I am new to MBSR. I am interested in a daily practice I can do here at home on my computer with others interested in MBSR. I’ve looked through your topics and find that there are several retreats, and many interesting topics, but none that pertain to those of us who would like to participate in mindfulness from own our home, and in conjunction with others. Perhaps you don’t have a program that connects like minded individuals through cfmHOME through the computer. I live in a very small community in Idaho, and am 74 years old, on Social Security, and am not able to travel about to events. However I am very interested in meditation and beginning a regular meditation practice, and especially one that calms anxiety. Plus, I find it a facinating discipline, one that I feel is very important for everyone. There is no one in our community that does this at this time, and in Spokane, WA, which is nearby, I have found only one person and she is a therapist. Being new to this community I would like to know where to look to look find a community or group or gathering of others who would like to practice together but from their homes, where ever those homes may be.
You can put guided meditation in a google search and lots of sites will appear. For example, http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22 from UCLA. MBSR is a more complete program because it included mindful movement, body scans- which are available onCD’s- try iTunes- simple journaling, self observation, and dyads.
Naturally it is nice to have the support of a group but you have to do the work yourself and by yourself.
Good luck.
Hi Jaquith,
Try www.emindful.com
They have an 8-wk MBSR program taught by Christopher Flowers who is a senior MBSR teacher. It is on-line and live with a group–sort of like a conference call but can include video as well as voice. Part of the curriculum includes LiVing The Full Catastrophy by Jon Kabat-Jinn but it is included in the price and they will mail it. I am working on my certification to teach MBSR and Oasis counted this program for that requirement. Also, be sure to check out if your insurance offers a discount–I got a 25% discount.
In the mean time you can find guided meditation on YouTube by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Florence Meleo-Meyer for a taste. Also, If you have a Smartphone there are apps for less than $10 each of the three different series developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn for the 8wk program (for example, Series 1 has one body scan, one meditation, one lying down gentle yoga, and one standing yoga).
I hope this is helpful. ☺️
Hi Jacquith, we have formed our own practice group at a lifelong learning organisation in Australia. We use Christopher Germer’s book The Mindful Path to Self Compassion. We also access the resources on his website which are available for personal use as a free download. We meet weekly for 90 minutes and practice daily at home. Average age around 70. There is good information on the Gaiai website in UK on how to start your own practice group with a format to follow and some ground rules for ethical practice. Warm wishes, Georgia
Hello Patricia and georgia. Thank you for your responses. I am very grateful for all the responses and posts I saw. I can relate and identify with them all. I have the CD for full body scan. I’m still healing from a bunion operation so cannot do the yoga yet, especially on the floor. I do the full body scan. The first time I did it I was depressed and angry for days, so put it away. I found that my feelings and thoughts were too close the surface. But I did it again, and was able to do it feeling better. If I really made myself aware of all the parts of my body, and didn’t try so hard to do this (key point here) I was able to go through the CD without as much pain and difficulty. I am going to keep at it.
I found also Jon Kabot-zinn’s Audio Book “Where Ever You Are, There You Are” and have been listening to it and taking notes. I will probably get this CD as it is so full of information on mindfulness which is, as you say, awareness. Being aware. Staying awake and seeing the beauty. There is much more here that I may find useful. Georgia, forming a practice group here is a little more difficult because there are several meditation groups in the area but they are more into the metaphysical kind of meditation. This is good too and I belong to a group like this, a group of delightful women and we meet once a week to a guided meditation. I have Christopher Gamer’s book but have not used it much. I am better with audio than reading, unfortunately. I have several of Thich Nhat Hahn’s books and have been attempting to put his suggestions into practice and they are much the same as Jon Kabot-zinn’s suggested meditations. I’ve bee to his website. He has three classes there on the Plum Village website on The Art of Suffering which from what I have seen are very good. I’ve only had time for class 1 and there are three classes to watch. They are about an hour and a half long. He explains a lot through these classes about pain, suffering and holding it, making it the mud to grow a lotus flower.
Patricia, I would like to sign up to the online, MBSR class. If you could direct me to the place on the website where I can check this out I would be grateful. I am new to meditation and to this MNSR web group. I don’t spend much time on the computer and am not very knowledgeable about going through multifaceted webpages. Thank you. I am very grateful for any help you can give me.
I sound like I have done a lot and perhaps I have. I’ve been interested in this kind of meditation for about a year now. I have tried many routes to a spiritual practice as well as something that can help me understand and deal with chronic pain, both physically and mentally. This “Mindful Path” seems to be the closest I have come to understanding and having compassion, and most of all, accepting both love and “not love” in the same package - me.
Cheers to you all,Jaquith The Joyful Palette - Art by Jaquith
Jaquith Travis - Art by Jaquith
“A mind once stretched by a new idea can never go back to it’s original dimensions”
Albert EinsteinGreat love and great achievements involve great riskThe Dalai Lama
Never mind. I just saw the website at the top of your post. Thanks. The Joyful Palette - Art by Jaquith
Jaquith Travis - Art by Jaquith
“A mind once stretched by a new idea can never go back to it’s original dimensions”
Albert EinsteinGreat love and great achievements involve great riskThe Dalai Lama
Hi Jaquith,
It’s is great to read of your “Mindful Path” and your honest/accepting look at your feelings. I live in Bayview, ID and teach MBSR in Spokane, although because of the commute, only infrequently. I do coordinate and lead a weekly guided mindfulness practice time at Providence Sacred Heart Hospital, Mother Gamelin Center, Garden level, Holy Angels room. A small group of us meet at 4:45 PM most Wednesdays for 30 minutes of guided practice. My Website needs to be updated but to read about what we do, here it is: www.awarecare.net.
http://washington.providence.org/~/media/files/providence/hospitals/wa/sacred%20heart/sacred_heart_campus_map.pdf/ Here is a link to a map showing the location of the Mother Gamelin Center if you might be interested in joining us on Wednesdays.
Kindly,
Carey Charyk
Hello Carey:
I have your e-mail in front of me about your guided mindfulness class and this looks like it is exactly what I have been looking for. However, it looks like it has been and gone. Can you let me know when you start the next class and what time.
I hope you were safe in Bayview.
Cheers.
Jaquith
Hi Carey. I am still finding my way around this website and the living room. I am trying to respond to you personally but so far have not found the way to do that. I am also interested in the Wednesday nights meditation gathering. According to which nhat hahn meditation together is more powerful than meditating alone, which makes sense to me. I have been to Sacred Heart a couple of times but don’t know my way around the hospital. The parking lot for visitors looks like it is a ways from the Mother Gamelin Center. I will have to plan ahead so as to arrive on time and get seated before meditation begins. Can you give me some information as to where I can find out when you are there, if there is a donation for the half hour sessions, do I bring a mat, what time you start and most importantly, whether or not you are going to be there.
Cheers,
Jaquith
Hello again Jaquith,
Yes, I will be there this Wednesday at 4:45 PM to guide a 20-30 minute mindfulness meditation, I offer this freely with no charge for hospital employees and welcome the community at large. We sit in chairs but you are welcome to bring a cushion or mat. Please refer to the map in my above post to find the Mother Gamelin Center, parking on 9th avenue is metered and close to the East entrance where you will take the stairs or elevator down one flight, turn right and go to the room at the end of the hall on the right called Holy Angels.
Good luck finding us this first time.
Carey
Hi Carey. It is Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. and I just caught this. I’m recovering from a bunion operation and will not be driving for another month so tonight was out of the question anyway. But this sounds like what I am looking for along with your eight week class so how do I find out if you are going to be there on Wednesdays in the future?