How to Meditate and Practice Mindfulness (Udemy.com)

People sometimes ask, "Why do you meditate?"

They also ask, "What do you do in meditation? Are you trying to empty your mind? What is the goal of meditation?

Sometimes people ask if meditation will help them with their challenges: stress, fear, doubt, grief, depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, low self-worth, a lack of confidence, a desire to love more, a longing to be loved more, relationships, work, career, finances, concentration, school.

Some people also come to meditation because they have a spiritual yearning. They wonder if spiritual awakening is real. If so, what is awakening like, how does one realize awakening, and is awakening possible for us all?

Many forces can draw us to meditation. Reason can compel us. Intuition can also draw us. For most of us, both the mind and the heart bring us to meditation. There is an intellectual knowing that meditation will help us. There is also an intuitive sense that meditation will help us.

A great blessing of my life was that I was born into a culture of meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth. I learned different forms of meditation, different mindfulness techniques, and different modalities for personal growth. Through this process, I realized there were fundamental skills common to all approaches. This course will teach you these fundamental skills. It will also give you the knowledge necessary to direct your personal growth and transformation.

There are seven fundamental skills that you practice in meditation. These skills are what you "do" in meditation. As you gain proficiency with these skills, they become the outcomes you realize. These skills include balance, presence, focus, choice, relaxation, resting in stillness and silence, and doing nothing.

Meditation allows us to cultivate more BALANCE

• between the mind and the heart

• between thinking and feeling

• between doing and being

• between controlling and allowing / accepting / loving / flowing

By gaining more balance between the mind and the heart, we live a more embodied life.

Meditation also allows us to cultivate more PRESENCE so that we are more present in our life: for a conversation, for a cup of tea, for a business meeting, for a significant other, for our family. With more presence, we show up more fully for our own lives.

Meditation also allows us to cultivate more FOCUS. With focus, we prioritize that which is important and spend time on it. Focus allows us to build a life that we value.

Meditation also allows us to cultivate the power of CHOICE. The only place freedom is ever found is in choice. By cultivating the power of choice, we become more empowered, develop more self-efficacy, and have a stronger internal locus of control.

Meditation also allows us to cultivate RELAXATION. Knowing how to calm our bodies, soothe ourselves, and be more relaxed helps us in all situations.

Meditation also helps us cultivate the skill of RESTING IN STILLNESS AND SILENCE. So often, our best answers come when we are no longer trying to find them. We listen more deeply, and access the universe's unlimited creative potential, by resting in stillness and silence.

Meditation helps us also to cultivate the skill of DOING NOTHING. This advanced skill allows us to discover our true nature.

People sometimes ask me, "What type of meditation should I learn? There are so many types of meditation: Vipassana meditation, Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness meditation, Zen meditation, and metta meditation, also known as loving-kindness meditation. Which form of meditation should I practice?"

Regardless of form, all true meditation practices have shared skills and outcomes. The methods might differ, but the skills and outcomes are the same. When you understand the fundamental skills of meditation, everything becomes clear. You will know what you are working to realize, regardless of the form. Ultimately, the technique doesn't matter. Many roads lead to the same destination. This course will teach you the skills common to all forms of meditation.

Highlights of this course include:

• learn and practice THE SEVEN SKILLS OF MEDITATION

  • balance

  • presence

  • focus

  • choice

  • relaxation

  • resting in stillness and silence

  • doing nothing

• realize more connection with your feelings and your heart

• discover more enjoyment by having more presence in your life

• acquire clarity on that which helps you create a happy and fulfilling life

• tap into the power of relaxation to realize high-performance in all endeavors

• overcome challenges by gaining a larger perspective of yourself and this existence

• heal trauma by discovering the abiding love of conscious awareness

• realize how transformation and growth are possible for all of us

• learn to transmute knowledge into knowing

• gain access to helpful resources

• normalize the importance of receiving help and of helping

• understand the actions to take if you are in dire circumstances

• learn to integrate the left and right hemispheres of the brain

• discover a technique used by Navy Seals to optimize brain performance

• access and cultivate phrases that are helpful to personal growth and transformation

• learn about Nelson Mandela's favorite poem and the importance of grit

• become more resilient so that you bounce back faster from life's challenges

• gain the ability to assess the efficacy of both teachers and teachings

• more fully understand and access your sovereignty and authority

• develop healthy boundaries which will protect you and keep you safe

• drop the victim mentality and engage more fully in building your best life