Jon Kabat-Zinn's groundbreaking 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes are now offered online by Omega Institute, in association with the Global Mindfulness Collaborative (GMC) and the Mindfulness Teacher Training Alliance—a wonderful support to face today’s challenges.

Now, for the first time in association with GMC, Omega offers the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction class online, as well as an MBSR Essentials training for those who aspire to teach this curriculum.

MBSR is the groundbreaking, time-tested, and scientifically researched program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 for the University of Massachusetts Medical School. This transformative course is suited for those coming to meditation for the first time, or for experienced meditators who realize they have not yet integrated these practices fully into their lives. It uses meditation, yoga, and inquiry as a way of training people to relate differently to stresses in their lives and, in fact, relate differently to each moment of their lives.

Research over the past 40 years indicates that a majority of people who complete this program report a greater ability to cope more effectively with short- and long-term stressful situations; an increased ability to relax; lasting decreases in physical and psychological symptoms; reduction in pain levels and enhanced ability to cope with chronic pain; and most importantly, a greater energy and enthusiasm for life.

Some of the skills you learn in MBSR courses include:

• Practical coping skills to improve the ability to handle stressful situations
• Methods for being physically and mentally relaxed and at ease
• Gentle, full-body conditioning exercises to strengthen the body and release muscular tension
• The ability to be increasingly aware of the interplay of mind and body in health and illness
• The ability to face change and difficult times in your life with greater ease
• Greater ability to decrease the physical, mental, and emotional effects of the societal stressors of sexism, racism, homophobia, and more

Class size ranges from 20-30 participants. The course is experiential. Participants are supported by recorded guided meditations and are expected to practice 30-45 minutes of formal meditation daily, as well as various informal practices. The class provides a safe space to explore the challenges and joys we discover through our practice and how we meet these in life.

It is important when considering this class to make sure your schedule allows you to attend all 10 sessions, the pre-class orientation*, and the day of practice. That said, if a class is missed, there are often concurrent classes which allow for make-up sessions.

*If the orientation is missed, a recorded version will be available.

All GMC teachers are certified MBSR teachers and trainers and are among the most experienced teachers in the field.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Session Schedule
Choice of Thursday OR Friday sessions.
Note: both options include one full-day Saturday session, May 20.
This program may be taken alone or as part of MBSR Essentials.

Choose One:

MBSR Option 1: Thursdays

• Nine Thursdays, April 6-June 1, 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. PT)
• One full-day Saturday, May 20, 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET (6:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. PT)

MBSR Option 2: Fridays

• Nine Fridays, April 7-June 2, Noon-2:30 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. PT)
• One full-day Saturday, May 20, 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET (6:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. PT)

Join live on Thursday, April 6 or Friday, April 7. For registered participants, these classes will be available on demand for 60 days beyond completion, through August 1 for MBSR Option 1: Thursdays; through August 2 for MBSR Option 2: Fridays.