Who is MBSR for and what does it involve?
Our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course is for anyone who wants to reduce work, family or health-related stress, bring a greater sense of balance and meaning to their lives, and learn how to manage challenges more skilfully.
The MBSR course involves:
- an individual phone interview with your teacher
- a 2.5 hour class, once a week for eight weeks, plus one full retreat day
- yoga and body awareness training
- an exploration of your own patterns of thinking, feeling and action, and how to transform them
- brief lectures and discussions
- individual feedback and support
- scientific rationale for the practice
- your commitment to daily homework practice using audio tracks and a course book.
What are the benefits of MBSR?
Over 39 years of research into the MBSR program, evidence has been established for the following outcomes:
- greater capacity to deal with stress
- increased sense of wellbeing and balance
- lasting decrease in physical and psychological symptoms of stress
- increased energy and productivity; feeling more engaged with life
- stronger immune system
- increased levels of attention and concentration
- more creative problem solving and greater focus
- increased sense of connection, meaning and purpose.
Why is it important to practice?
Mindfulness is not just a good idea – it’s a practice!
A with any new skill – like learning to swim, do Pilates or play golf – just hearing or reading about mindfulness can only take you so far. Experience and practice are the two things that will lead to lasting and profound changes.
To fully benefit from the program, ask yourself if you are willing to make a commitment to undertake some formal practice each day over the eight weeks of your course. This will make all the difference to your satisfaction with the course, the benefits you experience, and your life.
Training in mindfulness will equip you with a very portable set of skills that you can practice anywhere, anytime. Give it a go and let's see what happens!
Book early as our courses fill up quickly.
Deb has been facilitating MBSR courses for the general public since 2011, after completing MBSR Teacher Training with Openground. She also teaches mindfulness workshops in the workplace. She has worked as a psychotherapist in private practice since 2004, after training in Holistic Counselling and then becoming a Certified Hakomi Therapist. Hakomi is a mindfulness-centred somatic psychotherapy. She is also a Certified Hakomi Teacher on the Hakomi Pacifica Training team. Deb has had a long-term interest in yoga and meditation and has an established mindfulness practice which has developed and deepened over many years. She is passionate about sharing the possibilities for self-discovery, connectedness and freedom that mindfulness offers.
Libba is a psychotherapist in private practice in Sydney as well as being a long term mindfulness practitioner. She has been teaching MBSR since 2007 through Openground and is also the co-founding Director of Openground for Organisations which has been running mindfulness programs in corporate, health, educational and government sectors for over a decade. Prior to that Libba worked as a litigation lawyer for 14 years, including at partnership level, and because of this background, has been passionate about bringing mindfulness into organisations and opening people to the best in themselves and their lives. She also sits on the Advisory Board of the Mindful Futures Network which looks at new research and applications of mindfulness, empathy and compassion in shaping social change in Australia as well as linking with similar organisations around the world. 
