Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Class

Looking to increase your resilience, build peace of mind, or learn a new skill? Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an approachable, evidence-based program for managing stress through a combination of informal mindfulness exercises, formal sitting meditation, light yoga, and group discussion.

MBSR is powerful: it’s taught in hospitals and community centers around the world to treat everything from chronic pain to anxiety and depression, but it’s not just for medical conditions. The group discussions strengthen emotional intelligence and communication skills for all kinds of relationships — in business, over the kitchen table, or across different backgrounds. Simultaneously a refuge and an adventure unto itself, MBSR is essential training for times of change.

Why take a class when I can just download an app or watch a video? Meditation cultivates mental wellness the way an athlete cultivates physical fitness. Just like hitting the gym, it helps to:

1) Find a community to support and inspire you.

2) Get personalized answers to your questions.

3) Focus on proven techniques. MBSR launched the scientific study of meditation’s benefits.

Toward the end of the course, we’ll review meditation apps and other options for developing your own personal practice, so you can continue your journey as you see fit. MBSR’s emphasis on integration with daily life makes it useful for all experience levels, from veteran meditator to absolute beginner. Whether your goal is learning the basics or translating meditation and yoga into greater resilience in daily life, you can get there with MBSR.

Class meets online via Zoom, 6:30 – 9:00 pm on eight Tuesdays, Sept. 15 through Nov. 3. We’ll also have a 7-hour “day of silence” on Saturday, Oct. 24. Before the first class, please attend a mandatory orientation session (also available on Eventbrite, for Sept. 2, 7-9, and 13-14). You’ll also be asked to fill out a survey and set up a 1-on-1 meeting to make sure this is a good fit for you.

The URL for the orientation sessions is https://bit.ly/2YQSOLY.

Comparison pricing

MBSR provides an enduring investment in your health and life skills, including 27 hours of in-class instruction (with weekly homework assignments), which proceeds in sequence through a time-tested, evidence-based curriculum. Affordably-priced yoga classes often charge about $10-20 for an hour-long class, or $270 to $540 for 27 hours. Similarly, the standard price for MBSR is about $400-500.

Out of a strong desire to increase access to this program, this course is being offered on a sliding scale from $269 down to $49 (or $10 per hour down to less than $2 per hour) for those who can’t afford more. Like the time commitment, the payment must be made up front. No one will be turned away for lack of funds though. If these prices are not affordable for you, we can discuss a scholarship in the 1-on-1 meeting.

About the teacher

Josh Wright has over 20 years of experience practicing yoga and meditation, with training from faculty at Brown University, Oxford University, and the original developers of MBSR at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. A Harvard-educated economist whose career spans 3 continents, his teaching is grounded in the working world as much as the meditation hall – and a unique appreciation for how they can inform each other. Learn more about Josh at wrightmindfulness.com.