Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

At Holmes Place, we not only care about your fitness, we also care about your health. Relaxation is a great way to stay healthy. At our premium fitness clubs, we offer many different Body & Mind classes. And after your workout, you can continue to relax in the spa.

What is MBSR?

The program consists of exercises for body awareness and mindfulness. Within eight weeks, participants learn meditation while walking and sitting, yoga exercises, the so-called Bodyscan and mindfulness in everyday life. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed it at the University of Massachusetts Hospital (USA) as a course that is completed in eight weeks. Some exercises are completed in a group, others alone at home. 

The positive effect of MBSR has been scientifically proven, and there are many clinical studies about it. Hospitals, social institutions, adult education centers and others offer the eight-week program, which is sponsored by many health insurance companies. But you can also do it completely on your own, for example with the help of a book.

MBSR has nothing to do with religion, even though some elements come from Buddhism. Rather, it is about training one's own mindfulness, presence and self-awareness, learning more about stress and one's personal stress triggers, dealing better with difficult feelings, communicating mindfully and acquiring a healthy inner attitude. Those who practice MBSR learn to turn off their inner autopilot.

The Elements of MBSR

To begin with, it is about what mindfulness is in the first place. Being awake with all senses, perceiving what is - whoever deals with this has taken a first, important step. 

Everything we do - eating, moving, breathing - we do mindfully and consciously. And we learn the seven principles of mindfulness:

Non-judgment: open inner attitude toward all events, without judging or interpreting.

Patience: some things take time. For example, if you break the cocoon of a butterfly to make the way easier for the insect, you harm it. The one who has patience is receptive to every moment and ready to accept it. He is in the here and now and knows that the right moment will already come.

Beginner's mind: We see many things not as they are, but as WE are. We have preconceived notions about them. Thus, we no longer see the special in the everyday. But when we look at things with the beginner's mind, we have no expectations and no opinions, but are open.

Confidence: As life goes on, many people lose the ability to have confidence in their own feelings and signals from the body. They no longer follow their own voice and tend to trust other people's cues. MBSR teaches how to regain trust in oneself.

Non-forcing: Most of the time we act purposefully. We want to achieve something, optimize our lives, relax. But this has nothing to do with mindfulness, which is about simply noticing what is. 

Acceptance: That means acknowledging what is. For example, if your head hurts or you are overweight, accept that. This does not mean that you have to like it. Only when you have accepted that it is so, can change happen. 

Letting go: Everyone knows this: he has a problem that he is literally "chewing on." It causes him sleepless nights, tenses his neck and ensures that he can no longer think clearly. Letting go means freeing oneself from this grip and focusing on the here and now instead of keeping one's attention in the past or the future.

If you practice these principles, you have already taken a big step forward. 

The Raisin Meditation

MBSR trains us to rediscover our senses. This also includes eating. You can practice with a raisin. First look at it from all sides to perceive its texture. Then you smell it, touch it with your lips before placing it on your tongue and finally eating it slowly. In this way we learn to really be in the moment and to notice every little detail. 

The Bodyscan

This exercise connects us with our body. While lying down, we mentally go from our toes to our head and trace every part of our body. This can take a few minutes and requires some concentration. It is not about judging, but about loving attention to our bodies. 

Walking meditation

Hustle and bustle is out of place here, because the point is to take very slow and deliberate steps. First we practice relaxed standing, then we feel the ground under our feet and walk slowly, concentrating on each step.

Sitting meditation

Sit on a meditation cushion or chair. Stand upright, but relaxed. Rest your hands on your thighs. Close your eyes and focus only on your breath for a few minutes. Feel your abdominal wall rising and falling, the air coming in through your nostrils. Just notice.

Other MBSR Lessons

There are other lessons in MBSR. Such as mindful coping with stress, dealing with the Inner Critic, and the art of listening. Those who have completed the program know what is good for them in the future and are more loving with themselves and others. He can handle stress better and pays attention to signals from his body. 

Yoga is also a part of the MBSR program. Mindfulness yoga is about noticing the interplay of body and mind. And you learn where your limits are. You listen to your body's signals. 

At Holmes Place's premium fitness clubs, you can learn to meditate under guidance and take a variety of yoga classes - Hatha yoga is included, as well as Yoga Flow and Yoga Vinyasa, which is all about flowing movements. Again, be aware of your body and its signals. And enjoy the fact that you are doing something for yourself and your health. It is worth it!