# MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction): What It Is & How to Try It

MBSR, or mindfulness-based stress reduction, is an eight-week group course created by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. Weekly classes teach body scans, sitting and walking meditation, and gentle mindful movement, with daily practice at home. You can try a guided sitting meditation in the MBSR style below.

## How to do MBSR: the 8-week course

A standard MBSR course is taught live by a trained teacher, in person or online, to a small group. The details vary by teacher, but most courses share this shape:

1. **An orientation** before the course starts, to explain what is involved and check that the timing is right for you.
2. **Eight weekly classes** of about two to two and a half hours, mixing guided practice, short teaching on stress and attention, and group discussion.
3. **Formal practices** introduced over the weeks: the body scan, sitting meditation, gentle mindful movement or yoga, and walking meditation.
4. **Informal practice** in daily life, such as paying full attention to a routine activity, or noting pleasant and unpleasant moments and how the body reacts to them.
5. **Daily home practice**, often 30 to 45 minutes, usually with recordings from the teacher.
6. **A day of practice**, typically a silent, all-day session between the sixth and seventh weeks.

The home practice is a real commitment, and it is a large part of what research on MBSR has tested. A course is not a single relaxation technique; it is training in noticing stress reactions and responding to them with more choice.

## Try MBSR-style practices now

You do not need to enroll to try the kinds of practice MBSR teaches. These are our own short versions, not the course itself:

| MBSR practice | Try it here |
| --- | --- |
| Sitting meditation | The guided audio above (10 or 20 minutes), or a silent sit with the [meditation timer](/tools/meditation-timer) |
| Body scan | The [body scan script](/scripts/body-scan), with a 5-minute guided audio version |
| Awareness of breathing | [Mindful breathing](/meditation/mindful-breathing), which observes the breath without changing it |
| Walking meditation | [Walking meditation](/meditation/walking-meditation), indoors or outside |
| Informal practice | [Everyday mindfulness exercises](/meditation/mindfulness-exercises) |

MBSR body scans and sittings are usually longer than ours, often 30 to 45 minutes. If you want to build toward that, start with a length you can repeat daily and extend it gradually. The [how to meditate guide](/meditation) covers the basics.

## Ways to take an MBSR course

- **Live courses:** Many hospitals, universities and independent teachers offer MBSR in person or by video. Ask whether the teacher has completed recognized MBSR teacher training, such as the certification pathway run by Brown University's Mindfulness Center in collaboration with UMass, and how they handle questions about your health.
- **A free self-guided course:** [Palouse Mindfulness](https://palousemindfulness.com/MBSR/) offers a free online eight-week course based on MBSR, created by a certified instructor, with videos, audio and practice sheets. It has no live teacher.
- **Books and apps:** Kabat-Zinn's book *Full Catastrophe Living* describes the program. Apps can help with regular practice but are not the same as a course.

A live course gives you a teacher who can answer questions and adapt practices, which matters most if you are managing a health condition or a lot of distress.

## When to use it

MBSR was designed for people living with stress, pain or illness, and it is now widely offered to the general public. It may suit you if you want a structured way to build a daily meditation habit and are able to set aside time for weekly classes and home practice.

If eight weeks is too much right now, short practices like the ones above are a reasonable way to start. If you are looking for help with an anxiety disorder or depression, an MBSR course can be discussed with your clinician as one option, alongside the treatments they recommend. [Meditation for anxiety](/meditation/meditation-for-anxiety) offers a gentler first step, and [5-4-3-2-1 grounding](/grounding/54321-method) keeps attention outward if turning inward feels like too much.

## Who should be careful

Mindfulness practice is usually considered low-risk, but it is not risk-free. NCCIH reports that a 2020 review found about 8% of participants had a negative effect from meditation, most often anxiety or depression. Stop or open your eyes if a practice leaves you more distressed, dizzy or disconnected from your surroundings.

If you are living with the effects of trauma, active psychosis, severe depression, or thoughts of harming yourself, talk with a clinician before starting an intensive course, and tell the teacher at orientation. Gentle movement should be adapted to your body; skip any posture that causes pain. MBSR is not a replacement for medical or mental health treatment; talk with your doctor before making any change to medication. If you are in crisis in the U.S., call or text 988.

## What the research says

MBSR is one of the most studied mindfulness programs.

- **Healthy adults:** A 2015 meta-analysis of 29 studies with 2,668 participants found MBSR moderately effective overall, with large effects on stress and moderate effects on anxiety, depression and quality of life. Results were maintained at an average follow-up of 19 weeks, but the studies varied widely.
- **Anxiety disorders:** In a 2023 randomized trial, 276 adults with diagnosed anxiety disorders took either an eight-week MBSR course or the antidepressant escitalopram. After eight weeks, anxiety severity had fallen by similar amounts in both groups, and MBSR met the trial's test for being noninferior to the medication.
- **Broader evidence:** A 2014 review of 47 trials of meditation programs found moderate evidence of small improvements in anxiety, depression and pain.

These results come from live, teacher-led courses with substantial home practice. They do not show what reading this page or using a short recording will do. Our [research page](/research) explains how we read studies like these.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does MBSR stand for?

MBSR stands for mindfulness-based stress reduction. It is the name of the eight-week course developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979, which has since been taught in many countries.

### Can I do MBSR at home for free?

You can follow a free self-guided course based on MBSR from Palouse Mindfulness, or practice MBSR-style meditations on your own. A self-guided course has no live teacher, so you will need to keep yourself on track and seek support if practices bring up difficulties.

### Is MBSR good for anxiety?

In a 2023 trial of adults with anxiety disorders, an eight-week MBSR course reduced anxiety about as much as a common antidepressant over eight weeks. That was a teacher-led course in a research setting. Talk with your clinician about whether it fits your situation; it is not a reason to stop current treatment.

### How long are MBSR meditations?

Formal practices in the course often last 30 to 45 minutes, and the home practice recordings are similar. If that feels long, start with 10 minutes, like the sitting meditation on this page, and build up gradually.

### What is the difference between MBSR and MBCT?

MBCT, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, adapts the MBSR format for people who have had recurrent depression, adding elements of cognitive therapy. MBSR is aimed at stress in general. Both are eight-week group courses.

## References

- Khoury B, Sharma M, Rush SE, Fournier C. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2015. [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25818837/)
- Hoge EA, Bui E, Mete M, et al. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023. [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36350591/)
- Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EMS, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2014. [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24395196/)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety. [Evidence and safety](https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know)
- Brown University School of Professional Studies. MBSR Teacher Certification Pathway. [Teacher training](https://professional.brown.edu/certificate/mindfulness/curriculum)

## Update history

- 2026-10-28: First published with a 10- and 20-minute guided sitting meditation (AI-generated voice).