Overview of the MBSR program

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness can best be described as an intentional focused awareness
- a way of paying attention on purpose,

in the present moment,

non-judgmentally.

(Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Mindfulness is about making what you are doing now the most important thing in the world.

Mindfulness meditation is also about interrupting our "automatic pilot" and learning how to be curious about and interested in the exact subtle "flavour" of every experience that arises without trying to change it.

In this course, mindfulness is taught as a technique that sharpens and clarifies awareness while allowing you to remain relaxed and open to your experience, in the present moment. The balanced and stable awareness that results is used to explore and then master stressful situations and uncertainty. You will be taught to recognise and explore your reflexive reactions to challenging or problematic situations.

Mindfulness training will help you to:

Recognise the present moment:
- Stop automatic, habitual ways of reacting
- Bring concentrated awareness to specific problems
- Attend fully to each activity as it is being carried out
- See situations more clearly

Regulate your body, mind and feelings
- Calm down and reflect
- Develop mental and emotional resilience
- Manage the physiological impact of stress
- Effectively engage with difficult feelings and patterns of thinking
- Cultivate empathy and compassion

Respond effectively to challenges
- Find stability in the face of complex situations
- Fluidly change focus from one activity to another
- Choose effective, contextually relevant solutions.
- Approach problems creatively
- Soften rigid thinking

 

What is mindfulness?

Origins of the programme

Who is it for?

What does it involve?

How does it work?

Letting go is powerful

The importance of practice