Created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the most widely researched mindfulness intervention in the world. MBSR allows you to cultivate a different relationship between you and the things that challenge you in your life. Most of us are in “auto-pilot” much of the day and tend to react rather than respond to the situations we face. This course is intended to develop the innate ability to cultivate mindfulness over “mindlessness” – those moments when we are unaware of what we are feeling and why we are doing what we’re doing. Specifically, mindfulness helps you access the ability to be nonjudgmental, compassionate, present and aware.
This eight-week course incorporates guided meditations, group discussions, daily home assignments, a full-day retreat, gentle stretching and mindful yoga to bolster one’s ability to better manage stress and its effect on the body. Each class builds upon the previous session. There will also be lively discussions on stress management, turning off auto-pilot, the mind-body connection, how mindfulness changes our relationship to thoughts, feelings, emotions, stress, pain and illness, as well as other health-related subjects. This course cultivates one’s ability to be fully aware of one’s surroundings in the present moment, as well as build resilience around health, thoughts and emotions.
Research has shown that MBSR is effective for the symptoms of general stress as well as stress due to illness such as cancer, depression, anxiety and chronic pain. Benefits have also been shown in a wide range of other heart and vascular, gastrointestinal and psychological conditions. The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute has conducted its own mindfulness research, including studies on Mindful Health and Safety by Dr. Jessica Drew de Paz, Psy.D. and a current study on Mindfulness in Pregnancy by Dr. Karen Lindsay, Ph.D., and researchers.
Watch an interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. (Creator of MBSR) titled “Mindfulness: A Love Affair with Life.”
What you will learn
- Practice how to re-center our focus in stressful situations
- Learn about the roles of stress and reactivity in health and healing
- Cultivate mindful awareness through several different types of meditation practices
Registration
Please note: Mindfulness courses require a minimum of 10 registrants per program. Classes with fewer than 10 registrants may be cancelled and registered participants will be provided a refund. We kindly ask that you are aware of this when making arrangements to attend this program.
Please direct any questions to Adrianne Ong, program coordinator, at adrianmo@hs.uci.edu.
