Basic mindfulness training «The Science and Art of Presence»

The purpose of this first training session is to provide various definitions and a brief historical overview of mindfulness and the practices of mindfulness. To consider secular and scientific perspectives on the practice of mindfulness and the psychological and neurobiological aspects of mindfulness.

After this training session you will be able to define mindfulness, distinguish between formal and informal practices of mindfulness, assess the level of mindfulness, and formulate personal goals for mindfulness development.

The purpose of this training session is to introduce you to the two most important building blocks of mindfulness: attention and the present moment. At the heart of mindfulness is the development of attention to the present moment. The most common reason people don't pay attention to the present moment is because they are busy thinking, often about the past or the future.

This session introduces the role of thoughts and their relationship to the present moment.

After this training session you will be able to name the key properties of attention and explain how mindfulness is related to higher mental functions and psychological well-being. Participants will take their first steps in exploring the workings of their own minds.

The goal of this training session is to clarify the relationship between awareness and automatism. The reason for this session at the beginning of the course is that most of the problems people have are related to automatic patterns or habits. Without awareness of these patterns, change will be difficult, if not impossible. Being attentive to automatic reactions and routine patterns of thinking and behavior is a powerful way to reduce their influence and make room for choices.

You will experience the automatic nature of your thoughts and how those thoughts, in turn, automatically cause emotions to arise.

An important element of mindfulness is "open awareness." Open awareness refers to a quality of consciousness that is not evaluative or actively shaped by pre-existing ideas or intentions; it is fully receptive to allowing experiences to simply happen "as is." In this training session, "open awareness" is introduced by contrasting the evaluative nature of the mind. While "open awareness" implies an absence of judgment, much of our daily awareness is clouded by countless judgments and evaluations. By becoming aware of these judgments, an important obstacle to open awareness is removed. In this training session you will experience the subjective nature of your mind and learn about the problematic aspects of judgment.

Also, you will be able to apply formal and informal mindfulness practices that will help you discover judgments and switch to "open awareness."

The purpose of this training session is to introduce the concept of acceptance. Awareness promotes an accepting stance toward experience. Rather than fighting or avoiding experiences, mindfulness requires a willingness to experience them.

Acceptance, however, is a complex and paradoxical construct. The goal of this training session is to clarify the essence of acceptance by learning to apply acceptance to complex emotions and to explain the purpose of acceptance.

Excessive focus on the future is perhaps one of the most common obstacles to developing mindfulness.

The default mode for many people is the "action mode" that is constantly focused on goals and the future. In this session, mindfulness is presented as the key to finding the balance between staying in the present moment and planning for the future. In the session you will confront the pitfalls of over-focusing on the future and explore the benefits of an appreciative relationship with the present moment.

The purpose of this training session is to introduce you to self-compassion. Awareness involves a kind and compassionate attitude toward yourself. Instead of a self-compassionate attitude, many people suffer from a non-accepting and self-critical relationship with themselves. The nature of this relationship is perhaps most clearly reflected by the inner critic: the inner voice that criticizes itself.

In this training session, you will get to know your inner critic and learn how to effectively develop a friendly and caring relationship with yourself by raising awareness of your inner critic and practicing self-compassion through meditation and self-care activities.

The purpose of this training session is to clarify the relationship between mindfulness and "Wise Mind. At the deepest level, the practice of mindfulness develops a different relationship with the self. The position of observation, which becomes stronger after repeated and consistent mindfulness practice, allows participants to take a step back from all kinds of thoughts, including those related to identity. Identity, which can be described as a rather static and reflection-based story of the self, makes room for a more dynamic sense of self, which can be described as an omnipresent observer. This observer is aware of the stories of the self, and is therefore, by definition, distinct from the stories themselves.

In this session, several exercises will allow you to experience the difference between the self as a story, and the self as a wise observer.

The goal of this training session is to create awareness of the obstacles that can hinder and interrupt the practice of mindfulness and to provide ways to overcome the obstacles and to strengthen one's commitment to mindfulness practice.

Over the past 9 sessions you have learned and practiced many important key processes that underlie mindfulness. Mindfulness is a multifaceted construct, and understanding how the various processes associated with mindfulness work together can be seen as important insight. In this final session of the first module, you will learn about the connections between these various processes.

An additional goal of the 10th training session is to focus on ways to continue integrating mindfulness into daily life. The acquired knowledge and skills are best viewed as the starting point of an endless journey.

This training session invites you to make a personal plan to sustainably integrate mindfulness into your daily life after completing the course.