Are mindfulness courses worth it?

Mindfulness is an increasingly popular practice. While many people associate it with meditation and Eastern philosophies, mindfulness is an extremely old practice whose full origins can be hard to trace. Mindfulness became a mainstream practice in the West thanks in large part to the work of Jon Kabat Zinn and others who developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program or MBSR at the University of Massachusetts.

Over time, research demonstrated the usefulness of mindfulness with issues ranging from depression to chronic pain and cancer. As researchers began to pay attention and demonstrate its effectiveness in studies, the practice gained more traction and became mainstream. Recent studies have shown that the brain goes through changes after mindfulness lasting eight weeks (per the study) with magnetic resonance imaging or MRI. Parts of the brain associated with higher stress and anxiety showed a decrease in size in the study. The part of the brain responsible for regulating the logical response to anxiety increased.

Whether a mindfulness course is worth it, the investment depends on the quality of the course purchased or attended. The internet makes it possible for anyone to put together a course or program and sell it online, so you may need to be careful before investing. Some programs are available online for free, so there’s no risk past the investment of your time. Others can cost hundreds of dollars or more.

Look for a course led by someone who has a certification and training in mindfulness from an institution named. For example, if John Doe has a mindfulness course on his website for sale, check his credentials by looking to see if the organization that issued his certification in mindfulness is listed. If he certified himself or has other but related training, you may want to continue looking. Someone who is a certified MBSR practitioner may be a good fit, but some other programs and organizations certify instructors.

Apps are another way to both learn and incorporate mindfulness into your days. Apps may be cheaper than an online course or course through your local yoga studio and are often broken into small parts or exercises that can make things seem more manageable. Cost may be an issue with applications, as some may be pricey or require a monthly subscription.

Do your homework on a course! Who is the teacher? Where were they trained? Do they have related and complementary training? Do they have any training at all? Check the reviews, compare costs. Mindfulness can be a helpful tool in living a healthy, happy, and centered life.