The Spectrum of Awareness:
A Practical Map for Deepening Meditation
The most transformative shift in your practice? Knowing the map.
Explore the Spectrum of Awareness—focused, investigative, open, and natural—and become your own best meditation guide.
A Map to Reignite Your Practice and Expand Your Awareness
Most of us are taught how to meditate—but not what kind of awareness to bring to each moment.
You’ve probably learned one main style: focus on the breath, notice distraction, return gently. It’s a powerful entry point—and for many, a lifelong foundation.
But eventually, that single method can feel too narrow. Your practice might become rigid, repetitive, or disconnected from your inner experience. You begin to wonder:
Is this all there is? Am I doing it wrong?
The truth is: you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just ready for a broader view.
This course reveals the full map of mindfulness practice—what Diana Winston calls the Spectrum of Awareness.
Through six sessions, you’ll explore four distinct modes of practice: Focused, Investigative, Open, and Natural Awareness. You’ll learn when to use each one, how to shift between them, and most importantly, how to rest in the effortless presence that’s been available all along.
This isn’t another technique to master. It’s a framework for understanding where you are, what’s possible, and how to become your own best meditation teacher.
What You Will Gain From This Course
A Map of the Meditative Terrain
Finally understand how different practices relate—from concentration to investigation to open awareness to natural presence. Know exactly where you are and where you can go.
The Art of Shifting Modes
Learn to recognize what each moment calls for. Sometimes you need focus. Sometimes investigation. Sometimes the invitation is to simply rest. Become fluid in your practice.
Natural Awareness
Experience the spacious, effortless awareness that’s been there all along. Not as some lofty goal, but as an accessible, living reality you can touch in any moment.
Your Complete Toolkit
Build a repertoire of approaches for every situation—whether you’re on the cushion or in daily life. Never feel stuck in one mode again.
Course Overview
12 hrs Online LIVE
6
6
Course Syllabus
The Spectrum of Awareness is a transformative course that reveals meditation as more than a single technique—it’s a flexible map of attention. Guided by Diana Winston, you’ll explore focused, investigative, open, and natural awareness practices. Learn how to recognize where you are, choose the style that fits the moment, and reignite your practice with clarity and ease. Whether you’re stuck or seeking depth, this course helps you become your own best meditation guide.
- Introduction to the spectrum: focused, investigative, open, and natural awareness
- Learn how each style shows up in practice and life
- Begin locating yourself on the map
- Develop concentration through breath and attentional anchoring
- Learn when and why focused awareness is useful
- Practice and reflect
- Explore thoughts, emotions, and sensations through mindful inquiry
- Cultivate wisdom and insight through gentle investigation
- Practice and reflect
- Let go of anchors and cultivate choiceless awareness
- Rest in a spacious, flexible mode of attention
- Learn how to stay present without fixating
- Recognize awareness of awareness itself
- Learn how to invite and sustain effortless presence
- Use glimpse practices to reconnect throughout your day
- Apply awareness practices in daily activities
- Understand how different awareness modes support each other
- Celebrate your expanded view and integrate what you’ve learned
About Diana Winston
Diana Winston has been teaching mindfulness since 1993 and is the director of UCLA Mindful. Called “one of the nation’s best-known teachers of mindfulness” by the Los Angeles Times, she brings both depth of practice (including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma) and scientific rigor to her teaching.
Author of The Little Book of Being and co-author of Fully Present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness, Diana has trained over 500 mindfulness teachers worldwide. Her meditations reach millions through UCLA Mindful, Ten Percent Happier, and Waking Up apps.
What makes Diana unique is her ability to bridge traditional practice with contemporary understanding, making even subtle teachings accessible and practical.
Sample Course Lecture
Investigative Awareness: A Powerful Meditation Practice
This Course Is Perfect For You If:
- You’ve been practicing for at least a year and know the basics well
- Your meditation feels stale, mechanical, or overly effortful
- You sense there’s something beyond focused breathing but don’t know how to access it
- You’re drawn to teachings about natural awareness or non-dual practice
- You want to understand how different meditation styles fit together
- You’re ready to stop trying so hard and start resting in being
Your Practice Is Calling You Deeper
You didn’t start meditating to become good at watching your breath. You started because you sensed something profound was possible—a different way of being in the world.
That possibility hasn’t disappeared.
It’s just waiting for you to discover the full spectrum of what meditation can be.
From the effort you know to the ease you’ve glimpsed. From doing to being. From practicing awareness to resting as awareness itself.
The map exists. The guide is here. The only question is: Are you ready?
Register Now
Payment Plan
- Over 12 hours of LIVE Instruction
- Online learning community
- Lifetime access
11 weekly payments of
$29
Full Payment
- Over 12 hours of LIVE Instruction
- Online learning community
- Lifetime access
$299
- Scholarships are very limited and reserved for those who are truly experiencing financial hardship. Click here to apply.
Course Logistics
Online Only: We are offering this program online via Zoom.
Class dates are: Sep 9th, Sep 23rd, Oct 7th, Oct 21st, Nov4th and Nov 18th; all classes are held on Tuesdays from 4:00pm – 6:00pm US Pacific Time.
Daily Practice
- 10-20 mins of formal meditation (sitting or lying down) practice daily, drawn from any of the practices introduced in the course
- Brief self checks—informal practice—throughout the day: notice how the rubber is hitting the road, or how the practices are changing how you navigate daily life
- Pause and integrate: choose a practice you’ve learned and bring it in for short periods throughout the day, or focus on one practice for a few days
How to Get the Most Out of the Course
- Attend the weekly sessions either live or recorded
- Engage with the group discussions, bringing in reflections from your own practice>
- Journaling: support your embodiment of the course by writing reflections on the material and your experience practicing with it
- Send in questions as you experiment with the different practices, so that they are fresh in your mind and not forgotten
**Please Note for CEC participants: If you are interested in receiving continuing education credits (CECs), you must register and pay for CECs prior to the start of the program (no retroactive CECs will be given) and you must attend the live program. Please review the CEC information below.
We understand that plans can change, and we’re here to help.
- If you need to cancel before the course begins, we’ll provide a refund with just a $25 administrative fee deducted.
- For cancellations made by 5:00 PM PST on March 28th, we’ll happily refund your payment, keeping only a $49 course fee.
- To assist you with your cancellation, please reach out to us directly at courses@spiritrock.org. We’ll take care of the process for you.
- After April 4th, we won’t be able to issue refunds, so we appreciate your understanding.
- CEs are non-refundable.
If you have any questions, we’re here to support you.
Online Only: We are offering this program online via Zoom.
Class dates:
All classes are held on Tuesdays from 4:00pm – 6:00pm PT.
- Sep 9
- Sep 23
- Oct 7
- Oct 21
- Nov 4
- Nov 18
Daily Practice
- 10-20 mins of formal meditation (sitting or lying down) practice daily, drawn from any of the practices introduced in the course.
- Brief self check ins and informal practice throughout the day: notice how the rubber is hitting the road, or how the practices are changing how you navigate daily life.
- Pause and integrate: choose a practice you’ve learned and bring it in for short periods throughout the day, or focus on one practice for a few days.
How to Get the Most Out of the Course
- Attend the weekly sessions either live or recorded.
- Engage with the group discussions, bringing in reflections from your own practice.
- Journaling: support your embodiment of the course by writing reflections on the material and your experience practicing with it.
- Send in questions as you experiment with the different practices, so that they are fresh in your mind and not forgotten.d
We understand that plans can change, and we’re here to help.
- If you need to cancel before the course begins, we’ll provide a refund with just a $25 administrative fee deducted.
- For cancellations made by 5:00 PM PST on September 23rd, we’ll happily refund your payment, keeping only a $49 course fee.
- To assist you with your cancellation, please reach out to us directly at courses@spiritrock.org. We’ll take care of the process for you.
- After September 23rd, we won’t be able to issue refunds, so we appreciate your understanding.
- If you have any questions, we’re here to support you.
Course FAQ
Although our Programs are available on any device, we suggest using a computer (if possible) and Chrome or Firefox browser to log in: https://courses.spiritrock.org
Note: The login for our Online Learning Platform differs from your Spirit Rock login.
Accessing Your Program Page:
Click on it from your Dashboard after you’ve logged in. Once there, navigate through the sections on “My Courses” on the dashboard.
Are you logged in? Use the “log in” button on the top right of the page. This will give you the access you need to see all the content.
Although the Online Learning Platform works on mobile and tablet devices, for the best experience, use a desktop or laptop. This might be an easier way to find all the areas of the site as you are learning how it works.
The course is delivered LIVE online over a six week period over Zoom.
If you notice a link, content, or anything that isn’t working properly, please email us at courses@spiritrock.org
Try refreshing your browser and check your internet connection. Check another website to see if it’s just our site or something in your system.
Yes, once you’ve completed the course, you will retain lifetime access to all course materials, allowing you to revisit lectures, exercises, and meditations whenever needed.
Only participants signed up to receive CECs are required to attend all sessions live. If you are not receiving CECs you are welcome to watch class recordings, though you will miss the participatory exercises.
We would love for you and your Sangha to join as a group. Please email us at courses@spiritrock.org with more details so we can help you.
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, email us at courses@spiritrock.org.
Although our Programs are available on any device, we suggest using a computer (if possible) and Chrome or Firefox browser to log in: https://courses.spiritrock.org
Note: The login for our Online Learning Platform differs from your Spirit Rock login.
Accessing Your Program Page:
Click on it from your Dashboard after you’ve logged in. Once there, navigate through the sections on “My Courses” on the dashboard.
Are you logged in? Use the “log in” button on the top right of the page. This will give you the access you need to see all the content.
Although the Online Learning Platform works on mobile and tablet devices, for the best experience, use a desktop or laptop. This might be an easier way to find all the areas of the site as you are learning how it works.
The course is delivered LIVE online over a six week period over Zoom.
If you notice a link, content, or anything that isn’t working properly, please email us at courses@spiritrock.org
Try refreshing your browser and check your internet connection. Check another website to see if it’s just our site or something in your system.
Yes, once you’ve completed the course, you will retain lifetime access to all course materials, allowing you to revisit lectures, exercises, and meditations whenever needed.
Only participants signed up to receive CECs are required to attend all sessions live. If you are not receiving CECs you are welcome to watch class recordings, though you will miss the participatory exercises.
We would love for you and your Sangha to join as a group. Please email us at courses@spiritrock.org with more details so we can help you.
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, email us at courses@spiritrock.org.
Our Guarantee
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Please read our detailed refund policy in the FAQ above. For any questions or to request a refund, please contact us at courses@spiritrock.org.
Group Program
Join us on this transformative journey with the The Spectrum of Awareness: Expand the Breadth of your Practice course and save 15% when you sign up with a friend or group using the link below!
Safe and Secure
At Spirit Rock, we embrace the latest technology to ensure our courses are delivered with the utmost security, allowing you to focus on your journey of mindfulness and inner peace.
