Online Course – Beginners –

It’s fine to sign up for the course after the start date.

June 29th – August 24th 2020

• This retreat is suitable for beginner meditators
• Cost: Free – Donations are happily accepted however.
• We will meet on Zoom. Email with zoom link will be sent out day before the course starts.

Learning Objectives

This is a beginner’s course, suitable for people who want to learn to meditate and establish a regular practice.  However it would also be of interest to intermediate meditators who want a to get acquainted with Shinzen’s system.

This course will teach the foundations of Shinzen Young’s Unified Mindfulness system, which is a powerful synthesis of meditation techniques from many different meditation traditions. These techniques and views are largely based in Buddhism.

You will learn what mindfulness meditation is and its benefits. You will also learn how to practice mindfulness meditation both while sitting and while doing everyday things like listening, exercising, walking, simple tasks, etc.

There will be lots of space for discussion and questions about practice.  I hope that a sense of Sangh develop! 

The daily practice recommendation will be 30 minutes of formal practice.

Cost: Free, with donations gladly accepted but not expected.

The class will be recorded and will be available after the course is done. We’ll meet using the online video-call software Zoom.

We’ll meet online once a week for the eight weeks, and each session will last for 90 mins.

Time

The class will be taught twice to reach people in different time zones. The content is the same.

Option 1) USA Mondy Morning & Europe Monday Evening Class:

• In the US:
  • 12:00pm Eastern Time Zone
  • 11:00am Central
  • 10:00am Mountain
  • 9:00 am Pacific

• In Europe:
  • 18:00 (Central European Time (CET) which is UTC/GMT+1)
  • 17:00 (Western European Time (WET) which is UTC/GMT +0.)

Option 2) USA Monday Evening Class

• 7:00pm Eastern
• 6:00pm Central
• 5:00pm Mountain
• 4:00pm Pacific.

Schedule Common to each 90 minute class:

Course Overview

Week 1: Introduction to Unified Mindfulness
(June 29 2020)

• See, Hear, Feel (SHF) technique
• Rewards & benefits of mindfulness
• Practice Homework
  • 30 min. daily sitting: See, Hear, Feel (SHF) technique

Week 2: Feeling Good and Loving Kindness Meditation
(July 6)

• Feel Good (FG) technique, improving relationships & well being, 
• Practice Homework
  • 15 min. daily sitting: Feel Good/Metta technique (FG)
  • 15 min. daily practice in action: SHF or FG

Week 3: Mindfulness in Daily Life
(July 12 – this class is on Sunday instead of Monday)

• SHF and FR techniques
• Practice in daily life
• Practice Homework
  • 20 min. daily sitting: SHF + 10 min loving-kindness
  • 10-20 min. daily practice in action using either SHF or FG (Metta):
  • micro-hits
  • background practice
  • formal practice

Week 4: Traditional breath meditation & traditional walking meditation
(July 19 – Sunday)

• Breath meditation
  • Focal point: entrance of nostrils
  • Focal point: abdomen
• Difference between Attention and Awareness
• Importance of celebrating noticing distraction
• Traditional walking meditation using noting
• Practice Homework
  • 10 min. daily sitting: Breath meditation + 10 min loving-kindness
  • 10-20 min. daily practice in action: SHF, FG, or breath meditation.

Week 5: Auto Walk (AW) technique
(July 27 – Back to Mondays)

• Auto Walk (AW) technique
• Developing Spontaneity
• Practice Homework
  • 20 min. daily sitting: SHF, FR, or breath meditation + 10 min loving-kindness
  • 10 min. walking: Auto Walk (AW) technique
  • Additional 10 min. daily practice in action: SHF, FG, breath meditation, or AW

Week 6: How to Relax and Recharge with Mindfulness
(August 10 – August 3rd Cancelled)

• Feel Rest (FR) technique, managing stress
• Practice Homework
  • 30 min. daily sitting: Feel Rest (FR) technique + 10 min loving-kindness
  • Optional additional sitting practice: SHF, FR, breath meditation, AW, or FG

Week 7: Applying Mindfulness to Inner Opportunities and Obstacles
(August 17)

• Practice strategies to work with pleasant & unpleasant experience and to accelerate growth through practice
• Practice Homework
  • 30 min. daily sitting: SHF + 10 min loving-kindness
  • 10 min. daily applying mindfulness to a challenge or interest of your choice.
  • Examples:
    • Unpleasant: stress in your day – Turn Away
    • Pleasant: silent room – Turn Toward
  • 10 min. daily practice in action: SHF, FR, breath meditation, AW, or FG

Week 8: Wrap Up – Your Unified Mindfulness Road Map
(August 24)

• Wrap Up – Your Road Map for further progress on the Path    
• The rhythm of practice: Life, Retreats, Getting Support, Giving Support
• Practice Homework:  meditate 30 mins a day for the rest of your life!!!

To sign up:

Please fill out this google form with you email. I will email you the day before the class starts with the Zoom links for the two time slot options.

Signup for Unified Mindfulness course

It’s recommended to come to all classes. But, it’s no big deal if you miss one and then pick up the next class. – Come and go as you like.

Feel free to forward this to friends who might find this class beneficial.

Also note that for unforeseen reasons a class might get skipped.  If that happens you’ll get notified before hand and we’ll just pick up the next week where we left off.