What is mindfulness & MBSR?

If you have ever experienced stress or anxiety, MBSR offers practices that can help regulate your reactions to stressors. Past students and co-teachers offer some helpful insight on this page: momenttomoment.co/about

At this time, I may offer both formats in 2023. Online classes would take place over Zoom, while in-person classes would take place in San Diego, California. Sign up below for updates on new offerings.

Each session of an MBSR course is different and can include guided meditations, guided reflections, facilitated group inquiry, small group sharing, reviews of home practice, content about stress and stress response, Q&A, and more. Participants are encouraged—but certainly not required—to share their experience of their practice, remembering there is no right or wrong way to practice. Your practice is yours.

While you may already have expectations of what meditation or mindfulness is, my invitation is for you to come to class with curiosity, setting any expectations aside.

A traditional MBSR course includes an orientation prior to the start of the course, and then spans 8 weeks, with 2.5 hours of class time each week, as well as a day of facilitated mindfulness lasting 7 to 8 hours.

The most important time commitment, however, is your home practice outside of class. This includes approximately 30–45 minutes of daily formal practice (body scan, seated meditations, mindful movement, etc.) as well as practicing informally, such as while eating, walking, etc.

After class 8, class 9 is basically the rest of your life!

It is recommended that participants miss no more than 2 sessions. If you know you must miss 2 or more sessions, I suggest you choose to take the course another time.

While MBSR can complement therapy and other supports, it is not recommended that participants forego therapy or prescription medication while participating in an MBSR course. If you have underlying or root trauma or causes for anxiety that have not yet been addressed, it is recommended you address them with health care and healing professionals before embarking on an MBSR course.

Indeed, MBSR and mindfulness practice can teach us to notice when we are worrying and when we experience negative emotions. At some point during an MBSR course, participants may even be encouraged to sit with difficult or negative emotions that are arising. While practicing MBSR, we can befriend whatever arises for us with curiosity and without judgment. 

However, sometimes these emotions can be very intense and triggering. Facilitators may ask that participants notice when these emotions become too much and to back off gently, again without judgment. During a meditation practice, only you can determine whether an emotion is too intense to stay with. 

If you have underlying or root trauma or causes for anxiety that have not yet been addressed, it is recommended you address them with health care and healing professionals before embarking on an MBSR course.