Open MBSR 8-Week Mindfulness
Training Certificate Course
The gold standard in mindfulness meditation training. Taught live and online.
✔ Understand how stress works and relate to it more skillfully
✔ Build core meditation skills and improve mental posture
✔ Meet life's challenges with more grace and poise
✔ Includes 3 months of Meditate Together for daily practice support
MBSR Training at Mindful Leader
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the most extensively researched mindfulness training program in the world and the foundation for many modern mindfulness-based approaches.
Mindful Leader is one of the most experienced institutional providers of MBSR worldwide
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350+ courses taught
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5,800+ participants trained
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Accredited training provider (IACET / ANSI)
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7.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available
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4.9 / 5 average rating across 1,000+ verified reviews on Trustpilot and Google
- Prerequisite for CWMF Training & MBSR Teacher Training
We teach MBSR in alignment with the MBSR Standards of Practice, using the Open MBSR framework. Participants receive a certificate of completion and a verifiable digital badge.
Open MBSR - Our Approach
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was developed in 1979 by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center to support individuals experiencing stress, chronic pain, and illness.
Open MBSR is Mindful Leader’s modern adaptation of this classic curriculum. It preserves the elements that make MBSR effective while updating how the program is taught for today’s learners.
This approach is documented in Open MBSR: Reimagining the Future of Mindfulness (Wiley), written by Mindful Leader founder Mo Edjlali.
Who This Training Is For
This course is for people who know mindfulness matters and want to practice it with depth, consistency, and integrity.
Participants commonly include:
- People navigating stress and change
Those seeking resilience, emotional balance, and steadiness in daily life. - Professionals and caregivers
Healthcare workers, educators, HR professionals, and leaders operating in demanding environments. - Practitioners and teachers
Those deepening their personal practice or exploring a future teaching pathway.
No prior meditation or mindfulness experience is required.
New to MBSR or comparing programs?
If you’d like a clear overview of MBSR and a chance to experience sample practices before committing to the full 8-week course, you can start with our self-paced MBSR Introduction.
⮕ Explore the MBSR Introduction Course
What's Included in the Training
✔ 8 weekly live online sessions (2.5 hours each) + orientation
✔ Full-day at-home retreat
✔ 3-month Meditate Together membership for daily practice
✔ Guided meditation recordings
✔ Weekly lessons and course materials
✔ Certificate of MBSR training completion
✔ Verifiable digital badge (Open Badges 2.0)
✔ 7.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
✔ Qualifies as prerequisite for CWMF training and MBSR Teacher Training
All sessions are live, interactive, and practice-based.
Program Structure
The program includes:
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Weekly live sessions (2.5 hours) with guided practice, inquiry, and group dialogue
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Daily Meditate Together practice (20 minutes); 3-month complimentary Meditate Together membership included.
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Core MBSR practices: Awareness of Breath, Body Scan, Walking Meditation, Mindful Movement, and Open Awareness
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Weekly lessons exploring stress physiology, reactivity, communication, and the nine foundational attitudes of mindfulness
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Informal practices for bringing mindfulness into work, relationships, and everyday life
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A full-day silent retreat to deepen and stabilize practice
Over eight weeks, the emphasis shifts from learning techniques to establishing a sustainable, self-directed practice that can be carried forward independently.
Your daily practice home: Meditate Together
One of the hardest parts of an Open MBSR course is meditating daily. Sitting alone is where most people struggle.
That is why every MBSR participant receives 3 months of Meditate Together, our official Open MBSR practice community.
Meditate Together is designed to help you build consistency during the course and develop a practice you can carry forward after the eight weeks. All the guided meditations from class are here. And you'll get the opportunity to sit alongside your classmates and the global Open MBSR community.
Included with your Open MBSR registration.
⮕ Learn more about Meditate Together
Rated 4.9/5 - Google & Trustpilot (1,000+ reviews)
Instructors
All sessions are taught live by accredited MBSR teachers with extensive experience teaching the full 8-week curriculum and are certified through established training pathways affiliated with the University of California San Diego, Brown University, and the University of Massachusetts.
Collectively, our faculty brings decades of experience delivering mindfulness training in healthcare, workplace, and institutional settings.
Mindful Leader is an accredited training provider through the International Accreditors of Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and adheres to international ANSI Standard for Continuing Education and Training.
MBSR qualifies for 7.2 CEUs. Learn More
Tiered Pricing
We offer tiered pricing to support accessibility while sustaining high-quality instruction. Please choose the tier that best reflects your situation and intended use. Bi-weekly payment plans are also available.
Scholarship
$99
Students and retirees
Self-Development
$149
Personal growth and wellbeing
Professional Development
$199
Workplace or professional use
Upcoming MBSR Classes
All classes are taught Live & Online (Zoom)
Starts: June 8
Mondays 6:00PM - 8:30PM ET
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Sessions: June 8 - August 3
Retreat: Saturday, July 25
Instructor: Peter Calin
Starts: June 13
Saturdays 9:00AM - 11:30AM ET
Sessions: June 13 - August 8
Retreat: Sunday, August 2
Instructor: Tushar Bhagat
Starts: July 14
Tuesdays 6:00PM - 8:30PM ET
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Sessions: July 14 - September 8
Retreat: Saturday, August 29
Instructor: Gus Castellanos
If you are not satisfied, you may request a full refund (minus a $25 application fee) anytime up to the first class session. Once class one begins, refunds are no longer available.
For more details: Detailed Curriculum Schedule & FAQs