8-Week Online MBSR & MBCT Programs

Orientations January 9 - 18

Classes Begin Week of January 22



Being fully present in the moment and cultivating awareness can build resilience and positively impact your everyday life. Learn to access and reinforce your natural capacity to actively engage in caring for yourself and others around you. 

Experience the original, evidence-based, 8-Week mindfulness course as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at UMass Medical Center in 1979.

Make a change in your life with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Meet challenges with greater attention and clarity and gain tools for reducing the stress in your daily life. Connect in real time with others around the globe seeking greater balance, ease, and peace of mind. Our programs are accessible to everyone, and our participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences to share in common insight and inner wisdom.



Comments from recent graduates:

"This was a life-changing course for me that came at the perfect time. I feel more grounded and less anxious and have more tools to combat everyday stressors."

"The program was highly effective, well-organized, exceeded expectations, and the staff was extremely professional and knowledgeable and attentive and compassionate.”

"I wanted to take this course for a long time. So glad I took the time to do this. I feel much more open and connected to others. Have a better outlook overall and much more grace for myself and others."

"This virtual community felt as real as an in-person experience, the technology was a silent background of support, not an interruption of the space."

"Incredible experience, a very professional program executed with such kindness, and the community was wonderful. The full day experience was highly impactful as well. Thank you!"

Finding Your Center: a New Year's Retreat

3 Days of Grounding, Stillness, and Exploring the Qualities of the Heart

Online, February 9 - 11

Join us for three days of quiet and stillness, exploration, and introspection. This extended period of practice allows for inner reflection and the chance to gain deeper insights into the principles of mindfulness while providing a space for connection, learning, and shared experience. Step away from daily routines and distractions to explore the heart qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, equanimity, and joy. Set your intention for a mindful transition into the new year and create a solid foundation for facing the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Open to all, this retreat also fulfills a prerequisite for MBSR teacher training, serving as a valuable step for those considering a more active role in sharing mindfulness practices. Reserve your spot today.

Schedule:

• Friday, February 9: 12:30 PM - 9:30 PM
• Saturday, February 10: 9:30 AM - 9:30 PM
• Sunday, February 11: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM

Mindfulness for Managing Pain: An Introduction

4 Weeks, Online

February 14 - March 6

Physical pain is not only felt in the body; our thoughts, feelings, and emotional reactions influence our experience of chronic pain. These normal stress-pain reactions can contribute to making the pain worse. As Ginny Wholley, course instructor and guest blogger for Simply Well, explains - mindfulness practices can bring awareness to these automatic reactions and empower us to skillfully choose how we respond.

This 4-week course is intended to introduce you to mindfulness and to help you develop tools to cope with acute and chronic pain, decrease stress, and participate more fully in your own self-care. 

You are not your pain. Take action. Mobilize your own inner resources and invite yourself to live your life more fully and at ease.

Comments from recent graduates:

"This was a great class to develop the foundation required for mindfulness and meditation. Most important for me was the aspect of our shared experience with pain and the human tendency to not only feel alone but also to push pain away as a coping mechanism. This class helped me view pain from a different perspective and grow my practice of mindfulness."

"Continuing practice shows me that our experiences continually change, including degree of pain. I can lessen my pain experience by focusing on my breath and other anchors of focus."

"I was reminded how our whole experience, thoughts, emotions, as well as physical, influence our experiences with pain."

Mindfulness Tools

(Herramientas de Mindfulness En Línea)

Este curso está disponible en español

4 Weeks, Online

AM and PM Sessions Available

Classes Begin February 13



This 4-week live online course introduces you to the how’s and why’s of mindfulness and the potential benefits you may experience from a personal practice.

What is mindfulness? Why practice? 

Over the 4 weeks, you will learn practical tools you can integrate into your daily life right now. If you are new to mindfulness practices or seeking to strengthen your practice, you may find this course a valuable resource for balance and stability in a hectic and challenging world. Join a group of participants in this program who are seeking similar outcomes and opportunities for growth. The weekly classes are experiential and include mindfulness meditation, the science behind mindfulness and its effects on physical and mental health, and dialogue and discussion in both large and small groups.

Take 4 weeks and explore how mindfulness can increase resilience and reduce the effects of stress on the body and mind.

Prioritize your health. Participate. Be alive moment by moment. Enrich the life you live.

Comments from recent graduates:



"I found this course beneficial in that it provided multiple ideas to gently incorporate mindfulness into daily life. Everyone was able to work at their own pace, which I thought was a great model."

"I have been able to handle stressful things (traffic jams, last-minute meetings or setbacks) more calmly lately. I notice my thoughts more often and am able to disengage from cycles of stress/anxious thoughts."

"This course was well organized and covered quite a bit of basic content in a short amount of time. It was just what I needed to get back into a mindful mindset and resume my meditation practice (after a long hiatus). I especially enjoyed interacting with the community and breakout rooms."

"I started out as a skeptic, but became a believer when I saw how mindfulness impacted my life."

Recording Available:

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

"Mindfulness at UMass, and Its Impact in the World — Forty-Four Years and Counting"

On November 2, 2023, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, presented "Mindfulness at UMass, and its Impact in the World: 44 Years and Counting" as part of the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds at UMass Chan Medical School. Sponsored by The Center for Mindfulness, the event celebrated Kabat-Zinn's pioneering contributions to healthcare and wellness. He discussed the global impact of mindfulness, supported by scientific evidence, and its integration into society. The presentation emphasized mindfulness in medicine, its incorporation into mainstream medical approaches, and its cost-effectiveness compared to pharmaceutical interventions. Jon’s insights provide practical tools for navigating modern life and embracing the transformative influence of mindfulness on health and healing.