Mindfulness Classes (English)

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

8-week online course

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program that introduces mindfulness practices in the form of sitting meditation, body awareness, and mindful movement, modeled by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. This program can help if stress is having a negative impact on your life, if you are experiencing chronic physical or mental distress, or if you are simply interested in learning ways to maintain health and well-being. Over 6,000 research papers have published findings on MBSR including decreased depression, pain, and distress, and increased attention, concentration, performance, and quality of life. 

The MBSR program consists of an Orientation, a 30-minute private interview with the instructor before the first class, 8 weekly sessions, and one daylong session on a Saturday or Sunday.

The Orientation session consists of meeting the instructor and other participants; an introduction to what participation in the class entails; a talk about the impact of stress and mindfulness on health, the history of MBSR, and research on the MBSR model; and instruction in and practice of introductory mindfulness techniques. 

If you are interested in attending the Orientation, but you are not ready to register for the class, please reference our FAQ page to learn how to join. Note that classes do tend to fill and develop a waitlist, so if you don't register for the full class, there may not be a space available for you. Due to program capacity, students can participate in up to three MBSR courses.

Pricing 

This eight-week class costs $395. UCSF faculty, staff, and students are eligible for a $35 discount and will be charged $360. Please reference our FAQ page to learn how to receive the discount or to learn about our transfer and refund policy.

Through the Community Care Fund (CCF), the Osher Center is covering the cost of an eight-week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in both English and Spanish for people who qualify for financial assistance. Please review financial eligibility guidelines and apply through the Community Care Fund. 

Please note that you will need to individually purchase a copy of Full Catastrophe Living (Revised and Updated Edition, 2013) by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. The book is available in hard copy, electronic, and audio formats from most public libraries and major booksellers. 

FAQ

If you have a question, please reference the FAQ page to find an answer before contacting [email protected].

You can also review our Transfer and Refund Policy if you have questions.