Events
Introduction to Mindfulness
This Introduction to Mindfulness Course, in accordance with the standards and intentions set through the University of California Berkeley’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program, focuses on the powerful benefits of meditation, understanding the nature of the mind, how to work with emotions, the practice of self-compassion and bringing mindfulness out into the world.
4 week, 60 minute sessions:
- Session 1: Intro to Mindfulness
- Session 2: Working with Emotions
- Session 3: The Wise Heart (Metta=Loving Kindness)
- Session 4: Bringing Your Practice Into the World
Each class structure would be identical:
- 10-Minute Welcome
- 20-Minue Instructions & Practice
- 20-Minute Talk
- 10-Minute Group Process
Session 1: Introduction to Mindfulness
(5-MINUTES) WELCOME: Welcoming the variety of backgrounds and experiences in the room, land acknowledgment, inspiration for teaching class, ask students their aspirations for taking course, students names, pronouns, personal needs.
(10-MINUTES) CLASS OVERVIEW: Logistics, group guidelines and introductions. This course is focused on practice. Next week we start our time by inquiring into how the meditation practice is going and answering any question regarding the practice.
(20-MINUTES) TALK: WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?: includes the power of mindfulness, common misconceptions about meditation, the four aspects of practice (seeing things as they are, learning to be here in the present moment, noticing how things change, and non-judging awareness), benefits of meditation (understanding the nature of the mind, cultivating compassion for the thinking mind), practice as support for meeting the suffering of the world.
(15-MINUTES) INSTRUCTIONS AND PRACTICE: Mindfulness of Body and Breath (exploring meditation anchors).
(10-MINUTES) GROUP PROCESS: Q&A and instructions for the week (sit daily if possible, feel good about what you do, be aware of the moments you are present and how good it feels when you are).
