MBSR (Minfulness Based Stress Reduction) Program

8 week – MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) Program

What is MBSR about?

Mindfulness is intentionally paying attention to our body sensations, thoughts and emotions in the present moment, with kindness and non-judgement. Through regular mindfulness practice we bring more awareness to our everyday experiences and begin to notice more choice in how we respond to what challenges we encounter. We begin to notice our habitual tendencies and with practice acknowledge and approach our stresses in new creative ways. Mindfulness is not therapy. Through the regular use of guided practices, informal practices and class interactions awareness of self can grow substantially.

The Why.

Stress is a normal human response to feeling threatened in some way or under pressure to behave in a particular way.  Through conditioning and influences in our environment we creatively develop ways of coping which aren’t always beneficial to our health and wellbeing in the long term.  Stress and burnout are on the increase.  Mindfulness supports us to approach our stress differently.  Thousands of peer-reviewed papers prove that Mindfulness improves mental and physical wellbeing while also enhancing creativity and decision making.

The How.

I run an 8-week MBSR program with groups of individuals in person or online using Zoom. This course is ideally for twelve to fifteen participants for two and a half hours at the same time each week, usually held in the evening. There is a one day retreat included in the program which is usually held on a weekend day from 10am to 4pm, between week six and week seven. In addition to attending the weekly class individuals are requested to listen to a daily guided practice for 30 minutes each day to build their Mindfulness muscle which consolidates the learning during the eight weeks.
The program is a building blocks program which is experiential, interactive and practical. Classes include guided Mindfulness practices, enquiry into the experience of the practices in class and for home purposes and a variety of practical activities supporting different learning themes each week.

The Benefits.

Responses to the programs vary from individual to individual. From greater self-awareness, feeling less stressed, more calm, being fully present more often, greater concentration and focus, greater connection with others due to more active listening and clearer communication, noticing more choices in responding to life’s challenges and actively being more kind and caring towards themselves and others.  As the class and home practice are longer the depth of benefit experienced can be greater than the shorter one hour program.

The Taster Sessions.

I provide a free introduction to Mindfulness presentation, followed by a short guided practice and Questions and Answers session for individuals who are interested in exploring the possibility of participating in the program. Interested participants then decide if they wish to sign up for the program having experienced this introduction.

The Extra Support.

Prior to commencing the first class I have an informal call with each interested participant to ensure that Mindfulness is appropriate for them at this time and any other questions they might have.
During the eight weeks I am also available to participants to explore their experience privately if preferred.