The Meditation Course Podcast

The Meditation Course Podcast

By Robert MitchellEducationSelf-Improvement
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The Meditation Course Podcast episodes

  • Trataka Meditation, Mindfulness, Focus and Attention

    This week is an exercise in Focus and Attention.

    Trataka is a focused attention meditation practice designed to help us build our personal mindfulness while developing our awareness and training ourselves to focus.
    It helps us to become aware of our focus and our awareness, internal and external.
    Trataka helps us to become aware of our internal focus and our external focus and the difference between them.
    Trataka also enables us to become aware that we can move our focus from our internal experience to our external experience and also that we can gain a balanced awareness of our internal and external experience.
    Meditations are:
    Trataka meditation
    Sound meditation and experiencing the present moment.

    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -

    Three live-streamed classes each week.

    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updated
    with new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.
    https://lovingawareness.fm/

    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation Course
    Podcast here:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245

    34 min
  • Letting Go
    Much is written about how suffering is anchored by the illusion of permence and a craving for, and attachment to, those things that bring us comfort and pleasure. The response of many ancient cultures to this realisation was to renonouce all material possessions which led to the aceticism of hermits and monks. Other philophical perspectives try to find a middle way (buddhism). What does it actually mean to let go for a meditator and what do we actually do to practice it.
    In this episode, Robert’s advice and guidance and the practices he teaches are rather simple.
    The meditations have no name but are designed to help the students to experience the release of the complexities of the modern world.
    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -Three live-streamed classes each week.
    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updatedwith new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.https://lovingawareness.fm/
    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation CoursePodcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245
    39 min
  • Letting Go

    Much is written about how suffering is anchored by the illusion of permence and a craving for, and attachment to, those things that bring us comfort and pleasure. The response of many ancient cultures to this realisation was to renonouce all material possessions which led to the aceticism of hermits and monks. Other philophical perspectives try to find a middle way (buddhism). What does it actually mean to let go for a meditator and what do we actually do to practice it.

    In this episode, Robert’s advice and guidance and the practices he teaches are rather simple.

    The meditations have no name but are designed to help the students to experience the release of the complexities of the modern world.

    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -

    Three live-streamed classes each week.

    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updated
    with new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.
    https://lovingawareness.fm/

    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation Course
    Podcast here:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245

    39 min
  • Mental Models of The Mind
    #Mindfulness and #Meditation is all about the #Mind.To work with the mind, it helps to have some models of our inner processes. These models need to model the mind in a way that helps our practices.There is too much dogma associated with the mind. Most of it has historical roots and is part of the tangle of our broken cultural narrative that tries to explain our experience while remaining mainly in denial of some of the key elements of our experience such as the mind.Where is the education about the mind? Where are the conversations that help us to express our inner experience with our peers, our families, our colleagues? Speaking about the mind has become taboo.To break this taboo we must have a way of discussing the mind that is universal and that is helpful.The Mental Models of The Mind that I teach are all of these things. We can notice and experience our inner processes without becoming mired in unhelpful religious or scientific dogma.In this podcast, Robert describes the models he uses and we practice some techniques that enable us to see the mental models working as a way of describing our common experiences.Meditations:- Following the breath- One of Robert's personal Pranayama exercises- Counting the Breaths- Labelling the Thoughts
    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -Three live-streamed classes each week.
    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updatedwith new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.https://lovingawareness.fm/
    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation CoursePodcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245
    54 min
  • Mental Models of The Mind

    #Mindfulness and #Meditation is all about the #Mind.

    To work with the mind, it helps to have some models of our inner processes.
    These models need to model the mind in a way that helps our practices.
    There is too much dogma associated with the mind. Most of it has historical roots and is part of the tangle of our broken cultural narrative that tries to explain our experience while remaining mainly in denial of some of the key elements of our experience such as the mind.
    Where is the education about the mind? Where are the conversations that help us to express our inner experience with our peers, our families, our colleagues? Speaking about the mind has become taboo.
    To break this taboo we must have a way of discussing the mind that is universal and that is helpful.
    The Mental Models of The Mind that I teach are all of these things. We can notice and experience our inner processes without becoming mired in unhelpful religious or scientific dogma.
    In this podcast, Robert describes the models he uses and we practice some techniques that enable us to see the mental models working as a way of describing our common experiences.
    Meditations:
    - Following the breath
    - One of Robert's personal Pranayama exercises
    - Counting the Breaths
    - Labelling the Thoughts

    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -

    Three live-streamed classes each week.

    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updated
    with new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.
    https://lovingawareness.fm/

    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation Course
    Podcast here:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245

    54 min
  • Roberts Meditation and Mindfulness Journey
    In which Robert explains when and why he began to learn how to meditate, the distractions and diversions on his meditation and mindfulness journey.Robert describes his early meditation practices and the changes of focus that he has taken over the last thirty years of meditation practice.Robert also explains, and guides, his current meditation practice.Meditations are: The Meditation of no Meditation for Sound, The Meditation of no Meditation for the Breath, Following the `Breath, Labelling the Thoughts and Labelling the Quality of Thoughts.
    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -Three live-streamed classes each week.
    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updatedwith new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.https://lovingawareness.fm/
    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation CoursePodcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245
    1 hr
  • Roberts Meditation and Mindfulness Journey

    In which Robert explains when and why he began to learn how to meditate, the distractions and diversions on his meditation and mindfulness journey.

    Robert describes his early meditation practices and the changes of focus that he has taken over the last thirty years of meditation practice.
    Robert also explains, and guides, his current meditation practice.
    Meditations are: The Meditation of no Meditation for Sound, The Meditation of no Meditation for the Breath, Following the `Breath, Labelling the Thoughts and Labelling the Quality of Thoughts.

    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -

    Three live-streamed classes each week.

    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updated
    with new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.
    https://lovingawareness.fm/

    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation Course
    Podcast here:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245

    1 hr
  • Acceptance - accepting uncomfortable emotions - a practical approach
    The self-help genre is flooded with a deluge of advice relating to Acceptance. Usually the advisory sentence begins with the words ‘just’ or ‘simply’. These diminish what is the most difficult thing that anyone can do which is to confront their internal reality when it is what is causing them to suffer. In this context, there is no such thing as ‘Just!’. In this episode, Robert teaches, in a 30 minute session, how to actually accept your internal suffering, as a personal experience and in a way that will allow you to make progress. Acceptance, as Explained in Episode 18 published on December 26, 2018, is 'allowing yourself to feel however you feel in the present moment'. This definition is from Eckhart Tolle and must be the most useful for anyone engaged in inner work. The question then becomes. How do we make this bearable? The answer is the neutral spot meditation which Robert teaches in this session.It is important that you apply the Four Rules of Meditation!
    You are in control. You can stop the meditation whenever you want, do another meditation, meditate for as long as you wish.
    Take baby steps, work with tiny emotions and tiny unhelpful thought patterns first. Remember that you are practicing.
    Fix your roof in the sunshine. You do this when you are feeling powerful! Not when you are feeling overwhelmed. If you can’t dedicate the best time of your week, day or month to meditation, you aren’t taking it seriously and you should maybe come back and give it another go when you can.
    Do less than you can. Never push the envelope. Be patient. All will arise in time.
    Emotionally, *never* go digging. There is no need to as all suffering will arise in our experience in time if we provide a space for it in our practices. If you aren’t in contact yet with whatever emotion is in the background of your day just continue with the meditations and in time you will be able to do that.The Neutral Spot MeditationWe first calm our minds with a basic mindfulness meditation. We need to be in a good place to do any emotional work.When our minds are as calm as they can be, we focus our attention on a part of our body that has neutral sensations. Somewhere where we can’t feel an emotional responseExamples might be: big toe, knees, elbows, etc.Move the focus of your attention to the place in our body that is the location of your uncomfortable physical or emo tional sensations. Leave the focus of your attention there for as long as it remains comfortable to do so. You are looking for the equivalent of a pin-prick in terms of discomfort at the most. Return the focus of your attention to the neutral place and leave your attention there until you have tuned in on the neutral spot and are aware of it fullyRepeat only if this works for you.You are looking for the discomfort to diminish.This exercise is the equivalent of dipping our finger or toe into the water to see how hot or cold it is. It is *not* like diving in.If this works for you, you will feel better! Not worse. It is not an endurance process.
    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -Three live-streamed classes each week.
    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updatedwith new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.https://lovingawareness.fm/
    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation CoursePodcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245
    30 min
  • Acceptance - accepting uncomfortable emotions - a practical approach

    The self-help genre is flooded with a deluge of advice relating to Acceptance. Usually the advisory sentence begins with the words ‘just’ or ‘simply’. These diminish what is the most difficult thing that anyone can do which is to confront their internal reality when it is what is causing them to suffer. In this context, there is no such thing as ‘Just!’. In this episode, Robert teaches, in a 30 minute session, how to actually accept your internal suffering, as a personal experience and in a way that will allow you to make progress. Acceptance, as Explained in Episode 18 published on December 26, 2018, is 'allowing yourself to feel however you feel in the present moment'. This definition is from Eckhart Tolle and must be the most useful for anyone engaged in inner work. The question then becomes. How do we make this bearable? The answer is the neutral spot meditation which Robert teaches in this session.

    It is important that you apply the Four Rules of Meditation!

    1. You are in control. You can stop the meditation whenever you want, do another meditation, meditate for as long as you wish.
  • Take baby steps, work with tiny emotions and tiny unhelpful thought patterns first. Remember that you are practicing.
  • Fix your roof in the sunshine. You do this when you are feeling powerful! Not when you are feeling overwhelmed. If you can’t dedicate the best time of your week, day or month to meditation, you aren’t taking it seriously and you should maybe come back and give it another go when you can.
  • Do less than you can. Never push the envelope. Be patient. All will arise in time.

    • Emotionally, *never* go digging. There is no need to as all suffering will arise in our experience in time if we provide a space for it in our practices. If you aren’t in contact yet with whatever emotion is in the background of your day just continue with the meditations and in time you will be able to do that.
    The Neutral Spot Meditation
    We first calm our minds with a basic mindfulness meditation. We need to be in a good place to do any emotional work.
    When our minds are as calm as they can be, we focus our attention on a part of our body that has neutral sensations. Somewhere where we can’t feel an emotional response
    Examples might be: big toe, knees, elbows, etc.
    Move the focus of your attention to the place in our body that is the location of your uncomfortable physical or emo tional sensations.
    Leave the focus of your attention there for as long as it remains comfortable to do so. You are looking for the equivalent of a pin-prick in terms of discomfort at the most.
    Return the focus of your attention to the neutral place and leave your attention there until you have tuned in on the neutral spot and are aware of it fully
    Repeat only if this works for you.
    You are looking for the discomfort to diminish.
    This exercise is the equivalent of dipping our finger or toe into the water to see how hot or cold it is. It is *not* like diving in.
    If this works for you, you will feel better! Not worse. It is not an endurance process.

    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -

    Three live-streamed classes each week.

    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updated
    with new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.
    https://lovingawareness.fm/

    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation Course
    Podcast here:
    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245

    30 min
  • Freedom from the Modern Mind
    Most of the content that fills our minds is a reflection of our common cultural narrative. The goods and bads, rights and wrongs, fairs and unfairs that we adopt from what we learn and from trying to interpret the beliefs of our peers.
    The modern mind then judges, compares, complains, and weaves a compelling narrative (which we often accept unquestioningly) that much of what we experience, often including ourselves, is not good enough. The resulting inner narrative couldn't be more destructive for our happiness. Learn how to recognise this self-sabotaging process and, over time, neutralise it.
    In this episode, Robert takes the listeners on a meditative journey into thought and the mind to teach us how we can discover a state of mind without the incessant repetition of the modern mind.
    This is a recording of a live-streamed class from The Loving Awareness Meditation Course -Three live-streamed classes each week.
    You can subscribe to The Loving Awareness Meditation Course website for free to be updatedwith new podcast episodes, offers and information on training.https://lovingawareness.fm/
    If you want to just listen to meditations without the guidance, visit The Meditation CoursePodcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-meditation-course/id1549271245
    54 min

About The Meditation Course Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to The Meditation Course Podcast. I am Robert Mitchell. I teach meditation, mindfulness and resilience in London, England. The podcast episodes are recordings of classes I run on my online meditation course called The Meditation Course.