I absolutely loved the structure of the MBSR training. It was a great mix of reading, watching videos and practicing; all of the ways helping me to really incorporate the material into my mind and memory.

      I enjoyed ‘getting’ to spend time every day with the practices and watching/reading the materials. It was something I looked forward to as the days and weeks passed by. I have always been a good student and this gave me a good reason to dedicate time to it each day instead of allowing my busy life to get in the way. I also enjoyed getting exposed to people in the mindfulness industry such as John Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, Shauna Shapiro and so on.

      I have been a serious meditator for almost 10 years now, but it was always a morning sitting session then forget about it until the next morning. This course helped me move in the direction of something I’ve been yearning to do and that is to extend my practice beyond the mat. To cultivate mindfulness in my whole life, not just when I’m on the meditation cushion. I came to learn how hard it was. Easy yes, but harder than I thought to be consciously mindful more times than not during the day. The course helped me to fall into a routine though and taught me some great tips on how to have more mindful moments during my day. I use the STOP and RAIN techniques a lot now and will continue to do so. I also have created a few other cues that help me remember mindful moments. Anytime I see three of the same digits on the clock, for instance 1:11, 2:22, 3:33 and so on, I stop and breathe and take a mindful moment. No matter how busy my day is this helps me to stop for a minute and connect to the present. I have other cues that I’ve developed and use also.

           I am also incorporating some of the practices into my routine that I didn’t have before. Like the Body Scan and Mountain Meditation. It’s good to have variety and now I have more tools in the toolbelt when I need them.

      Mindfulness is my focus right now and now that I am done with this course I plan to look into other educational courses I can take. I’m even considering trying to get certified as a MBSR teacher.

      I really appreciate all that you have given for people like me to take this course. You’ve got quite a wealth of information and I’ve already told many of my ‘mindful’ friends about your website. I’m looking forward to looking at your Graduate page and continuing my immersion and education in mindfulness.