How Meditation Works – A Complete, Evidence-Based Meditation Course - by Gabriel Rocheleau

COURSE

How Meditation Works – A Complete, Evidence-Based Meditation Course

With Gabriel Rocheleau

This course is perfect for beginners and those who have some experience but want to get better at meditation. In this class, we'll learn how the brain works and use that knowledge to improve how we meditate. We'll cover a lot of topics! We'll find out how to make meditation fun and something to look forward to. We'll also learn how to handle challenges like a wandering mind, feeling sleepy, or getting distracted. Plus, we'll get better at focusing and being aware of our thoughts. By the end of the course, you'll be excited to keep practicing on your own. You'll have all the tools you need for a rewarding meditation practice.

GroundedHappinessPresenceSecular MindfulnessMindfulnessSamathaHealth & HappinessSecularConcentration

Meet your Teacher

Gabriel Rocheleau
Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, QC, Canada

Gabriel's goal is to help you develop an effective and profoundly rewarding meditation practice. Gabriel has completed multiple Vipassana retreats in the Goenka tradition, and spent an extended time in Burma at Pa Auk Tawya Forest Monastery under the guidance of Bhikkhu Revata. He has been approved and encouraged to teach by John Yates (Culadasa), author of The Mind Illuminated, having trained 3 years under him.

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10 Days

1.9k students

4.8 stars

12 min / day

Grounded

English

Lesson 1

Enjoying Meditation

Let's start with the basics: how do we turn meditation into an enjoyable activity that we look forward to? Finding joy in meditation is a key to progress. In this first session, we will explore the state of mind best suited for meditation - playful, exploratory and joyful. Meditation is a gift we're offering ourselves, and one that should be enjoyed fully!

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Lesson 2

Preparing for Meditation

Instead of going straight for the breath, we will take a few moments to move from daily life to breath meditation in a relaxed, pleasant and step-by-step way. In this session, we will also explore a technique called the "Four-step transition". This technique will help our mind settle on the breath gently yet firmly, and smoothly transition between daily life and meditation practice

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Lesson 3

Mind-Wandering

Despite our intention to watch the breath, our mind seemingly has a mind of its own: it wanders away. This is natural, and points to a profound truth: we are not really in control of our own mind! We will use this knowledge to our advantage. Instead of trying to control our mind with force, we will reward it when it notices that it has wandered away. By positively reinforcing this aha! moment, we will reduce the frequency and length of mind-wandering, and turn our mind into an invaluable ally.

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Lesson 4

Counting the Breaths

Now that we've learned to deal with mind-wandering when it occurs, we're ready to level up our practice with a new challenge. For the mind to stay engaged and enthusiastic about meditation, it needs a task! In this session, we will learn a technique called “Counting the breaths”. This technique will help prevent mind-wandering from occurring in the first place.

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Lesson 5

Attention and Awareness

Our mind has two faculties: attention and awareness. In this session, we will explore these two different aspects of the mind and use this knowledge to better understand how distractions sneak up and catch our attention. We will also learn how concentration and mindfulness differ, and how we can leverage both to increase the clarity and power of our mind!

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Lesson 6

Following the Breath

We've learned to count the breaths up to 10. What's next? In this session, we will give the mind a new, more difficult (but enjoyable!) challenge. This new technique is called "Following the Breath". When following the breath, we want dissect and investigate the different parts of the breath in an engaged, interested way. You will be stunned by the effectiveness of this technique, and by the power of your own mind!

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Lesson 7

Cultivating Introspective Awareness

We’ve covered a lot already. We've calmed the mind, stabilized our attention and picked up a few useful concepts and techniques along the way. So far though, we've concentrated most of our efforts on training attention. In this session, we will learn a profound technique that will cultivate strong awareness. This new technique, called “labeling”, will help us notice distractions before they take the center stage, and will allow us to observe the inner workings of our own mind with unparalleled clarity.

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Lesson 8

Antidotes to Agitation and Dullness

There are two main obstacles to meditation: agitation and dullness. At some point, every meditator will experience both of these obstacles, as you probably already have. In this session, we will discover antidotes to these obstacles. By applying the right antidotes to the right hindrances, meditation will become more enjoyable and fruitful.

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Lesson 9

Daily Life and Meditation Practice

To progress in meditation, the most important habit we must develop is a daily meditation practice. Like with any other skill, mastering meditation takes time and effort. In this session, we will discuss the best ways to include meditation into your daily life to reap maximum and lasting benefits.

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Lesson 10

Review, and What’s Next?

We've come a long way in 10 days. In this session, we'll quickly go through all the tips and techniques we've added to our toolbox, and take a moment to appreciate and share the benefits of our meditation practice. We will also get a glimpse of the next stages of meditation progress.

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4.8 (114)

Recent Reviews

Donna

February 13, 2026

So many wonderful instructors to choose from

Mark

January 26, 2026

Excellent structure and explanations.

Andrea

November 10, 2025

Great course. Thank you

Orsolya

June 15, 2025

I’ve been meditating for years, but I learned so much through this course. I’m sure I’ll come back to it from time to time. Thank you so much for your thoughts and techniques.

Aylex

April 30, 2025

This clearly presented information has given me a structure that I can remember and follow with ease. I feel the benefits as I bring the balance of focus and openness into my daily life. Many thanks Gabriel 🙏

David

March 29, 2025

This is an extremely well designed course that balances instruction, practice and review. It combines an overview of meditation practice with many helpful practical tips. I have meditated in a haphazard way most of my adult life and after this course feel that I am just now starting out. Thank you.

LJ

March 25, 2025

Well done!

Randy

March 7, 2025

This course was very informative and useful. Thank you

M

January 10, 2025

This is an excellent course. It is clear, practical, and concise. I have meditated for a while and still found that this course to be very helpful for advancing my practice. It explains what to try, how to do it, and why it is helpful. There is just enough repetition to help you remember all of the concepts that are raised. Thank you Gabriel.

Kim

December 20, 2024

Thank you 🙏

Gillian

December 20, 2024

Informative and insightful. Highly recommend.

Steven

December 6, 2024

Good primer.

Pam

November 4, 2024

Thank you for this 10 day course! It’s been very helpful to me

Brendan

October 21, 2024

Very concise, instructive, insightful and helpful. Thank you ❤️ 🙏

Taryn

August 31, 2024

This is the first course I completed after trying several others. It's a great mix of practical advice and explanations that build at a reasonable pace (at least for me).

Lizzie

August 10, 2024

I found this course helpful in the way it broke down mediation; it has elevated my practice. The audio could do with cleaning up in places as there are a number of repetitive sentences in some lessons. Enjoyed the course though and would recommend 😊

David

August 1, 2024

Very good overview of key basics

Cheryl

July 18, 2024

Thank you 🙏 these lessons have been helpful🌸

Vicki

June 4, 2024

I really got a lot out of this course and will repeat to gain more benefits. I had felt kind of stuck in my meditation but this course has helped me work through that.

Seeker

June 2, 2024

Truly valuable, well thought and experience based. Rarely have come across such informative course. Thank you Gabriel.

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