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Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance

Learn mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and improve your wellbeing and work/study performance in this free online course.

393,916 enrolled on this course

Image of Zen garden with swirling sand patterns around rocks.  This image represents a free online course on Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance.
  • Duration

    6 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours

Tired, distracted and stressed by the pace of modern life? Mindfulness might be the solution.

Mindfulness is essentially about being more aware and awake in every moment of your life. It is about intentionally paying attention to each moment, being fully engaged in whatever is happening around and within you, with an attitude of friendliness and compassion.

Research shows that when we are not deliberately paying attention to something, our brain clicks off into default mode, which is characterised by mind wandering, operating on “autopilot,” dwelling on the past, and worrying about judgment, criticism and the future.

The result can be increased stress and anxiety, poor communication, and impaired academic and occupational functioning.

Learn mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and improve performance

Mindfulness can help you unhook from these unproductive thought patterns and behaviours, and engage more fully with work and leisure time.

This practical six-week course explores the science, practice and philosophy of mindfulness. You will learn how to incorporate mindfulness practices into your life to reduce stress, improve mental health, and enhance your personal and professional life.

You will understand formal mindfulness meditation practices, as well as the informal practice of being mindful in daily life to learn - to pay attention to the present moment instead of worrying, dwelling in the past or reacting to what is happening.

You will also develop an attitude of friendliness and compassion toward yourself, as opposed to self-criticism.

These mindfulness-based approaches have been found to improve executive functioning, learning and memory, performance, communication, empathy, and mental and physical health.

Learn from experienced mindfulness practitioners

Dr Craig Hassed is a General Practitioner and Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, and the Mindfulness Coordinator at Monash University. Craig is a regular speaker in Australia and internationally on the application of mindfulness for health and wellbeing. Craig has authored nine books, including Mindful Learning with Dr Richard Chambers.

Dr Richard Chambers is a clinical psychologist specialising in mindfulness-based therapies. A Mindfulness Consultant at Monash, Richard has published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles and was involved in the development of Smiling Mind, a website and smartphone app designed to make mindfulness accessible to young people.

You can find out more about this course in Craig and Richard’s post for the FutureLearn blog: “Mindfulness: how not to be driven to distraction in this modern world.”

Sign up today, and join the “mindfulness revolution”!

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Skip to 0 minutes and 14 seconds DR.

Skip to 0 minutes and 14 seconds CRAIG HASSED: The pace of modern life is speeding up. Never before have we had so much of the world at our fingertips. Never before have we been bombarded by so much information, so many demands, so many choices, and so many expectations. DR.

Skip to 0 minutes and 29 seconds RICHARD CHAMBERS: This morning, fast paced, 24/7 connected world we live in that seemingly never sleeps comes with great opportunities. But it also comes at a cost to our physical and mental health, and to how we performing in our jobs and our studies. DR.

Skip to 0 minutes and 47 seconds CRAIG HASSED: We are literally driving ourselves to distraction by the way we live. We overload our senses and mind with too much information. We multitask our way through the day, mostly skimming over the surface of life as it unfolds, and thinking about the next moment, but never really enjoying the moment that we’re in. DR.

Skip to 1 minute and 5 seconds RICHARD CHAMBERS: With an ever-increasing pace, we chase a future that never comes, and hold onto a past that is already gone. We end up reacting to situations, rather than responding to them appropriately. Like a fast-flowing river, this modern world we are creating for ourselves is sweeping us along with it, often without questioning whether it is going where we want to go. Even if we do want to slow down and be more present, we may find it difficult, if not impossible, to do so. Even in bed at night, the momentum from the day may still be running. DR.

Skip to 1 minute and 43 seconds CRAIG HASSED: To be unmindful means to be distracted, inattentive, reactive, and disengaged. Being unmindful costs us more than we may realise. It causes us stress, saps our energy, reduces our performance, and, when we’re studying or working, reduces creativity, interferes with communication and relationships, and is bad for our brain, mind, and body. Is there solution? Is there a way that we can look after ourselves, foster our well being, and perform effectively and sustainably at the same time? If so, what is the knowledge, and what are the strategies that will help us to do that? These days the need for an antidote to our collective attention deficit tray is great. The case is compelling that mindfulness is that antidote. DR.

Skip to 2 minutes and 31 seconds RICHARD CHAMBERS: Mindfulness helps us to be more focused, aware, and calm. But it doesn’t mean we have to find a desert island somewhere. It’s about zoning in and living in the moment. When we do this, our stress goes down, and our performance goes up. If that sounds interesting two you, then this course may be exactly what you’re looking for. DR.

Skip to 2 minutes and 55 seconds CRAIG HASSED: The world is currently going through what some have called a mindfulness revolution. It’s a skill that we can all cultivate, and it has many particular applications. Richard and I spend a large part of our professional lives training people in mindfulness skills within Monash University, as well as various professional, educational and community groups outside of Monash. DR.

Skip to 3 minutes and 18 seconds RICHARD CHAMBERS: A growing number of people are practicing and applying mindfulness in ways that are personally meaningful to them.

Skip to 3 minutes and 27 seconds SPEAKER 1: You can fix everything from the inside, not from the outside.

Skip to 3 minutes and 31 seconds SPEAKER 2: What really surprised me about it is the difference it made to my relationships.

Skip to 3 minutes and 36 seconds SPEAKER 3: I can do it anyplace, anywhere, anytime.

Skip to 3 minutes and 39 seconds SPEAKER 4: It helped me to focus on one thing, which meant being much productive as a result. DR.

Skip to 3 minutes and 47 seconds CRAIG HASSED: The development of this course is part of ours and Monash University’s commitment to making mindfulness more accessible to people who have the need, interest and motivation to learn about it. DR.

Skip to 3 minutes and 58 seconds RICHARD CHAMBERS: The course will introduce you to what mindfulness is and the science behind it. We will cover what happens in your brain as you start using mindfulness in your life. DR.

Skip to 4 minutes and 8 seconds CRAIG HASSED: But the real thing about mindfulness is learning about it by applying it, living it in your daily life. That’s why we’ve designed this course to be practical and experiential. You’ll learn a range of mindfulness exercises and applications, as well as some new ways of relating to your life designed to reduce stress, improve your performance. You can think about it as like an experiment that we’re doing over the coming weeks. DR.

Skip to 4 minutes and 34 seconds RICHARD CHAMBERS: We will give you the tools and then guide you in discovering how you can apply them in your own life. We will also provide a series of optional links and resources so you can take your interest in mindfulness as far as you want to take it. DR.

Skip to 4 minutes and 50 seconds CRAIG HASSED: So on behalf of Monash University, welcome to this course where we will explore the science and practise of mindfulness for personal and professional life. We do hope that you will explore mindfulness, apply and experiment with it, and derive the benefits from it, not just in terms of well being, but also by contributing to you leading a productive and fulfilling life at home and at work.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone, because everyone can benefit from mindfulness. No previous experience of mindfulness is required. We will explain how mindfulness works, but above all this is a practical course. We will ask you to explore different mindfulness techniques and reflect on your experience.

This course is not designed to be therapeutic for significant health problems so if you have any concerns in this regard then it is recommended that you speak to a suitably qualified health practitioner.

What do people say about this course?

"If you want a way to be more present, centred and grateful in your life...do it. If you want scientific/medical validation for something that sounds esoteric...do it. If you want the guidance, encouragement and support of great facilitators, active mentors and a lively Forum of fellow participants...do it."

"Thanks to Futurelearn I now have a much more positive outlook on life now. I can warmly recommend the Mindfulness course to anyone who is suffering work-related stress. Sharing experiences with fellow learners is therapy itself."

Who will you learn with?

Associate Professor Craig Hassed is coordinator of mindfulness programs at Monash. He teaches mindfulness nationally and internationally in health, educational, community and corporate settings.

Richard is a clinical psychologist and internationally-recognised expert in mindfulness. Widely published in the field, he works with many educational, business, sporting and community organisations.

Who developed the course?

Monash University

Monash University is one of Australia’s leading universities, ranked in the world’s top 1% by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. It was established in Melbourne in 1958.

  • Established

    1958
  • Location

    Melbourne, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 60Source: QS World University Rankings 2021

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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