Have you felt an inner call to approach your life with more wisdom, skill and compassion? Have you wished to engage your mind and body in ways that can support greater clarity and resilience? And, are you interested in both learning about and addressing root causes of stress that can make a difference in your life and the lives of students, patients and clients you serve?

Mindfulness is an innate resource in all human beings that is often overlooked. This program offers intentional, step by step guidance to cultivate strength and familiarity with this human birthright of awareness, naturalness, openness and warmth. Through the practices of MBSR, you will have the opportunity to explore your relationship with the body, mind, heart, and with one another in an environment rich in curiosity and engagement.

Based on the world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR), this five-day, residential program invites this inner exploration as we investigate the framework of the science and practice of mindfulness and its potential to impact the quality of one’s life. Included in the program:

• Full introduction and guidance of the formal MBSR meditation practices;
• Introduction and explication of the science and mechanisms of mindfulness;
• How perception and conditioning shape how we experience the world, and how mindfulness can begin to uncouple automatic, habitual reactivity for clearer seeing and more creative responding;
• Tools for deeper listening—to ourselves and others;
• Methods and applications for bringing brief, informal mindfulness practices through the day to rebalance oneself emotionally, mentally, and physically;
• Introduction of appropriate workplace applications of mindfulness practices for teachers and healthcare providers.

Framework for Mindful Living™,  is a unique opportunity for those who may not have access to an 8-week MBSR class. The program is also appropriate for those who’d like to deepen or re-invigorate their mindfulness meditation practice, and for health professionals who wish to apply  mindfulness in their work with others. In the supportive environment of a retreat-like setting, there is time and space to inquire, reflect, and come close to ourselves in ways that allow for learning, insight and healing.

At the conclusion of the program, participants will be able to:

• Recognize and give examples of current personal patterns of automatic pilot and automatic, habitual stress reactivity that may lead to reduced effectiveness and burnout;
• Identify and analyze current work/life stressors;
• Reflect on and examine individual resources for meeting stress, comparing adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms;
• Explain how stress expresses in human biology and physiology and how mindfulness impacts the stress cycle;
• Utilize formal and informal mindfulness practices to reduce distraction, bring greater clarity and intentionality to decision-making, and increase emotional regulation;
• Describe and demonstrate mindful listening as an effective skill in human relating;
• Formulate a plan for utilizing mindfulness practices to support one’s own health and well-being and that of clients, patients, students and others we work with.

Cost: $1160
Includes 5-Day Framework Intensive Tuition of $675
Plus $485 Ramapo College program fees (i.e. venue, administrative, housekeeping, etc. and daily meals which include, breakfast, lunch, dinner and an all day service of snacks, nuts, fruit, coffee and tea).  Please note: There is not an option to opt out of this fee, including meals.

**Educators receive a tuition discount of $200**

Cancellation Policy: A refund of 50%, less a $50 application and registration fee, may be given if registrants cancel more than 30 days before this program begins. No refunds will be given after 30 days prior to the start of the program.

Acceptance and Registration:

As with all intensive programs, acceptance into this course is required. Please do not make reservations or travel plans until you have received an official acceptance determination from Ramapo College.

Step 1: Application Process: 

Please apply for the MBSR Residential Program by clicking here. NOTE: Please wait for the Mindfulness at Ramapo College to reach out to you with an official acceptance email before making any travel plans.

Step 2: Registration Process:

Once accepted into the program, you will receive a confirmation email from the Mindfulness at Ramapo College with a link that will lead you to a page to process your registration and payment. Once you complete the registration and payment process, you are ready to reserve accommodations.

Accommodations:

Please do not make any travel or hotel arrangements until you have been accepted into the program. Commuters are welcome.

Program registration cost does NOT include room accommodations. Please make your own accommodations at the hotel below.

Single Accommodations:
Approximately $132/day with taxes and fees. Please call the below hotel directly to reserve your single room. Please make sure to mention “Brown Foundations at Ramapo College” to receive the discounted price.  If you need to book your reservation online, please use this link in order to receive the discounted rate. 

Double Accommodations:
Approximately $132/day with taxes and fees. If looking to share a double, please go to our Frameworks Facebook Group Page to find a roommate and then book your room together.

Traveling to Ramapo College, for more information please see our Visit Us and What to Expect page.

Fairfield Inn & Suites, Mahwah, NJ – 201-529-4000  View Fairfield Inn’s website here

Upon Arrival:

Arrive early, please go directly to hotel to check-in, drop off luggage and have some lunch prior to coming to Ramapo College.

Shuttle Service will be provided from hotel to campus the first day of the program as participants will begin to arrange ride shares with fellow classmates who are commuting and/or have their own transportation on-site.

Jon Aaron has been teaching at New York Insight Meditation Center since 2005 and began facilitating MBSR groups in 2008. A co-founder of the New York Mindfulness Meditation Teachers Collaborative, Jon is also a certified MBSR teacher trainer and mentor. At the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, Jon is also the co-guiding teacher of the Makom Meditation Havurah, a program for dedicated practitioners. Jon regularly leads residential mindfulness retreats (often with his colleague Beth Mulligan) at various locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and for Insight Cleveland, and at the Rocky Mountain Eco-Dharma Retreat Center. To see Jon Aaron’s full bio, please visit https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/people/jon-aaron.

Florence Meleo-Meyer serves as Global Ambassador to the MBSR Affiliates world-wide at the Mindfulness Center, Brown University and is inspired by the potential of MBSR to impact global health and well-being when taught by teachers trained with rigor, depth, and cultural sensitivity. She has trained MBSR teachers and teacher trainers for over 20 years.  As Director of Oasis Institute, for Professional Education and Training at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts’ Medical School, she engaged with and supported the development of thousands of MBSR teachers globally.  Over many years, she directly trained MBSR teacher trainers, and was director of the Train the Trainer program. With equal focus on the refinement of teaching skills, attitudes and knowledge, the heart of her work attends to the cultivation of the deepest understanding of MBSR as a path of love, healing and transformation.  She has been a leading contributor to the development of best practices for teacher training in the growing field of MBSR and MBIs. Having trained in MBSR directly with Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD and Saki Santorelli, MA, EdD, she leads MBSR Insight retreats internationally and cultivates deeper understanding of the essence of MBSR within the non-dual experience of silent meditation practice while supporting the integration as a whole life approach. For Florence’s full bio, please visit https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/people/florence-meleo-meyer-ms-ma-lmft.

Lucas Irwin is a Mindfulness & Integrative Health Coach and the Founder of Rebel Mindfulness, LLC. With over 20 years of experience in the fields of health and wellness, Lucas has a genuine passion for helping others enrich their well-being and live more fulfilling and joyful lives.  Lucas emphasizes the universal accessibility of mindfulness and strives to show others how the practice can enhance the lives they are currently living. In South Florida, Lucas partners with respected institutions such as Baptist Health and UMindfulness at the University of Miami and numerous non-profits; beyond Miami, Lucas is trusted by and works with some of the World’s most recognized brands, including Christian Dior and Google. For a full bio on Lucas, please visit his website at https://www.rebelmindfulness.com/lucas-g-irwin.

ARRIVAL

On your day of arrival, Registration at Ramapo College begins in the Trustees Pavilion at 5pm followed by dinner, and then Orientation, and ends around 9pm.

COURSE DAYS

Course days begin with an early morning session at 7am, followed by breakfast at 8am, lunch around 12:30pm, and conclude after dinner around 7pm. The last evening will end around 9:30pm.

FINAL DAY

Your final day starts as a course day and ends after lunch, around 2pm.

The detailed course schedule will be provided by your instructor at Registration.

The retreat room will have the following for each participant:

Chair & Round Meditation cushion
NOTE: There will be some large Square Zabuton cushions and yoga mats available. We suggest that you bring your own if these are essential components of your retreat time.

We suggest that you bring the following items to make your retreat time in the Pavilion more comfortable:
Please note the floor is carpeted.

Comfortable, loose fitting clothing
Layers, scarfs, shawls, fleeces – as the room temperatures may vary
Warm blanket to use as a cover and to sit upon
Flashlight, in case power goes out
Jacket, walking shoes – weather appropriate and for outside walking meditations
Your own yoga mat (some will be provided)
Meditation bench if needed
Reusable water bottle

Educators can receive 38.5 Professional Development credit hours for their participation, email mindfulness@ramapo.edu for more information.

“I had a wonderful time on the 5-Day Tools Retreat at the Mindfulness at Ramapo College. The grounds and facilities are superb, the food was healthy and nourishing, and the additional support offered by the center (mats, cushions, yoga mats) was very appreciated. I would do this course again, thanks to the great teachers, their embodiment of the practice, and the diverse group of attendants. I got so much out of this, and look forward to learning more.” – Five Day Retreat Participant

“This program was a life-changing experience. I came to the program to learn how to manage a serious chronic illness. I found immediate benefit. Equally important, I learned to identify and solve persistent challenges in everyday life. This was the best investment I ever made.” – Five Day Retreat Participant

“I came here with no experience with meditation, but an interest in learning… It took me 3 days, but I learned that taking care of my mind and body and heart are my responsibility. I learned a great deal about myself and myself in relation to others. It is my intention to move forward, inch by inch, through continuing my practice…rediscovering myself and living a more open and authentic life.” –Five Day Retreat Participant

“The way in which the MBSR leaders conducted the retreat was beyond my imagination or expectations. Lynn and Margaret created a genuine atmosphere of love and trust, enabling me to express my authentic self free of judgment. I desperately sought a vehicle to a more peaceful existence and believe this MBSR Retreat has put me on the path of mindful living and genuine peace.” – Five Day Retreat Participant