Stressed? Not enough time in your Day? Too many pressures?

If stress is a factor in your life, as it is for so many of us, you may be interested in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program that uses light yoga postures, meditation practices and group dialogue to cope with stress. People also participate for a variety of other reasons including: chronic illness or pain, high blood pressure, sleep disturbances, anxiety and panic, fatigue and headaches. It consists of eight weekly classes, ranging from 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction:

• Improves your quality of life and increases your ability to manage stress, pain, illness, and the demands of everyday life.
• Increases your awareness of physical and emotional reactions and enables you to take charge of your life and to relate directly to whatever is happening in the moment.
• Reduces psychological distress such as anxiety and depression, and physical symptoms such as high blood pressure.
• Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979, MBSR has helped tens of thousands of people to achieve greater balance, control and peace of mind.
• Many office visits to family doctors are for stress-related symptoms such as depression, anxiety, social isolation, overwork etc.
• You may find additional information on MBSR at the UMASS Medical School’s web site, www.umassmed.edu/cfm.