Mindfulness is a purposeful way of focusing attention in the present moment; this unique technique helps participants develop an awareness of their bodies, emotions and thoughts.  It facilitates their ability to thoughtfully respond instead of react to situations. Participants learn to focus attention in the present moment.

Published research has shown that mindfulness training can be important adjuncts to conventional medical treatment of many disorders as well as powerful way of reducing stress and pain. Physicians refer their patients to the MBSR course with conditions including asthma, chronic pain, GI stress, high blood pressure, anxiety and panic episodes and sleep disturbances, stress and heart disease.

Participants in this eight-session Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course gain a first hand introduction to mindfulness practices involving breathing and gentle body movements and methods for incorporating mindfulness practices into their everyday life and work

The curriculum is designed to guide MBSR participants in the “how” of learning to practice, integrate and apply mindfulness into their lives.  It creates a pathway to relieve suffering and increase well being for people facing a variety of challenges, issues and stress. It also consists of both formal and informal practice.

Orientation (required for enrollment, no charge)
Eight weekly classes, 2 1/2 hours each
One All-Day retreat on a Saturday or Sunday
Daily home practice assignments for 45-60 minutes each day
Support from your MBSR Instructor

Online classes will receive a web address for their sessions.

Please dress comfortably. The temperature of the room varies, you may want to dress in layers or have a shawl or light blanket available.   We do ask you to remove your shoes in the meditation room and that no food or drink be brought in (only closed top water bottles, if needed).   Additionally, we ask that you do not wear any scented perfumes or deodorants or essential oils.

Tuition for the eight-week course is based on household income. Certain groups are eligible for a special discounted tuition of $450. Proof of identification must be presented on the first day of class for discounted pricing. Spaces are limited. Sign up below. All pricing includes a $50 non-refundable registration fee.

Refund Policy: Refund less $100 after first class (prior to day of second class) and no refunds on or after day of second class.

Household Income                                            8-Week MBSR Course Tuition
$50,000 or greater                                                    $652
$40,000-$49,999                                                      $522
$39,999 or less                                                          $490

Special Discounted Tuition (ID Required)                 $450 *See payment information below
K-12 Educators and Administrators
RN and Nurse Practitioners
Social Workers
Current Ramapo Faculty and Staff with Rampo ID
Founding Members of Friends of the Mindfulness at Ramapo College, Friends of Ramapo

Payment information: Payments are accepted via credit card at time of registration (click below links to register).

*We do not accept purchase orders.  Registrants are responsible for making payment via credit card at time of registration.  We can provide a payment receipt, upon request, to submit for reimbursement.

Ramapo Students:  The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course is offered for Ramapo students as a 2 credit course through Ramapo College. When registering for your courses, look for CNST 240. For more information, please click here. If you prefer to take the course with Mindfulness at Ramapo College, please contact us at mindfulness@ramapo.edu or simply register directly from this website.

Throughout the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program you will be consciously and systematically working the challenges and demands of your everyday life. Your instructors will create a safe and supportive environment for this work and learning through:

• Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices
• Gentle stretching and mindful yoga
• Group dialogue and discussions aimed at enhancing awareness in everyday life
• Systematic instruction in formal MBSR meditation practices, with opportunity to check in with teachers
• Daily home assignments
• Downloadable home practice audio files and a home practice packet

ORIENTATION

This introductory session will acquaint you with the practice of mindfulness as taught at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. You will learn how this secular, scientific, evidence-based practice has become an accepted part of mainstream medicine, and discover how it can positively affect the quality of your everyday life.

WEEK 1

Here you will receive an overview of the course and establish the learning context for the rest of your experience. You will learn the theory and evidence of mind-body medicine and how to apply it in your life. You’ll be experientially introduced to mindful eating, mindful breathing, and the body-scan method, with a special emphasis on what it means to be fully engaged in the present moment.

WEEK 2

Perception is key in mindfulness—how you see things (or don’t see them) will determine in a large part how you respond. This week’s session and practices will ask you to examine your perceptions, assumptions, and the way you view the world. You will learn to use the body-scan practice to cultivate a greater degree of awareness of how you react to stressful situations. Changing the way you perceive and respond to difficulties and challenges will impact the short- and long-term effects of stress on your mind and body.

WEEK 3

In this session, you’ll practice several distinct yet interrelated mindfulness practices—mindful hatha yoga, sitting meditation, and walking meditation. This is an ideal time to share your insights about your experiences with formal practice and integrating mindfulness into your daily life. You will discover that there is both pleasure and power in being present—you’ll directly attend to and investigate how your experiences create such reactions as pleasure or discomfort in the mind and body.

WEEK 4

By practicing mindfulness, we cultivate curiosity and openness to the full range of our experience, and through this process our ability to pay attention becomes more flexible. This week, your practice will focus on the development of your ability to concentrate and systematically expand your field of awareness. You’ll learn about the physiological and psychological bases of stress reactivity, and experience mindful strategies for responding in positive, proactive ways to stressful situations.

WEEK 5

At the halfway point in this course, you should now be familiar with the foundations of mindfulness and able to focus on applying it more rapidly and effectively to specific challenges and stressors in your life. This week you will begin to pay attention to the places where you might be stuck in repeating, unhealthy patterns that you can disarm through mindful awareness. You will also learn how to apply mindfulness at the critical moment when you experience a physical sensation, intense emotion, or condition, with special attention to exploring the effect of reactivity in health and illness.

WEEK 6

Resilience or “stress hardiness” is our ability to return to equilibrium after stressful situations. This week, you will focus on transformational coping strategies to broaden your inner resources and enhance your resilience through mindfulness practice. You’ll also learn the fundamentals of interpersonal mindfulness—applying awareness and presence at times when communication becomes difficult or fraught with strong emotions. You’ll gain direct experience of a variety of styles for more effective and creative interpersonal communication.

ALL-DAY RETREAT

This all-day intensive guided retreat, taking place from 9am-4pm, is intended to assist you in firmly and effectively establishing the use of MBSR skills across multiple situations in your life. Having established a daily mindfulness practice during the previous weeks, you will be better prepared to benefit from this class.

• Make sure to bring a lunch
• Wear loose fitting clothes in layers since the temperature may fluctuate
• Bring mats, cushions, blankets, or any other items to help in your practice
• Do not wear scented deodorants, perfumes or essential oils

WEEK 7

Mindfulness is most effective when it is a lifetime commitment. This week, you will explore the many ways that you can integrate mindfulness more fully and personally into your life. While having a dedicated regular practice for mindfulness meditation is important and beneficial, it is just as important to bring a broader sense of awareness and presence to every moment in your life, and to use non-judgmental mindfulness in your self-reflection and decision-making processes. You’ll learn how to maintain the discipline and flexibility of daily practice as circumstances change over the course of your life.

WEEK 8

In the final week of the program, you will have a complete review of everything you’ve learned over the course, with an emphasis on carrying the momentum you’ve built forward into the coming months and years. You’ll learn about resources available to you to pursue mindfulness in new directions as your life and practice evolve, as well as the support systems that exist to help you continue to integrate, learn, and grow. The final lesson creates a satisfying closure by honoring both the end of this program and the beginning of the rest of your life.

Educators can receive 29 Professional Development credit hours for their participation. Nurses and Nurse Practitioners can receive 20 CEU’s for their participation.

Email mindfulness@ramapo.edu for more information.

_____________________________________________________________

Upcoming Free Online Orientations

______________________________________________________________

ONLINE MBSR ORIENTATION | TBA

To register for the Orientation

What you will do in the Orientation:

During these sessions you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about the Stress Reduction Program and explore whether it is right for you
• Meet our program instructors
• Experience, first-hand, mindfulness methods and approaches you will be learning during the program
• Confirm your place in the class that fits into your schedule and enroll in the program.

Location: ONLINE (Regularly at Anisfield School of Business, Room 420 at Ramapo College of New Jersey.)

NOTE: The free orientation is required for participants to attend the MBSR 8-week course. Participants are welcome to attend any of our orientations as long as they take place prior to the taking of the course.

_____________________________________________________________________________

All graduates of past MBSR programs have a permanent invitation to attend the current semester’s MBSR one day retreats. Please check our website regularly for scheduled dates, times, locations and updates. If you would like to attend, please email mindfulness@ramapo.edu to check space availability and to receive a parking pass.  Thank you.

Information and resources for our MBSR graduates, please click here and enter your password.