UAMS to Offer Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program
| LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Mindfulness Program is offering the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program online starting July 6.
Participants learn mindfulness techniques that foster positivity, inner strength and peace, while providing useful skills for navigating difficulty, stress, illness and pain.
The program is an eight-week, nine-session training in mindful awareness and meditation skills. Classes meet weekly online for about two hours and for an all-day session toward the end of the course.
Orientation is 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 6. Classes one through eight meet from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, July 13 to Aug. 31. The all-day class and retreat is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20.
The cost for the course is $300 and covers materials. UAMS employees may take the course for $250. Couples or families can receive a group rate of $225 per person. Scholarships are also available.
To register or apply for a scholarship, visit Mindfulness.UAMS.edu. For questions, contact UAMSMindfulnessProgram@uams.edu.
MBSR was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and is a form of mindfulness and meditation that is well-documented and supported by scientific studies. Participants learn different meditative tools to mindfully explore healthier relationships with the day-to-day challenges and demands of life.
Elements include:
- Guided mindfulness meditation practices
- Gentle stretching and mindful movement exercises
- Group dialogue and discussions aimed at enhancing awareness in everyday life
- Mentored instructions on MBSR meditation practices
- Printed and digital materials and resources, such as workbooks and MP3 files.
The course is taught by Feliciano “Pele” Yu Jr., M.D., a professor of pediatrics, biomedical informatics and public health at UAMS; associate director of the UAMS Mindfulness Program; and certified Koru Mindfulness teacher who has completed the MBSR Teacher Training Intensive through the University of California San Diego Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute.
Professor of Psychiatry Puru Thapa, M.D., is director of the UAMS Mindfulness Program, which offers Mindfulness teachings and courses to the UAMS community and the general public. For more information, visit Mindfulness.UAMS.edu.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###