Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an 8 week program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. at the Center for Mindfulness in Massachusetts (US) in 1979. Since then, the program has been taught in hospitals, health care centres, yoga studios, private clinics and other places, all over the world.

Research continues to find links between mindfulness and happiness. On Saturday, January 28, 2012, a CBC program explored recent research on mindfulness, meditation and happiness. You can listen to the segment, by clicking here: Quirks and Quarks - Your brain on Meditation (scroll to the bottom of the page to hear just this segment).

Mindfulness practice is simple: paying attention to your experience from moment to moment, without judgment. We often operate on auto-pilot, unaware of our physical bodies; unaware of our surroundings; mostly lost in our thoughts; and either dwelling in the past or worrying about the future. Cultivating the ability to remain attentive to what is going on, moment to moment, is the aim of all mindfulness practices. While this is very simple, it does require some training (learning the tools of mindfulness) and some practice.

In the MBSR program, participants learn and practice a number of formal mindfulness meditation practices, such as body scan, sitting and walking meditations, and mindful yoga. Participants also explore informal practices aimed at cultivating mindfulness in everyday life.

You can read more about the program from the place where it started: http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/stress/index.aspx

Several research studies have proven the efficacy of mindfulness practice in reducing the symptoms of physical, mental and emotional stress. You can read a summary of recent research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School website.

Or, watch a 75 minute YouTube talk by John Kabat-Zinn (to employees at Google) on mindfulness.

The MBSR program provides tools for living mindfully; tools that have been proven to reduce stress and boost happiness.

MBSR at Wavelengths

As a participant in the MBSR program, you will explore how to become more aware of what is happening in your life, and how that awareness can lead to changes in the way you respond to stress. You will also learn ways to take better care of yourself, and how to manage life's challenges by responding rather than reacting.

Participants are expected to attend all sessions and complete the assigned homework (exploration of both formal and informal mindfulness practices).

The program consists of:

Eight sessions - Tuesdays, March 20 to May 8, 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
A full day mindfulness "retreat" on Sunday April 22, 2012, and
Meditation CDs and educational material (provided to participants)

Cost of the program:

$200 +HST

Sliding fee scale is available.
Contact Emmanuelle Festas-Keogh at (705) 696-2237 for details.

More Information:

For more information about the MBSR Program at Wavelengths Yoga, come to our information session.

Date: March 6, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Wavelengths Yoga Studio, Norwood

You can also contact Emmanuelle Festas-Keogh at 705-696-2237 for more information.

Registration: Please note: this class is now full.

To get the most out of this program, and to ensure that participants are well suited to the program, you must speak with the instructor prior to registering.

Once your registration has been approved, you can make your payment by either cash (at the registration evening), cheque, or online registration. Cheques can be made out to WAVELENGTHS, and mailed to:

Wavelengths Yoga
2351 County Rd. 45, Box 392
Norwood, ON, K0L 2V0

For online registration, click on the "buy now" link which will take you to PayPal. YOU DO NOT NEED A PAYPAL ACCOUNT TO REGISTER ONLINE. Click on the credit card icon on the PayPal page to pay by the card of your choice.

About the Instructor:

Emmanuelle has been interested in mindfulness as an approach to life for many years, and is a yoga and meditation practitioner. She has completed professional training in MBSR under the direction of Jon Kabat-Zin and Saki Santorelli, past and present directors of the Centre for Mindfulness (where the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program was developed at the Univer); as well as with some of the Centre for Mindfulness’ senior teachers. She is a social worker (MSW, RSW) and works as a counsellor at Trent University (Peterborough), providing psychological counselling to students.