THE MBSR COURSE
Meet stress
with more space.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a live, structured course for working directly with stress, anxiety, and overwhelm while building a practice that can support you for the rest of your life.
8 Weeks
Live, guided learning in community
Online + In-person
Join from home, Portland, or Helena
Skills for Life
Practical tools for meeting everyday stress that you will use for the rest of your life.
UPCOMING COURSES
Find your next course.
Join us live online or in person. Courses are offered seasonally 2-3 times per year.
Our Portland fall in-person course is underway. October 4–November 22, 2026, Sundays 5–7:30pm PT.
COURSE FORMAT
How the course works.
8 WEEKS
Weekly classes
Meet once a week for eight weeks, 2.5 hours per session, with a teacher and your group.
1 GUIDED RETREAT
A day to go deeper
One 7-hour guided retreat during the course to deepen the practices you are learning.
PRACTICE BETWEEN CLASSES
Daily home practice
45–60 minutes each day, supported by guided recordings and mindful movement.
You will also receive a digital workbook with readings and exercises.
Guided practice, teaching, and group discussion support you as you learn.
TUITION
COMMUNITY
SUSTAINER
Choose the tuition that fits your circumstances.
All sliding-scale levels include the complete eight-week course.
$450
For limited financial flexibility
$650
Covers the cost of the program
Scholarships and payment plans are available. Full refunds are available before the first class.
SUPPORTER
$850
Helps expand access for others
EMPLOYER-SUPPORTED
Get Reimbursed
by Your Employer
Your employer may cover tuition through a professional development or wellbeing benefit. Use our proposal template to request a reimbursement.
WELCOME TO MBSR
Get unstuck.
Grow your inner resources for resilience.
When stress keeps you tense, tired, or caught in your head, knowing you need a change is one thing. Having support and a way to practice is another.
Find more freedom from anxiety and overwhelm.
Learn to notice stressful thoughts and meet them with more perspective.
Build tools you can use in daily life.
Practice meditation, mindful movement, and ways to respond when stress rises.
Share the experience with people who understand.
Learn in a steady group, with a teacher to guide you and space to be human.
You can begin with a busy mind. No meditation experience needed.
“The Pause MBSR course seriously changed my life! I have learned so many amazing tools to navigate in the world.”
MARY G. · PAUSE MBSR GRADUATE
HOW MBSR CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
More ease. More choice.
The aim is to change how you relate to stress, so it has less say in how you live. With regular practice, you can begin to build these capacities.
Greater ease
Spend less time caught in worry and more time noticing what is good in your day.
Less reactivity
Recognize stress sooner and make room to respond instead of falling into familiar reactions.
Better self-care
Listen to your body, recognize your limits, and respond to your needs with more kindness.
Tools for living with pain
Explore ways to meet physical discomfort with awareness and care, alongside your usual care.
More energy for what matters
Notice what drains you, make room for rest, and reconnect with what restores you.
Deeper connection and meaning
Be more present with the people you love and more connected to what matters to you.
“Acquaintances and family members have commented on how much calmer I seem (most of the time, no one's perfect)!”
KATY K. · PAUSE MBSR GRADUATE
IS MBSR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Does this sound like you?
You want more than a brief break from stress. You want skills, structure, and support to change how you meet it.
You feel stretched thin and want to find steadier ways to meet daily demands.
Your mind keeps circling what could go wrong, and you want more room to respond.
You want additional tools for living with ongoing discomfort, alongside medical care.
Stress follows you into bed, and you want to explore practices that support settling and rest.
Stress and burnout
Anxiety and worry
Chronic pain
Sleep difficulties
The course is open to adults 18 and older, including beginners. It is secular and welcomes people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
When other support may need to come first
Talk with us before enrolling.
If you are experiencing an acute mental health crisis, severe depression or mania, active psychosis, active suicidal thoughts, recent significant trauma or severe PTSD symptoms, or active substance dependence, clinical support and stabilization may need to come first.
Discuss timing with the instructor and your healthcare provider. MBSR supports care. It does not replace treatment.
COURSE CURRICULUM
What you will practice.
How it helps in daily life.
Each week builds on the last. You will explore these practices with a teacher and group, then bring what you learn into your own day.
ORIENTATION
Get a feel for the course
Try a simple practice, meet the instructor, and ask questions. Understand the commitment before deciding to begin.
WEEK 01
Begin noticing
Explore the body scan, mindful breathing, and mindful eating. Start recognizing when you are on autopilot and how to come back.
WEEK 02
See the patterns that keep you stuck
Notice how assumptions shape your stress. Use body scan and sitting practice to make space for a fresh response.
WEEK 03
Reconnect with the present
Practice mindful movement and walking. Learn to notice pleasant moments you might otherwise rush past.
WEEK 04
Understand your stress reactions
Explore how stress shows up in your body, thoughts, and behavior. Recognize your patterns with curiosity rather than self-criticism.
WEEK 05
Respond with more resilience
Use open-awareness practice to work with difficult emotions and physical discomfort. Explore choices beyond your usual reactions.
WEEK 06
Bring awareness into relationships
Notice your habits when conversations get difficult. Practice listening and communicating with more awareness and care.
ALL-DAY RETREAT
Give yourself time to go deeper
Spend seven guided hours with the practices you have learned, including kindness and compassion. Experience sustained practice with group support.
WEEK 07
Make self-care part of your day
Look at the habits, work demands, and information you take in. Begin shaping a practice that supports your own needs.
WEEK 08
Keep the momentum going
Review what helps you, ask remaining questions, and create a plan for continuing. Leave with resources and a community to practice with.
TESTIMONIALS
In our graduates’ own words.
“
A solid two thumbs up for Pause Meditation! I took the Pause MBSR course and was really impressed. Ryan is grounded, heart-filled & practical. There were participants with a variety of meditation experience levels and he was able to meet us where they were at. He also made himself available to follow up with us after the class ended. Super helpful! This isn't one-size-fits-all stereotypical meditation/mindfulness.
VERNA B. · PAUSE MBSR GRADUATE
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YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Learn with experienced,
caring teachers.
You will have a teacher to guide the practices, answer questions, and help you work with what comes up as you learn.
Rena Satre Meloy
Pause co-founder and MBSR instructor.
Ryan Kenny
Pause co-founder, LCSW, and MBSR instructor.
Xochilt Hoover
Yoga, mindfulness, and MBSR instructor.
AFTER THE EIGHT WEEKS
Keep practicing.
Keep feeling supported.
You'll be invited into the Pause MBSR Graduate Community, with weekly Everyday MBSR classes, monthly graduate practice sessions, retreats, and people to keep practicing with.
“In addition, I saw the same faces each week, which means I had a built-in, supportive community.”
LAUREN M. · PAUSE MBSR GRADUATE