- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- Self-Compassion & Mindfulness
- MBSR II: Working Mindfully with Difficult Emotions & Body States
- Graduate classes
- Daylong Mini-retreats
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program
for dealing with stress, recent anxiety,
recurrent pain, or illness
This 8-week course is modeled after Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and and was originally designed for people experiencing chronic pain. It is also appropriate for people experiencing stress in a broad range of areas in life (work, parenting, relationship, health…) or those simply looking to experience more richness in life. This course is designed for beginners, although it is also open to those with some meditation experience. Participants will learn compassionate ways of being with the body, emotions and challenging mind states through:
- mindfulness meditation & its applications to everyday life
- body awareness & relaxation
- gentle yoga stretching & movement
- learning to ground in the present moment & connect with moments of calm
- learning how to work with uncomfortable mind states & body sensations
Classes are very experiential and involve a mixture of:
- meditation (lying down, sitting, and walking)
- gentle stretching and mindful yoga
- teaching and discussion
- understanding the stress response cycle & learning to be less reactive
- homework to facilitate bringing mindfulness into everyday life
The program requires a commitment to daily practice (approximately 30-40 minutes) for optimal benefit. You will receive a workbook and several MP3 recordings to guide you during the course and to support ongoing home use.
Benefits
Research has shown that the majority of those who complete the course report:
- an enhanced ability to cope with short and long term stressful situations
- reduced levels of anxiety, panic and depression
- lower pain levels and increased ability to cope with pain
- a greater ability to relax
- increased self-esteem and sense of well-being
- improved relationships
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
for anxiety & preventing depression relapse
This 8-week course is modeled after Dr. Zindel Segal’s program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and grew out of Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR proram. The program integrates cognitive therapy principles and practice into a Mindfulness framework. It is appropriate for those experiencing chronic, recurrent anxiety or those who have experienced chronic, recurrent episodes of depression and want to prevent future relapse. This course is designed for beginners, although it is also open to those with some meditation experience. Throughout this program, participants learn to make a radical shift in relationship to the thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations that contribute to anxiety and depressive relapse through:
- mindfulness meditation & mindfulness in everyday life
- mindful movement
- recognizing unhelpful thinking without personalizing it
- decentering from negative thought streams, rumination & obsessive thinking
- increasing awareness of mild states of low mood & learning to not spiral downward
- letting go of judgment & practicing “radical acceptance” of oneself
- learning to stay present, addressing barriers & making a plan to better care for oneself
- learning to stay present, addressing barriers & making a plan to better care for oneself
The program requires a commitment to daily practice (approximately 30-40 minutes) for optimal benefit. You will receive a workbook and several MP3 recordings to guide you during the course and to support ongoing home use. Please note that if you are currently experiencing a major depression, the course is not suitable at this time. It is recommended to take the course when you have the energy and concentration to do the practices.
Benefits
Research has shown that the majority of those who complete the course report:
- an increased ability to step out of self-perpetuating, unhelpful thinking patterns
- an increased awareness of automatic thoughts & feelings that drive anxiety &/or depression & the ability to let them go
- increased kindness toward ourselves & greater acceptance of “what is”
- a decreased fear of experiencing a range of emotion
- an increased ability to simply “be,” rather than striving to achieve some special state
- an enhanced ability to cope with fearful thoughts & stressful situations
- reduced levels of anxiety & panic & decreased vulnerability to depressive relapse
- an increased sense of well-being
Self-Compassion & Mindfulness
for working with life’s difficulties
Recent research demonstrates that self-compassion is strongly associated with:
- emotional wellbeing
- reduced anxiety, stress
- decreased depression
- maintenance of healthy life habits such as diet and exercise
- satisfying personal relationships.
Fortunately, self-compassion is a skill that can be learned! Over the 8 sessions, you will learn core principles and practices that enable you to respond to life’s difficult moments with kindness, understanding and greater centredness.
Benefits
Self-compassion practices teach us how to:
- handle difficult emotions with greater ease
- motivate ourselves with kindness rather than criticism
- increase our emotional strength & resilience
- admit our shortcomings & forgive ourselves when needed
- relate wholeheartedly to others & be more authentically ourselves
This 8 session program is based on the research of Kristin Neff and the clinical work of psychologists Christopher Germer and Tara Brach, as well as the wisdom teachings of Sharon Salzberg, Michele McDonald and others. Each of the two-hour sessions involve instruction, discussion, periods of meditation and at times, gentle movement. In class and at home practices include directing self-compassion toward difficult thoughts and emotions, and to the body itself. Homework will be comprised of weekly readings and specific meditation practices. Course fees include seven evening classes, a daylong mini-retreat, weekly readings and two or more meditation MP3s.
MBSR II: Working Mindfully with Difficult Emotions & Body States
for working with life’s difficulties
Note: this is a graduate course. A daylong mini-retreat (on Saturday, see Course Schedule) in addition to eight weekly sessions is included.
This course is designed for those who have already taken MBSR or MBCT or have mindfulness meditation experience and wish to further their understanding and practice.
We will address working with challenging mind states (anger, fear, worry and rumination, uncertainty and loss) and body states (pain, limitations). We will also explore the possibility of inner contentment. Classes involve mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation practices, gentle movement, teaching, and discussion. You will receive meditation MP3s for home practice as well as weekly reading.
Note about Graduate Classes
Self-Compassion & Mindfulness is one of our graduate courses. This class is open to students who have taken previous MBSR and/or MBCT classes or have previous meditation experience. Classes include a talk, discussion, and two meditation practices. Participants will be emailed handouts with suggestions for home practice and meditation recordings in MP3 format.
Top of page
Daylong Mini-Retreats
A daylong session consists of six hours of continuous meditation practice, including all of those offered in an MBSR or MBCT program. The practices include body scan meditation, gentle yoga, mindfulness meditation (anchoring in the breath, body and sound, working with thoughts and emotions,) walking meditation and mindful eating. Participants practice in silence, providing the opportunity to go deeper with one’s practice while supporting each other’s commitment to mindfulness. Silence is broken at the end of the day in order to debrief your experience. These Mini Retreats are part of the MBSR program and the first one is included in the MBSR tuition. They are also open to those who have participated in an MBCT program for a fee. Many students attend several mini retreats as a way to support ongoing mindfulness practice.
Top of page