MBSR 8 Week Course Overview Outline

 Week 1
The first week gives participants an overview of the course and presents the theory and evidence behind the idea of mind-body medicine. Participants will be introduced to some of the basics of MBSR, including mindful eating, mindful breathing, and the body scan.

Week 2
Week two opens participants up to the examination of their perceptions, assumptions, and the perspective they use to interact with the world around them. The session will revisit the body scan exercise and explore how participants react to stress.

Week 3
The third week brings a greater focus on the body, with gentle mindful yoga (accessible to everyone, chair yoga is also available), sitting meditation, and walking meditation. This session encourages participants to learn how to be present in the moment, as well as how to maintain this presence in their daily life.

Week 4
In week four, participants will learn about how the body reacts to stress and how mindfulness can mitigate or reverse these effects. They will also be introduced to strategies for applying a mindful practice to stressful situations.

Week 5
This session marks the halfway point in the course and expands on the concepts and techniques participants have learned so far. Participants will be encouraged to think about the situations in which they often get bogged down in unhealthy or self-defeating patterns of thought, emotion, and/or behavior. Additionally, they will be walked through some strategies for applying mindfulness to these situations before these self-defeating reactions set in.

Week 6
The focus of week six is on resilience, or productive coping strategies that course participants can put into effect when they face challenges. The session also covers interpersonal mindfulness, which applies to person-to-person communications, situations that can be accompanied by stress, anxiety, or other difficult emotions.

Week 7
The second-to-last week is all about how to integrate the practice of mindfulness into everyday life. Participants will learn how to maintain their growing practice and how to commit to non-judgment, awareness, and presence in the moment.

Week 8
The program closes with a review of the course content, a focus on how to carry on practicing mindfulness, self-care,  and an overview of the resources and support available for course graduates as they continue with their lives.