You cannot overcome pressure through intellect or willpower. This course is designed to train your body and mind through guided experiences. Learn how engaging your body changes the way you meet the challenges of life.
This 10-week course starts on July 27. It consists of:
✓ Five self-study classes: Coming into embodied presence
✓ Five live Zoom sessions for live support and deeper integration
✓ Daily practice suggestions
✓ Recordings of all live sessions
✓ US$120, with a Free option (self-study only) if cost is a barrier
Under stress, we do not rise to our best, we fall back to our level of preparedness
You intend to be less reactive, or more assertive, or more present… It’s all abstract until the moment when you are confronting a difficult situation. The moment when the rubber hits the road.
That is, the moment when the fears and pressures that keep you from changing come to the foreground and drown out all the logic and motivation that was behind your intentions.
What makes these fears and pressures so powerful is that they are embodied. They manifest as energy. It can be high intensity energy (tensions in your body) or loss of energy (numbing out or giving up).
Training your body and mind
By embodied presence, we mean the capacity to stay connected with yourself while responding to what life asks of you.
Proactive mindfulness involves engaging with your body in a way that helps you be more present and effective in what you do.
You could think of it as a rehearsal for the moment of change. But it’s not just a rehearsal. It is also a way to awaken embodied resources that were dormant until you engage with them.
Experience how engaging your body changes how you respond under pressure
The course leads you to learn through guided experiences. Why? Because our mind and body learn more deeply through experience than through explanations.
You follow simple instructions to pay more attention to parts of your body and notice what happens as you do it. This lets you discover from inside out how embodied presence works.
Like meditation, these guided experiences cultivate attentive awareness rather than willpower. Unlike traditional meditation, they actively engage the body as a way of developing presence under pressure. And you don’t need to be a meditator to enjoy them.
Why take this course
– Discover how your body has more resources than you thought;
– Train your body and mind rather than relying on willpower.
– Combine flexible self-study pace and live Q&A to address your specific questions and deepen your practice.
About us
This course was developed by Merete Holm Brantbjerg and Serge Prengel. Our work with somatic, trauma-informed therapies has enriched our understanding of mindfulness beyond what we had gotten from meditation and mindfulness traditions. We have come to see mindfulness as an action-oriented healing process that can be integrated into everyday life and help all of us engage more fully in our lives.
Typical comments from previous participants
– “I now understand what it feels like to be engaged with life and how it has to do with engaging the body instead of willpower.“
– “I see how parts of my body have been disengaged and how this has meant functioning without a full deck.“
– “Empowering and mind-expanding!“
Specifics of the course
5 self-study classes, every other week starting week of July 27
– Class materials released every other week, on Monday.
– Each class includes a guided meditation and instructions.
– Each class takes 15 to 25 minutes (on your own schedule).
– Each class includes suggestions for daily practice (a few minutes a day, as it works for you).
Class topics:
Week of July 27: Engaging with your body
Week of August 10: Engaging with your feet and legs
Week of August 24: Engaging with your torso
Week of September 7: Engaging with your core
Week of September 21: Personal integration
5 live Zoom sessions, the week after each class
5 live Q&A sessions on Zoom, on the Monday after you receive class instructions, at a time convenient for many time zones: from 1 to 2 PM New York time:
August 3 (with Merete & Serge)
August 17 (with Merete & Serge)
August 31 (with Serge)
September 14 (with Merete & Serge)
September 28 (with Merete & Serge)
Answers to FAQ
– We will be recording the Live sessions so that you can catch up if you miss a session. But we encourage you to attend all of the Live sessions in person.
– You do not need to have a traditional mindfulness practice to take this course.
– If you have a traditional mindfulness background, we believe you will experience the course as skillful means that will help you deepen your current practice and apply it in everyday life.
– This is not a therapy course, but it is very useful for therapists as a way to better understand yourself and your clients.
– This course is not a good fit for people who are looking for quick fixes or passive listening. It is for people who value mindful learning and personal integration of experience.
Pricing & Enrollment
The price is US$120. It includes all self-study classes and Live sessions to address your specific questions and deepen your practice. Enroll here for the Full Course.
NOTE: We want these tools to be accessible to everyone. If the course fee is a barrier, you are welcome to register for Self-Study (without Live sessions) at no cost. Enroll here for the Free Track.