What is MBSR?
Rooted in Buddhist principles, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn created his Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center to help his ill patients cope with the difficult emotions they felt.
It is a healing approach now used throughout the world to support people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
The key tool used in MBSR is mindfulness.
Through a mindfulness practice, we become more aware of our own behavior patterns, particularly in relation to stressful situations.
We learn that while we can’t always choose our circumstances, we can get in touch with our thoughts, sensations and emotions in the present moment and choose how we respond, rather than automatically reacting.
The idea is to accept our present experience as it is.
Dr. Kabat-Zinn says that there are two parts of genuine acceptance - seeing clearly (present moment awareness) and holding our experience with compassion, using these nine basic attitudes:
Non-judging: Understanding how we relate to our experiences.
Patience: Recognizing that there are no short-cuts; mindfulness takes time.
A beginner’s mind: Being willing to see everything as though for the first time.
Trust: Listening to our inner wisdom.
Non-striving: Being content with the moment.
Acceptance: Allowing things to be as they are, without trying to change them or wishing them to be different.
Letting go: Releasing reactive and rigid thinking.
Gratitude: Appreciating life in the moment.
Generosity: Deepening our experience of interconnectivity by giving time and attention to others.
You can learn more here:
https://www.catalyst14.co.uk/blog/key-principles-for-mindfulness-practice
We invite you to join us at our upcoming event “Relax + Restore: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” on Thursday April 8th at 7:00 p.m., where we will explore MBSR and you can learn how to incorporate these mindfulness techniques into your “meditation toolbox.”
We can’t wait to welcome you!
With love and light,
Denise