Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course

FREE introductory sessions for Faculty/Staff and Students next week!

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course uses meditation, mindful movement, inquiry and discussion to develop awareness. You will learn practical strategies that can bring greater balance and ease into your daily life even in the midst of stress, pain, and illness.

About the Course

The course meets weekly, 2 ½ hours per week, for eight weeks, plus a day of Mindfulness on a Sunday, April 12th from 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.

This eight-week MBSR course will be taught by Dr. Arlene Gordon and Beth Sandweiss, MSW, instructors with extensive training from The Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical Center, where the course was developed.

This is a course for anyone, and no previous meditation experience is necessary.

The following is both the FREE Introductory class and the actual course information:

Faculty/Staff Program

Introductory Session:
Wednesday, January 21, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. 
Location: Student Center 417
and
Wednesday, January 28, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location:  Drop in Center
No registration is necessary and it is FREE.

Course Information:

• Cost: $250
• Time:Wednesday evenings, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Student Center 417
• Meeting dates: February 11, 18, 25; March 4, 18, 25; April 22, 29
• To register call 973-655-3340 or stop by the Student Recreation Center.  Faculty/staff registration code is 3914.
• Space limited to 30 participants. Register early to ensure a space.

Student Program

Introductory Session:
Friday, January 23, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location:  Machuga Heights Multipurpose Room
and
Friday, January 30, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location:  Drop in Center
No registration is necessary and it is FREE.

Course Information:

• Cost: $40
• Time: Friday Morning, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Location:  Machuga Heights Multipurpose Room
• Meeting Dates: February 13, 20, 27; March 6, 20, 27; April 24; May 1
• To register call 973-655-3340 or stop by the Student Recreation Center.  Student registration code is 3915.
• Space limited to 30 participants. Register early to ensure a space.

Got Questions?

For more information contact Dr. Nancy Friedman friedmann@montclair.edu or Dr. Marie Cascarano at cascaranom@montclair.edu 973-655-7397.

What is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)?

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program for those who would like to develop a meditation and mindfulness practice and would appreciate a structured step-by-step approach. Over eight weeks we will introduce guided practices that teach us how to cultivate our attention and shift from a mode of mind that is oriented toward “doing” to a more spacious mode of mind that rests in “being.” These include focusing on the breath and body as an anchor for attention,  mindful movement and discussion.  

This class is an opportunity to pause in the midst of our hectic lives, to calm our bodies and minds, and reconnect with ourselves 

This class is appropriate to both beginners and those with some meditation experience. We will provide an inclusive and welcoming environment that is accessible to all. No meditation experience is necessary. You are welcome just as you are.

We can go through much of our daily lives on automatic pilot; not being present and feeling scattered, as though our minds and bodies are not in sync. In automatic pilot, we are more susceptible to daily pressures and triggers. The aim of the MBSR program is to increase awareness so that we can respond to situations with choice rather than habitual reactions. We can do this by becoming more aware of where our attention is and deliberately changing our focus, over and over again.

The Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course uses meditation, mindful movement, inquiry and discussion to develop a capacity for awareness by teaching practical strategies that can bring greater balance and peace even in the midst of stress, pain, and illness.

Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at UMass Medical Center, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a eight week course that has been at the cutting edge of integrative medicine for over 30 years. It is the most widely offered and researched training program in mindfulness and stress reduction worldwide. MBSR was recently featured on 60 minutes with Anderson Cooper.

This course is sponsored by Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Health Promotion (HP).