Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program
MBSR is an 8-week psychoeducational program that teaches meditation and mindfulness as a health intervention. Founded by author, scientist and practitioner, Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, MBSR encourages and invites individuals to explore and develop a different relationship to stress.
Over the years, MBSR has become internationally recognized as a health intervention for those living with addictions, depression, anxiety, and heart disease.
“MBSR has been shown to positively affect the way the brain processes difficult emotions under stress and to induce positive immune system changes that correlate with the brain changes.” - Jon Kabat Zinn
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
- Lao Tzu
What to expect
Sometimes we arrive to a course or a program with certain expectations. It’s normal to have expectations, desires and wishes but it’s important to notice whether those expectations are clouding our perspective of what is. MBSR can be a rewarding, yet challenging journey so, here are 5 things to keep in mind:
Be realistic: the change we may expect may not happen when we want it to.
Consistency creates a change in habit
Set your intention: Get clear on your purpose!
Mindfulness is experiential: be prepared to practice
Taste everything once: Try everything out once!
Meet yourself where you are: Your journey is your journey. Wherever you are starting from is the perfect place!
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.”
- Chinese Proverb
Who is this for
For individuals who are looking to begin their mindfulness practice or deepen their existing practice. It’s important to be at a place of balance – mentally, emotionally, and physically. As gentle as mindfulness may seem, it may have a counter effect for those who are currently in crisis and be too overwhelming. MBSR is not a replacement for therapy or physical treatments you may be receiving.
Course roadmap
MBSR is a course that is highly participatory and experiential-based. We will spend more than half of the class practicing a variety of formal and informal meditation practices. There will also be time during class to share experiences of the practices. Below is a general road map of what will be covered in each session.
Orientation:
A time to review the entire program and meet our cohort. We will go over the history of MBSR, what mindfulness is and what it is not, course content, course logistics, the risks and benefits, and participate in a shoot practice.
Week 1:
Cultivating simple awareness. In this class, we’ll slow down our thoughts and interrupt our usual auto-pilot way of being. Moving from “doing” to “being”. We will begin to become familiar with mindful awareness of the body.
Week 2:
Cultivating attention and awareness. We are exploring our perception and how we assess and perceive our stressors. How we see things determines how we react or respond to them.
Week 3:
This class incorporates several formal mindfulness practices. We’ll explore our challenges and insights encountered in formal practice and integrating mindfulness into everyday life.
Week 4:
We dive into how conditioning and perception shape our experience. In week 4, we explore mindfulness as a way to recognize and reduce negative effects of automatic, habitual stress reactivity. We review the physiological and psychological bases of stress reactivity.
Week 5:
This is the half-way point of the course. We are practicing for longer periods of time and learning how to recover from stressful encounters as they arise. Recovery begins with recognizing how it is we respond to our stressors (fight, flight or freeze) and also investigating how we cope.
Week 6:
This class explores mindfulness and communication. To be able to communicate more mindfully, it’s important to know how we’re feeling, understand our interpersonal communication patterns and ways to build more healthy communication patterns.
Day-long retreat:
We will spend 7.5 hours together to establish the use of mindfulness across multiple situations in our lives. We will do a variety of formal practices like: yoga, sitting meditation, body scan, walking meditation, and mindful eating.
Week 7:
In this class, we review the all-day retreat and discuss ways we can learn how to integrate mindfulness practices more fully and personally into daily life. Exploring what in our lives nourishes us and what depletes us.
Week 8:
In the final class, we reflect on our 8 weeks together and what we’ve learned so far. There is an opportunity to share with the group and also do self-reflection.
“Everything in your life – every moment, every struggle – is the path. Everything is an opportunity for awakening”
- Pema Chodron
Investment
When you register for MBSR, 2 investments are made: The first is time. MBSR requires us to invest 3.5 hours a week of mindfulness and meditation. The weekly sessions are 2.5 hours and the home practices are usually 30-45 minutes.
The second investment is the financial investment. At this time, the course is by sliding scale donation, ranging from $100 - $500. No scholarships are available at this time.
FAQ
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If you are a human being, who has or is experiencing stress and anxiety, this program is for you!
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In a perfect world, yes! But I do understand that things can come up. Research has found that attending all sessions is most beneficial, however, you can miss 1-2 classes if needed.
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The yoga included in this program is more like mindful movement. The movement is to help us strengthen our connection between our minds and bodies. It is beginner friendly and does not include any rigorous movement.
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There is no age minimum, however they are MBSR programs specifically for children and youth which may have better suited content for this age group.
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For this program, a certification of completion will be given at the end of the 8 weeks.
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Over the course of 8 weeks, you’ll learn how to live and work with the different stressors present in your life using mindfulness and meditation techniques.
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As a African-Canadian mindfulness teacher, the course is also a reflection of my experience. This means I’ve included trauma and cultural sensitive content to each class as these are also apart of the stressors I’ve experienced.
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Various institutions offer teacher training programs. I am currently doing my training through UCSD.
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This course is non-refundable once the first class is completed. Payment can be transferred to a future program or workshop.
What past students experienced…
“I enjoyed Dora's warm, steady, graceful, and light-hearted facilitation style that guided us smoothly through the ebb and flow of each class, whether it was practicing mindfulness, engaging in group discussion, or learning about the theory and practice of mindfulness. I also loved the community that I came to know throughout the 8 weeks, people who I barely knew at first began to share so deeply by the last class, and it was so touching and deeply nourishing to be in community with them. Lastly, Dora offered us so many resources to create our own tailored mindfulness home practices based on our needs. It was so helpful for me to choose which practices felt most relevant and supportive to me at this place in my life.
“The community of people as well as the diversity of practices. Dora is such a skilled facilitator! The fruits of this course really come to be when you stay committed & dedicated to the practice. I am excited to bring what I learned through these 8 weeks into my daily life. In those short 8 weeks, I already saw positive shifts in my mindfulness & well-being and I know with years of practice, I will be significantly transformed.”
“Dora was such an amazing teacher and mentor. She made learning a new subject extremely easy and enjoyable. I looked forward to our Monday night classes each week. It was a time to sit down, be with myself, but also have this amazing support group/system next to me. This program was an opportunity to explore and learn more about myself and I think anyone can benefit from that. Thank you so much! “
