Our next MBSR class begins with orientation on Sunday, March 15th. Registration information is below.

Image credit: Ryan Adams, “Calm Daylight” – flickr

About Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

MBSR is an 8-week course developed in the 1970s by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, to help patients who were dealing with chronic pain. Since it was created, tens of thousands of people have completed an MBSR course.

Mindfulness is an awareness that comes when we pay attention, on purpose, to the present moment, with kindness and without judgment. Mindfulness can help us to better see ways that we can deal with stress in our lives, and change our relationships to parts of our lives that we find challenging or painful.

And, while we all may experience moments of mindfulness in our lives, programs such as MBSR can help us to be more mindful in our daily lives, much like taking music lessons or a fitness class can help us improve in ways that would be difficult to do without the support and structure of a class.

While many mindfulness-based programs exist today, MBSR has been studied extensively, and research has shown that this program can help us:

For example, a study published in 2022 found that MBSR performed similarly to a common medication used to help treat anxiety.

The 8-week program

The 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course is intensive, and involves over 20 hours of class meetings, as well as daily mindfulness practice:

  • We meet once a week for 2 hours
  • After the sixth class, we have an all-day class which meets for approximately 7 hours
  • And, there is daily homework that will take between 45 minutes to an hour each day

MBSR classes and daily homework focus on mindfulness exercises (meditation, gentle stretching, body awareness) and bringing greater awareness all parts of our life. Class sessions are interactive, including guided mindfulness exercises and discussions stress, how we perceive the world, how we handle challenging social situations, and more.

Each class builds on the previous sessions, and it is important for each person to attend all of the scheduled class sessions.

If you are interested in the MBSR class, but you know in advance that you will have to miss two or more of the scheduled class sessions, it would be better to wait for another opportunity to take the MBSR course in the future.

Spring 2026

Neil Schmitzer-Torbert will be offering our next next mindfulness-based stress reduction class starting with an orientation on March 15th at Quest for Balance Wellness Studio (2886 US-231, Crawfordsville, IN 47933).

Class schedule:

  • Sunday, March 15th (4-5:30pm): Orientation session meeting
    • Our free orientation session will give an overview of the 8-week MBSR program, answer any questions you have, and also give a general introduction to mindfulness.
  • Sunday, March 22nd (4-6pm): Class One
  • Sunday, March 29th (4-6pm): Class Two
  • Saturday, April 4th (4-6pm): Class Three
  • Sunday, April 12th (4-6pm): Class Four
  • Sunday, April 19th (4-6pm): Class Five
  • Friday, April 24th (5:30-7:30pm): Class Six
  • Saturday, April 25th (10am-5pm): All-day class
  • Sunday, May 3rd (4-6pm): Class Seven
  • Sunday, May 10th (4-6pm): Class Eight

Registration for the March 2026 MBSR course

Registration is open, and the class will be limited to a maximum of 16 people.

Please use the MBSR interest form on this page to sign up for our March 15th orientation session (or reach out directly to Neil at neil@mindfulinmoco.com). Neil will reach out with more information about the orientation session and class, and with details on how to register for the class.

Class fee

It is important to us that this class is affordable to anyone who wants to explore mindfulness.

Our recommended course fee is $250 for the 8-week class, but each person is asked to consider what amount makes sense for their situation.

When you register, we will ask you to choose what amount you can contribute, and the registration fees that we receive will support future offerings of the MBSR course.

MBSR interest form

Name
Do you prefer:

Questions about MBSR?

If you would like to know more about our MBSR courses, or have a question about an upcoming class, please feel free to reach out to Neil (neil@mindfulinmoco.com).