Meditation Overall Objective
Meditation is considered the “fruit of the practices.” Meditation allows us to live more fully, more happily by showing us that we do have choice. We live more fully awake and less distracted by “filters”. As Patanjali says, “It is the stilling of the mind so we can see our true splendor.” In this Course, students will learn the philosophy, psychology and neuroscience behind meditation and how to apply these concepts to practice and teaching.
Meditation Learning Objective
The trainee will understand what meditation is, why we do it and how it is done. They will learn several types of meditation and how and when to use them.
- Students will learn the history & philosophy of meditation from the Vedic times through our current research on the topic.
- Students will learn how meditation affects our physiology especially the physiology of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
- Students will learn how to practice basic meditation techniques.
- Students will learn how to teach basic meditation techniques and demonstrate this in a practicum setting.
Reading
- Course Five Lesson PDFs
- Part 4, Moving into Stillness, Schiffmann
- Chapters 12, 13 & 14 Heart of Yoga, Desikachar
- Chapter 9, Teaching Yoga, Mark Stephens
- Extra reading/listening: Any meditation CD, especially Max Strom & Erich Schiffmann’s
Writing
Journaling – to keep for yourself. Sit quietly for 10 minutes at home twice a week as Schiffman suggests.
- Take notes after your daily pranayama and meditation.
- What kinds of things come to mind?
- You might try practicing pranayama or meditation with a different yama/niyama theme each week.
- Write a script for teaching a beginning class five minute meditation.
- What is the experience of meditation according to Schiffman?
- What are the three phases of meditation?
- What is the listening that Schiffman talks about?
- Are you able to experience it?
