UCLA: Mindful Awareness Research Center

Upcoming Events Aug/Sept: Live-Online and Pre-Recorded MAPs Classes, various start times and instructors   Training in Mindfulness Facilitation: Application Cycle Deadline October 23, 2022   Sept 6: The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC- MSC) with Gael Belden New Class   Sept 7: MAPs Applications: Mindfulness for Adult ADHD Part 3 with Manijeh Matoghy New Class   Sept 8: MAPs III: Exploring Advanced Loving-Kindness Practices with Diana Winston New Class   Sept 17: MAPs III: Reconciling Paradox with Mindfulness with Brian Shiers New Class   Sept 24: Day of Mindfulness-Energy, Calm, Ease, and Well-Being-- Practicing Mindfulness at Home with Marvin G. Belzer, PhD   Save-the-Date: Day of Mindfulness: Luminous Darkness: Mindfulness Practices for Navigating the Unknown with Deborah Eden Tull   Community Corner Live-Online and Pre- Recorded MAPs Classes

MAPs I & II MAPs I- For Daily Living MAPs II: Next Steps - Improve Your Meditation MAPs II: Cultivating Positive Emotions   MAPs II MAPs II: Cultivating Self-Compassion MAPs II: Working with Difficult Emotions MAPs II: Turning Obstacles into Allies MAPs III MAPs III: Reconciling Paradox with Mindfulness MAPS III: Exploring Advanced Loving-Kindness Practices

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 For More Information & to Apply The Short Course in Mindful Self-Compassion (SC- MSC) with Gael Belden 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 For More Information & to Register MAPs Applications: Mindfulness for Adult ADHD Part 3 Resolving Distraction and Procrastination 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 For More Information & to Register MAPs III: Exploring Advanced Loving-Kindness Practices with Diana Winston 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 For More Information & to Register MAPs III: Reconciling Paradox with Mindfulness with Brian Shiers 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 For More Information & to Register Day of Mindfulness: Energy, Calm, Ease, and Well-Being-- Practicing Mindfulness at Home with Marvin G. Belzer, PhD   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 For More Information & to Register Save-the-Date Saturday, October 15, 2022 Day of Mindfulness Luminous Darkness: Mindfulness Practices for Navigating the Unknown with Deborah Eden Tull More Details TBA Community Corner Mindfulness for Everyone: The Basics and Beyond with Diana Winston, Carol Cano, MA and Alex Haley Mindfulness offers us tools to develop our capacity to pay attention, to regulate emotions, and to cultivate states of lovingkindness, compassion,  and even-mindedness. Mindfulness can be practiced from focused attention to breath to wide open, spacious, natural awareness. Over time one can access states of profound well-being. In this retreat we will practice mindfulness through sitting and walking meditation, as well as in lectures and the opportunity to meet with teachers who will guide our practice. While rooted in the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, this retreat will focus on the practical applications of mindfulness and the range of ways to practice it. It is open to people of all backgrounds and experience, especially those interested in secular mindfulness. Meets requirements for TMF and IPP retreats. Where: Spirit Rock, Woodacre, CA Date: September 12-16, 2022 For More Information & to Register