Mindfulness Essentials for Stress Reduction Gift Card

Course Description

You will learn specific ways of paying attention to your body, breath, thoughts, feelings, and the world around you. These ways of paying attention can be powerful because when you can observe your thoughts and feelings, you have more choice in how you respond. You can also bring relaxation to your body when you are feeling stress.

The practice of mindfulness has been shown to increase attention and focus, reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and increase an overall sense of well-being in both adults and children. 

Mindfulness is a practice used by professional athletes, healthcare workers, educators, lawyers, military personnel, and business executives to be at their best.

These classes draw on the material provided in the UCLA Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS I) course. Classes include guided instruction, meditation practice, group discussion, walking and movement practices, scientific research on the mental and physical health benefits, and practices for challenging emotions, difficult thinking, and physical pain.  You will also learn how to bring mindfulness into daily activities like eating, driving, and showering or bathing.

This class also incorporates discussions and practices of some positive emotions, such as equanimity, loving kindness, compassion, and gratitude.  The class includes downloadable guided mindfulness practices, as well as handouts. 

Typical Class Structure:

• Teaching and Information sharing – In each class, information is provided on the  science of the brain, specific practices, and stories which illustrate the teachings.  Class discussion is vital, but you do not have to participate.
• Experiential meditation practices – Mindfulness is experiential.  It cannot be learned through reading books or hearing talks.  Each class includes an experiential practice– most of them seated, but also a class focusing on walking and movement and another class where students are invited to lie down on yoga mats.  Seated practices are in chairs.  Lying down is optional; some students choose to remain seated.