Patricia Howard, a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) since 2003, will lead two summer programs on MBSR at the Center at Westwoods, in Westwood. The eight-week programs run from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sundays or from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays, beginning July 15. Howard is offering free program orientations at the center on July 8 and July 12.

Howard says that MBSR students will practice cultivating an inner awareness, experiencing each moment anew and turning fear-based reactions into skillful responses. “When we do not know how to unhook from our reactions, we can live in what seems like a permanent state of reactivity,” she says. “This affects our health, quality of life and relationships.”

The MBSR program was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at The Center for Mindfulness at The University of Massachusetts. Howard says the immediate benefit of MBSR is the ability to tap inner resources and stop seeking happiness in the external world. “Happiness is an internal space that’s always available to us,” she adds. “Knowing this, we have less need to control external situations or people and we’re more curious about staying with our experience in the moment.” 

The Center at Westwoods is located at 590 Gay St., Westwood. For more information, call 617-524-7628 or visit CenterAtWestwoods.com.