Introduction

Mindfulness is the state of being fully aware of the experiences of each moment and fully accepting of the experiences of each moment. In this course, we will more thoroughly examine this definition of mindfulness. We will see that awareness means not only seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling all of the sensations of the moment but also means being aware of yourself as a person experiencing these sensations. Awareness also encompasses a conscious acknowledgment of internal events like thoughts and feelings. We will also look deeper into acceptance. Acceptance, in the context of mindfulness, is the act of not suppressing, justifying, arguing against, or otherwise trying to avoid, having the full experience that the moment has to offer.

We will take these deep looks into definitions of mindfulness in Module 1. In Module 1 we will also talk about some of the benefits of mindfulness for both physical and mental health. We will talk about mindfulness practice, where a person carves out a portion of their day to nothing but intentional mindfulness. We will see that intentional practice in the form of meditation and other similar techniques is the mindfulness version of going to the gym - something you do to intentionally develop skills and muscles that you can then use to improve the experience of day-to-day life outside of practice sessions. Ideally, mindfulness practice will help you develop skills that you can then use to live the everyday moments of your life more mindfully. In Module 1 we will explore just how mindful you are in the course of your everyday life and we will try some brief mindfulness exercises to introduce you to mindfulness practice.

In Module 2 we will focus on learning a few more mindfulness exercises. We will learn about the benefits of mindful breathing and we will learn how to do a simple mindful breathing exercise. We will also learn about moving meditations where you become mindful of the sensations of your body as it moves. We will also practice a mindful moving exercise. We will then learn about the importance of mindful awareness of the world around us, specifically of the natural world. We will then try a forest bathing exercise, where we practice being mindfully connected to the natural world. Lastly, we will learn about being mindful of the entire body and we will practice a body scan mindfulness exercise.

In Module 3 we will expand our definition of mindfulness. We will talk about the “Slow Movement” which advocates eating, parenting, traveling, and generally living life in a slowed-down, deliberate, intentional, and mindful way. We will then try slowing down, to mindfully experience something that we may usually speed through. In Module 3 we'll also talk about the importance of mindful compassion, of including awareness of others in your mindfulness practice. We’ll see that compassionate awareness of the pain and discomfort of others along with deliberate acts to try to alleviate some of this suffering is part of mindfulness practice. We’ll end Module 3 by talking about body awareness and the importance of integrating the body and the mind, the physical and the psychological into your experiences. We’ll go through an exercise that encourages you to focus on these inter-relationships between body and mind.

In Module 4 we will introduce and then talk about Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, an approach to therapy and mental health that combines mindfulness with cognitive therapy. We will see that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive therapy not only encourages awareness and acceptance of all thoughts, feelings, and sensations, but it also teaches the skills needed to understand that negative experiences, like all experiences, are transient mental events, rather than enduring and objective realities. We will review some of the approaches and practices of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and we will try out a couple of exercises loosely adapted from the program.

In the final module, we will return to discussing mindfulness as a way to live daily life, rather than as a set of techniques that you practice in moments when you can take a break from your daily life. We will talk about living all of the moments of your life mindfully, the good or pleasant moments, the boring or mundane moments, and even the bad or unpleasant moments. Good moments can be savored to enhance the joy or pleasure that they bring. We will learn about and then practice some techniques for savoring. Boring or mundane moments can be brought to life and experienced as fuller and richer by focusing on the experience. We will practice mindful eating to demonstrate that we can do everyday things mindfully. Lastly, unpleasant or even distressing moments can be lived mindfully. If we confront our unpleasant or distressing emotions, we may be better able to fully understand the experience and then integrate the negative experiences into our sense of self. By being mindfully aware of the negative, we may be able to decrease the power that unpleasant thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories have over us. In the last exercise of the module and of the course, we will practice mindfully confronting negative thoughts and feelings.

Many of us come to mindfulness because we sense that something is missing. We feel that we are sleepwalking through life or that a greater joy or sense of purpose that should be there is absent. Or, we feel that something is off - that there is sadness, anger, guilt, shame, or frustration driving many of our thoughts and actions but that we cannot reach these feelings. By practicing mindfulness, by intentionally deepening our awareness of the present moment, we may be able to feel more connected to our lives, we may find that we experience more joy in both the glorious and the mundane, and we may be able to confront and then come to terms with any negativity or pain that may lurk within.

The link below discussed the science behind meditation and its effects on the brain. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/Aw71zanwMnY?si=IIqq7fhCNf_mdMJr