A new stress-relief class is helping some students at the University ease their worries through meditation and yoga.
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program teaches participants how to manage stress better. The University’s Center for Spirituality and Healing organized the program, and it is open to the public.
The second group of participants began the eight-week program this week, learning how to relax more, understand stress and find peace of mind.
“It’s about learning to trust your inner resources – healing from within,” instructor Terry Pearson said.
Each course meets weekly for two hours, and participants are urged to practice meditation and yoga techniques at home.
Two sessions are offered this fall, and approximately 25 people are participating. Enrollment costs $325.
Jane Wobken, a University scientist, finished the course this summer and said it’s a good way to release stress.
“I established a routine, and I have the daily reminders to be mindful,” Wobken said.
Practicing yoga or meditation outside the class helped, she said.
“Yoga tries to get people to come into their bodies,” Pearson said. “Meditation tries to quiet the mind. You are practicing to be in this moment.”
Pearson said some participants have told her the course changed their lives.
Some take the course by request of physicians. Pearson said some patients were able to stop taking medications after taking the course.
University student Michelle Trotter said she felt satisfied after taking the first course this summer. It set a strong foundation for mindful thinking, she said.
“As a student, it offered me to be more mindful through the stress of school,” Trotter said. “I learned to turn inwards, to take time for myself and to slow down.”
She said anyone could use his or her time to be aware of occurrences around them.
“The goal is to be aware of the things happening or done, and not just doing it,” Wobken said.
The program began at the University of Massachusetts in 1979. Organizers said the class can help people with challenges varying from mental disorders to fatal diseases.
