Lesson 1
How To Meditate In One Minute
Welcome to lesson one!
Can we meditate in just one minute? I believe the answer is, "yes we can", and that 'micro practices' are a powerful way to start (or re-start) the habit of meditating.
In this class we'll explore our expectations of meditation and ask that all important question - "why are you meditating?" This "why" question is important in developing an open mindset. A min-body practice shouldn't be a task you dread doing or put off, so we start by learning how to do some simple one-minute micro-meditations. These are a great way to drop into our body throughout the day and can even be an emotional circuit breaker at stressful times.
In the next lesson we explore the origins of meditation and delve into what it is - and what it isn't.
Credit: "What Do Meditators Do When They Meditate? Proposing a Novel Basis for Future Meditation Research". Karin Matko and Peter Sedlmeier
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Lesson 2
What Is Meditation Anyway?
This lesson is packed full of information about the origins of meditation and provides a flavour of some of the common, along with some of the more unusual types. We explore those pervading myths around what meditation is and is not and you'll get an in-depth understanding of how a practice might impact and fit into your life.
You'll learn that meditation is not about 'doing it right or wrong' - you do it your way. You are simply starting to engage with and build up your awareness muscles. You'll learn how meditation is about noticing, acknowledging, allowing, and reflecting on our emotional state. Rhetoric around meditation often centres around themes of 'transformation', which can be misleading. We will look at expectations and the reality of a meditation practice and what you'll most likely to get better at.
In the next lesson we'll take a walk through all the different practices this course will teach you and proactive intention-setting.
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Lesson 3
Introducing The Practices You Will Learn
This course will show you how to take an individual, prescriptive approach to meditation and so today we discuss the practices that will make up that 'menu'. We get an overview of body scans, focused-attention practices, walking meditation, visualisation, joy, breath and compassion practices.
You will be asked to reflect on what your aims are for your practice and we look in detail at the differences between goal-setting and intentions. You will also be given some suggestions of when and where you might continue your one-minute practices.
In the next lesson we get into everything you need to know about a body scan.
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Lesson 4
The Lowdown On Body Scans
We go back to the origins of a body scan and understand how this practice was simplified for use as part of a secular mindfulness programme. You will learn about how the mind is constantly fluctuating and changing and how a body scan allows us to track parts of the body sequentially, noticing how sensations and feelings change moment by moment. You will learn about some of the common experiences during a body scan and some tips for dealing with moments of discomfort.
You will learn how any physical or mental sensation is 'data' and provides valuable information about your state of mind. The key element is to approach this 'data collection' with curiosity and without judgement. You will learn how to deal with 'distractions' and I suggest a progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique to help you stay focused in a more embodied way.
Finally you will learn to consider what you do after your practice ends and how this is sometimes as important as the practice itself.
In the next lesson we take a walk in the park in a whole new way - with a step-by-step guide to a walking meditation.
Credit: in 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (MBSR)
Satya Narayana Goenka was an Indian teacher who brought the Vipassana technique to the USA and Europe.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) was developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson in 1908.
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Lesson 5
Walk This Way
This lesson breaks down the elements of a walking meditation. This is sometimes an underrated practice and many meditators either don't use a walking meditation very often, if at all. However, it is a great foundation practice as being body-focused, we don't need to 'go inside' too much and it's highly portable.
A walking meditation is not a walk in the park, it is made up of a number of nuanced stages, which we go through in detail. You will learn when you might choose a walking meditation and some of the benefits of this practice.
In the next two lessons we dive into breath practices, what they are, why we might practice them, how to practice them and some of the pitfalls - with solutions to explore.
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Lesson 6
Reflection, Curiosity and Breath Practices
We pack a lot into this and the next lesson! At half way through the course, this is a good time to reflect upon the practices you have learnt and hopefully tried out. Regular reflection is an important element and can provide insight into our practice. It can help us tune back into the 'why' we meditate and notice shifts and changes that have occurred.
You will explore how curiosity is a vital component of a practice and how this can shift the physiological state of the body. We also take a cautionary look at what defines improvement and how to moderate expectations.
This week we start to look at mindfulness of the breath by going through it step-by-step. Breath-focused practices utilise our natural breath as an anchor, providing a focus for our attention. We look at how this can be difficult to maintain and consider some tips to manage some of the trickier elements of this practice.
The next lesson flows on from this one and continues with breath practices so you may wish to listen to both together.
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Lesson 7
Breath Practices Part Two
We continue exploring the many different breath practices we might choose. We look at how to sit and what might happen when we start to consciously follow our breath. You will learn to be intuitive and to listen to your body. We look at different techniques such as counting breaths and 'noting'.
In the second half you will learn how the breath is bi-directional and how this information can inform you practice. Our rate of breathing will affect our state of mind and so we'll look at how our nervous system responds to different patterns of breathing. You will explore a second breath practice - 'golden thread breath' which is a simple and highly visual breathing exercise which is easy to learn. Many beginner meditators enjoy this breath and it can be a potent 'circuit breaker' in times of stress.
In the next lesson we have another opportunity for reflection before we move onto learning all about visualisation.
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Lesson 8
Visualisation: The Mind's Eye
Today's feature practice is visualisation. Before we get into that though, you will learn about how our attention and concentration feed into our practice. Understanding exactly what these two cognitive functions are, for example, how our attention is selective and that we can actively 'direct' it, will help minimise distractions when practising.
We look at what visualisation is and again, what it is not. We examine different types of visualisation and what you might expect to experience.
I invite you to explore 'mountain meditation', which is a great entry-level visualisation practice with lots of versions available.
In the next lesson we look a little deeper into visualisation and at other, more complex practices from Tibetan Buddhism.
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Lesson 9
Visualisation Part Two
We continue exploring visualisation, the technique itself and also some of the benefits. This lesson also looks at the difference between visualisation and self-hypnosis as there are parallels. We see how sportsmen and women have successfully used the power of imagination and 'picturing success' in their training.
Many visualisation tracks utilise nature as a core theme, but you'll also learn about a more advanced technique called Green Tara from Tibetan Buddhism. Finally we examine how different visualisation is to mindfulness - in a visualisation we are bringing content into the mind and actively 'transporting' ourselves away from the present, rather than observing our thoughts.
In the next lesson we look at positive emotions and practices that celebrate the ordinary moments in life.
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Lesson 10
Championing The Small
Much modern day rhetoric, particularly within social media, focuses on the 'big' wins in life - being happy - having value - or being successful. This can be problematic within our practice as often there are few 'big wins', and a practice isn't necessarily aspiring to this anyway. Instead there is often a gently accruing of small moments of contentment or joy or insight - which can be easy to down grade.
You will learn about Barbara Fredrickson, a psychology professor who developed her 'broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions'. She suggests that positive emotions initially open us up to new ways of thinking, and that, over time, this helps us gain knowledge and gain social connection. Fredrickson's research can be applied to our practice, particularly in helping us notice, acknowledge and build upon 'small moments of joy' that we might otherwise overlook. Rather than seeking one big 'happiness win', we seek lots of small moments of feeling 'okay' or 'at ease' and allow those moments to connect and build a solid emotional platform.
In the next lesson we explore how we might 'be a friend to ourselves' and take a dive into compassion practices.
Credit: Barbara Lee Fredrickson is an American professor in the department of psychology at the University of North Carolina who developed the broaden-and-build theory related to positive emotions.
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Lesson 11
Being A Friend to Yourself
To begin with we'll reflect on how far we have come and acknowledge that our practice is always a journey and we are a work in progress. This lesson focuses on compassion practices. Compassion is an umbrella term for a number of different practices and you'll learn the subtle differences between them. Ultimately compassion practices encourage us to be a friend to ourselves and to treat ourselves in times of need as we might a good friend. You'll learn about lovingkindness and self-esteem and the work of Kirsten Neff, who coined the phrase self-compassion.
You will also learn about a simple compassion practice that channels the breath in a compassionate way.
The next lesson in the last one in this course ! We will review what we've learnt and you'll learn a useful breath practice that is great for stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Credit: Kristin Neff is an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin 's department of educational psychology. Her area of research includes self-compassion.
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Lesson 12
Breathing Out Stress
Well done - you have reached the end of this course. We take time today to acknowledge all that you have learnt and to reflect on how your practice is progressing (with the caveat that you are always a 'work in progress')
We explore how meditating supplies us with data on how our life is going - and this is very valuable. This is why there really is no such thing as a 'bad meditation'. We look at some of the confusion around why we meditate to improve health when many core principles of mindfulness are around 'not changing' anything. You will also revisit the question of why you have chosen to meditate and consider if that has evolved.
The practice this week is the 'voo' breath devised by Peter Levine as a means to stimulate the vagus nerve and calm the mind and body. Now we are at the end, please feel free to access any of my tracks and resources to help you navigate the different practices we have covered in this course. Good luck.
Credit: Peter A Levine, PhD, Developer of Somatic Experiencing® Founder and Faculty, Ergos Institute of Somatic Education. Founder and Advisor, Somatic Experiencing International. Senior Clinical Fellow and Advisor, The Meadows Addiction Treatment Center.
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