Mindfulness practice has been scientifically proven to do many things, from improving our sleep and our sense of wellbeing, to reducing stress-related high blood pressure. But it has the power to go so much deeper and do so much more. This week, we introduce the practice, and explore the deeper ”whys” of getting in to Mindfulness.  We’ll touch on the neuroscience of meditation and the attention challenges brought on by smartphones and other devices. Being present to our lives doesn’t mean we need to stop thinking about the past or planning for the future; we can learn to think in a way that doesn’t lead to rumination, anxiety, excess stress, and allows us to drop back into the present.

This week, you will learn:

• The definition of Mindfulness
• The Bell Meditation
• The basics of the Neuroscience of brain plasticity and meditation
• Ways  to practice self-care as we get deeper into the practice of mindfulness

Mindfulness is not, as some people imagine, about clearing the mind: it’s about not being entrapped by our thinking. In this way we can experience the world fresh, with that quality known as Beginner’s Mind. This week, we will explore the experience of Beginner’s Mind, and go deeper into the practice of meditation. We will then explore common experiences and difficulties people tend to report as they’re getting into the practice.

This week, you will learn:

• An easy but powerful yoga practice that can be done standing or sitting
• The Body Scan meditation
• The Mindful Eating practice
• What to do when your mind wanders during meditation

This week, we’ll introduce a Meditation on the Breath, including the technique of Counting Breaths, and Walking Meditation. We will identify the difference between the events that happen in our lives and the stories we tell about them, and talk about the effects of Negativity Bias. He introduces the tool of the Unpleasant Events calendar, and he goes deeper into the practice of Mindful Eating.

This week, you will learn:

• The technique of Meditation on the Breath
• Walking Meditation
• How to identify and drop negative  storylines
• The Hedonic Treadmill
• The meaning of Negativity Bias

This week, Cory introduces the topic of concentration and its role in Mindfulness. He goes deeper into the nuances of sitting meditation, and addresses the topic of discomfort (physical, emotional, psychological) and self-care. He describes how negative emotions work, and introduces the tool of the Unpleasant Events calendar. He discusses Self-Compassion, and takes up the topic of stress: what it is, what causes it, how Mindfulness can help.

This week, you will learn:

• The meaning and psychology of  Concentration
• The technique of Walking Meditation with Concentration
• How to work with painful sensations
• The root causes of Stress, and the meaning of Fight or Flight Reactivity
• How to develop Self-Compassion

This week, Cory does a midway check-in, and goes further into the subtleties of Sitting Meditation. He focuses particularly on how to relate to Breath, Body, Sounds, Emotions, and Thoughts.  He introduces the topics of Choiceless Awareness and the role of Stillness in Meditation. He looks at the “Cow Paths” of familiar Patterns of Conditioning and introduces the idea of Pure Awareness.

This week, you will learn:

• The concepts of Choiceless Awareness and Pure Awareness
• How to identify and work with familiar Patterns of Conditioning

This week, Cory gives further refinements to Sitting Meditation, and dives deep into the topic of Mindful Communication.  He explains its core elements, and gives an exercise to help us use these concepts in daily life.

This week, you will learn:

• Chair Yoga
• The role of Voice Tonality, Body Language, and Word Choice  in Mindful Communication
• How to Listen to Understand rather than Listen to Respond
• Mindful Communication Exercise

Cory introduces this week’s Silent Retreat and its opportunity to integrate the teachings and go deeper into the practices learned so far.   Cory has produced a 3-hour audio to guide students and support this home retreat.  

This week, you will learn:

• How to approach the practice of retreat
• How to deepen your practice of Mindfulness
• How to practice self-care in retreat

This week is devoted to practical ways to deepen and sustain all that has been learned in the course so far.  Cory gives hacks to integrate mindfulness into daily life, including informal meditations that can be done anywhere.  He talks about the role of retreat and community in sustaining our practice, and outlines the resources that are available to students.

This week, you will learn:

• How to sustain and deepen your practice
• How to make it part of your daily experience even after the course is over
• What you can do next to support your practice