UNC's Mindfulness Program Unveils Spring 2026 Course Schedule With Multi-Week Series

The UNC Program on Integrative Medicine (PIM) serves as UNC's epicenter for research and education in complementary integrative healthcare, and its spring 2026 mindfulness course schedule spans a wide range of formats, from single-session orientations to full multi-week series extending into late spring and beyond.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR, sits at the center of the lineup. The widely recognized, evidence-based program teaches strategies for managing stress and improving overall well-being, and it was developed in the late 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn, earning a reputation as the "Gold Standard" in mindfulness education. PIM instructor Paula Huffman, BS, RN, ERYT, leads the MBSR series, which runs on Tuesday evenings and Friday daytimes, with orientations available before registration.

MBSR registration includes an all-day retreat held at New Hope Camp and Conference Center in Chapel Hill. The retreat, held March 7, 2026, runs from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM at New Hope Camp and Conference Center, 4805 NC-86, Chapel Hill. Pricing is tiered: $100 for the general public, $85 for UNC affiliates, $75 for those who completed the 8-week course within the past 12 months, and $75 for currently enrolled UNC undergraduate and graduate students.

For practitioners who have already completed the foundational course, PIM offers advanced mindfulness courses that meet once a week for four to eight weeks, with class time ranging from one to 1.5 hours. These advanced sessions are led by John Orr, an interfaith teacher, retreat leader, meditator, and chanter who was ordained as a monk in the Theravada Buddhist tradition and spent eight years in the 1970s training in Thailand and India. His work draws from an inclusive range of wisdom teachings.

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness course grounds participants in mindfulness of body, feelings, mind, and mind objects across four sessions, using guided meditations and discussion to explore each foundation.

Later in the year, PIM also offers a Spanish-language MBSR orientation, REBAP Orientacion, on September 9, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM EST, followed by the full Spanish MBSR course running September 23 through November 11, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM EST.

Huffman has taught with PIM's mindfulness program for 15 years, after completing MBSR facilitator training with the Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Medical Center in 2010, and brings an additional 25 years as a certified yoga instructor. Registration questions can be directed to paulah@email.unc.edu, and course inquiries for the advanced series can go to johnorr108@gmail.com.

PIM is nationally recognized for research, education, and research-training related to complementary and integrative medicine, and this spring's schedule reflects that breadth: whether you're stepping onto the cushion for the first time at an orientation or deepening a years-long sitting practice with John Orr, there's a structured entry point in Chapel Hill.