Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Class

LEARNING TO COPE WITH STRESS IN A MINDFUL WAY

New Class Begins Thursday, March 22

This nine-week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) meets at Samaritan's Main Office in Seattle and is led by Kurt Hoelting. It is open to Samaritan clients and also to others in the community.   Kurt has been a mindfulness teacher for more than 20 years, and since 2006 he has taught MBSR to veterans with PTSD at Seattle's VA Hospital.  He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC).

The MBSR program was developed at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center by Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of the book, Full Catastrophe Living. Two decades of research indicate that people who take the eight-week course significantly increase their ability to cope more effectively with both short-term and long-term stressful situations. It has been particularly effective in helping those with chronic pain, depression and anxiety, using techniques such as yoga, meditation and other mindfulness practices to develop greater balance, control and grounded presence.  For more information on the MBSR program, you can go to http://umassmed.edu/Content.aspx?id=41254&LinkIdentifier=id

"Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life," Kurt said. "It's a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you -- consciously and systematically working with your particular stress, pain or illness as well as with the challenges and demands of your everyday life."

The class begins on Thursday, March 22, and will meet for nine consecutive Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, with the final class on May 17. It will meet in Room 202 at the main office of Samaritan Center at 564 NE Ravenna Blvd. (near Green Lake) in Seattle.  The cost is $225 for the series, plus $50 for materials.  To register, you may download the registration form by clicking on the link below and mailing it with your payment to Samaritan Center of Puget Sound, 564 NE Ravenna Blvd., Seattle WA 98115, or call our main office at 206-527-2266.

Registration Form (PDF)