Cours de Meditation

Meditation is an activity involving a person practicing self reflection, or disciplining themself to be “in the moment”—in other words, fully focused on or mentally involved in what they are doing. It can refer to specific religious or spiritual practice, such as those in Buddhism, or simply engaging in thought or contemplation. Individuals often use meditative practices to promote personal growth, peace, and contentment.

Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, has encouraged Western scholars to critically examine meditative practices. A number of Scientists have done brain scans of meditators, opening up questions about the effects meditation has on people. Whether learners want to dive into the depths of research on meditation, explore its roots in Buddhism, or become more introspective, Meditation is an important subject to learn.‎

There are a wide variety of jobs that utilize knowledge in Meditation at various levels of education. Some are in the fields of Psychology and Healthcare, others in Religion, Fitness, Education, Research, the arts, and others.

Some specific roles that involve knowledge in Meditation include Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Music Director, Licensed Clinical Therapist, Licensed Psychologist, Creative Director, Yoga Instructor, and more.‎

Courses on Meditation offered through Coursera help learners gain knowledge on self reflection; philosophies behind the reality humans experience; research on the effects of Meditation; how to achieve positive outcomes through Meditation; and more.

Lessons on Meditation are taught by Instructors from the Religion and Psychology departments of major universities, and are administered via video lectures, readings, quizzes, and opportunities to practice Meditation techniques.‎

The skills or experience you need to have before learning to mediate may include briefly familiarizing yourself with the basics of how the mind works and what it means to breathe well. Knowing how the mind works means you have an understanding that it is constantly distracted and does not like to be still and quiet while meditating. Knowing how to breathe means understanding through some practice the fundamentals of following your breath. Learning to follow your breath helps you to have improved focus so you can begin to acquire the skill of meditation.‎

The kind of person that is best suited to learn about meditation is one who is interested in having a sense of well-being through self-reflection and mindfulness. Self-reflection is the first step to learning meditation. Self-reflection is the exploration of internal emotions and feelings. Mindfulness begins to evolve during the learning of meditation. Mindfulness is the acute but non-judgmental internal awareness of attitudes, habits, emotions, feelings, and thoughts. A person who is suited to learn about meditation is also one who is interested in learning about the benefits of regular meditation and how to integrate them into daily life. In addition, someone suited to learn about meditation may also be one who works in health care, education, or a related field who helps patients or clients manage conditions or symptoms such as pain and anxiety.‎

Learning about meditation may be right for you if you are interested in learning how to enhance your self-exploration and mindfulness. Meditation can also help you become more resilient in difficult times because it might calm your nerves. It can also improve your focus, memory, and brain function because it is a stress-relieving technique. Meditation may also be right for you if you want to learn about the body/mind connection. Learning to focus your mind is shown to reduce stress, pain, and depression and the effects all of this has on your body, mind, and spirit. If you yearn to live with more freedom, peace, authenticity, and ease, learning about meditation may be right for you.‎