FREE MBSR Mini-Course 8
The Rest of Our Lives
Congratulations! You’ve reached the final session of your MBSR Mini-Course. This isn’t an ending; it’s a new beginning! This week is dedicated to **creating a plan** for carrying the momentum and skills you’ve developed into **the rest of your life.**
Comments: This is the final mini-course, Lesson-8 (corresponding to your MBSR Curriculum Week 8), which focuses on review, maintenance, and carrying the practice forward. It maintains the standardized, warm, and simple format, totaling about **one hour** of practice spread across five days.
Introduction & Theme (5 Minutes)
Over the past eight or more weeks, you have learned to see clearly, be present, respond instead of react, and communicate with awareness.
* **Coming Full Circle:** We began with the Body Scan to learn how to inhabit our bodies. We’ll revisit that this week, integrating all the awareness you’ve gained.
* **The Theme: Keeping Up the Momentum.** The key to long-term well-being is **maintaining and deepening** the discipline you’ve cultivated. We’ll focus on practical strategies and a personal plan for integrating mindfulness into your daily routine going forward.
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## The Mindfulness Principle: Intentional Continuation (5 Minutes)
The key principle for this week is **Intentional Continuation**.
The goal isn’t to be “finished” with mindfulness; it is to weave it into the fabric of your life. This requires **intention** and a clear plan.
* **Your Practice:** Your responsibility this week is to **choose** and **commit** to the practice that feels most nourishing to you right now. You are encouraged to trust the awareness you gained last week by continuing to practice on your own (without recordings, if you wish).
* **The Reflection:** Think back to when you started.
What did you want/hope for?
What have you learned about yourself?
By acknowledging the journey, you set the stage for your next steps.
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## Daily Practice Schedule (Total: ~60 Minutes Over 5 Days)
This schedule emphasizes a review of core practices and personal reflection. **Aim for about 12 minutes per day** of formal practice, choosing whether to use recordings or self-guide.
| Day | Practice | Time | Focus/Instructions |
| :— | :— | :— | :— |
| **1** | **Body Scan (Full)** | 12 min | **Coming Full Circle.** Lie down (or sit) and do a full Body Scan. Notice how **different** your experience is now compared to Week 1. You may notice sensations more clearly or feel less judgmental. **Practice: Non-Judgmental Observation.** |
| **2** | **Yoga Stretching (Self-Guided)** | 12 min | **Your Best Blend.** Choose your favorite standing or lying stretches. Move slowly and mindfully, **self-guiding** the entire time. Feel the strength and flexibility you’ve developed. **Practice: Acknowledging Growth.** |
| **3** | **Mostly Silent Sitting** | 12 min | **Deepening Stillness.** Sit and practice for the full time with **minimal or no guidance.** Let the body, breath, sounds, and thoughts simply be there. **Practice: Trusting the Silence.** |
| **4** | **Guided Reflection** | 12 min | **Goals and Obstacles.** Sit comfortably and reflect on these questions:
**1.** What is **one key thing** you want to be sure to remember from this course?
**2.** What is **one small short-term goal** (3 months) for your practice going forward?
**3.** What is the **biggest potential obstacle** to that goal, and how will you work with it? |
| **5** | **Final Meditation & Course Review** | 12 min | **Gratitude and Commitment.** Sit for 5 minutes of open awareness. Spend the remaining time reviewing the course themes (Perception, Presence, Reactivity, Communication, Integration). **Final Acknowledgment:**
Thank yourself for the effort and commitment you showed over the past weeks. |
—
## Weekly Takeaway & Home Assignment
### Supports for “The Rest of Your Life”
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be a solo effort. There are many ways to keep the momentum going:
* **Find Your Resources:** Explore books, podcasts, or recordings that help you.
* **Find Your Community:** Look for drop-in sitting groups or continuing education opportunities in your area (even online!).
* **Revisit:** You can always return to the practices you learned, like the Body Scan or Mindful Listening, whenever you need a boost.
### Home Practice Assignment
**The Goal:** To establish a clear path forward.
1. **Formal Practice:** **Keep up the practice.** Commit to a minimum of **15 minutes** of formal practice (sitting, yoga, or Body Scan) per day. **You choose** the format—go back to the recordings, continue self-guiding, or mix and match.
2. **Make It Your Own:** Print out your favorite reflection or piece of advice from this mini-course and post it somewhere you see every day (fridge, mirror). Let it be your gentle reminder to be **aware and awake**.
**Closing Thought:** The discipline you developed is yours forever. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you now have the tools to show up for your life with greater presence, resilience, and compassion. Go forward and live mindfully! Thank you for sharing this journey. 🙏
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Week-8: “MINDFULNESS TRAINING-8
“The rest of our lives”
MBSR Mindfulness Curriculum-8
Introduction & Theme
Overview:
In this 3.5-hour session, experiential mindfulness practice continues and participants are given ample opportunity to inquire into and clarify any lingering questions about the various practices and their applications in everyday life.
A review of the MBSR mindfulness curriculum program is included. With an emphasis on daily strategies for maintaining. Deepening the skills developed during the course of the program. Creating a satisfying closure by honoring both the end of this mindfulness training program and the beginning of the rest of your life.
Mindfulness Training Theme:
Keeping up the momentum and discipline developed over the past 7 weeks in the meditation practice, both formal and informal.
Review of supports to help in the process of integrating the learning from this program over time: books, recordings, graduate programs, free all-day sessions for all graduates 4 times per year; mention retreat centers.
Hand out Hints and Reminders booklet with reading list and resources list.
Typical Class Sequence:
Body scan (coming full circle, since this is how class one begins.)
Yoga stretching, either guided or self-guided.
Sitting Meditation, mostly silent.
Optional:
One or both of the following:
1) Guided reflection – In taking the mindfulness training what do you want to be sure to remember -something you’ve touched or learned about yourself.
Option of setting three short-term (3 months) and three long-term (3 years or more) goals that come out of your direct experience in the program and with the meditation practice.
Include potential obstacles to reaching these goals and your strategies for working with them.
2) Post-program reflection – (This may also be preceded by a guided reflection that incorporates some or all of the questions below.
Examples of questions:
Think back to why you came originally -expectations -and why you stayed:
What did you learn?
Were the costs to you?
What did you want/hope for?
Were there sacrifices you made?
What obstacles did you encounter?
Working with the obstacles what was learned?
Were there any insights from the MBSR program?
How will you continue to practice when this program is over?
Mindfulness Training:
How do you feel about the course ending?
How was it practicing without recordings this week?
Review the entire course and focus briefly on salient features.
Final meditation and acknowledgment of the ending of this MBSR program.
Home Practice Assignment:
Go back to the recordings if you wish.
Keep up the practice and make it your own.
Thank you for your interest in the MBSR Mindfulness Curriculum.
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