- Loving-Kindness
- Yoga (class choices), window, walking
- Home Practice
Week 8
“The rest of our lives.”
- Body Scan
- Yoga
- Sitting Meditation
- Home Practice
The Silent Retreat – A Day of mindfulness
Weekend between Week 6 and 7
The intensive nature of this 7.5 hour session is intended to assist participants in firmly and effectively establishing the use of mindfulness across multiple situations in their lives, while simultaneously preparing them to utilize these methods far beyond the conclusion of the program.
We will be cultivating a sense of presence from moment to moment, and being open to any experience, whether evaluated as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, as an opportunity to practice mindful attention. This can be done at home or alternatively you can plan a break away of your own choice. Give yourself the gift to become still, able to listen and be present with yourself.
- Yoga
- Sitting Meditation
- Body Scan
- Walking Meditation
- Mountain or Lake Meditation
- Eating Meditation (informal, at lunch)
- Optional: Fast/Slow Walking*
- Loving-Kindness Meditation
- Visual meditation followed by mindful walking, possibly outdoors,
- stopping and noticing one thing.
- Closing Meditation