Masters of Mindfulness: Transforming Your Mind and Body

By: Shauna Shapiro, Rick Hanson, Kristine Carlson, Juna Mustad, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Shauna Shapiro, Rick Hanson, Kristine Carlson, Juna Mustad, Mike Robbins

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

According to Dr. Shauna Shapiro, mindfulness means paying attention in the present moment with an attitude of kindness and generosity. It involves being aware and doing things with conscious intent. But research shows our mind lives in the past or the future almost half of our waking moments. Focusing on this moment in time, this place, your body as it feels in this moment, your breath as it moves in and out right now....

That focus on present-moment awareness has the capability to transform your life. And it has existed for thousands of years, interwoven throughout many religious and intellectual traditions. Mindfulness as a practice is very simple and its effects are well-documented. What many people don’t realize is the breadth of the science behind it and how much of our health - physical, mental, emotional - is bound up in the way we look at and experience the world. Now, modern biology and neuroscience can actually quantify many of the effects of mindfulness and you may be surprised by how powerful the impact can be.

In Masters of Mindfulness, 11 top researchers and proponents of mindfulness discuss what modern science and contemporary research have revealed about this ancient practice and the many ways in which it can benefit your life. These 22 lectures present a unique and extraordinary opportunity, bringing a diverse group of renowned specialists together in one place for the first time to share their own personal experiences and their latest research, and to guide you through several mindfulness exercises.

Acting as your primary guide through the many concepts and presenters, psychologist and mindfulness expert Dr. Shauna Shapiro brings together some of the greatest minds in the field to give you an immersive, 360-degree experience of mindfulness, its practice, and its benefits. 

This course was recorded on location at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, a place that is considered a unique sanctuary for anyone interested in the study of human consciousness and the human potential movement. Since 1962, this profoundly beautiful locale has been a thriving hub for investigating and experiencing the journey of mindfulness in its many forms, including cutting-edge scientific research and applications. Not everyone can hop on a plane to California, so Masters of Mindfulness brings this one-of-a-kind experience to you.

Full list of authors: Shauna Shapiro, Rick Hanson, Kristine Carlson, Juna Mustad, Mike Robbins, Amishi Jha, Elissa Epel, Jessica Graham, Dacher Keltner, Wallace Nichols, Daniel Siegel, and The Great Courses.

Full list of narrators: Shauna Shapiro, Rick Hanson, Kristine Carlson, Juna Mustad, Mike Robbins, Amishi Jha, Elissa Epel, Jessica Graham, Dacher Keltner, Wallace Nichols, and Daniel Siegel.

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

©2018 The Great Courses (P)2018 The Teaching Company, LLC

I needed this lecture series, and so do you. <3

Best use of my time in a while. Integrating the mind, and being more aware of ourselves may sound cliche to some, but it is astounding how beneficial it is. This series provides scientific-based findings of how to train yourself in mindfulness, without any of the cringeworthy New Age teachings about becoming a 'higher dimensional being'. Worth two credits at half the length.

Too new-age for me

This is not really a book about the practice of mindfulness. It’s more of a New Age conglomeration of different perspectives related to health and well-being. Not at all what I was expecting. If you’re looking for a book about the practice of mindful meditation, this is not it. This is a new age self-help book.

Eh

I didn’t get a lot out of this class, honestly. The narrators are all fine and well spoken, but I found the material hard to access on a practical level. They’re discussing wellness philosophically, but not much in this course will actually “transform” you, at least not that I’ve found.

ok, definitely more on the self help side

interesting but definitely on the soft self help side opposed to harder neuroscience and meditation practice

Worth it

I really enjoyed most of these lectures! They were eye-opening, scientific, and immediately helpful to me. Admittedly - I was disappointed by a couple speakers (namely the one covering Awe and the following person covering Water). Where previous speakers addressed and resolved sources of error in their studies, the Awe speaker seemed to me to be intellectually incestuous and to have fatally flawed data in more than one way - but he never so much as commented on it. The speaker covering water gave off a debate class vibe. I felt like he was trying to persuade me more than give clear information, and that didn’t align with the rest of the course. If this were to be revamped, I feel it would be beneficial to find a different way/speakers to incorporate the helpfulness of nature in mindfulness. Still overall an excellent course!

Great Courses

Excel lent way to learn from the experts!
Loved it.
thanks for all the knowledge you provided!

Helpful to learn mindfulness in daily life.

Enjoyed most of the lectures.... Will keep this purchase and may listen again in the future.

not a favorite

This wasn't inspiring for me, I listened to the beginning of at least seven of the chapters but they never seem to keep my interest. I just find that I connect better with other speakers/books.

self care

there are so many great points in this course. I would recommend that everyone read this.

great

loved it. extremely easy to follow along the difference speakers made it fun. highly recommended

Amazing book.

I can't even tell how grateful I am to all people who participated in writing this book.
I feel the life with every cell in my body, my mind is clear and I can see the path.
Thank you!
To whom may read this comment - believe the stranger and spend a bit of your precious time to listen to this book. You won't loose anything, but you can find the control and peace within yourself.

life changing

Amazing book and invaluable collection of information . my life will never be the same, only better!

Disappointing seemingly random group of speakers

This was my 4th The Great Courses book and by far the worst. If felt like a random collection of speakers; some quite interesting but others with nothing of particular interest to say. There was a lot of promoting their own websites and ideas, and a regurgitation of several urban myths that have been doing the rounds for many years. I have studied meditation in Thailand, but I am far from an expert. However, this course taught me nothing and give me no new ideas. The other Great Courses have been amazing, insightful and I have learnt so much. But not this one. My advice is do not waste your time with this, and find another book on Mindfulness.

Stars off well

The first few chapters are interesting, but the last few are really dull. The person speaking reads well though and is soothing.

engaging and inspiring

so many inspirational stories and real practical guidance on cultivating mental resilience. i loved it!

diverse, intelligent, informative, accessible

5 stars because it offers a fair level of information that is very satisfyingly backed by research and/or experience. I did not find everything enthralling but through listening I was returned to things I knew and introduced to things that are new to me. The quality of content was enough to keep me engaged without undue effort yet it prompted me to re-listen to certain segments and look up books I might not otherwise have come across.