Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
"You can do something for yourself to improve your own health and well-being."

What is MBSR?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an effective, evidenced-based method for reducing physical and psychological suffering while building resilience, balance, and peace of mind.
Learning to practice mindfulness provides a way of relating directly with whatever is happening in your life, of taking charge of your life, and of consciously noticing and responding to your own stress and pain and to the challenges and demands of living.
This starts with cultivating present moment attention in an open, nonjudgmental way.
Benefits of MBSR
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A greater sense of aliveness, joy, connection & contentment
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An increased ability to focus; a quieter mind
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Emotional balance and regulation
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Improved ability to meet high-stress situations
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Improved general health and improved pain management
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Better sleep
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An improved sense of well-being
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Improved impulse control: responding to life with more intention, choice and wisdom
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Reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression and loneliness
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A greater ability to be kind to yourself
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Reduction in difficult physical and psychological symptoms
Welcome! Below is a 3-minute message from Jessica describing the MBSR course in more detail.

The Origin of MBSR
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course was developed in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
It originated as a public health intervention. Participants originally came to MBSR with a wide range of medical problems, from chronic pain, headaches, high blood pressure and anxiety to cancer, heart disease and fibromyalgia. Through Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, they learned how to take care of themselves - not as a replacement to their medical treatment, but as a fundamentally important complement to it. Through mindfulness practices, they were able to regain a sense of control over their lives.
With its well documented success and ever-growing body of research into its effectiveness, the MBSR course has grown exponentially and is now offered throughout the world: in clinical settings, education, business, government, correctional facilities, and more.
And, it is open to everyone seeking greater awareness, balance, ease and happiness.
The Course
You will be introduced to many forms of mindfulness practices (body scan, sitting meditation, mindful movement, and several informal mindfulness practices) and invited to devote time each day to personal practice. Your commitment to yourself and willingness to engage with mindfulness practices with curiosity, will be an essential component of the course.
This course will involve learning to see yourself and the world around you in new ways, learning to work in new ways with your body, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
Some of the themes we explore in the MBSR course are: working with difficult emotions, understanding how perception influences our relationship to stressful events, mindful communication, the power of being present, and awareness of automatic, habitual, conditioned patterns.
Timeframe:
- Orientation (~2.5 hours)
- 8 weekly sessions, meeting 2.5 hours per week
- An all-day retreat on a weekend (usually around the 5th or 6th week, 9am-4:30pm)
- Daily home practice (~1 hour/day)
Additionally, please note the first class may go up to a half an hour longer and the last class may go up to an hour longer.
Full attendance for the duration of the course is highly recommended, as the content and experiential practice builds on itself as the course unfolds.
I want to enroll in MBSR. What are my next steps?
Come to orientation
Attend a brief, virtual, 1:1 Q&A with Jessica following orientation
Receive welcome email
Submit informed consent form
Make payment for the course
Show Up!

Upcoming MBSR Course
Orientation: Friday, February 7, 2025, 6:00-7:30pm
Class Dates: Fridays, February 21- April 11, 2025
Class Time: 6:00-8:30 PM
All Day Retreat: Sunday, March 23, 2025,
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Cost: $490 members, $500 non-members
Location: Lenard Hall @ Mansfield Community Center
Note: To secure your seat in the program, please make payment through the Mansfield Community Center by visiting their Online Registration Page, scrolling down and selecting "Program > Fitness", entering Activity# 371000-A in the top left corner and following the prompts. If you have any troubles, there are wonderful people at the reception desk who can help, just call 860.429.3015.
If you need a partial scholarship in order to participate in this course, please reach out to Jessica at themindfuljourney@hotmail.com.