Mindfulness and Meditation

The modern world is a fast-paced, stimulating, and uncompromising place. Allied to the drive for more, better, next fostered by consumer capitalism, it can seem that you never have any time for yourself, any time to understand yourself and your place in the larger scheme of things. Mindfulness and meditation are two practices that can give you that space and time. They share similarities but are distinct practices; however, they do focus on the same goal – to allow you to live in the present moment and to have the mental calm to develop deeper knowledge of yourself. This course introduces you to the two practices, giving you some insight into the traditions they draw on and how they have developed over time. You’ll discover the benefits that mindfulness can give to your physical and mental health, and learn about the wide variety of traditional and modern forms of meditation that are available for you to practice. This course also gives you comprehensive instruction on how to get started with both mindfulness and meditation.

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain a conception of what meditation and mindfulness are, and how they can work in unison
• Appreciate some of the benefits of practicing mindfulness for your mind, body and wellbeing
• Appreciate some of the benefits of practicing mindfulness for your mind, body and wellbeing
• Be able to start practicing mindfulness today
• Incorporate mindfulness into aspects of your everyday life
• Understand how mindfulness practices can develop and connect you with the totality of existence
• Learn a simple method for practicing meditation
• Recognize how meditation can be used to approach problems in your life
• Appreciate how meditation can combine with yoga to enhance both experiences
• Be aware of the variety of forms of meditation available, and the traditions from which they stem
• Chart your meditative progress along the seven stages of enlightenment