Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - Classes & Registration

​Note: By registering below, you will reserve your spot at the orientation. At the orientation session, you will have an opportunity to decide whether to take the class. 

CEU credit to be available possibly this winter through UNCC school of professional studies.

2024 Winter MBSR

When:
      Orientation: Thursday, January 11. 9:30-11am (EST).
      Class: January 18- March 7.  9:30am-12pm.
      Retreat Day: February 24th. 10am-4pm.

Where: Watershed, 2101 Shenandoah Ave, 28205. Room 119 

Leaders: Lindsay Bridges

​Register Here:

Winter Orientation Registration

Cost

We believe strongly in making this class available to anyone who believes that it might be helpful in their life and is willing to commit themselves to do the work. Therefore, we offer this class on an honor-based "pay as you are able" system with suggested rates.  The generosity of everyone paying as much as you are able towards your suggested rate directly supports our ability to offer the class to everyone regardless of finances. 

Our suggested rates are:

• High Income $500 
• Medium Income $350
• Low Income $75

​If any of these levels are difficult for you, please consider the class anyway. No one is ever turned away for financial reasons.  We ask that you decide what amount you can pay.  This amount is a commitment and investment in your own process, and this amount helps support the financial health of the class and our ability to offer this kind of adjustable sliding scale.  As such, the amount that makes the class possible for you works for us.  
If you can pay more than the suggested rate, we appreciate this much and it helps us continue to offer the class in this way.

For more information on the sliding scale and/or a payment plan option, please click here.

The registration fee for the orientation session is $15. If, after the orientation session, you choose to sign up for the class, the $15 may be applied to your class cost if you choose. If the $15 fee is an obstacle for you, please email us directly.

​Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

The practical real life skills learned in this class are profoundly useful for navigating the stressful challenges we all are facing. This 8 week class is an opportunity to take a deep dive into building a strong mindfulness foundation whether you are new to the practice or are looking for a way to strengthen or re-start your existing practice. 

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) class is an intensive 8-week program that teaches mindfulness as a way to develop greater present moment awareness and an improved sense of wellbeing. This increased awareness helps in making more intentional and healthful choices in support of personal growth, relationships, and healing.
​
You must be at least 18 years old and completed high school to enroll. We offer an MBSR for Teens program for teenagers below 18 years old or still in high school.

​​Resources for more Information

MBSR overview video from UMass Center for Mindfulness
Healing and The Mind – PBS documentary on MBSR with Bill Moyers and Jon Kabat-Zinn
History of MBSR (includes a video on MBSR research)

" MBSR has helped me develop internal resources and tools that it brought a new freedom to my daily habits of mind and communication. This experience has laid the foundation that I look forward to building on. The teaching has offered insights into the shared experiences of my classmates and myself that I could never have gained from reading alone. [The teacher] is able to provide a workable context and framing to what is named– so that even challenging feelings or happenings can be worked with as opposed to denied. "

Lucy C.

​Benefits

There are many scientifically documented benefits of practicing mindfulness. These benefits include:

• Improved physical wellbeing (e.g., improved immune response, decreased pain, and decreased blood pressure)
• Improved mental and emotional wellbeing (e.g., reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood, improved focus and concentration)
• Improved interpersonal skills and relationship quality (e.g., better listening skills, increased compassion)
• Greater resources to make changes, try new activities, and deal with life’s challenges
• Greater meaning and fulfillment (e.g., increased clarity about personal values)

​Class Format

• In Person Class
• An orientation session
• 8 weekly 2 hour 15 min classes
• A day-long retreat (on a Saturday from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
• Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices, including:
  • Sitting, walking, and lying down (body scan) meditation
  • Loving kindness meditation
  • Gentle yoga, appropriate for all levels and adapted for physical challenges
• Supportive class discussion
• Inquiry exercises to enhance awareness in everyday life
• Instruction on the stress response, coping, communication, and other topics
• Daily home practices supported by recordings (MP3s)
• Need technology to support Zoom classroom.  Suggest laptop or desktop computer.  An iPad or smartphone will work but with some limitations.

This course is been very helpful to me. I’ve learned positive tools for coping with difficult experiences. The tools are things I am able to use on a daily basis. The way the course evolved was very helpful. Gradually learning the different techniques and tools was perfect for me. I like how each week reinforced and expanded on the week before. "

Cheley

" The class renewed my thoughts about how much I needed an MBSR class and how beneficial it is to my daily life. It’s easy to get caught up life and not LIVE your life. [The class] made me more aware of my movement through my day and my thougts, feelings and interactions with others. I loved the neuroscience as it helped me understand the practice better by knowing the science behind what’s taking place in my mind. "

Class Participant