Links to videos and recordings for the Mindfulness & Performance course.
Pre-course Preparation
Intake Form
Mindfulness Meditation FAQ
The science behind mindfulness & performance:
——-Awesome study on short term meditation yielding results http://jtoomim.org/brain-training/Zeidan2010_Mindfulness_Meditation.pdf
———-Same study with different info (media report = easier to read): https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414184220.htm
———Another short term study yielding results (if I’m remembering correctly) http://www.pnas.org/content/104/43/17152.long#ref-11
Contemplating Mindfulness at Work: An Integrative Review (article): Darren J. Good, et al. look at research to date on using mindfulness in the workplace. (2015)
How Does Meditation Change the Brain? – Instant Egghead #54 (video, 2:23) Ferris Jabr, editor for Scientific American, describes how meditation can sharpen attention, strengthen memory and improve other mental abilities. Scientific American editor Ferris Jabr examines the changes in brain structure behind some of these benefits. Published on Oct 31, 2013
How Meditation Can Reshape Our Brains (video): Dr. Sara Lazar at TEDxCambridge 2011. Enlightening presentation by neuroscientist, Dr Lazar, presenting her work on how meditation changes the structures of the brain.
——Neuroplasticity (video) Dr Lara Boyd’s TEDxVancouver presentation on her research into neuroplasticity: how our daily behaviors shape our brain, why practice is important and that we all learn differently. This presentation helps us understand how practicing meditation literally shapes our brain – like all of the activities that we do – and why regular practice is important in maintaining the physical structures and mental benefits. This is one of the clearest descriptions of neuroplasticity I’ve ever seen.
Mind the Bump – Mindfulness and how the brain works (video, 3:50min) Smiling Mind’s animated description of how the brain works (neuroplasticity – the more we worry the better we become at worrying and if we practice being calm, clear and focused we can strengthen these networks too; frontal lobes – when strengthened can manage strong emotions and respond with flexibility; amygdala – monitors stress and anxiety and releases stress hormones; and how mindfulness helps us regulate all of these things, literally changing the structure of the brain. Published Feb 2, 2015.
What is mindfulness meditation?
What is Mindfulness? (article) – Dr. Danny Penman’s description of mindfulness. Including how to do it, observing without criticizing (being non-judgmental), it’s secular, you can sit in chairs and practice anywhere, it doesn’t take a lot of time, it’s not complicated, it increases clarity vs dulling your edge.
What Do We Have All Wrong About Meditation? (video, 4:10), Happify animated video featuring Dan Harris, dispelling 3 myths: meditation is only for weird people, it’s too hard and I don’t have time to do it.
Mindfulness (article) Good, historical description of modern western mindfulness meditation.
Week 1
—–Presence Exercise
The Long Journey to Becoming ‘10% Happier’ (video, start at 9:37) Dan Harris’ ABC News Nightline report on meditation, why he started, the benefits and how to do it.
Meditation 101: A Beginner’s Guide Animation (video, 2:01min) Happify animation featuring Dan Harris, news correspondent with a clear explanation of how to practice mindfulness meditation.
Week 1 Bonus Information:
What is Mindfulness? (video, 5:17min) Mindfulness expert Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn defines “What is mindfulness?” and discusses the hard work and rewards of practicing mindfulness. Jan 3, 2013
Contemplating Mindfulness at Work: An Integrative Review (article): Darren J. Good, et al. look at research to date on using mindfulness in the workplace. (2015)
Week 2
Understanding Meditation | Changing perspective (video, 1:36min), Andy Puddicomb for Headspace;
How to work with thoughts: Watching thoughts go by like watching passing cars / traffic
Week 3
Mindfulness Dissolves Thoughts — Attention Is What’s Left Over, with Jon Kabat-Zinn (video, 5:28), Jon Kakat-Zin, the creator of modern mindfulness practice, on how to work with thoughts. That you don’t need to do anything with them other than watch them. This awareness makes them disappear like soap bubbles. Great video!
Week 3 Bonus Information:
Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality | Anil Seth (Start at 4min or 6min to 8:51) Your brain creates reality from the inside out as much or more as from the outside in. Why is this important? Because if you think that your thoughts are real, that your thoughts define the reality around you, you are likly to get lost in them. If instead, you realize that your thoughts are your mind thinking, much like what you see is your eyes looking – and maybe not the actual reality (the eyes can be fooled!) – but your perception of it in the moment, then you don’t have to believe it. You can notice, hey, this is a thought. This is me thinking.
Week 4
Week 5
——Finding My Center
Week 6