Overview

Learn the principles and techniques of meditation and enjoy the deep and lasting benefits of this ancient practice on your mind and body.

Course No. 1933

Meditation – the technique of mental focusing for enhanced awareness and self-mastery – offers deep and lasting benefits for mental functioning and emotional health, as well as for physical health and well-being. This practice is closely related to “mindfulness,” which Professor Muesse defines as “a deliberate way of paying attention to what is occurring within oneself as it is happening.” It involves attentively observing your experience as it unfolds, without judgment or evaluation.

“Meditation,” he adds, “refers to certain exercises that can be used to enlarge and refine mindfulness.” Meditation cultivates mindfulness by training you to develop deep attention to the present moment, allowing the mind to become settled and centered. These 24 detailed lectures teach you the principles and techniques of sitting meditation, walking meditation, and the beneficial use of meditative awareness in activities such as eating and driving. You’ll develop a solid foundation for your meditation practice and bring its remarkable benefits to every aspect of your life.

Video Lessons

• Mindlessness – The Default Setting

33 min – Investigate how the mind operates and the condition of “mindlessness.”

2. Mindfulness – The Power of Awareness

33 min – Explore nonjudgmental attention to experience and its benefits.

• Expectations – Relinquishing Preconceptions

33 min – Understand meditation’s true nature and its deeper connection to reality.

4. Preparation – Taking Moral Inventory

33 min – Consider ethical behavior and its interconnections with mindfulness.

• Position – Where to Be for Meditation

30 min – Learn about the best physical conditions for meditation.

6. Breathing – Finding a Focus for Attention

33 min – Focus on breathing as a means to calm the mind.

7. Problems – Stepping-Stones to Mindfulness

34 min – Explore difficulties in meditation and ways to overcome them.

• Body – Attending to Our Physical Natures

24 min – Experience a body scan meditation to enhance sensory awareness.

• Mind – Working with Thoughts

32 min – Identify detrimental thoughts and manage them consciously.

10. Walking – Mindfulness While Moving

29 min - Learn walking meditation as a practice for mindfulness.

11. Consuming – Watching What You Eat

34 min - Understand mindful eating and its depth of experience.

12. Driving – Staying Awake at the Wheel

30 min - Practice mindfulness principles while driving.

13. Insight – Clearing the Mind

32 min - Prepare the mind for "insight" into the nature of reality.

• Wisdom – Seeing the World as It Is

34 min - Contemplate the human experience and our pursuit of well-being.

• Compassion – Expressing Fundamental Kindness

30 min - Explore compassion as an essential human quality.

16. Imperfection – Embracing Our Flaws

32 min - Learn to accept imperfection and how it fosters humanity.

• Wishing – May All Beings Be Well and Happy

28 min - Experience metta meditation to cultivate compassion.

18. Generosity – The Joy of Giving

29 min - Study the benefits of generosity and its psychological roots.

• Speech – Training the Tongue

29 min - Reflect on mindful communication and its impact on behavior.

20. Anger – Cooling the Fires of Irritation

30 min - Discuss ways to manage anger with mindfulness.

• Pain – Embracing Physical Discomfort

35 min - Utilize mindfulness to work with physical discomfort.

• Grief – Learning to Accept Loss

32 min - Embrace life's transience through mindfulness practices.

• Finitude – Living in the Face of Death

31 min - Reflect on death as key to living a full life.

24. Life – Putting It All in Perspective

32 min - Explore possibilities for continuing your mindfulness practice.