Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation

By: Mark W. Muesse, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Mark W. Muesse

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Meditation - the technique of mental focusing for enhanced awareness and self-mastery - offers deep and lasting benefits for mental functioning and emotional health, as well as for physical health and well-being.

This practice is closely related to "mindfulness," which Professor Muesse defines as "a deliberate way of paying attention to what is occurring within oneself as it is happening. It is the process of attentively observing your experience as it unfolds, without judgment or evaluation."

"Meditation," he adds, "refers to certain exercises that can be used to enlarge and refine mindfulness." Meditation cultivates mindfulness by training you to develop deep attention to the present moment, allowing the mind to become settled and centered. These 24 detailed lectures teach you the principles and techniques of sitting meditation, the related practice of walking meditation, and the highly beneficial use of meditative awareness in many important activities, including eating and driving. You will also learn how to use the skills of meditation in working with thoughts and emotional states, in deepening sensory awareness of the body, and in becoming deeply attentive to the operation of your mind.

You'll come away with a solid basis for your own meditation practice and for bringing meditation's remarkable and empowering benefits to every aspect of your life.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great Courses

great guide to understand mediation

i can say without a doubt this helped me understand mediation and set me on a course to gaining a better piece of mind.

Excellent

I thought the lectures were very clear and accessible. I listened to the entire series over a few days and now plan to go back and practice the principles of the individual lectures for a week or so each. I highly recommend this lecture series to anyone interested in the topic.

Great book on mindfulness

This book gave me more insight into mindfulness, but was hoping for more information about meditation. However, I enjoyed the audio book and will definitely give it another listen.

I definitely enjoyed the sections on death and grieving, which is something that I continue to struggle with. There were many sections that I liked, but for myself these two I got more out of.

let's all be mindful

every move I make now I try to do them mindfully. I appear to have a better outlook on life.

Opening Mind

This book of lectures presents a beginners path into mindfulness. With an open mind and curiosity this material will present many helpful insights to being human.

Not bad for an intro course.

It adds some detail to mindfulness, but isn’t a breakout.

I have understood the importance of meditation, mindfulness and especially in the Buddhist outlook and this definitely helps underscore that tradition of thought.

I firmly believe this is a good resource to those new with mindfulness and might give explanations in a way that makes more sense and perhaps is more accessible.

That being said, if you are already comfortable with the idea of mindfulness, you probably don’t need this book.

I wanted to love this book.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would only recommend this book if you are really into spiritual meditation.

How could the performance have been better?

To be honest I am not sure, I am a man of science not spirituality. So I think this book has a specific audience in mind.

Very Appreciative

I truly appreciated the lecture the Author gave. Very honest and very meaningful insight into the subject of mindfulness. A very life changing experience. I would gladly recommend to friends and family members.

Sounds Unnatural

Narrator seems to be trying too hard. I'd rather have a monotone voice than a forced reading. With me, it distracts too much from content.

comprehensive, welll presented

This will be greatly appreciated buy people who appreciate this kind of topic. Thorough, we'll paced. thoughtfully presented in a nonintimidating way.