Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

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 is comprised of the Orientation and Introduction to Mindfulness, 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 and Introduction to Mindfulness 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 and Introduction to Mindfulness, 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.

Spanish MBSR

We now offer our MBSR class in Spanish! This course is led by Valeria Galetto, PhD, a certified MBSR teacher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. See below for upcoming sessions. Questions? Please contact [email protected]. 

Chronic Low Back Pain

If you are interested in learning mindfulness in an online course that is specifically designed and offered exclusively for patients with chronic low back pain for free at the UCSF Osher Center, you may check the research study website: https://osher.ucsf.edu/mbpr.

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. Read our Transfer and Refund Policy here. 

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. 

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. 

FAQ

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

All class activities are online, including the retreat.

Registration opens two months prior to orientation. First and last classes for each cohort may be up to 3 hours.