Show Notes:

Jon Kabbat-Zinn's website

The work of Dr. Shauna Shapiro (take a look at the videos I've embedded at the end of this post as well!)

The Palouse Mindfulness Course

The song Weightless by Marconi Union and the 2011 study by Mindlab International

Meditation app: Insight Timer

Meditation app: Calm

Meditation app: Headspace

Many years ago I was in a cycle of a certain kind of stress that was bubbling just beneath the surface, in a way that didn't scream urgency as you would perhaps feel during a big life transition, exam season or project deadline season, the illness of a family member, but rather, the kind of daily stress that keeps you on a hamster wheel, moving through your day scratching things off to-do lists, with your mind firmly on the next thing.

I started having this very uncomfortable feeling that I was ending my day and when my head hit the pillow, even when I had gotten a lot of things done that day, I felt as though I had missed the whole day. I felt as though time was rushing past me and twirling me around as if caught in the force of white rapids. Had I even taken a conscious breath in the entire day? Had I really been present in my conversations? Had I even looked at my dogs as we were going on our long walk that I looked forward to so much? Had I even looked at the beauty of the woods we were walking in? 

As it tends to happen, when I looked at my food choices that day, I had similar questions. Why did I eat that food I really didn't feel like eating just because it was easiest? Did I even taste my food? How long did it take me to eat? How was it? What was my favorite part? 

The answers to all of these questions were either a mind left blank, or a big, no. As in no I hadn't been present in anything I had done that day, only in the race to get everything done.

Something had to change, and I did a little Google search and found something that changed my life forever. A free, open sourced, no email required course on something called mindfulness, MBSR mindfulness to be specific. What happened during the next few weeks was so astounding, and it still keeps me company to this day, it has changed my relationship with food, and it has been, above all else, a time stretcher.

Getting Started with MBSR Mindfulness: A Beginner's Guide

Mindfulness is everywhere these days, but have you ever wondered where it all started or how it can actually change your life? Today we're diving into Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)—a structured approach to mindfulness that’s designed to help you manage stress, improve mental clarity, find presence, more fulfillment and even enhance your relationship with food and eating.

What Is MBSR Mindfulness?

MBSR, or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, is an evidence-based program developed in 1979 by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It's an eight-week program that combines mindfulness meditation and yoga to help individuals reduce stress, manage chronic pain, and improve their overall quality of life.

At its core, MBSR teaches you to focus on the present moment with non-judgmental awareness or, to quote Dr. Shauna Shapiro, with "kind attention". It's not about emptying your mind in meditation but learning how to observe your thoughts and emotions with clarity and acceptance, giving you a sense of presence, an internal slow pace no matter how busy your life is.

Where Did MBSR Come From? A Look at Its Origins

Although MBSR was formalized in a clinical setting, it draws heavily from ancient practices like Buddhism and yoga. Dr. Kabat-Zinn took these teachings and adapted them into a secular, science-backed framework that’s accessible to everyone, regardless of their spiritual beliefs.

The popularity of MBSR skyrocketed as research began to show its effectiveness in improving mental health, reducing stress, and even boosting immune function and the reduction of chronic illness and improvement in overall well-being, with countless scientific studies to back it up. Today, it’s widely used in healthcare, workplaces, and educational settings.

The Science-Backed Benefits of MBSR Mindfulness

So, what makes MBSR so powerful?

1. Stress Reduction:
   MBSR helps calm your mind by teaching you to respond to stress rather than react impulsively. Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and improve emotional regulation.
2. Better Mental Health:
   MBSR has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. It’s also an effective tool for improving focus and mental clarity.
3. Improved Physical Health:
   Mindfulness can lead to better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced inflammation—key contributors to overall well-being. It can also help you develop a practice of mindful eating and more attuned eating, both before the moment of eating when making food choices, during the moment of eating to help you develop interoceptive awareness (for example when gauging your hunger and fullness signals), and after the moment of eating.
4. Pain Management:
   By shifting how you perceive pain, MBSR can help people with chronic pain conditions feel more in control and less overwhelmed.
5. Enhanced Relationships:
   Mindfulness fosters empathy, patience, and better communication, improving your interactions with others because most of all, it adds what I like to call the gap.

What is the gap in mindfulness?

I like to see that much needed time stretcher that mindfulness provides in both a micro and macro level. In the micro level, mindfulness is basically adding space and time between a stimulus and a response. Something happens, and before you react, you first notice your thoughts, you connect with your emotions and you can react in a more present way, taking all the information at your disposal into account. On the macro level, by practicing mindfulness and having many of these small moments of awareness throughout your day, you'll soon start feeling a gap in a wider sense, as in feeling like time has had moments in which it's been able to stand still for you as you take your experiences in, bringing you, in both cases, better emotional regulation, better relationships with others and with yourself and a feeling of being grounded in your life, rather than a little paper boat on a raging river, where you just have to brace yourself and go where it takes you. Mindfulness gives you a sturdy boat, and anchor, a sail.

Getting Started with MBSR and Mindfulness

If you’re ready to embrace mindfulness, here’s a simple roadmap to get started:

1. Take an MBSR Course: Search for MBSR programs in your area or online to gain guided instruction. These courses typically run for eight weeks and are led by trained professionals. However, I have to give a massive plug to the course I did, it's 100% free and it's so comprehensive, using techniques and tools from the creator of MBSR and from the top professionals who work in this field. It's the Palouse Mindfulness Course, it lasts 8 weeks and it's available in different languages, includes the research to motivate you and keep you on track as you learn about its benefits, it includes practices and techniques, videos and talks on the subject and ways to hold you accountable as you go through it. I can't recommend it enough.
2. Start Meditating: Mindfulness is a practice but it's also a muscle, and so you need to train it. Although mindfulness can be done in any setting and doesn't necessarily require a formal meditation practice (you could practice mindfulness - in fact this is the end goal - as you go through all your daily activities), meditation is one way in which you can start strengthening the muscle of presence. Begin with just 5–10 minutes a day. Focus on your breath and gently bring your attention back when your mind wanders, but making a note of what just entered your mind. This can be in an awareness of what you started thinking about, or a simple labeling of it as "thought" when something pops into your mind. Meditation doesn't have to mean sitting in silence in a cross legged position with your back completely straight. I was personally never able to meditate like this. I love the meditations included in the Palouse Mindfulness course because they are guided meditations, with someone's soothing voice guiding you through it. Outside of the course, I use an app called Insight timer, it has in my experience the largest selection of free guided meditations and meditation content. My second favorite would be the app called Calm, which includes both paid and free content, and a third favorite would be the app called Headspace. I've used them all and love to switch them around, all are fantastic. I also never sit crossed legged on a meditation cushion with my back straight. or on a chair. It just doesn't work for me, and what will work best is whatever keeps you coming back to it. For me, this means sitting on the couch crossed legged but with my back fully supported by cushions or pillows, lying down, or lying halfway down with my back against pillows on my bed. I'm also currently doing my meditating inside a sauna when I can get to it (more on this in a future post and episode as the sauna is a new tool that I cannot say enough good things about), No matter where or what posture to use, the key that has helped me is sitting or lying down and asking myself am I in my most relaxed and comfortable position? If the answer is no, I adjust until that's what I feel, and then I begin. I focus on breathing in and out, and pay kind attention to whatever happens, without a rigid grip on trying to empty the mind.
3. Practice Mindful Eating: During your next meal, eat slowly, without distractions. Notice the flavors, textures, and how your body feels as you eat. Savor each bite, pay kind attention to the tastes, temperatures, textures, to the way your stomach feels. Mindful eating is both one of the wonderful side effects of practicing mindfulness, but it's also a conduit to it. Meaning, we eat 3 plus times a day giving us 3 plus opportunities to engage the muscle.
4. Incorporate Yoga: Yoga is a key component of MBSR and helps connect your mind and body. Look for beginner-friendly yoga classes or tutorials. It doesn't have to become a substitute for the type of exercise you already love to do, you don't have to become a yogi or make it into your new identity unless you are a happy yogi which is wonderful. You can simply use short moments of yoga if yoga is not your thing, to connect mind, body and breath. A yoga practice can be your mindfulness practice for the day. There are countless yoga classes on Youtube you can access for free, stretching classes will also help you connect with your body if you need an even gentler practice. The idea is that you connect with your body, your muscles, the signs of stress in your body and begin to realize that you can change those signs of stress and bring you a feeling of being more anchored and grounded.
5. Be Patient with Yourself: Like any skill, mindfulness takes time and practice. Don’t expect perfection, I've had many moments in which my meditation practice has gone out the window and all I'm doing is trying to wash dishes with presence, or cooking with presence, or connecting to my body through exercise, or, a key one for me which I try to do every day, I lie down on the floor next to my dogs and pet them and look at them, I notice every bit about them with kind attention, immediately my stress levels go down. Still, I always come back to my meditation practice as much as I can. Timers and alarms haven't helped me remember, I tend to ignore them (is that just me?), what has been the secret weapon has been linking it to another habit I already have daily. For example: just like every day I make my bed as soon as I'm back from walking the dogs (it's so linked and habitual it's as if there's a straight connection from the walking into the house, putting away the leash and suddenly I'm fluffing pillows, connect your 5 minute meditation to something you already do. In our old house I would do it every afternoon right before I started working on a project I was working on. When that was done, the two were so linked that I stopped meditating. When this happens, quickly pivot and link it to another habit. What I do now is I meditate every time I sit in the sauna after I exercise, and if I didn't get to the sauna that day, I do it right before I study in the afternoons.
6. A little sauna for the soul: The sauna in and of itself would be an extra tip. Sitting in that quiet wooden room surrounded by heat immediately helps you relax, get centered and start breathing and being present. Aside from its countless health benefits, it has been the practice that has helped my mental health and stress levels in the most significant way in recent weeks and I'm never going back. Look for saunas in your area or if joining a gym, pick a gym that has one and check with your healthcare provider if this is a practice that is suitable for you if you have an underlying medical condition.
7. Listen to "Weightless": Have you heard of this magical song? The song "Weightless" by Marconi Union is widely recognized for its powerful relaxation effects. It was specifically designed in collaboration with sound therapists to reduce anxiety, slow heart rate, and promote deep relaxation. A 2011 study by Mindlab International found that listening to "Weightless" reduced participants' anxiety levels by up to 65%, outperforming other relaxing music. The study measured physiological responses like heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels and it was shown to slow listeners' heart rate by 35%, helping induce a state similar to deep meditation or even light sleep. It has a specific tempo to match a slower heart rate your body will be keen to match up with, and it is so varied in sound it prevents you from anticipating the note that will come later, giving you the most relaxing experience and sense of presence. "Weightless" has been used as a sleep aid and for mindfulness practices like meditation, yoga, and MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) but please note that it's so powerful you should never listen to it while driving, or before anything where a little activation is needed. I wouldn't use it in the sauna either. It's great if you have a hard time falling asleep and it can also be used as the background music during a meditation (just know that falling asleep is highly likely).

How Does MBSR Relate to Mindful Eating and Veganism?

One fascinating way MBSR can impact your life is, as I mentioned before, through mindful eating—a practice that aligns perfectly with the principles of mindfulness and that is connected with veganism in very big ways.

Mindful eating involves paying close attention to the entire experience of eating and when you bring mindfulness into your meals, you’re less likely to eat out of boredom, stress, or habit. Instead, you learn to savor each bite and recognize when you’re truly full.

Another side to mindful eating, and one of the exercises you'll be doing if you take pretty much any mindfulness course often called the "raisin exercise", is to connect to not only the taste and texture of the food you eat but connect to the origin of the food, to the process it took to get it to your plate. 

In many courses on MBSR they'll ask you to pop a raisin in your mouth and go through the mental process of not only experiencing the raisin for an obscene amount of time, but also retracing it, to the box it came in, the person designing its packaging, the transport truck that took it to the store, the factory that dehydrated the grapes, the transport truck that shipped the grapes, the farmer who harvested the grapes, the plant that grew them, the sunshine that fed them, the water that made them grow, the seed that sprouted. It sounds like a silly exercise but what you're doing, other than again working on that gap, is connecting with the awe that is getting food to our hands and tables. The immense amount of work and almost ridiculous synchronicity of perfect conditions all lining up. Not to mention a connection to our food production systems and what you want to support. 

Not only is this connected to veganism in huge ways just because of the way animal products are produced vs plant-based products, but because MBSR stems from Buddhist teachings, there is a connection to a practice of non-violence as well.

Mindful eating is also an important aspect of the process of going vegan. Whenever you're attempting any big dietary change there will be an adjustment period in which you almost need to get to know yourself again within this new context. The foods are different, the ways of preparing them are different, fruits and vegetables and nuts, seeds, legumes, grains are typically less calorically dense and so how these foods will fill you up and give you the energy you need will be different. Mindfulness and mindful eating will be a helpful guide throughout this process, until you find the way of eating that works for you and makes you feel comfortable and satisfied.

Here’s how MBSR supports mindful eating:

•  Awareness of Hunger Cues: MBSR helps you tune into your body’s natural signals, so you can differentiate between physical hunger and emotional cravings, or eating to self regulate. The impulse to use food to self soothe is so engrained in us and absolutely normal, but MBSR will help you tune in so that you can find other coping tools that will actually help you find real relief, not just temporary distraction.
•  Reducing Emotional Eating: Stress and emotions often trigger overeating or under eating. By reducing stress levels through mindfulness, you’re less likely to reach for food as a coping mechanism, or to ignore hunger signals and the need to fuel your body well and help support it. Mindfulness won't give you an immediate fix to emotional eating, but it will again give you space and awareness. So often when we grab something to eat we are doing so on an impulse, a quick reaction to a stimulus or cue. Mindfulness, for me at least, has allowed me to add a bit of time before the reaching, I ask myself whether I'm truly hungry, I ask myself what would satisfy me and what would give me energy and fuel me in the best way, I ask myself what I feel like eating, and if there's anything going on emotionally that I'm trying to distract myself from, I ask myself what would be health supportive and nutritious as well as tasty. In essence what I'm doing with this exercise is combining my thinking and rational mind or cognition (for example information about nutrition and remembering I need to eat more protein or more calcium, or more fiber in this meal), to my emotions (am I sad, bored, anxious?), to my instinct (the awareness that I want to reach for food and which foods and why), and the new space for awareness I'm creating through mindfulness. It's a practice that with time, will lead you to a better relationship with food.
•  Savoring the Present Moment: MBSR encourages you to fully experience the sensory joys of eating, which can lead to greater satisfaction.
  
  
  

Most importantly, since chronic stress is linked to countless health concerns and can negatively impact your mental health and thus, everything that fills your day, having a whole framework that can help you reduce stress, connect with the present moment and find attunement and a way to treat yourself that is filled with self compassion, can be a life changing tool, and now you know how you can get started. I'm leaving all the links and some inspiring videos on the subject to get you motivated and started, with this life changing practice.