SMILING MIND, the free Australian mindfulness website and app provides a simply jumpstart into mindfulness while aiming to raise funds for charity. Join the 7 day mindfulness challenge now.

Teachers, mindfulness is terrific for you. It has been shown to result in “significant improvements in stress, wellbeing, mindfulness, and self-compassion” of teachers who learn and practice it. And it has super benefits for students:

• Increased emotional regulation
• Increased social skills
• Increased ability to orient attention
• Increased working memory and planning and organization
• Increased self esteem
• Increased sense of calmness, relaxation, and self acceptance.
• Increased quality of sleep
• Decreased test anxiety
• Decreased ADHD behaviors- specifically hyperactivity and impulsivity
• Decreased negative affect/ emotions
• Decreased anxiety
• Decreased depression
• Fewer conduct and anger management problems

Sounds good, right? So how to get started? For those on a budget, I suggest starting with Smiling Minds from Australia. It is very well scoped and sequenced, comprehsnive and well laid out. 

Select your age group

Rate your mood before and after:

All the meditations can be streamed or downloaded to itunes

Super clean interface, nicely laid out. Learn more at their Youtube Channel. 

.B is a project of the Mindfulness in Schools project has a wonderful program but you must be trained in order to access the ten lessons:

They do offer training all over the world. Here is the founder talking about how it works. 

The other major player is John Kabat-Zinn with his Mindfulness Based Stress Reducation. They also require training:

Hear John speak about the project. 

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See mindful in action with such documentaries as Room to Breath

And Healthy Habbits of Mind (complete movie Below):

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Goldie Hawn Discusses Her Mind Up Program 

and with dan Siegal at TED MED

Move Into Learning is a hybre approach including mindfulness, yoga, movement etc. 

What

Why

Here is an EXCELLENT summary on many benefits of Mindfulness

Did you know… mindfulness meditation actually makes positive structural changes in your brains neurocircuitry? This physical “re-wiring” of your brain increases attention, focus, and concentration, as well as reduces stress and cortisol levels, improves sexuality and mood states, slows aging, enhances empathy, improves emotional intelligence, as well as treats addiction, anxiety, and depression.

and a wonderful video summary

Did you know that if you stay in the moment, you are happier…even if the task is not one you love?

So says Matt killingsworth of Track Your Happiness.  By downloading and using this free APP, it will not only help you be more mindful, but also help in further research. Here is what Matt has learned so far:

Getting started on your own meditation

There are several websites offering advice about the actual mechanics of meditating: GIAIM, Zen Habbits, Mindful, GoodlifeZen. 

• Basically they all offer similiar tips:
• Make it a routine
• Get comfortable and create a space. 
• Turn off phones and other distractions. 
• Start small and work up to bigger meditations
• Forgive yourself when you don’t quite get there. 

I think doing it with someone, taking a course or following a specific program is a very good idea. Some free options:

Smiling Mind

They have a special 7 Day Challenge Starts Feb 16th. 

Oprah & Deepak’s 21-Day Meditation Experience Starts March 16th. 

A really well laid out 8 week training of MBSR. No fees, no regsitraions. Just dive in. Not just the meditation, but reading and videos. Very nice. 

Insight meditation has a ack to basics 6 week course, complete with audio and written transcripts. 

Get yourself an iphone (or Android) App or two

App developers have done a truly wonderful job bringing mindfulness to our mobile world. Some are medtitation timers, others are simply reminders to take a moment, while others offer guided meditation and tracking programs. Lifehacker, Outside Magzaine, and Healthline have all recently done a “best of” roundup recently. Some common ones include:

More advanced options

UCLA offers up some great free guided meditations:

Not to be outdone, UCSD also offers more great meditations and Yoga lessons:

• 45 Minute Body Scan guided by Steven Hickman
  • (55 Mb) This is the “regular” Body Scan that is on the basic set of CDs given to all participants.
• (Mono) 45 Minute Body Scan guided by Steven Hickman
  • (33 Mb) This is a smaller file (mono) version of the Body Scan above.
• 20 Minute Body Scan guided by Steven Hickman
  • (27Mb) This is a shortened version of the standard 45-minute Body Scan used in the MBSR course.
• 45 Minute Seated Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (55 Mb) This is the “regular” Seated Meditation.
• (Mono) 45 Minute Seated Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (32 Mb) This is a smaller file (mono) version of the Seated Meditation above.
• 20 Minute Seated Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (8Mb)This is a slightly shorter version of the standard 45-minute Seated Meditation used in the MBSR course.
• 15 Minute Lovingkindess Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (18Mb) This traditional meditation practice is intended to help the practitioner cultivate compassion.
• 10 Minute Wisdom Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (12Mb)This practice assists the practitioner to cultivate and access his or her inner wisdom for healing, kindness and compassion.
• 15 Minute Awareness of Breath Meditation guided by Lois Howland
• 15 Minute Mindful Movement Meditation guided by Lois Howland
• 15 Minute Mountain Meditation guided by Lois Howland

FreeMindfulness has done wonderful job compiling various free meditations. 

What

Why

Here is an EXCELLENT summary on many benefits of Mindfulness

Did you know… mindfulness meditation actually makes positive structural changes in your brains neurocircuitry? This physical “re-wiring” of your brain increases attention, focus, and concentration, as well as reduces stress and cortisol levels, improves sexuality and mood states, slows aging, enhances empathy, improves emotional intelligence, as well as treats addiction, anxiety, and depression.

and a wonderful video summary

Getting started on your own meditation

There are several websites offering advice about the actual mechanics of meditating: GIAIM, Zen Habbits, Mindful, GoodlifeZen. 

• Basically they all offer similiar tips:
• Make it a routine
• Get comfortable and create a space. 
• Turn off phones and other distractions. 
• Start small and work up to bigger meditations
• Forgive yourself when you don’t quite get there. 

More advanced options

UCLA offers up some great free guided meditations:

Not to be outdone, UCSD also offers more great meditations and Yoga lessons:

• 45 Minute Body Scan guided by Steven Hickman
  • (55 Mb) This is the “regular” Body Scan that is on the basic set of CDs given to all participants.
• (Mono) 45 Minute Body Scan guided by Steven Hickman
  • (33 Mb) This is a smaller file (mono) version of the Body Scan above.
• 20 Minute Body Scan guided by Steven Hickman
  • (27Mb) This is a shortened version of the standard 45-minute Body Scan used in the MBSR course.
• 45 Minute Seated Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (55 Mb) This is the “regular” Seated Meditation.
• (Mono) 45 Minute Seated Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (32 Mb) This is a smaller file (mono) version of the Seated Meditation above.
• 20 Minute Seated Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (8Mb)This is a slightly shorter version of the standard 45-minute Seated Meditation used in the MBSR course.
• 15 Minute Lovingkindess Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (18Mb) This traditional meditation practice is intended to help the practitioner cultivate compassion.
• 10 Minute Wisdom Meditation guided by Steven Hickman
  • (12Mb)This practice assists the practitioner to cultivate and access his or her inner wisdom for healing, kindness and compassion.
• 15 Minute Awareness of Breath Meditation guided by Lois Howland
• 15 Minute Mindful Movement Meditation guided by Lois Howland
• 15 Minute Mountain Meditation guided by Lois Howland

What

Why

Here is an EXCELLENT summary on many benefits of Mindfulness

Did you know… mindfulness meditation actually makes positive structural changes in your brains neurocircuitry? This physical “re-wiring” of your brain increases attention, focus, and concentration, as well as reduces stress and cortisol levels, improves sexuality and mood states, slows aging, enhances empathy, improves emotional intelligence, as well as treats addiction, anxiety, and depression.

and a wonderful video summary

Getting started on your own meditation

UCLA offers up some great free guided meditations:

So claims Healthline in a wonderful round up. 

Over at John Leiff’s blog. Chocker block of all the most relevant research findings, this is actually a great starting point. 

From Ted X

Check out Forbes list of CEOs who swear by meditation.

“I have the mental clarity and alertness for both laser-like focus on the details as well as broad comprehension,”

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ceos-who-meditate-2012-5?op=1#ixzz3R7rp0VDP