
Begin with a welcome from a Spirit Rock meditation teacher who outlines the course structure, including three mindfulness modules, meditation practices, and daily-life integration, plus reviews and self-investigation.
Learn to rest your awareness on whatever arises in the present moment, from breath and thoughts to sensations and emotions, through recognition and nonjudgmental acceptance.
Cultivate present-moment awareness through mindfulness meditation and consistent practice, building mental strength with a growth mindset to integrate mindfulness into daily life.
Explore applying mindfulness beyond meditation to daily life, noticing challenging moments like traffic, taxes, or family, and cultivating presence through practical techniques that strengthen this mental muscle.
Explore mindfulness of the body through body scan, open awareness, and walking meditation to cultivate present-moment awareness and recognize bodily cues that signal stress or emotion.
Engage in a guided body scan meditation from head to toe to observe sensations, ground yourself, cultivate nonjudgmental awareness, and train the mind to respond with simple observance.
Move from a brief body scan to open awareness, resting in the present moment while noticing mind wandering and strengthening the mental muscle of mindful attention.
Explore mindfulness of the body through a four elements lens—air, water, fire, and earth—to observe the body with fresh eyes and a beginner's mind during a guided awareness practice.
Walking meditation offers a moving mindfulness practice, guiding awareness to the feet, breath, and turning points as you walk back and forth at your own pace across traditions.
Explore mindfulness of the breath by letting the body guide breathing, calm anxiety, and train concentration on a single spot—abdomen, chest, or nostrils—for being present with one thing.
Explore mindfulness of feeling, recognizing experiences as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, and observe bodily sensations and thoughts with space, curiosity, and compassion.
Guide a body scan and awareness of the body while noticing the feeling tone, whether pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, without judgment, staying in the moment and avoiding stories.
Tune into the actual sounds around you with open awareness, noticing noises—cars, birds, or hum—without over-interpreting, and observe whether they feel pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant.
Practice open awareness of feeling tones by inviting thoughts into the moment, resting in receiving, and allowing body sensations and emotions to arise and pass without judgment.
Practice walking meditation by opening the body to seeing, hearing, and feeling, focusing one sense at a time, and bringing mindful awareness to daily movement.
Show how mindfulness doesn't stand alone by integrating gentleness, equanimity, kindness, compassion, and acceptance to support focused attention, nonjudgmental awareness, and a compassionate response.
Develop concentration through mindful practice by staying with one object, such as the breath, exploring its subtleties and its interaction with the body and thoughts.
Develop equanimity by staying balanced amid difficult experiences, creating space in experience, and remaining open, compassionate, and stable in practice without extremes.
practice metta, or loving-kindness, by opening the heart and wishing happiness for yourself and others. train to tune into this inner kindness and respond with gentleness in daily mindfulness.
Meet pain and suffering with compassion by opening the heart and staying present. Practice tending to your own and others' pain with mindful awareness during daily life and meditation.
Cultivate mindfulness beyond formal sitting by applying simple daily practices that create ease and awareness in moments from driving to walking into the office.
You tune into physical points of contact—feet on the floor, chair contact, clothes, or air—using a simple mindful awareness practice to return to the present moment.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that has grown in popularity in recent years. With the benefits of meditation becoming clearer with recent research, we are beginning to understand just how useful mindfulness may be. From helping relieve stress to improving sleep, mindfulness practice has helped millions find relief from difficulties. In this course, you will learn the basics of mindfulness meditation and be able to practice with confidence.
The course offers video lessons, guided meditations, and review practices to investigate mindfulness for yourself. Together, these offerings will create a full-featured learning experience in which you can both learn the principles and examine them in your own experience.
Matthew will lead you through the foundations of mindfulness and how to cultivate awareness, compassion, and balance in your own life. An empowered Buddhist meditation teacher from Spirit Rock Meditation Center, he offers these ancient teachings in a way applicable to modern living.