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Mindful Store: Get Started with Mindfulness Course

Course program

Get Started with Mindfulness is a self-paced online course from Mindful Store, the publishing arm of Mindful magazine. It introduces mindfulness as a practical, secular skill anyone can develop, with short guided practices for everyday stress, focus, and emotional reactivity. The course is taught by registered psychotherapist Elaine Smookler.

This course is open to complete beginners. No prior meditation experience or credentials are required. It is designed for anyone curious about mindfulness as a way to defuse stress, work with difficult emotions, or build a personal practice, including people exploring meditation for the first time and those who have tried apps or short sessions and want a more structured introduction.

The curriculum is organized into six sections. Start Here orients you to mindfulness with an introduction and a readiness check. Common Questions answers five recurring beginner questions, including whether mindfulness is a relaxation technique, how long to practice, and what to do when the mind wanders. How Mindfulness Helps covers the science of mindfulness, mindfulness at work, mindfulness in everyday life, the habit-forming brain, and what actually makes people happy. How to Sit walks through posture, including meditating on a cushion, in an office chair, and on a meditation bench.

The largest section, Guided Meditation Practices, includes ten audio practices: the CALM practice, a mindful breathing practice, the Three-Minute Breathing Space, the STOP practice, a counting practice, the “what went well?” practice, a loving-kindness practice, a four-part awareness practice, a mindful eating practice, and a mindful body scan. The Next Steps section closes with guidance on continuing your practice, the difference between forcefulness and gentleness, and on developing awareness and worldview.

The course is taught by Elaine Smookler, a registered psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and performer. She is on faculty at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, where she teaches Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs. She has also taught at the University of Toronto’s medical school and facilitated The Mindfulness Project at SickKids hospital.

The course is fully self-paced with lifetime access. After purchase, you receive access through the Mindful Online Learning platform via a confirmation email, and you can return to the materials anytime from the My Courses area. There are no live sessions or cohort dates. Content is delivered through short written lessons and audio guided practices that you can use as a standalone library after completing the course.

The curriculum is organized into six sections. Start Here orients you to mindfulness with an introduction and a readiness check. Common Questions answers five recurring beginner questions, including whether mindfulness is a relaxation technique, how long to practice, and what to do when the mind wanders. How Mindfulness Helps covers the science of mindfulness, mindfulness at work, mindfulness in everyday life, the habit-forming brain, and what actually makes people happy. How to Sit walks through posture, including meditating on a cushion, in an office chair, and on a meditation bench.

The largest section, Guided Meditation Practices, includes ten audio practices: the CALM practice, a mindful breathing practice, the Three-Minute Breathing Space, the STOP practice, a counting practice, the “what went well?” practice, a loving-kindness practice, a four-part awareness practice, a mindful eating practice, and a mindful body scan. The Next Steps section closes with guidance on continuing your practice, the difference between forcefulness and gentleness, and on developing awareness and worldview.

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