Begin Again
For many of us, September is about new beginnings: Kids off to school or college; summer ending and work or other commitments kicking into gear. It's an auspicious time to begin again. What is so comforting about our mindfulness practice is that every moment presents an opportunity to begin again.
In meditation, when we find ourselves lost in thought, obsessing about our job worries, woes or replaying that TV show endlessly, we can always start again. The realization that we are lost in thought is a moment of mindfulness. When we recognize it, we begin again, returning to our breath. And we do so with great kindness and no judgment. Beginning again is simply part of the meditative process.
Similarly, when our hard-won daily meditation practice gets lax, when we're rushing about, overly busy, and no time to meditate, we might realize we've "fallen off the wagon." But we have a simple, non-judgmental remedy: begin again. Recommit to a regular practice and start that very day. Or set the bar low, how about just 4 days a week for 10 minutes?
And when we've practiced for a long time but somehow life intervenes and we haven't meditated for years, why not begin our practice again? Or when we've said something we regret to our child or other family member, repair it and begin again.
Beginning again, with great kindness and self-forgiveness, is one of the joyful gifts of mindfulness.
Join our MARC classes and events to help support your own process of beginning again.
Diana Winston
Director of Mindfulness Education
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
www.uclahealth.org/marc
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Live-Online and Pre- Recorded
MAPs Classes |
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This year-long program provides training, support, and supervision to those wishing to incorporate mindfulness into their occupation or to share mindfulness with individuals, groups, communities, or institutions. The program consists of four Live Online practicums with a potential In-Person at UCLA option*, each 4-5 days, and additional meetings by phone or online. Successful completion of this program provides a document of completion as a Trained Mindfulness Facilitator (TMF) from the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
*In 2023, the TMF will be Live Online where we will meet via Zoom. Additionally, depending on the pandemic, we may offer a simultaneous In-Person at UCLA option. This hybrid program would allow you to participate either live online or in-person at UCLA. We will clarify if the hybrid is being offered when you receive your acceptance letter.
Participants will choose how they wish to participate with each practicum, depending on what MARC will make available. The program will be responsive to the Covid-19 pandemic. For further information, please read Information about the Practicum Format.
Application Deadline: Sunday, October 23, 2022 (11:59PM PST)
Admissions Notifications: Tuesday, November 29, 2022
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The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC- MSC)
with Gael Belden |
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The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC-MSC) is a 6-week adaptation of the empirically-supported 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program designed to begin the cultivation of the skills of self-compassion. SC-MSC was developed by Kristin Neff, PhD, the pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion and Christopher Germer, PhD, a leader in the integration of mindfulness, compassion and psychotherapy.
Most of us feel compassion for our close friends when they are struggling. What would it be like to receive the same caring attention from yourself when you needed it most? All that’s required is a shift in attention—recognizing that as a human being, you, too, are a worthy recipient of compassion. Self-compassion involves the capacity to comfort and soothe ourselves, and to motivate ourselves with encouragement, when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate. Self-compassion is learned in part by connecting with our innate compassion for others and including ourselves in that circle of compassion. The practice of self-compassion also helps to grow and sustain our compassion for others.
This program is designed for members of the general public, based on the values of equity, diversity, inclusiveness and belonging. Meditation experience is not necessary to participate in SC-MSC. All are welcome!
Dates: Tuesdays, Sept 6-Oct 11
Time: 5:00 PM- 6:30 PM, PT
Cost: $0-$200
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MAPs Applications: Mindfulness for Adult ADHD Part 3
Resolving Distraction and Procrastination |
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Living with an ADHD brain in a neurotypical system can be debilitating. But with proper mindfulness training one can live a fulfilling and successful life.
In this class, we explore distraction and procrastination, which can cause much agony and disappointment in life. We will learn that there are benefits to distraction and procrastination and ways to develop attention and focus to be strategic and purposeful in life.
To strengthen and balance the ADHD brain, we learn about the three capacities in attention and the six faculties of focus. Attendees can evaluate how much development they have in each area and what aspects to develop.
Dates: Wednesdays, Sept 7-Oct 5
(5-week class)
Time: 4:00 PM- 6:00 PM, PT
Cost: $0-$200
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MAPs III: Exploring Advanced Loving-Kindness Practices
with Diana Winston |
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In this new MAPs III class, we'll take a deeper dive into the practice of loving-kindness. There are many variations on how to do loving-kindness meditations. We can practice it in a way which cultivates concentration. We can use it on the spot or within meditation to work with challenging emotions. It can also be a practice which, similarly to mindfulness, can cultivate insight. Finally, it can be practiced as a facet of awareness itself.
Through lecture, meditations, dialogue, and guided exercises, we will deepen our understanding and embodiment of loving-kindness.
Dates: Thurdays, Sept 8-Oct 20
No Class September 15
Time: 10:00 AM- 12:00 Noon, PT
Cost: $0-$200
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The Next Stage in the Clinical Applications of Mindfulness: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
with Lobsang Rapgay, PhD |
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Unlike early applications of mindfulness which primarily focus on the breath and body, the four foundations encompass the entire human experience beginning with the body, then sensations and feelings, to positive and negative emotions and thoughts, and finally, the analytical processing of their origins, elimination, and prevention. The first three foundations deal with the stripping of all projective meaning of human experiences so that the practitioner can experience them as they are. Having learned to experience things as they are, the last foundation then analyzes the habitual way of biased experiencing, their origins, maintenance factors, and how to eliminate and prevent their recurrence.
The four-week workshop will present the clinical application of the four foundations in the context of anxiety disorders. The workshop is of relevance and benefit to therapists who are deeply committed to the clinical use of mindfulness and to those who wish to understand the four foundations from a psychological perspective.
Dates: Thurdays, Sept 8-29
Time: 4:00 PM- 5:00 PM, PT
Cost: $0-$125
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MAPs III: Reconciling Paradox with Mindfulness
with Brian Shiers |
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The deep practice of mindfulness is filled with instructions and claims that often seem paradoxical:
- Make the ‘effortless effort’.
- In order to change, accept things as they are.
- Mindfulness is a form of self-observation. Except, there is no self.
Sound confusing?
In this six-week course, we will explore these and many other ideas that often seem to be at odds with logic, and our life experience. Through explorations of poetry, science, short readings, and an in-depth look at Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, students will gain meaning and revelation while leaving plenty of space for guided practice and group discussion.
Dates: Saturdays, Sept 17-Oct 22
Time: 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM, PT
Cost: $0-$200
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Day of Mindfulness:
Energy, Calm, Ease, and Well-Being--
Practicing Mindfulness at Home
with Marvin G. Belzer, PhD |
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The basics of mindfulness meditation are at the core of a mindfulness practice. Our homes offer special opportunities for mindfulness practice both in meditation and in our daily activities.
In this daylong we will meditate; and also we playfully will bring more awareness into our current lives at home: the spaces we occupy; how we check the news; in our relationships; how we eat; and in play.
This daylong is suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators.
Dates: Saturday, Sept 24
Time: 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM, PT
Cost: $0-$75
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Day of Mindfulness:
Luminous Darkness: Mindfulness Practices for Navigating the Unknown
with Deborah Eden Tull |
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Join Deborah Eden Tull for a deeply restorative, experiential day-long retreat exploring mindfulness practices that take us into our bodies, beyond the realm of concepts, in order to see more clearly from the heart. The symbolic darkness of our times can be a great teacher for cultivating the qualities of curiosity, receptivity, and attunement required to navigate the unknown from presence and compassion. One of the gifts of global uncertainty is that it requires us to recognize and let go of unconscious biases that have been passed down for generations. These include the perception that splits into opposites and values light over dark, speed over slowing down, productivity over attunement, opinion over curiosity, and expression over receptivity. Awakening requires that we soften the habit of binary perception and restore our natural capacity to perceive clearly with the heart.
This retreat involves meditation and mindful inquiry, relational mindfulness, guided imagery, and Q&A. This retreat celebrates Deborah Eden Tull's newest book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown (Shambhala 2022).
All are welcome!
Dates: Saturday, Oct 15
Time: 10:00 AM- 3:00 PM, PT
Cost: $0-$75
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