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As part of the recommendation for the MBSR online course, I completed the 33 minutes Body Scan video. I noticed I felt more relaxed and a deeper sense of space pressed gently on my heart as the meditation approached 20 minutes. I checked the time because I had to refocus on listening. I am aware of awareness as each body part is called out and connected. Simple yet beautiful.

Rosa, I have also been suffering from depression, so I completely understand how debilitating and lonely it can be. One of the things that keeps us in depression is the constant negative dialogue in our heads - it’s not easy to start feeling better when that voice in our heads keeps reminding us that we are failures or unworthy; that constant rumination tends to focus our attention on reliving hurt or regret from the past - or worrying and fearful about the future; it’s a bit like having your mind hijacked by an incessant, negative voice intent on keeping you locked in a depressed state. Recently, I learned about ‘mindfulness’ and it is making a huge difference for me. Here, on the Happiness.com website, there is a free 8 week, online course you can do called MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction), which teaches you how to quieten that negative self talk. MBSR has been extensively studied by neuroscientists and it has been shown to have a physical impact on our brain’s neural pathways - helping to alleviate both depression and anxiety. When I first started, I was horrified at the thoughts that ran rampant in my mind. It is helping me to be more present in the ‘now’, while changing that dialogue into one of love and self compassion - for me, just becoming aware of the pattern of thinking and being able to now interrupt it, is a victory! At the top of the screen, you will see a tab called ‘Academy’, click on that and choose the option MBSR. I would also suggest getting the book ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ by Jon Cabot Zinn. He actually developed the MBSR program and the book is required reading as a part of the course. best of luck darling!

As we have many MBSR students all around the world, I was wondering which time and day would work best for most people to participate in the guided online mindfulness meditations and Q&A sessions. Please check all the days and times that would work for you. The time is CET - Central European time - as that's where I live. So please change your prefered time to CET, and I hope there are some time slots covered. Guiding a meditation online at 4 in the morning is theoretically possible, but I hope you understand that I'd rather not offer that. ?

My journey into being more present was through MBSR. First, I did the course myself, and after looking back at the profound effects, it had on my personal life, I decided to become a teacher so I can share this. (You can find the course for free here in our academy) Looking back, there are several keys in my journey. First, I learned about the nature of thoughts and that I didn't have to believe them. Second I realized that I could influence where my attention goes and third I began to allow the present to take up more space in my consciousness. Especially gratitude - These days I realize that the more I end up in ruminations about the past or future the more I suffer (learning from experiences and planning for the future are fine though). When I focus on what is REAL, what is around me, which threats are present not imaginary, and then take in the good that surrounds me with gratitude, my life becomes much more relaxed, lighter, joyful, and I become kinder and more understanding yet clear in my boundaries.

Good Afternoon I am new to Happiness and the MBSR course. I am very excited to start this journey ?

I started the MBSR course today! I just completed the 30 minute body scan. I love body scan practices - they are very relaxing and help me to become more aware of what is happening on the inside. However, during the body scan this morning, I experienced restlessness and many thoughts. I also fell asleep at the right knee! I was happy to get in at least 10 minutes?.

@Yvonne I have heard a lot of people snore even during the group bodyscan at retreats, so that normal. It depends on why you are practising the bodyscan. If it is to fall asleep then it looks like you are doing the right thing. Jennifer Piercy's "Yoga Nidra for Sleep" is super popular on insight timer and I have to agree, I doubt that I ever heard it till the end. It also includes several elements of the bodyscan. If you practice the bodyscan as part of MBSR with the intention to fall awake from the automatic pilot I'd recommend to try it sitting up so you are less likely to fall asleep and you can be relaxed and alert at the same time. I am collecting some guided meditations here in the forum and I already have 2 bodyscans here that you could try out.

The main topic of week one is the exploration of "What is Mindfulness?" and the realisation that "There is more right with us than wrong." How do these topics show up for you - if at all - in relation to the first formal practice, the body scan? I'm interested in hearing about your experiences with the bodyscan in the first week of the MBSR course. Personally, I remember that I used to perceive the bodyscan as the most boring of all practices and only after many tries, I did start getting a feeling for it. I still zoom out once we get to the back, and I tend to miss the arms and hands, and I am back when we get to the neck. What helped was the bodyscan sitting up or starting at the head and working down to the toes. This was it's easier for me to not "just relax". I now also fall asleep sometime during the practice which I do perceive as a good thing because it shows to me that all in all I am more relaxed as falling asleep rather spontaneously is not something I used to be able to do. For me the voice in my head telling me that I should be doing something "useful" instead and that I know it all already is the loudest during the bodyscan. At the same time, I know better as I only became an MBSR teacher as I realised the profound changes in my life after having taken the course and established a regular meditation practice.

Here are the links to the guided meditations we are practicing with during the MBSR course: Feel free to choose the recoding for the week you are at that resonates best with you. I will continuously add more links to high-quality recordings to cover a broader spectrum of voices and personal styles. Like the posture, the teacher that works best for where you are at today might differ. Yet in their core, those different meditation are the same. We offer a free guided meditation once a week live on zoom. Onve a month we offer a free FAQ session for this course. To see the time and dates and sign up for a session please checkout Tine's profile. Some recordings are by Dave Potter, an experienced MBSR teacher and psychotherapist who put together this online course. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founder of the MBSR course. Emma Reynolds is an experienced MBSR teacher with the Mindful Academy, Solterreno, Spain. This is where I got my training too. Lynn Rossy is a health psychologist, author, researcher, and Kripalu yoga teacher specializing in mindfulness-based interventions. Week 1: Bodyscan Bodyscan 29min by Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of MBSR) Bodyscan 15min (YouTube) Bodyscan 15min (InsightTimer) by Tine Steiß Bodyscan 33min by Dave Potter Bodyscan 45min by UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness Bodyscan 20min by Emma Reynolds Compassionate Body Scan 24min by Kristin Neff Week 2: Sitting Meditation Sitting Meditation 32min by Dave Potter Sitting Meditation 40min by Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of MBSR) Week 3 and 4: Mindful Yoga Mindful Yoga 1 37min by Lynn Rossy PhD Mindful Yoga 2 36min by Lynn Rossy PhD Week 5: "Turning towards" the difficult, Soften, Sooth, Allow Turning Towards - Meditation for difficult emotions 23min by Dave Potter Turning Towards - Meditation for physical pain 25min by Dave Potter Soften, Soothe, Allow 16min by Dave Potter Soften, Soothe, Allow 9min by Happiness Insight RAIN 11min by Dave Potter Week 6: Mindfulness and Communication Mountain Meditation 20min by Dave Potter Lake Meditation 20min by Dave Potter Week 7: Mindfulness and Compassion Lovingkindness Meditation 13min by Dave Potter Other meditations that are closely related to the MBSR curriculum: Taking a breath - taking a break 13min by Tine Steiß Breathing Meditation for Beginners 10min by Jack Kornfield Labelling emotions 20min by Emma Reynolds the RAIN of Self-Compassion by Tara Brach (PhD in Clinical Psychology, founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and author of Radical Acceptance, True Refuge, Freedom In Your Own Awakened Heart) Oneness Meditation 35min by Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of MBSR)

I would say yes and here is why: The most influential course I took was "the science of happiness" about which I wrote an article for the Happiness Magazine a few years ago when happiness.com was just a little blog. Since then many things changed (for the better), and I think it is fair to attribute a big chunk of it to this course because it convinced me to start with meditation. I then did an MBSR (meditation-based stress reduction) course, and a few years later I am a certified meditation and MBSR teacher. What is your favourite course and why? How did it influence your life?