Introducing A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Second Edition—Fully Updated and Revised

By Bob Stahl, PhD, and Elisha Goldstein, PhD, coauthors of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Second Edition

Join us in celebrating the tenth anniversary edition of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, which has sold well over 100,000 copies and been translated into eleven languages. Over the past ten years, interest and practice in MBSR and the field of mindfulness have skyrocketed and have made deep inroads into our culture. During this time, there have also been many new scientific discoveries around the application of mindfulness to various areas of our health and well-being. Because of this, we felt a need to update and revise this book to integrate the new changes and applications within MBSR and mindfulness in general. As we reviewed what needed to be changed, we wrestled with altering the original content, as so much of it remains integral to the time-tested wisdom that MBSR inspires. With that said, we think we’ve made some important changes and additions that not only have created more depth in offering the theory and practice of MBSR for your life, but have also given you a map for how to use this book with the MBSR course specifically.

Through the decades of our practice in mindfulness, we both know the nurturing and transformative effects it has had on our lives. We now place this gift in your hands like a trustworthy friend, to help sustain you during the difficult times and support you with a more enduring sense of well-being.

If you’re feeling any signs or symptoms of stress, such as anxiety, irritability, muscle tension, burnout, apathy, restlessness, headaches, fatigue, stomach distress, difficulty in concentrating, worry, overwork, substance abuse, smoking, eating problems, sleep disturbances, or feeling overwhelmed, this workbook can help. It can also help with the stresses associated with living with illness, chronic pain, and conditions such as AIDS, arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, migraines, and many other medical conditions.

Simply put, mindfulness is the practice of cultivating awareness in day-to-day life. This updated educational and experiential workbook will introduce you to mindfulness meditation and teach you simple, profound practices that can decrease suffering and bring you greater balance and peace. You’ll find that these tools not only help you maximize your life and experience, even in the midst of stress, pain, and illness, but also support a greater sense of happiness.

As an affirmation of the healing path you’re embarking upon, we’d like to dedicate the following poem by Mary Oliver to you:

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice—

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

“Mend my life!”

each voice cried.

But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations—

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice,

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do—

determined to save the only life you could save.

—Mary Oliver, “The Journey” (1992, p. 14)

Adapted from an excerpt from A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Second Edition

Bob Stahl, PhD, founded and directs mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs in three medical centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. A longtime mindfulness practitioner, he has completed MBSR teacher certification at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and lived in a Buddhist monastery for more than eight years. Bob also serves as adjunct senior teacher at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

Elisha Goldstein, PhD, is founder of The Mindful Living Collective—the central online mindful space to find the teachings, practices, and tribe to up-level your mind, life, and business. He is also cofounder of The Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles, CA, and creator of the six-month online coaching program, A Course in Mindful Living. His books include Uncovering Happiness, The Now Effect, A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, and MBSR Every Day. He also authors popular mindfulness and psychotherapy blogs on www.elishagoldstein.com, and lectures internationally on the therapeutic benefits of MBSR and other mindfulness-based therapies.