“

‘Your concentrated and stable awareness serves as a crucible in which

negative mental states can be contained and then transmuted.’

Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn

Have you been dealing with an increasing amount of discomfort, stress, fatigue, pain…? Or does it seem like you are less productive or less motivated than you used to be? Or do you find it hard to focus these days?

Maybe you have noticed that more and more people are struggling with similar issues lately. Indeed, the covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend.

Would you like to enhance your stress resilience, alongside others? Centrum voor Mindful Leven offers MBSR group courses for various audiences, including adults, adolescents, athletes, companies, educational institutes, associations, healthcare providers and professionals, media personalities and actors.

In addition, the center has a long-standing reputation for working with vulnerable* groups at a very low cost, to make MBSR accessible to as many people as possible.

The mindfulness trainings are based on the original protocol, developed by founder Jon Kabat-Zinn.

* By ‘vulnerable’ we mean people with a low socioeconomic status, with physical or mental disabilities, from immigrant backgrounds and/or those who are vulnerable due to a combination of these factors.

Is mindfulness scientifically-based?

Several recent studies have shown that mindfulness works. Mindfulness can increase the quality of life, provide more peace of mind and increase one’s ability to concentrate.

In the video to the right, Professor Mark Williams explains the scientific basis of mindfulness.

MBSR training courses last 8 weeks and consist of group sessions, guided by an approved instructor. In addition, there are always homework exercises, which trainees must do individually. MBSR is a scientifically based method. You can find the most recent studies on the website of the AMRA and ScienceDirect.

Are you interested in meditation, yoga, mindful movement and its integration into daily life and at work? Do you wish to live more mindfully? The center has a long-standing reputation for applying what we offer to each individual’s personal life and work situation. With our range of activities, you will learn about and/or deepen your meditation, yoga and mindful movement practice according to your personal situation.

We organize single sessions and group retreats, including seated meditations, yoga classes and walking meditations. The individual sessions continue bi-weekly at set times and are free for those who have previously taken an MBSR group course. For others, they are paying.

We created some posters, cell phone wallpapers and screensavers to support your meditation practice in everyday life. You can put these up in different places, for example at home, at work, at school…

What is mindfulness and MBSR?

According to MBSR founder Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is often defined as ‘giving conscious attention to the present moment, without judging it’. This is an ability that one develops through meditation or other exercises, and can lead to greater freedom of choice, breaking through automatic reactions and learning to respond in a more helpful way.

The main difference between mindfulness and MBSR is that in the latter there is more focus on physical exercise, such as walking and yoga, in addition to meditation.

Hi everyone and welcome on my website. My name is Marisa and I have about 20 years of experience with mindfulness and therapy. A few things about me:

I am a certified MBSR trainer and researcher in MBSR, supervised by instructors from different American centers that laid the foundations of MBSR, such as the Center for Mindfulness, Brown University (Insight Dialogue Community).
My thesis in 2007 was about the impact of MBSR on anxiety, depression, life quality and coping in CFS patients.
In what seems to be a previous life, I was a top athlete in basketball. In this competitive environment, dealing with high amounts of pressure and stress was a challenge. It was during this period in my life that I became fascinated by mindfulness, meditation and physical exercise.
I used to be a high school teacher and student mentor.
I dream of a world where people feel more connected with themselves, each other, as well as nature. My ultimate goal was to create a community around mindful living, hence the name ‘Centrum voor Mindful Leven’ (English: Center for Mindful Living). The center is well established on an international level. Besides that, I also have a multidisciplinary practice.
In my free time, I work as a volunteer.

Would you like to book an introduction call? That is possible via this link.

Hi everyone and welcome on my website. My name is Marisa and I have about 20 years of experience with mindfulness and therapy.

A few things about me:

I am a certified MBSR trainer and researcher in MBSR, supervised by instructors from different American centers that laid the foundations of MBSR, such as the Center for Mindfulness, Brown University (Insight Dialogue Community).
I work at the Brussels University Center(BRUCC) and at the VUB.
My thesis in 2007 was about the impact of MBSR on anxiety, depression, life quality and coping in CFS patients.
In what seems to be a previous life, I was a top athlete in basketball. In this competitive environment, dealing with high amounts of pressure and stress was a challenge. It was during this period in my life that I became fascinated by mindfulness, meditation and physical exercise.
I used to be a high school teacher and student mentor.
I dream of a world where people feel more connected with themselves, each other, as well as nature. My ultimate goal was to create a community around mindful living, as well as to contribute to the evolution to a more mindful society, hence the name ‘Centrum voor Mindful Leven’ (English: Center for Mindful Living). The center is well established on an international level.
In my free time, I work as a volunteer.

“

A thought tells a story. And you can choose at any moment whether to go along with the story of that thought or not.

~ Marisa

Jon Kabat-Zinn talks about
Mindful Living

... and about mindfulness in society, with Anderson Cooper

A few mood images

Do you struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, excessive worrying or psychosomatic complaints? The best way to solve this is via conversations with a psychologist.

In my multidisciplinary psychological practice Lavendel, I combine different methods and techniques, including cognitive behavioral therapy, person-centered-existential therapy, focusing, mindfulness and diagnostic research. Together we search for causes, connections and solutions.

I always work out a plan to work towards an improvement through several sessions, adapted to your specific situation, personal history and what is possible for you.