Mindfulness, or mindful awareness, is a state of attention that is normal in human beings. Everyone is mindful, or aware, to some degree, but many people limit their awareness to just getting by. We usually use our attention to survive life's threats and demands or to avoid pain and find happiness. But if we develop more mindfulness we'll have greater choice, more opportunities, life will feel richer, and for some people with difficulties, mindfulness will help transform their experience greatly for the better.

It is normal for people to go through life without much awareness. Once you master the skill of driving a car you find you can drive whilst you think, listen to the radio or ipod, even talk without any real conscious awareness of driving. Sometimes it seems you're on autopilot. You arrive somewhere without much memory of the process of getting there. You might think it's a skill to do lots of things at once and in some ways it is. However, it's not the best way to make the most of life if this is our automatic way of being. Many people go through life in this automaric way. Responding to the needs of a situation without being really conscious of what they are feeling, thinking, or what the sensations in their body are telling them. Sometime people are not very aware of others, nor the world around them.

Some days you feel more alive, more awake and life seems brighter, more expansive. It feels good and easy. However, other times you may feel dull or restricted. Life seems difficult and everything seems to need more effort. This is human life!

For those with long term difficulties like stress, pain, or illness, life can feel like one long succession of dull or difficult days. There are days when it's hard to find joy, peace or happiness. Everything feels restricted. You feel blocked! Maybe weary and tired. When this goes on for too long you get worn down by your experience.

This Introduction to Mindfulness On-Line course teaches people how to train themselves to be more aware, feel more alive and to know what is happening, as it happens. You will learn how to make choices about how to respond more creatively, not just reacting without really knowing what you're doing.

Anyone can learn to become more aware, more mindful. It just takes a little training to experience the benefits of greater awareness and mindfulness. Learning any new skill requires time and regular practice; but these days time feels limited and practising a new skill seems to require a great deal of effort. So this course has been developed to make it as easy as possible for you to practice. It only requires you to take a break for ten minutes each morning and ten minutes each afternoon or evening.

You need to commit yourself to taking these breaks while our trainers lead you through a mindfulness practice. It's that simple!

You can do this on your computer, or listening via an app on your iPhone or smart phone.

The Introduction to Mindfulness On-Line course is a great way to learn and develop the ability to be more mindful.

Doing this for just a few days will help you feel different. Doing it regularly for eight weeks can change your life! You quickly learn to practice on your own so you can continue for the rest of your life.

When things are going well you may not feel a need to be too mindful, but you will get so much more out of life if you are. And when facing difficulties, mindfulness will open up so many more possibilities and choices for you.

This is what Eva Lidén said after competing the course:

"All those who live or work at a high tempo should try this course"
Eva Lidén, Human Resources manager at a Savingbank called Sparbanken Nord, where a group of employees formed a pilot group practising this Web-based Introduction to mindfulness.

This Introduction to Mindfulness On-Line course has been developed by the Mindfulness Center in Sweden and co-produced in English together with Breathworks.

Follow these links to go back to the Introduction to Mindfulness or Mindfulness for Health online course pages, where you will also find links to register or login.