MBSR Course Description

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 8-Week Course Outline

The course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction takes place over eight weeks. Classes are approximately two to two and one-half hours long. Each class consists of lead meditations,gentle movement exercises,didactic lecture,and group discussion. The course also includes an all-day session on a Saturday during the sixth week. Between classes,students deepen their participation by practicing 30 minutes a day with meditation CDs,as well as doing optional readings from the course textbooks,Full Catastrophe Living by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Continuing Education credits are available for this class. Therapists,students,interns and other helping professionals can benefit greatly by learning mindfulness skills. Research has shown that clinicians who learn and practice mindfulness experience reductions in their own stress levels,increases in self-compassion,have a greater capacity for empathy,and enhanced listening skills.

The in-class curriculum includes the following components:

  • Week 1:Beginner’s Mind ° Introduction to Program ° Foundations of Mindfulness ° More right with you than wrong ° Introduction to Body Scan meditation ° Intake
  • Week 2:Patience ° Working with perceptions °The Wandering Mind °Mindful Yoga
  • Week 3:Non-Striving ° Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation ° Lying Yoga ° Health feedback loop ° Pleasant Events
  • Week 4:Non-Judging ° Responding vs. Reacting ° Seeing Our Patterns ° Sitting Meditation ° Standing Yoga ° Research on Stress &Stress Hardiness
  • Week 5:Acknowledgment ° Group Reflections on Halfway Point ° Small &Large Groups ° Sitting Meditation ° Qi Gong
  • Week 6:Letting it be ° Avoiding Difficulty vs. Entering and Blending ° Lovingkindness Meditation ° Walking Meditation
  • Daylong Session:Putting it All Together
  • Week 7:Sitting Meditation ° Qi Gong ° Trust &Self-Reliance ° Mindful Consumption ° Making the Practice Your Own ° Mindfulness in Everyday Life
  • Week 8:Sitting Meditation ° Walking ° The Class Never Ends:Practice for the rest of Your Life ° Course Evaluations,Group Reflection &Checking Out