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Practicing mindfulness helps us meet life’s challenges with gentleness and clarity. By fully engaging in the present moment as best we can, we nurture our capacity to approach difficulties with less judgment and water the seeds of wisdom and openheartedness in ourselves. This book offers a concise and thorough immersion in the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course developed by Dr. Jon Kabat­-Zinn. It features straightforward instruction in the main exercises of MBSR ― sitting meditation, walking meditation, eating meditation, yoga, body scan, and informal, everyday practices. MBSR has been shown to help alleviate symptoms associated with chronic illness, anxiety, pain, burnout, cancer, and other stress-related conditions. The authors, two leading MBSR teacher trainers, provide step-by-step instructions as well as illustrative real-life examples. Readers embarking on a course in MBSR will find clear guidance, trainers will gain a valuable tool for their teaching, and anyone experiencing or receiving treatment for challenges of mind, body, or spirit will find practical, inspirational help.

Empirical evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulnessbased cognitive therapy (MBCT) is encouraging. However, dataconcerning the role of mindfulness in its relapse preventive effect are lacking. In our study, 25 formerly depressed patients received MBCT. Mindfulness was assessed before and immediately after MBCT using the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale. Mindfulness significantly increased during MBCT, and posttreatment levels of mindfulness predicted the risk of relapse/recurrence to major depressive disorder in the 12-month follow-up period. Mindfulness predicted the risk of relapse/recurrence after controlling for numbers of previous episodes and residual depressive symptoms. The results provide preliminary evidence for the notion that mindfulness is an important factor in relapse prevention in major depression.