This documentary from Jon Kabat- Zinn, the creator of the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress reduction (MBSR) programme, was made in 1999 to commemorate 20 years of work done at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre.
Some 15 years later, the Stress Reduction Clinic has grown and expanded into the The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Since its inception in 1979, more than 20,000 people have completed the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program and the clinic is the preeminent training centre for mindfulness teachers in the USA.
The video itself however, has a timeless quality in the sense that it continues to give a wonderful overview of what it is to participate and engage in an 8 week course and Kabat-Zinn’s observations on stress and the effects of stress within society are just as relevant and apposite today, as they were 16 years ago. (Even more relevant today, some would argue!)
It is well worth taking the time to watch this film, (there are six segments all about 8 minutes long) not only for those who are interested in attending an 8 week mindfulness course, but also for those who have already completed one.
I hope you take a few moments to enjoy it.