Course Description

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Cultivating mindfulness leads us toward seeing clearly how things really are, as opposed to how we would like them to be. The more clearly we experience the the present moment, the more likely we are to live from a place of genuine confidence and wisdom.

This occurs because mindfulness (present-moment, nonjudgmental awareness) supports us in degrading the habits that cause and exacerbate our own stress, anxiety, and neurosis. Real change requires looking closely - and with kindness - just how we are right now. From this honesty emerges an understanding of what causes us to struggle and what causes us to feel at peace. It is likely we are unaware (or at least partially unaware) of such causes. Mindfulness practice - particularly when joined with noting - shines a light on this internal human experience. 

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For this 5-week course, the main meditation practice taught will be mindfulness paired with the practice of “noting” (sometimes referred to as “labeling”). Noting is one's own silent recognition of what is happening right now. For example, when we notice we are worrying, one notes silently, "worrying." When we feel impatient, we note, "impatient." This same process continues with physical sensations ("heaviness", "itching", "burning," etc.).

When we can label an experience, two things often occur (1) it loosens its grip on our mind ("Name it to tame it", and (2) we tune in more deeply to the experience. Personally, no other practice has been so consistently helpful in keeping me mindful through all waking hours of my life! I'm excited to share this life-changing practice with you!

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(Click here to read a two-page introduction to noting by Stephen Levine.)