8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR)

Stress takes a toll on both our physical and emotional well-being. We can’t always change the stressful circumstances in our lives, but we can learn new ways of responding to them. Dr. Otto will be leading an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) structured program (plus orientation & retreat) with the objective of teaching you ways to confront your stress differently and to live your life more fully and resiliently. You will learn to recognize stress patterns earlier and more easily, to relate differently to difficult thoughts, emotions and painful experiences, how to maintain your focus and attention during the day, and to be less reactive and overwhelmed. This course is experiential. That means we don’t just talk about what Mindfulness is or how to do it, we practice it. Each week will integrate new practices and dialogue to build upon the previous weeks allowing you to deepen your skills and explore internal experiences. Between classes, you will be strongly encouraged to practice at home to develop these skills further. Like art, music, and fitness, MBSR is about practicing. You don’t need any meditation experience or even a quiet mind to participate. You just need the will to show up and be curious about your own experiences. The benefits of being part of a small cohort of students is that each participant has greater potential to learn self-awareness, steadiness and self-compassion and in return be given greater freedom in his or her life. This course is not about achieving a particular outcome. It’s a framework for exploring and re-working your relationship with yourself, your stresses and your everyday experiences.

Registration Cost: $395

Location: Whole Health Concord’s upstairs classroom,  7 Broadway in Concord, NH

Course Dates:

• 5:30pm – 8pm every Thursday from January 21 through March 18th. (This includes the initial orientation class plus 8 additional weeks of course material)
• All-day in-person retreat will be on Sunday, March 7th and is included in the registration cost.
• “Rain date” will be Thursday, March 25th in the event that the instructor is ill for a scheduled class time.

(class dates: 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25, 3/7*, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18. Weather make-up date 3/25)

*It is important that you can attend the scheduled dates including the all-day in-person Sunday retreat. We know emergencies and illnesses come up, so it’s best that you don’t anticipate any time conflicts before the course even begins. If you have a date conflict but would still like to participate, please email me before registering.

To learn more about the course, watch the course description at: http://www.drmadalynotto.com/mindfulness