Regular meditation has a number of health benefits, including stress relief, greater concentration, a stronger immune system, better quality of sleep, and an overall improved quality of life. This course provides an introduction to Heartfulness meditation, a heart-based system of raja yoga. Through a combination of lecture and practice sessions, students will learn Heartfulness relaxation, meditation, rejuvenation, and connection techniques. Each 120-minute class consists of two components. First, there will be a 60-minute lecture providing an overview of Heartfulness meditation. Lectures will be interspersed with discussions of a range of topics that will help students maintain and deepen their own meditation practice, including how to establish a meditation practice at home, daily meditation routines, getting a good night’s sleep, journal writing as a tool of self-observation, and creating mental well-being for all. Second, there will be a 60-minute practice session in which students will have the opportunity to experience Heartfulness meditation. The course will include guest lecturers, videos, and readings from UC Berkeley and the Heartfulness Institute, a non-profit organization that embraces contemplative thinking, observation, and experiential learning that will lead to expanding consciousness.

This 1-unit DeCal course is being organized by Heartfulness at Berkeley, a registered Health and Wellness student organization at UC Berkeley: https://callink.berkeley.edu/organization/heartfulnessatberkeley.