Mindfulness Meditation

At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance… surrounded
By a grace of sense, a white light still and moving,
Thomas Stearns Eliot

I spent several years doing volunteer work (seva) in meditation centres and have attended close to 100 meditation retreats in the past 30 years. My main practices have been Vipassana meditation and Zen practice but I am also at home in tantric and advaitic forms of this practice.

Introduction

• What is Mindfulness?
• Buddhism coming to the West
• Secular Mindfulness
• Important Teachers and Organisations shaping the modern Mindfulness Movement
• Mindfulness & Research
• The increased Usage of Mindfulness in psychotherapeutic Approaches
• Pros and Cons of commercialising Mindfulness
• Text Study: Modern Articles on Mindfulness
• Highlighting the Difference between Pātañjali’s Approach and Mindfulness
• The Philosophy & Ascetic Approach in the Pātañjala Yoga Śāstra
• How to stop the Waves of an Ocean?
• Text Study: Pātañjala Yoga Śāstra (PYŚ)

Mindfulness – Benefits and Approaches

Introduction

• Mindfulness and Stress
• Mindfulness helps with Stress
• Definitions
• How we usually process information
• What is Stress: Early Models by Cannon, Selye, and Lazarus
• The Stress Reaction
• Stress and ageing
• Neuroplasticity
• Our Brain
• Neurons and Neuronal Pathways
• How we learn
• What the Buddha knew about neuroplasticity
• Sati and Śamanthā
• The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
• Kāyā – The Body
• Vedanā – The Feeling Tones
• Cittā – The Mind
• Dharma – Phenomenon
• Mettabhavana and the Brahma Vihara
• Compassion: Everybody wins
• Loving yourself, loving all To perceive with warmth
• Maitrī – Friendliness
• Karuṇā – Compassion
• Muditā – Appreciative Joy
• Upekṣā – Equanimity
• Challenges in Meditation
• The classic five Challenges
• Modern Challenges
• How to turn a Challenge into a Helper
• Beware of Spiritual Bypassing
• Mindfulness in Movement
• Walking Meditation
• Mindful Āsana-Practice
• Mindful Dance
• Cultivating Emotional Intelligence
• Mindful Communication
• Introduction
• Communication isn’t easy
• Research on Communication
• Useful Approaches to Communication
• Existential Inquiry and Insights
• Thoughts without a Thinker
• The Buddha‘s Model of our Mind

 

Buddhist Yoga

Introduction

• How Buddhist originated and spread
• The legendary Biography of the Buddha
• The main three Schools of Buddhist Teachings
• Foundational Teachings from the Pāli-Canon
• The Middle Way (Madhyamā-Pratipad)
• The Four Noble Insights (Cattarī Āryiasaccāni)
• No independent, isolated “I“ (Anatta)
• Meditations from the Pāli-Canon
• Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānasati Sutta)
• Four Foundations (Mahā-Satipatthāna Sutta)
• Loving Kindness (Metta Sutta)
• Intentionality
• Awakening
• The Model of the Hinayāna-School (Sotāpanna-Sakadāgāmi-Anāgāmi-Arahant)
• The Model of the Mahāyāna-School (Bodhisattva)

Practice and Teachings

• Cultivating a daily Practice
• The “14 Practices of Mindfulness “ (Order of InterBeing)
• Integrating Mindfulness into your Yoga Class
• Teaching Mindfulness
• Experience and Responsibility
• Teaching Methodology & Structure
• Teaching Tools
• Trauma-sensitive Approach