A mindfulness practice is the key to fully living and experiencing the events in

A mindfulness practice is the key to fully living and experiencing the events in your life. When we are mindful, the simplest experience becomes more meaningful. We live in a society that places emphasis on language and the cognitive process (over thinking!), so we often repress our sensory experiences. In addition, paying attention to “what’s happening now without judgment” increases our ability to have healthy relationships as our ability to communicate effectively is improved. This is your chance to practice developing a mindfulness practice by using the MAC guide—A template is provided to you to complete and submit for each chapter within the weekly units.
In writing your journal entries, there are many opportunities to include personal experiences about your daily living. The purpose of this assignment is for you to reflect on any mindful experience you have after reading the chapters and reflecting upon the lecture materials for the week, listening to the supplemental music/meditations or the meditation video, or any experience you have during the week where you felt you were mindful.
Your entry should be at least 350 – 500 words.
Make sure you provide one unique entry for each chapter. They can be on the same document, of course. But it is important that you provide a separate journal entry for each chapter.
Mindful Awareness Journals cannot be submitted beyond the due date.
Use this template:
Chapter Three
Acknowledge(describe the experience just as it is without internal or external filters).
Intentional Attention(describe what each of your senses were experiencing during that moment).
Accept Without Judgment(write about how you were or were not able to be present in that experience without judging or having expectations)
Willing Choose (write about how you responded to your experience; what you learned as a result of this experience and how this experience made you more aware for the future).
Mindful Meditation Experience (Mindful Practice) write about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences you had during or after your meditation experience.
Chapter Four
Acknowledge(describe the experience just as it is without internal or external filters).
Intentional Attention(describe what each of your senses were experiencing during that moment).
Accept Without Judgment(write about how you were or were not able to be present in that experience without judging or having expectations)
Willing Choose (write about how you responded to your experience; what you learned as a result of this experience and how this experience made you more aware for the future).
Mindful Meditation Experience (Mindful Practice) write about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences you had during or after your meditation experience.
Each of us is different so we will all have unique experiences and interpret the readings/materials in various ways. There is no right or wrong answer with this assignment. It is meant for you to practice learning mindfulness as part of your daily routine. As long as I can tell you are reading the course materials and are somehow relating it to what is happening in your daily life, what you decide to reflect on is up to you. It is your journal for personal growth and reflection! It is also kept private between student and instructor.
Please put forth effort with this assignment. I will be closely reading each and every one of them. One sentence answers really are not going to cut it! Since this is your own personal experience, it should not be difficult to write a short paragraph or at least several sentences for each section of the journal. You actually might find it fun, helpful, and even stress relieving for you to jot down your thoughts and experiences as they come up in your journals. Do not over think it!
This assignment will help you develop the beginnings of your mindfulness practice. Paying attention to your experiences and staying in the moment while quieting the mind can be a challenge. If your mind drifts from the moment, be patient with yourself without judging your experience.