As developed by The Center for Mindfulness
at the UMASS Medical School
“To the mind that is still
The whole universe surrenders.”
~ The Buddha
"When we open to the terrifying truth
that we can't control life,
we open to life's incredible, fragile beauty.”
~~ Anne Cushman
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an intensive 8-week, evidence-based course designed to help people in distress discover the healing power of mindfulness. Created by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the late ‘70’s, MBSR has helped over 24,000 graduates learn to cultivate awareness in the present moment and discover their natural capacity for wellness, ease, and peace of mind.
Taught around the world, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been studied extensively by Jon Kabat-Zinn and his fellow researchers at the Center for Mindfulness and elsewhere and shown to lower stress, boost the immune response, and bring relief and joy to people with a variety of physical and psychological conditions.
This course meets weekly on Saturdays from at 2pm for 2.5 to 3 hours from February 1st to March 28th, 2020.
The prerequisite for this course is attendance at one (1) of the free “Introduction & Orientation to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)” workshops on the following dates:
Saturday, January 18th, 2pm
Friday, January 24th, 4:00pm
Contact us to make other arrangements if unavailable for these times.
Price: “Pay What You Can” pricing. This is a form of Dana in the tradition of the Buddha.
$280 Base Rate *$365 Sustaining Rate $440 Benefactor Rate
The Sustaining Rate supports the full cost of the program. The Benefactor rate helps us offer scholarships to those less able to pay. Limited scholarships available.
MBSR Graduates Discount – 50% Sustaining Rate.
Dana is a Pali word that means generosity. The Buddha wanted to connect the monks and the people they served through generosity - the monks gave the teachings freely, the monks shared their food with the monks. While MBSR is a course with actual fees, we have tried to add the flavor of generosity to the experience. Sharon Salzberg, well-known meditation teacher and the major figure in introducing loving kindness to the west puts it this way: “Pay so you have no regrets.” This beautifully simple phrase allows for reflection that one has not paid beyond one’s means but that one has also honored the teachings and generosity of the teachings with one’s offering.
Click here to register...
Offered by Nancy Bennett
Certified MBSR teacher trained at the Center for Mindfulness (CFM), UMASS Medical School.
Lear more about Nancy at NowMindfulness.org
“Moments of experiencing wholeness, moments when you connect with the domain of your own being, often include a palpable sense of being larger than your problems and in a much better position to come to terms with them.”
In 8 weekly classes and one All Day session, we will explore what causes stress, how perception affects stress levels, what makes it difficult to manage stress, and what helps free us from reactivity to stress so that we can respond with wisdom and compassion for ourselves and others. Through a variety of mindfulness practices including sitting and walking meditation, the body scan, mindful movement/yoga, and loving kindness meditation, participants will learn to bring awareness to thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations to empower themselves to live their lives more fully,
more productively, more joyfully.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
These are some of the many reasons people have turned to MBSR: trouble falling asleep; feeling anxious or depressed, overwhelmed or out of control; impatience with family or friends; problems at work; challenging physical conditions or illnesses; loss; an inability to enjoy life.
Participants report more balance, ease, peace of mind in their lives. Here’s what recent graduates had to say:
• “The course was life-changing – these new communication and meditation tools will become a part of my life going forward!”
• “Loved learning to meditate.”
• “Nancy Bennett is fabulous teacher. She makes all this chaos in our heads make sense!”
• “I learned a lot about stress and how we deal with it – and how there are other options if we bring awareness to the reaction.”
• “The CD sessions were very good for me. After doing them, I had no more unfocused anxiety for the rest of the day.”
• “Learning to meditate - always thought it was much more difficult, but when you just let go of thoughts as they arise, it frees you up to focus again.”
• “Nancy Bennett is an excellent teacher, she showed dedication, encouragement, and caring.”
The Course consists of the following:
· a free 1 ½ hour “Introduction & Orientation to MBSR”
· 8 weekly classes of 2.5 to 3 hours
· an All-Day retreat
· daily mindfulness home practices of 45 to 60 minutes a day
The Course Schedule in Detail
The course is 8 weeks from February 1st to March 28th, 2020, on Saturdays starting at 2pm with an All-Day Session on Saturday, March 14th from 12 noon to 7:30pm. The schedule is outlined as follows:
· Class 1 Saturday, February 1st 2:00pm – 5:00pm
· Class 2 Saturday, February 8th 2:00pm – 4:30pm
· Class 3 Saturday, February 15th 2:00pm – 4:30pm
· Class 4 Saturday, February 22nd 2:00pm – 4:30pm
· Class 5 Saturday, February 29th 2:00pm – 4:30pm
· Class 6 Saturday, March 7th 2:00pm – 4:30pm
· ALL DAY Saturday, March 14th 12:00 Noon – 7:30pm
· Class 7 Saturday, March 21st 2:00pm – 4:30pm
· Class 8 Saturday, March 28th 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Weather Day Saturday, April 11th 2pm – 5:00pm
Most classes will be 2.5 hours; Class 1 and Class 8 will be 3 hours.
Please note the All-Day Session between Class 6 and Class 7 on Saturday, March 14th from 12 Noon to 7:30pm. This session is a required part of the course.
A strong commitment to attendance, participation, and engagement over the 8 weeks is required. If a prospective participant expects to miss two or more classes, it is recommended he or she take the course at a later, more convenient time.
An MBSR Practice Manual and CD’s or MP-3’s for home practice are included.
Nancy Bennett – is a mindfulness and meditation teacher offering the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course and mindfulness and stress reduction workshops for several years. She trained and received her Qualification as an MBSR teacher from the Center for Mindfulness at the UMASS Medical School and received mentoring toward Certification at Brown University. She has an MA in Pastoral Care & Counseling with a concentration in Buddhism from New York Theological Seminary and the NY Zen Center for Contemplative Care with experience as a chaplain intern in NYC & RI hospitals offering mindfulness groups for nurses, social workers, aides and other staff and leading mindfulness and spiritual care groups for patients in psychiatric care units. She has been a meditator since 1994 in the Vipassana/Insight tradition working with renown Insight meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein, Guy Armstrong, Sally Clough Armstrong, Sharon Salzberg, Larry Rosenberg, and Analayo among others. And, of course, Jon Kabat-Zinn.