12 Minute Meditation: Recent Episodes
Mindful.org
The latest scientific research reveals that 12 minutes of meditation a day yields benefits like increased attention, focus, creativity, calm, resilience and compassion. Start your 12-minute sit with guided meditations from today’s leading mindfulness experts, brought to you by Mindful. With a new mindfulness meditation each week, 12 Minute Meditation invites you to bring the benefits of mindfulness to daily life.
When we’re facing disappointment or challenge, it’s easy to default to negative narratives about who we are inherently: I’m a failure. What’s wrong with me? I never do anything right.
This week, teacher Rich Fernandez invites a different perspective: When we shift from naming an existential trait (like, I must be a loser) to naming a temporary experiential state (like, I’m experiencing a setback that’s discouraging), then we can actually return awareness and agency to ourselves and navigate a way through the challenge.
Rich Fernandez has dedicated his career to building more purposeful, mindful, and high-performing workplaces. He is the former CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), co-founded Wisdom Labs, and has also served in senior roles at eBay, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Bank of America. Currently, he is the Head of Executive Development at Gap, Inc.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Rich Fernandez here.
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Learning how to navigate difficulty is a core human skill, and naturally one of the most challenging. For more resources on how mindfulness can help build resilience, compassion, and wisdom for the tougher seasons of life, check out these articles from Mindful:
- Why Imagination—Not Resilience—Might Help You Heal From Heartbreak
- Elaine Smookler on How Setbacks Can Breed Resilience
- Deep Resilience: The Wisdom of Making Friends with Your Mind
- Swimming, Walking, Running—Why Mindful Movement Can Boost Resilience
- Learning to Meditate Through Difficulty
For another guided practice on staying steady when things feel like they’re falling apart, try: Staying Grounded through Difficulty
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
By definition, to feel vulnerable is to feel exposed and undefended. It’s natural, in moments of emotional risk or tenderness, to feel the urge to pull back from vulnerability, to deny it or dismiss it as weak or needy. But decades of research have also revealed that we can’t really form strong bonds with others if we’re unwilling to take the risk of being our true selves.
This week, Dr. Stacee Reichezer guides us through a practice that can help us soften to this oh-so-human experience so that we can truly know healing, connection, and vitality.
Dr. Stacee L. Reicherzer, PhD, LPC-S is the Chicago-based transgender author of The Healing Otherness Handbook: Overcome the Trauma of Identity-Based Bullying and Find Power in Your Difference. The San Antonio, TX native serves as clinical faculty of counseling at Southern New Hampshire University, where she received the distinguished faculty award in 2018.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Stacee Reicherzer here.
As with any difficult emotion, learning to be with vulnerability is a skill that we can nurture. Here are more resources on this essential skill and how mindfulness can help you build and expand your capacity to be yourself in the world.
Go Deeper
- Gentle Men: The Healing Power of Vulnerability
- The Power of Vulnerability
- Why Vulnerability is Your Superpower
- Feeling Like a Fraud in Your Own Mindfulness Practice
- 4 Questions to Foster Your Authentic Self
For more practice leaning into genuine connection, try A 12-Minute Meditation for Cultivating Connection to Yourself and Beyond.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Ed Halliwell guides us through a practice to be with the inevitable moment-to-moment uncertainty of life. We can’t control what’s happening around us, but we can practice letting go of the stories we create about uncertainty that add unnecessary stress and pain.
Ed Halliwell is a mindfulness teacher and writer, based in Sussex and London, UK. He is author of three books: Into The Heart of Mindfulness, How To Live Well By Paying Attention and (as co-author)The Mindful Manifesto and teaches courses and retreats to public groups, in organizations and to individuals, face-to-face and online via Skype. He is also an advisor to The Mindfulness Initiative, which is supporting the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Ed Halliwell here.
Go Deeper
Learning that our thoughts and feelings are not “us”—meaning, they aren’t our whole identity, but rather are part of a fluid experience that comes and goes—is a core element of mindfulness practice.
This does not mean that our thoughts or feelings don’t matter, or that we need to fix or control them; it only means that we can have more freedom when we don’t get too attached or mistake a moment or a season for who we are. For more support learning how to work with uncertainty, thoughts, and feelings, start with these resources from Mindful.org:
- Why Uncertainty Is Good for Us
- Seven Strengths for an Uncertain World
- You Can Investigate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them
- Halting the Spiral: Navigating Repetitive Thought Patterns
For more practice noticing the temporary nature of thoughts and emotions, try: A Basic Mindfulness Meditation for Labeling Thoughts and Emotions
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
There are times when we’re so busy thinking, planning, worrying, stressing that it’s really hard to focus on the breath or the body, or whatever particular meditation object we’re using.
This practice with Mark Coleman offers an alternative that’s helpful when we feel like we’re going a million miles an hour. It uses soft, focused attention: relaxed eyes, soft gaze, and just being aware of the visual stimuli—like color, light, form, shape—to settle our focus.
Mark Coleman is a Dharma teacher at Spirit Rock and has taught Insight Meditation retreats since 1997 worldwide. Mark is passionate about integrating meditation and nature and leads wilderness retreats through his organization Awake in the Wild and runs annual Nature Meditation teacher trainings. Cofounder of the Mindfulness Training Institute, Mark coeads year-long mindfulness teacher trainings in Europe and the US. He is author of Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery and Make Peace With Your Mind and his recent book From Suffering to Peace. He lives in Sausalito, Marin and likes nothing more than hiking, biking, and kayaking in the outdoors. Find out more at markcoleman.org
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Mark Coleman here.
Go Deeper
For a variety of reasons, not every brain is well-suited to “traditional” meditation techniques. Here are ways to explore other alternative practices:
- Awareness in Action: Rethinking ADHD Through Mindfulness
- Guided Meditations for Working with ADHD and Anxiety
- Trusting Your Senses
- Mindfulness and Autism: Learning to Celebrate Neurodiversity
- Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present
If you’ve even had the feeling that traditional meditation isn’t for you because of how you’re wired, try this neurodivergent-friendly approach: Dual Anchor: A Neurodiversity-Informed Meditation for Wandering Attention
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Beyond just feeling good, laughter releases dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, and also works on our heart, our lungs, our muscles, our thoughts, our behaviors. In short: laughter actually is good medicine.
And here’s a funny thing: whether we laugh in response to something, or we create a situation that gets laughter going, the body will still release the same endorphins.
Try this quick, goofy yoga exercise to discover a foolproof way to induce laughter. It is based on the Hawaiian word “Aloha,” a nice vowel-y word that opens the mouth and throat just by saying it.
Elaine Smookler has been a mindful practitioner for over 20 years and is on the faculty at The Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto. She is a Registered Psychotherapist and teaches mindfulness to corporate clients through eMindful. She’s also a comedic writer and performer and is the singing host of Mindful Martinis, a cabaret/mindfulness class mash up.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here.
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We tend to see play, joy, and levity as nice-to-haves, something we experience when things are going well. In reality they are all an essential part of building resilience and well-being, even when things aren’t going well. To explore more ways to intentionally incorporate the lighter side, even in darker seasons, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- The Power of Play
- Play, SoulPancake, and Building Your Anti-Depressant Brain
- Join the Nanalympics! 6 Ways to Get Playful with Mindful Movement
- The Science of Wonder
- Find Your Way to Embodied Joy
For more practice noticing the good (even when things don’t go according to plan), try: A 12-Minute Meditation to Rewire Your Brain for Optimism
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Joy aids us in waking up to our lives, and savoring is a practice that allows us to slow down, immerse ourselves in experience, and deeply appreciate the moment we’re inhabiting. These two together are a powerful antidote to the gravitational pull of negativity, doomscrolling, and despair.
Jessica Morey is a meditation teacher and coach. She has been practicing meditation for almost 3 decades. She is also the co-founder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to youth.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Jessica Morey here.
Go Deeper
Understanding our built-in negativity bias is the first step to balancing it with practices that hone our attention and strengthen our genuine appreciation for the good things in life. You can learn more from these resources on Mindful.org:
- Seven Strengths for an Uncertain World
- Halting the Spiral: Navigating Repetitive Thought Patterns
- 3 Mindful Ways to Transform Negative Thoughts
- Turn Negative Emotions into Your Greatest Source of Strength
- How Happy Brains Respond to Negative Things
For another approach to unhooking from negativity, try: Peace Begins With Me: A Meditation for When You Feel Overwhelmed By Negative Thoughts
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we talk about attention, we often use active and extractive verbs: pay, give, court, leverage. In mindfulness, attention isn’t a commodity to be used; it’s a gift to be nurtured. What might it feel like to rest our attention?
This week, teacher Sharon Salzberg offers a guided meditation that’s down-to-earth and deeply restorative as we practice holding our awareness with the lightest touch possible.
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974. She is a columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and the author of many books including Real Happiness, Lovingkindness, and Real Change.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Sharon Salzberg here.
Go Deeper
Our attention—where we give it and why—is one of our most powerful assets. Learning how to train our awareness to rest in the present moment is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and others. To learn more about how mindfulness can help you build your attentional strength, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- 3 Simple Ways to Pay Attention
- Get It Done With Mindfulness: How to Be Productive with Attention, Kindness, and Wisdom
- Attention! How Mindfulness Training Is Helping People Reclaim Their Ability to Focus
- How to Give Your Full Attention
At the very heart of mindfulness is the practice of training your attention, moment by moment, with compassion and care. For more practice, try A 12-Minute Breathing Meditation to Cultivate Attention.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
One of the core principles of mindfulness practice that can be a challenge for people is the notion that it actually makes more sense to accept our emotions rather than resist them. Especially when it comes to painful, confusing, or frightening emotions, this move towards ourselves in compassion can feel incredibly counterintuitive.
This week, author and recovery coach Emily Jane guides us through a practice you can use anytime you need support bringing curiosity, courage, and compassion to difficult experiences.
Emily Jane is a mindfulness teacher, certified Embodied Processing (EP) practitioner, and recovery coach with a background in social work. She’s been in recovery for over eight years, following two decades of active addiction, and her lived experience now fuels her passion for helping others heal. Emily is also the author of Beyond Addiction: A Mindful Guide to Recovery, where she shares her trauma-informed, compassionate approach to healing. Her work integrates mindfulness, coaching, trauma therapy, and somatic tools to help people reconnect with their bodies and find safety, peace, and empowerment on their recovery journey. Connect with Emily Jane online at Holistic Recovery.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Emily Jane here.
Go Deeper
Being able to notice and be in our bodies is one of the core skills of mindfulness. In a world that is designed for distraction and disembodiment, this can be a challenging skill to cultivate. If you want to learn more, start with these resources from Mindful.org:
- Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present
- What Green Spaces Can Do For Your Body, Your Mind & Your Practice
- Mindfulness Practices to Get Back in Touch with Your Body
- How to Befriend Your Body
- The Science of Embodiment: Connect to Your Body’s Wisdom
For another take on a meditation for body awareness, try: A 10-Minute Meditation to Cultivate Embodied Awareness
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Our bodies come in all varieties, and we all have different interests, skills, and abilities. As today's teacher Cara Bradley observes, movement of any kind—from the slightest stretch to the most intense exercise—can be mindful.
This simple meditation helps you celebrate your physicality with practices to connect with your breath and your body, expand your awareness, and appreciate the gift of being alive.
Cara Bradley is a seasoned mind-body expert dedicated to advancing mind-body education through movement, mindfulness and the science of human performance. She provides evidence-based mind-body approaches to global wellness brands, Fortune 100 companies and top-ranked sports teams, is the author of On The Verge: Wake Up, Show Up, and Shine and the Founder of Verge Yoga and Meditation Center. Cara was voted a "Top 12 Most Powerful Women in the Mindfulness Movement" by Mindful.org.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Cara Bradley here.
Go Deeper
Mindful movement comes in all varieties and can be a wonderful way to calm both body and mind. If you want to learn more, start with these resources from Mindful.org:
- Join the Nanalympics! 6 Ways to Get Playful with Mindful Movement
- 7 Mindful Movement Practices for Daily Life
- Swimming, Walking, Running—Why Mindful Movement Can Boost Resilience
- This Kind of Movement Can Be the Key to Healing Burnout
- Easy Ways to Make Mindful Movement Part of Your Day
For a creative and whimsical way to combine movement and meditation, try: Laughter Yoga: A Gentle Movement Practice to Get the Giggles Going
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Mindful founding editor Barry Boyce reminds us of the basic why behind mindfulness meditation: We get off-kilter at various times throughout the day, and we need a way to pause and reconnect—with reality, with our senses, with our steady center. That’s what meditation helps us do.
This practice is called “Taking Your Seat,” and it’s perfect if you’re getting started with meditation, or if you just need a touchpoint during your day.
Barry Boyce is Founding Editor of Mindful and Mindful.org. He is a longtime meditation practitioner and teacher, as well as a professional writer and editor. Barry serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for a Mindful Society and the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, as well as on the advisory board of Peace in Schools, in Portland, Oregon.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Barry Boyce here.
Go Deeper
Mindful.org has a wealth of articles, research, and guided practices that can help you start or grow your meditation practice. You can start here:
- Connecting With Why You Meditate Can Fuel Your Motivation
- Calm and Steady: Simple Ways to Create the Habit of Mindfulness
- Do I Need to Meditate to Be Mindful?
- Formal vs. Informal Mindfulness: 2 Ways to Practice
For another approach to a beginner’s meditation, try: Beginner’s Body Scan Meditation
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Learning to live with pain and illness is challenging, arduous work. Often, people can go for months or even years without sufficient answers. Life gets turned completely upside down. The body you thought you had suddenly becomes something you don’t recognize or know how to work with.
This week, meditation teacher and hypnotherapist Juliana Sloane offers an imaginative meditation that invites softness and self-compassion in the midst of discomfort.
Juliana Sloane is a Buddhist teacher, hypnotherapist, and coach specializing in Depth Hypnosis, applied shamanic counseling, and client-centered neuroplasticity. She blends ancient wisdom traditions, hypnosis, and evidence-based approaches to help individuals create lasting transformation beyond the conscious mind. She helps clients transcend the limitations of talk therapy and achieve lasting transformation. Based in Santa Fe, NM, she teaches nationally and works one-on-one with clients worldwide.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Juliana Sloane here.
You can read our recent interview with Juliana and learn more about her work combining mindfulness, meditation, and hypnosis for deeper healing and transformation with her clients.
Go Deeper
For more resources on how mindfulness can help you live more fully with illness or pain, check out these resources on Mindful.org:
- What Unexpected Chronic Back Pain Taught Me: 4 Takeaways That Matter
- Let Your Pain Be a River: Vidyamala Burch on Living and Teaching With Chronic Pain
- Pain Opens a Door
- How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness
For more practice creating a sense of safety inside your own body, try: A Meditation for Easing Pain and Inviting Joy
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
We often think of mindfulness and meditation as sustained states—when in reality, it’s just a collection of micro-moments of stopping, breathing, really noticing our own bodies and our own lives, getting distracted, and then coming back again. Over and over.
As this week’s teacher Shalini Bahl puts it, today’s guided practice is about the art of stopping: letting go of our regular habits of the mind—the pushing, pulling, running in circles— and instead just being for a moment.
This is an extended practice, but as a bonus, we’re also sharing a micro-practice version of The Art of Stopping that you can take into busy days. And don’t miss Shalini’s new article on Mindful.org that’s all about the power of micro-practices to affect our daily choices.
Shalini Bahl, PhD, is the award-winning author of Return to Mindfulness and founder of Sama Life, where she offers daily live micro-practices for real-world engagement. Through her teaching, writing, and TEDx talks, she focuses on building practical mindfulness skills that disrupt default patterns and restore clarity, integrity, and care.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on the power of the pause, check out these resources on Mindful.org:
- How Micro-Practices Can Be the Bridge Between Your Meditation and Your Choices
- W.A.I.T. a Minute: A Practice to Pause Before You Post on Social Media
- How to Get Good Pause
- Waking Up to Your World: Using the Pause Practice to Break Habitual Patterns
For more practice pausing before making choices by compassionately interrupting patterns, try: A 12-Minute Meditation to Get Curious About Your Cravings
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
You can find the extended 20-minute version of this meditation here.
Want to explore how micro-practices can help shift your patterns in your real everyday life when you're off the meditation mat? Check out Shalini's article, How Micro-Practices Can Be the Bridge Between Your Meditation and Your Choices.
In our concern for our children, sometimes we respond from a place of fear and worry. From time to time, we can even lose touch with the love that lies beneath that concern.
Reconnecting with the ground of our love and the wish for our children to be happy and well, especially in moments of difficulty, can be incredibly beneficial. This practice from Wendy O’Leary offers a pause of support and encouragement that can help you come back to that core of compassionate wisdom.
Wendy O’Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children’s books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate with expertise in teaching emotional resilience to children and adults. Her card deck for children titled "Let’s Grow Happiness," created in collaboration with her colleague Helen Maffini, is available for purchase at wendyoleary.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Wendy O’Leary here.
Go Deeper
For more resources to support mindful parenting, check out these resources on Mindful.org:
- Mindful Parenting Toolkit
- Shifting Habits: Three Mindful Parenting Tips You Can Try Today
- Mindful Parenting: Meet Your Inner Critic with Self-Compassion
- Manage Big Parenting Feelings Before They Manage You
For more practice with meditations to meet your worry, anxiety, fear, or other difficult emotions, try: 12-Minute Meditation: A Grounding Practice to Create Space in a Storm of Emotions
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
If you’d like to pre-order lifetime access to The Seven Strengths event recording, go to www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths-hub to take advantage of our early bird pricing plus get a free bonus course from Melli O’Brien.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Our bodies are so overworked and often ignored. This guided awareness practice offers space to feel a sense of gratitude for our body, in all of its beauty and mystery.
Rashid Hughes (he/him) is a writer, meditation teacher, yoga instructor and a restorative justice facilitator. He is the co-founder of the Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community, a mindfulness community in Washington, DC that is dedicated to inspiring Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to live with love and courage. Rashid is an Affiliate Teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC and is also a teacher of the Presence Collective. He holds a Master of Divinity Degree from the Howard University School of Divinity.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Rashid Hughes here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
For more resources to grow compassion and appreciation for the body, check out these articles on Mindful:
- What Green Spaces Can Do For Your Body, Your Mind & Your Practice
- Mindfulness Practices to Get Back in Touch with Your Body
- How to Befriend Your Body
- The Science of Embodiment: Connect to Your Body’s Wisdom
For more practice with meditations to help you befriend and feel at home in your body, try A Meditation for Finding Safety in the Body.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Thanks to our autonomic nervous system, life-sustaining processes like our heartbeat, digestion, and breathing all happen without us even having to pay attention. But our environments, stress levels, and other factors can definitely affect the health and efficiency of these processes.
For example, sitting hunched at our desks and staring at screens often means that our breathing gets shallow and irregular—which of course affects things like focus, energy, cognition, and attention.
This week, Shamash Alidina leads a guided breathing exercise called Light, Slow, and Deep (or LSD), designed to re-set the breath in a way that opens the chest, relaxes tension, and calms the nervous system.
Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998 and runs his own successful training organisation. He is the author of Mindfulness For Dummies, The Mindful Way Through Stress, and most recently, Breathing Exercises for Dummies. He frequently pops up in newspapers, magazines and on radio shows. Based in London, he runs online trainings and speaks at conferences all over the world. He’s been teaching mindfulness full-time since 2010.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Breathing mediations have many mental and physical benefits, and you can find dozens of resources on our site. Start here:
- The Breath is Your Superpower: 3 Ways to Help Kids Reset
- Email Apnea Is Real. Here’s How to Breathe Better at Work
- What Science Says About the Power of the Outbreath
- Helping Black Women Take A Breath
- How Your Breath Controls Your Mood and Attention
For more practice with breathing meditation, try 12-Minute Breathing Practice for Awareness: Sit and Know You’re Sitting or A Guided Meditation to Encourage Deep Breathing.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
City life can often feel frantic, loud, and cut off from natural beauty. It’s not often we slow down and take in all there is to experience. But even in urban areas, if you pay attention, you can hear the call of a bird, notice your favorite color in shop windows, and look up at the vast sky above.
In this guided meditation, we slow our roll and take in the beauty of our surroundings, no matter where we find ourselves.
Kazumi Igus is a Los Angeles native, science teacher, and trained meditation facilitator through UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Center. She currently serves as a WholeSchool Mindfulness Director at one of the few predominantly Black high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Her mission is to transform education into a system that is inherently responsive to students’ social and emotional needs, explicitly fosters focus, and empowers students to develop emotional resilience in an increasingly challenging world.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Kazumi Igus here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Looking for more reasons to head outside? Here are some additional Mindful.org resources to help you build a stronger relationship with Mama Nature:
- The Nature Remedy: Find Freedom from Tech Overload
- Nature-Based Mindfulness Practices for Families
- We’re Hard-Wired to Crave Nature
- Why Is Nature So Good for Your Mental Health?
- What Nature Teaches Us About Well-Being
For more practice being intentionally mindful outside, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Rest in the Movement of Nature.
And more from Mindful here:
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Mindfulness meditation involves a willingness to be with ourselves as we are. It offers a way of learning to work with ourselves, and not on ourselves, especially if we are healing from perfectionism.
Mindfulness reminds us that not everything has to be "fixed"—and very often, our movement back to wellness starts when we stop trying to change ourselves and simply accept where we are with care and attention.
Cheryl Jones is a mindfulness teacher, health and wellness coach, and author of two books, Thriving When Your Cosmic Egg Is Cracked: A Mindful Journey and Mindful Exercise: A Bridge Between Yoga and Exercise. She was the recipient of the Chairman’s Leadership Award and the Norman Vincent Peale Award for Positive Thinking for integrating mindfulness into corporate culture at Aetna. You can find her at www.linkedin.com/in/cherylljones/.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Cheryl Jones here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Healing from perfectionism isn’t easy. It takes time and practice. Here are some additional Mindful.org resources to help you build a stronger sense of self-acceptance:
- Awareness in Action: Rethinking ADHD Through Mindfulness
- What Swimming Taught Me About Self-Compassion and Letting Go
- It’s Selfish, It’s Hokey, and I’ll Lose My Edge: 3 Half-Truths About Self-Compassion
- How Self-Compassion Can Improve Teen Mental Health
- This Is What Fierce Self-Compassion Looks Like
Want to try more practices that foster self-compassion? Start here: A 12-Minute Meditation to Embrace All Your Parts
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Change of any kind—whether it’s small, momentous, expected or unexpected—can make us feel so vulnerable and unsteady.
This week, Susan Bauer-Wu offers a guided meditation to invite and nourish inner strength in the face of change.
Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, is a registered nurse and nursing educator, as well as a mindfulness teacher and researcher. She is president of the Mind & Life Institute and author of Leaves Falling Gently: Living Fully with Serious & Life-Limiting Illness through Mindfulness, Compassion & Connectedness.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Susan Bauer-Wu here.
FREE course! If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Want to learn more about how you can train to stay steady, even when everything around you feels uncertain and evolving? Check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- New Life, Who’s This? Rediscovering Who You Are When Everything Has Changed
- Embracing Change: What Nanalan’ Teaches Us About Saying Goodbye
- The Only Constant Is Change
- Navigating Change is Hard. Here’s How it Makes Us Better Leaders
- Rethinking Equanimity: Margaret Cullen on Equanimity and Quiet Strength
To get more practice dealing with the reality of change, try A Meditation to Help You Let Go and Accept Change.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Our culture prizes certainty and tends to regard not-knowing as weakness or failure.
But research has shown that uncertainty is a quality that we’re meant to engage, not reject. Not only does it spark curiosity and help us learn, but it also strengthens confidence and resilience.
This week, Dr. Sará King offers a practice to help us build comfort with our “don’t-know mind” so that we can stay courageous and open to the world around us.
Dr. Sará King is a mother, a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, medical anthropologist, social entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and meditation instructor. Dr. King specializes in researching and teaching about the relationship between mindfulness, community alternative medicine, and social justice with an emphasis on examining the relationship between individual and collective awareness as it relates to well-being.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Sará King here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build these essential skills of resilience, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Looking for ways to engage your beginner’s mind? Check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- Why Uncertainty Is Good for Us
- How Embracing Uncertainty Leads To Fulfillment
- Feeling Like a Fraud in Your Own Mindfulness Practice
- Don’t Be So Sure
To get more practice meeting uncertainty, try A Guided Walking Meditation to Meet Uncertainty with Compassion
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When we are going through a difficult season personally, or we are bearing witness to the pain of others, our relationship to genuine joy or happiness can get complicated and confusing. Happiness can feel out of reach, or it can feel like a betrayal, like it’s something we don’t “deserve” in hard times.
But strengthening our ability to notice and soak in moments of beauty, tenderness, connection, and gratitude can actually have a fortifying effect on us. It can help us build resilience and fill our empty emotional tanks—which can foster our own healing and make it possible for us to show up in healing ways for others.
This week, teacher Wendy O’Leary shares a guided practice to tune our attention to the reality that shimmers right alongside our genuine seasons of struggle.
Wendy O’Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children’s books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate with expertise in teaching emotional resilience to children and adults. Her next publication is a card deck for children titled "Let’s Grow Happiness," created in collaboration with her colleague Helen Maffini. It is scheduled for release on April 21, 2026 and can be preordered at www.wendyoleary.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Wendy O’Leary here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build these essential skills of resilience, join Melli O’Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
To explore more about how happiness is not just something we get when things are going well, but an essential human experience, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- What We Know (Or Think We Know) About Happiness
- Three Emerging Pathways to Happiness
- Find Happiness by Embracing All of Your Emotions
- Searching for Happiness and Finding Yard Work
- Why Happiness Isn’t Always Comfortable
To get more practice noticing and connecting with happiness, try 3 Guided Meditations to Open Up to Happiness.
And more from Mindful here:
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There are so many reasons why we might be struggling to get to sleep and stay asleep. Work or relationship stress, health concerns, hormonal changes, the state of the world—there’s plenty to keep us awake at night.
This week, Mark Bertin offers a soothing sleep practice to help settle our restlessness, using the breath as a calming anchor to gently coax our busy minds and tense bodies into rest.
Because this is a sleep meditation, there won’t be the usual recorded outro, so you can just drift off in silence.
Mark Bertin, MD, is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics. He’s a regular contributor to Mindful.org and Psychology Today. He is the author of How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit developmentaldoctor.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin here.
Go Deeper
For help understanding how mindfulness can make sleep better and more restorative, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- The Ultimate Guide to Mindfulness for Sleep
- Why We Wake Up At Night and How Mindfulness Helps Us Sleep Again
- The Science of Deep Sleep
- 8 Tips for Better Sleep at Night
Mindful has a wonderful collection of sleep meditations. If you want to try another version of a body scan, A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Letting Go of Stress and Falling Asleep is a great place to start.
And more from Mindful here:
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Daily life is full of irritations: moments of inconvenience, situations where we don’t get what we were hoping for, delays, disappointments, prickly interactions that can leave us confused and exasperated.
If we’re honest, we can probably admit that sometimes our reactions in those moments tend to be reflexive rather than intentional. We feel our anger or annoyance rise, and we react almost as though we’re reading a script.
Can we explore these habitual reactions in a way that gives us enough space to respond differently? In today’s practice, teacher Patricia Rockman guides us through a meditation to help us meet whatever is arising, so that we have more agency when the next moment arises.
Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the senior director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto. Rockman is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Family Medicine, cross appointed to Psychiatry. She has extensive experience practicing individual psychotherapy, leading therapy groups, and training healthcare providers in mindfulness-based interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and change management for stress reduction. She is a freelance writer, yoga teacher, and meditation practitioner.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Patricia Rockman here.
Go Deeper
For more resources to explore reactivity and choice, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- The “About To” Moment: Teaching and Modeling Response vs. Reaction
- Emotional Rescue: Using Mindfulness to Reset Your Reactions
- You Can Investigate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them
- Tame Reactive Emotions by Naming Them
For more practice with compassionately looking at and interrupting unconscious reactivity, try The S.T.O.P. Practice: Creating Space Around Automatic Reactions.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute MeditationLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
It’s not always an instinctual go-to for us, but self-compassion is one of the most powerful forms of healing and restoration for our mental and physical well-being.
In this meditation, mindfulness teacher Shamash Alidina offers three ways to show compassion for yourself when you’re stressed and need a reset.
Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998 and runs his own successful training organisation. He is the author of Mindfulness For Dummies and most recently, The Mindful Way Through Stress. He frequently pops up in newspapers, magazines and on radio shows. Based in London, he runs online trainings and speaks at conferences all over the world. He’s been teaching mindfulness full-time since 2010.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here.
Go Deeper
For more resources to help meet stress, balance your nervous system, and tap into resilience, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- Deep Resilience: The Wisdom of Making Friends with Your Mind
- Swimming, Walking, Running—Why Mindful Movement Can Boost Resilience
- Why Your Outbreath is Connected to Your Well-Being
- You Don’t Have to Shut Down or Burn Out When You Care This Much. Do This Instead.
For more practice tending to your nervous system with self-compassion, try A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Self-Compassion and Presence.
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There’s a paradox inside mindfulness practice: When we want to heal something, we move toward what hurts, not away from it. It’s not easy to keep our hearts soft or open, and a mindful practice doesn’t change the inherent risks in being a human in a world of other humans.
This week, as part of his mini-course Opening Ourselves Up to Compassion, Vinny Ferraro shares a practice to meet our pain and uncertainty, to recognize our inherent connection, and to summon the courage to lower our defenses.
Vinny Ferraro has been a practitioner of insight meditation (vipassanā) since the early 1990s. He is a co-Founder of the Dharma Punx and co-Guiding Teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He is also a nationally recognized leader in designing and implementing interventions for at-risk adolescents and is currently Senior Trainer for Mindful Schools.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Vinny Ferraro here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on wise boundaries and how to stay open when you want to shut down, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- How Writing Three Lines of Poetry Can Open Your Heart
- Why We’re Hardwired to Armor Our Hearts
- Fearless Open-Hearted Awareness with Frank Ostaseski (a mini-course)
- How to Show Up With Your Whole Heart
- Compassionate Boundaries: How to Say No with Heart
To try another meditation to help lower defenses and break down armor, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Cultivate an Open Heart.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Everything is impermanent. It’s always changing, coming together and falling apart. This, of course, includes small daily things and massive, disruptive, and life-shattering things.
It’s frustrating to not be able to control these movements and outcomes. But paradoxically, when we can accept that everything is not up to us, and we stop trying to control what we can’t change or trying to predict what we can’t predict, then we can feel a lot more at ease and more open to the moment-to-moment unfolding of our lives.
This week, Kimberly Brown shares a practice to loosen our grip and be at peace, even when the change isn’t one we’d choose.
Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her latest book, Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends, was recently released by Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website, www.meditationwithheart.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on navigating the unsteady waters of change, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- New Life, Who’s This? Rediscovering Who You Are When Everything Has Changed
- Embracing Change: What Nanalan’ Teaches Us About Saying Goodbye
- Navigating Menopause: A Mindful Approach to Managing Symptoms and Embracing Change
- The Only Constant Is Change
To try another meditation about accepting life on life’s terms, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Create Inner Balance in the Face of Change.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Many of us are bearing witness daily to suffering all over the planet. We care about others, and we want desperately to be of use—and seeing the horrors in images and videos and stories every day can be deeply dysregulating to our nervous systems.
When we get overwhelmed by this vicarious trauma, we tend to shut down. We disconnect from ourselves and each other. We’re so spun out in our anxiety, anger, or overwhelm that it can feel impossible to engage in any kind of mindfulness or meditation practice.
This week, Shalini Bahl offers tender and practical guidance for how to pause, reconnect, and return to ourselves—and our essential practice—in times of intense internal and external upheaval.
Shalini Bahl, PhD, is the award-winning author of Return to Mindfulness and founder of Sama Life, where she offers daily live micro-practices for real-world engagement. A certified MBSR and Search Inside Yourself teacher with pioneering research in mindfulness and consumer well-being recognized by the American Marketing Association, she brings contemplative practice into complex real-world contexts—from Town Council chambers to corporate boardrooms.
Through her teaching, writing, and TEDx talks, she focuses on building practical mindfulness skills that disrupt default patterns and restore clarity, integrity, and care. Her guided meditations have reached over 80,000 listeners worldwide.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on regulating your nervous system in times of crisis, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- Why Your Outbreath is Connected to Your Well-Being
- How Tuning Into Your Body Can Make You More Resilient
- Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present
- The Science and Practice of Staying Present Through Difficult Times
To try another meditation focused on pausing for clarity, try these 3 Guided Meditations to Find Balance During Moments of Panic.
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We often treat experiences like restlessness, uncertainty, or the overwhelm of difficult emotions as a problem to be solved. And of course, it’s normal to want relief.
Today, teacher Cherl Vigder Brause leads a guided practice that’s centered around meeting ourselves exactly where we are. In that pause, where we encounter ourselves without trying to fix anything, even if just for a moment, we actually create a space where we can get clarity on how to respond to ourselves, others, and the world.
Cheryl Vigder Brause is a nationally recognized mindfulness and meditation teacher, writer and speaker, specializing in leading corporate clients, schools, and individuals across the country in programs and meditations on stress management, boosting happiness, and living their best lives. She is the Co-Founder of Pause to be Present, a mindfulness and meditation studio. To learn more about Pause to be Present’s programs, visit www.pausetobepresent.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Cheryl Vigder Brause here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on tapping into the power of the pause, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- How to Get Good Pause
- The Three-Second Pause In the Classroom
- Waking Up to Your World: Using the Pause Practice to Break Habitual Patterns
- How to Feel Present, and Stay Present
To try another version of a pause practice, join Rhonda Magee for The S.T.O.P. Practice: Creating Space Around Automatic Reactions
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
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Loving-kindness seems like a practice that would feel good—but in times of tension, uncertainty, pain, or anger, it can be one of the most challenging mindfulness tools to apply. How do we love when it is most difficult to love?
This week, renowned teacher Sharon Salzberg offers a guided practice to connect us to the deep heart and transformative courage of metta or loving-kindness meditation.
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974. She is a weekly columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and the author of many books including Real Happiness, Lovingkindness, and Real Change.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Sharon Salzberg here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on accessing and practicing loving-kindness, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- How Practicing Loving-Kindness Helped Me Find My Place in the World
- 12 Minute Meditation: A Loving-Kindness Practice to Anchor in Compassion
- The Gift of Loving-Kindness
- Why Loving-Kindness Takes Time: Sharon Salzberg
- Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different
We have dozens of metta or loving-kindness meditations available for free on our site. Here’s a good place to start: 3 Guided Meditations to Deepen Into Loving-Kindness
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
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As today’s teacher Jessica Morey says, “Anger’s fundamental role is to protect us and protect what we care about in the world. It lets us know when a limit of ours, or a boundary, has been crossed.”
But because of its power and volatility, anger can be a troubling emotion to be with and a difficult one to work with. Today’s practice is aimed at gaining insight into our anger so that we can respond skillfully in any given situation.
Jessica Morey is a meditation teacher and coach. She has been practicing meditation for almost three decades. She is also the co-founder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to youth.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Jessica Morey here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on meeting and working with anger, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- The Real Danger of Suppressing Your Emotions
- Why Women Should Embrace Their Anger
- Finding Radical Kindness in the Face of Chaos and Danger
- Cooling the Raging Fires of Anger
- Using the Energy of Anger
And to get more practice understanding powerful emotions like anger, try Guided Meditation: Notice How Sadness, Loneliness, and Anger Show Up in Your Body.
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Many of us are carrying the weight of the world’s suffering right now. How can we acknowledge the immense suffering around us, and our own—and still tend to our hearts, minds, and bodies in a way that keeps us grounded and able to take compassionate action?
This week, mindfulness teacher and author Wendy O’Leary shares a guided practice that offers refuge and reminds us of our real and loving connection to one another.
Wendy O’Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children’s books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate. Wendy has expertise in teaching skills for emotional resilience to children and adults. Wendy’s next publication, a card deck for children titled "Let’s Grow Happiness," is scheduled for release in April 2026.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Wendy O’Leary here.
Go Deeper
For more guidance on how to hold and respond to suffering, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- Where To Start When There Is So Much Suffering
- Breaking Generational Patterns of Suffering
- Bringing Mindfulness to Students Suffering from Trauma
- Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present
And to get more practice being with difficult emotions and returning to connection, try An Interbeing Meditation for Connection and Understanding.
And more from Mindful here:
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Our brains learn through a process that has three components: trigger, behavior, reward. Together these behaviors form what is known as a habit loop.
In today’s meditation, Dr. Brewer walks us through a practice to notice triggers—when they’re happening and how they make us feel. When we pay attention to these triggers, we can respond to ourselves with more compassion and make choices with a lot more clarity.
Jud Brewer, MD, Ph.D. (“Dr. Jud”) is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” who blends over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large.
Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as a professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University. Previously, Dr. Jud held research and teaching positions at Yale University, and the University of Massachusetts’ Center for Mindfulness and was a research affiliate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Judson Brewer here.
Go Deeper
Being with cravings with the intention of shifting our response, is one of the most challenging parts of mindful living. For more support with understanding craving, addiction, and presence, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- How to Be Mindful With Your Cravings
- Rethink Your Food Cravings with the Art of Savoring
- When Avoidance Rules Your Life: Understanding Compulsions vs. Addictions
- How Mindfulness Can Help Teens With Tech Addiction
- Trauma, Addiction, and the Problem of Being Present
And to experience another meditation from Dr. Brewer that guides you through how to be with cravings to facilitate habit change, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Get Curious About Your Cravings.
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Even if they aren't particularly into making resolutions, for many people the New Year still feels like a fresh start: a time for taking stock, for reviewing what's passed, for turning the page on one chapter and starting another.
In today’s meditation, teacher Frank Ostaseski asks: How do you meet endings? We can learn a lot about how we face the new by looking at how we let go of the old, and here Ostaseski offers a practice to surrender with curiosity and gratitude.
Frank Ostaseski is a meditation teacher who cofounded the Zen Hospice Project. In 2004, he went on to create the Metta Institute to provide innovative educational programs and professional training to foster compassionate, mindfulness-based care.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Frank Ostaseski here.
Go Deeper
If you're facing a big change, even if it's completely unrelated to the New Year, mindfulness can help support your well-being as you consider options, make choices, and step into a new season. Check out these articles for more information:
- Embracing Change: What Nanalan’ Teaches Us About Saying Goodbye
- Goodbye, Things: Find Peace of Mind By Letting Go of Your Stuff
- Mindfulness for Grief and Loss
- Finding Your Way Forward When the Path Is Not Clear
And to experience another approach to intention-setting, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Find Stability Amid Change.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
If you’ve grown weary of traditional resolutions, but you still carry a glimmer of hope that positive change is possible for us imperfect humans—then you’ll love mindful intention-setting.
In this practice from his mini-course, mindful leadership trainer Rich Fernandez shows us how to vividly envision the “imagine if” possibilities. When we tap into meaning, passion, and a felt sense of welcoming what we long for, it’s easier to get clear on the purpose behind our pursuits.
Rich Fernandez is the former CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI). He was previously the director of executive education and people development at Google, where he was also one of the first SIY teachers. Rich previously co-founded Wisdom Labs and has also served in senior roles at eBay, J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Rich Fernandez here.
Go Deeper
There are subtle but crucial differences between making traditional New Year’s resolutions and setting intentions for the future—because in mindfulness, everything is anchored in self-acceptance and self-love, rather than a quest for endless self-improvement. To learn more and start practicing a gentler, more sustainable way to change and growth, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- Why Do Resolutions Fail? 5 Ways to Invite Positive and Lasting Change
- Three Ways to Refresh and Renew—No Resolutions Needed
- 3 Science-Backed Strategies to Build Healthy Habits in the New Year
- The Power of Sustainable Self-Care
- The Power and Pleasure of Intention: How to Turn Your Dreams into Daily Reality
You can access all modules of Rich's mini-course on Mindful.org here.
And to experience another approach to intention-setting, try A Guided Meditation to Set Your Intentions for the New Year
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The holiday season can be a time full of commitments, planning, and (pleasant or unpleasant) anticipation.
This extended guided practice with Dr. Christiane Wolf offers a quiet respite that can help you identify what you need, move to care for yourself, and navigate stress that may arise.
Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is passionate about translating ancient wisdom teachings into accessible and applicable modern-day language. She is the author of Outsmart Your Pain – Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind and the co-author of the classic training manual for mindfulness teachers, A Clinician's Guide To Teaching Mindfulness. Christiane is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA’s (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training and a senior teacher at InsightLA. She is the mom of three amazing humans and can usually be found in the Los Angeles area training for ultramarathons and triathlons.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Christiane Wolf here.
Go Deeper
If the Holidays aren’t always merry and bright for you, please know you’re not alone. For support, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- Curb Your Inner Critic Over the Holidays with Self-Compassion
- When Grief Hits During the Holidays
- 3 Ways to Find Calm in the Holiday Rush
- 5 Practical Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress
- Self-Care Is an Act of Resistance
And for more practices to help you find calm in the chaos, check out: 3 Guided Meditations to Help You Find Balance This Holiday Season
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Savoring is a practice of intentionally slowing way down and paying attention to what’s right in front of us—whether that’s a conversation, an unexpected moment of connection, or a favorite dessert.
Savoring is also a natural way to balance the frenetic pace of the Holiday season. In this meditation, Elaine Smookler shows us how to pause and tune into our senses as a way to notice and appreciate what’s happening in and around us.
Elaine Smookler has been a mindful practitioner for over 20 years and is a mindfulness teacher and registered psychotherapist to individuals and corporate clients.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here.
Go Deeper
Savoring is a quality that we can nurture in our whole lives. It makes good moments sweeter, and it helps us through seasons that feel strained or uncertain. For more on how to take time to appreciate each moment more, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- Why the Key to Savoring the Moment is Doing Less
- Four Ways to Savor the Dance of Cooking
- Get Real with Everything: A Savoring Practice
- The Key to Overall Well-Being? Savoring
And for another way to practice what it feels like to savor, try this walking meditation: A Guided Walking Meditation to Savor the Day
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Sometimes seasons of intense suffering show up in our lives—no warning, no easy answers.
This week, mindfulness teacher Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely shares a tender meditation for those in the middle of pain. Based on her own experience with an extended episode of chronic back pain, she offers a moment of reprieve and caring attention to release tension and open to the possibility of joy.
Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely is a California-French educator, writer and mindfulness advocate. As the founder of “Big Belly Breathing,” including a podcast and YouTube channel, she offers mindfulness joy resources in English and French for kids and adults alike. Vanessa writes regularly, recently authored the Joy Burst journal, and teaches yoga throughout The City, bringing her passion for well-being to diverse communities. Feel free to connect with her for inquiries or discussions; she’s eager to engage with fellow health enthusiasts and life lovers. Find her at www.bigbellybreathing.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely here.
Go Deeper
For additional resources on finding moments of calm in the midst of suffering, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- Let Your Pain Be a River: Vidyamala Burch on Living and Teaching With Chronic Pain
- Where To Start When There Is So Much Suffering
- Breaking Generational Patterns of Suffering
- Study: Mindfulness reduces suffering associated with pain
- How Mindfulness Provides Relief from Chronic Pain
And for another meditation you can use when pain flares, try this practice: Filling the Body With Light: 12 Minute Meditation
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The start of the holiday season can be amazing: festive energy, time with loved ones, and delicious food. But it can also be super stressful.
This week, we’re offering a quick practice from Shamash Alidina that you can turn to when you’re in the thick of it. It’s not the usual 12 minutes, but it’s perfect for when you’re running errands, preparing for visitors, or just need a moment to gather yourself.
Shamash Alidina is best known as the internationally bestselling author of 10 books including Mindfulness For Dummies and The Mindful Way through Stress. He frequently pops up in newspapers, magazines, and on radio shows. Based in London, he runs online trainings and speaks at conferences all over the world. He’s been teaching mindfulness full-time since 2010.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here.
Go Deeper
For additional resources on how to manage the stress of the Holiday season (or anytime), check out these articles on Mindful.org:
- A Simple Practice for Regulating Stress in the Body
- A Steady Heart: A Cardiologist’s Advice for Lowering Stress
- Break the Cycle of Stress and Social Media: Learn a 3-step process that builds healthy habits
- Let Go of Stress and Welcome Wisdom
- How to Manage Stress with Mindfulness and Meditation
And for another meditation you can use when Holiday stress shows up, try this practice: A 12 Minute Meditation to Defuse Holiday Stress
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As today’s teacher notes, self-compassion is different from self-esteem. Relying on building up our self-esteem tends to lead us to need a lot of external validation in order to feel ok. Instead, self-compassion is the idea that even with all of our flaws, we can still care about ourselves and see ourselves as infinitely worthy of love and belonging.
In this extended 30-minute practice, mindfulness teacher Diana Winston guides us through a process to get familiar with our self-judging voice and how we relate to our flaws, so that we can nurture compassion and recognize our own worthiness.
Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of several books including The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering your Natural Awareness.
Note that there is an extended silent pause in the middle of this recording to give extra time to practice.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Diana Winston here.
Go Deeper
We all have an interior voice that keeps a running commentary on everything we do. Occasionally that voice is encouraging or kind, but often it isn’t. The thing is, most of us aren’t even consciously aware of this constant internal chatter. We just think it’s reality. Mindfulness gives us the tools to notice, recognize, and work with this mental monologue in ways that improve our ability to learn from mistakes, be accountable, make amends, and grow as people. To learn more about the Inner Critic and how to tame it, check out these resources from the website:
- Mindful Parenting: Meet Your Inner Critic with Self-Compassion
- How to Teach Your Kids About Their Inner Critic
- How to Recognize Your Inner Critic
- How to Be Kind to Your Inner Critic
And for more ways to work with that pesky internal voice, try this practice: A Basic Meditation to Tame Your Inner Critic.
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Forgiveness is almost never a one-and-done action. Whether what we’re forgiving is big or small, our own error or someone else’s—most often, there are residual feelings of anger, hurt, or resentment to contend with.
In this guided practice, Mark Bertin addresses this tendency to compound our suffering when we hang onto these difficult emotions. He offers a way to gently surrender this extra emotional baggage so that we can fully experience the healing that forgiveness offers.
Mark Bertin, MD, is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics. He’s a regular contributor to Mindful.org and Psychology Today. He is the author of How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit developmentaldoctor.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin here.
Go Deeper
Forgiveness is one of the most challenging mindful qualities to develop. Understandably, we want to feel seen and heard in our pain, and we don’t want to feel like we’re being walked over or making excuses for harmful behavior. From a mindfulness perspective, forgiveness holds all of these experiences in a kind of loving tension, allowing the complexities to surface. To learn more about what forgiveness is (and isn’t) and how to nurture it in your daily life, check out these resources from the website:
- New Research on Mindfulness and Forgiveness
- The Work It Takes to Forgive
- How to Let Go of an Old Regret
- Let It Go: How to Practice Forgiveness
If you’re at the very beginning of the process and want help getting started on your forgiveness journey, try this practice: A Guided Meditation to Welcome Forgiveness.
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Having chronic pain often feels incredibly lonely. You might not know anybody else who has the same condition. In addition, most people you're close to, even though they might be well-intentioned, might not understand what you're going through.
But the fact is that probably thousands and thousands of people all over the world know exactly what you're feeling. In this meditation, Christiane Wolf offers a guided practice to meet your own body in pain and relieve that sense of isolation by internally connecting with others who understand your experience.
Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is passionate about translating ancient wisdom teachings into accessible and applicable modern-day language. She is the author of Outsmart Your Pain – Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind and the co-author of the classic training manual for mindfulness teachers, A Clinician's Guide To Teaching Mindfulness. Christiane is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA’s (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training and a senior teacher at InsightLA. She is the mom of three amazing humans and can usually be found in the Los Angeles area training for ultramarathons and triathlons.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Christiane Wolf here.
Go Deeper
Living with chronic conditions is one of the most difficult challenges to face—the effects are never just physical. While mindfulness is never a cure-all for pain or illness, it can offer relief in sometimes-surprising ways. To learn more about how mindful practices can ease suffering in mind and body, check out these articles from the archive:
- Let Your Pain Be a River: Vidyamala Burch on Living and Teaching With Chronic Pain
- The Science of Chronic Stress, Inflammation, and Mindfulness
- How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness
- How Mindfulness Provides Relief from Chronic Pain
For more practice using meditation to be with your body, even when it’s in pain, here is a meditation from pain expert Vidyamala Burch: Filling the Body With Light: 12 Minute Meditation.
And more from Mindful here:
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We often imagine that our actions are the result of choice and awareness, which means that we can be extra critical of ourselves when we’re struggling with habits that aren’t serving us. But researchers in the science of habit and craving have found that much of our decision-making process is the result of unconscious neuro-chemical loops that reinforce themselves over time.
In this meditation, author and researcher Judson Brewer introduces a thoughtful way to bring genuine awareness and choice back into the equation when cravings arise.
Judson Brewer, MD, Ph.D. (“Dr. Jud”) is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” who blends over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large.
Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as a professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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About the Teacher
Find more from Judson Brewer here.
Go Deeper
Learning how to witness our mind without over-identifying with everything it comes up with is one of the most challenging parts of mindful practice. But it also yields some of the biggest benefits for our overall well-being. If you want to learn more about this foundational mindful skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- A Basic Mindfulness Meditation for Labeling Thoughts and Emotions
- I’m More Than My Anxious Thoughts—And So Are You
- A Mindfulness Practice for Changing Your Relationship to Thoughts
- What to Do When Thoughts Arise While Meditating
For more practice on working with thoughts, here’s another meditation you can try: Slow Your Breath and Your Thoughts.
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The nature of the mind is to make thoughts. All day long, mostly without our even noticing, the mind is generating thousands of thoughts. People often misunderstand mindfulness and meditation as ways to control or even stop our mind’s churning—but that isn’t even really possible.
With mindful attention, we can learn to notice and be aware of what our minds are up to, and that awareness is what gives us agency and opens new doorways to interior peace. In this meditation, teacher Vinny Ferraro guides us through a practice to see thoughts clearly as they arise, gently note them, and then return to the breath and body.
Vinny Ferraro has been a practitioner of insight meditation (vipassanā) since the early 1990s. He is a co-Founder of the Dharma Punx and co-Guiding Teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He is also a nationally recognized leader in designing and implementing interventions for at-risk adolescents and is currently Senior Trainer for Mindful Schools. In 1987, he began leading groups in drug rehabilitation centers, juvenile halls, and halfway houses. In 2001, he began teaching for Challenge Day, a nationally recognized, social & emotional learning program, eventually becoming their Director of Training and leading workshops for over 110,000 youth on four continents.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Vinny Ferraro here.
Go Deeper
Learning how to witness our mind without over-identifying with everything it comes up with is one of the most challenging parts of mindful practice. But it also yields some of the biggest benefits for our overall well-being. If you want to learn more about this foundational mindful skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- A Basic Mindfulness Meditation for Labeling Thoughts and Emotions
- I’m More Than My Anxious Thoughts—And So Are You
- A Mindfulness Practice for Changing Your Relationship to Thoughts
- What to Do When Thoughts Arise While Meditating
For more practice on working with thoughts, here’s another meditation you can try: Slow Your Breath and Your Thoughts.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
What do you do when you’ve made a plan, you’ve done everything you can to make it work…and things still don’t turn out the way you hoped? In frustration and disappointment, it’s easy to focus on what’s wrong.
This exercise—adapted from Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing by Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp, and led by mindfulness coach Priti Patel—offers a quick way to realign toward what is working, which can help us settle and give us clarity.
Nate Klemp, PhD, is coauthor of Open: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World. He is a former philosophy professor and a founding partner at Mindful. He is also coauthor of The 80/80 Marriage: A New Model for a Happier, Stronger Relationship and Start Here, a New York Times bestselling guide to mindfulness in the real world. Nate received his BA and MA from Stanford University, and his PhD from Princeton University.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Nate Klemp here.
Go Deeper
Gratitude is a game-changer. It’s so much more than just trying to scare up happy feelings—it’s actually a practice that can rewire our brains, shift our neurochemistry, and improve our relationships over time. For more info on this small-but-mighty skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
- How to Practice Gratitude
- Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate
- The Power of Gratitude (with a Healthy Dose of Cynicism)
- The Science of Gratitude
For more practice, here’s A 12-Minute Meditation for Cultivating Daily Gratitude you can try.
And more from Mindful here:
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When painful emotions are circling all around, our instinct is often to reach for external reassurance.
In this practice, law professor and author Rhona Magee offers a gentle reminder that the key to calm starts with a simple pause—and we get to choose that.
Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. Also trained in sociology and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), she is a highly practiced facilitator of trauma-sensitive, restorative MBSR interventions for lawyers and law students, and for minimizing the effects of social-identity-based bias. Magee has been a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Law and Society and a visiting professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Rhonda Magee here.
Go Deeper
Working with challenging, painful emotions is at the heart of mindfulness practices. It’s counter-intuitive, but the key to alleviating the suffering that often accompanies feelings like fear, rage, grief, or jealousy is not to fix or overcome them, but to move toward them with compassion and curiosity. To learn more about building this mindful skill, check out these articles:
- A Mindful Guide to Navigating Difficult Emotions
- Befriend Painful Emotions with the Handshake Practice
- Three Ways Acceptance Helps You Work with Difficult Emotions
- You Can Investigate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them
For another meditation, here’s A 15-Minute Practice to Soften, Soothe, and Allow Difficult Emotions you can try.
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If you’ve ever tried to push away anxiety or depression when they show up, you probably already know: Fighting these complex, difficult emotions usually doesn’t work. In fact, our resistance often makes the experience even more challenging.
In today’s practice, Ed Halliwell offers a guided visualization based on a foundational mindful question: What if you don’t try to push this experience away, but instead watch it as it plays out?
Ed Halliwell is a mindfulness teacher and writer, based in Sussex and London, UK. He is author of three books: Into The Heart of Mindfulness, How To Live Well By Paying Attention and (as co-author) The Mindful Manifesto and teaches courses and retreats to public groups, in organizations and to individuals, face-to-face and online via Skype. He is also an advisor to The Mindfulness Initiative, which is supporting the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Ed Halliwell here.
Go Deeper
Anxiety, panic, and depression can sometimes feel like a vortex we’re sucked into that’s impossible to get out of. It’s important to understand that mindfulness and meditation aren’t cure-alls or instant fixes, and that they’re most effective when used in concert with other healing modalities. There are practices that can help us be with thoughts and feelings in a compassionate, non-judgmental way—and this open-hearted approach can often loosen the grip of difficult moments. If you’d like to explore more about how mindful practices can help improve mental well-being, check out these resources on Mindful.org:
- Practicing Self-Compassion Can Boost Your Mental Health
- Using Mindfulness for Mental Health
- Is Mindfulness a Treatment for Depression?
- 4 Ways to Curb a Panic Attack with Mindfulness
- How Mindfulness Protects Against Postpartum Depression
- Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop
For more practice, here are 5 Guided Meditations for Panic and Anxiety that you can try.
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Our brains are hardwired to notice the negative. It’s part of how our ancient ancestors were able to survive in constantly threatening environments.
But this negativity bias can also make it difficult for us and our kids—even in our comparatively less threatening environments—to navigate daily stressors, like big tests, arguments, or disappointments.
In this shorter practice specifically designed for younger meditators, Dr. Mark Bertin shows kids how to gently guide their attention back to the positive things they might have missed, in order to help soothe the nervous system and bring calm.
Mark Bertin, MD., is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics. He’s a regular contributor to Mindful.org and Psychology Today. He is the author of How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit developmentaldoctor.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here.
Go Deeper
Kids of all ages can benefit from learning and practicing mindful skills. For more resources to help kids and teens build resilience, navigate tough emotions, calm anxiety, and improve emotional regulation, check out these resources on the Mindful site:
- How to Model Mindfulness When Talking to Kids
- The Nature Remedy: Find Freedom from Tech Overload
- 5 Ways to Help Teens Engage in Mindfulness Sessions
- Mindfulness Can Empower Kids and Teens
For more practice, we’ve got an entire collection of meditations to support growing minds. Take-What-You-Need Meditations to Support Kids, Teens, and Young Adults
And more from Mindful here:
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Rest isn’t a “reward” for working hard enough. It’s a human need and birthright.
This week’s episode is a little different. We’re not only sharing a guided meditation from mindfulness leader and professional coach Jenée Johnson, but also her teaching on some of the brain science behind relaxation—why it’s essential for our well-being, how it works, and how to incorporate intentional relaxation practices into your daily life.
Jenée Johnson, is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Racial Healing, Emotional Intelligence Educator, and HeartMath facilitator. Jenée initiated and led the unique effort to bring mindfulness into San Francisco’s public health programs and practices through the Trauma Informed Systems Initiative. She is on the advisory board of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and is certified to teach mindfulness and emotional intelligence based on the latest neuroscience. She is also the founder and curator of The Right Within Experience, a day-long program for people of African ancestry that teaches practical mindfulness to overcome the diminishing impact of racism and open a portal to a liberatory lifestyle.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Jenée Johnson and her work with The Right Within Experience here.
Go Deeper
Mindfulness is a resource that can be used not only for finding more calm, but also as a support for mental, physical, emotional, and communal healing. If you want to learn more about these restorative practices and how they contribute to wider individual and collective healing, check out these articles:
- How Mindful Leaders Can Heal Trauma
- Encouraging Meaningful Conversations about Race and Trauma
- The Science of How Mindfulness Relieves Post Traumatic Stress
- Mindfulness for Racial Healing
For more practice, here’s another deep rest practice you can try: R.E.S.T.—A Guided Practice for the Tired and Weary.
And more from Mindful here:
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Most of us spend most of our waking hours at some kind of job, whether that’s in an office, a classroom, or in our own homes. This week, mindful leadership expert Jancie Marturano leads a practice you can do at your desk—or anywhere—to give yourself a mindful pause during busy days.
Janice Marturano is founder and executive director of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, a nonprofit that trains and supports leaders in exploring mindfulness and leadership excellence. She founded the institute after ending her tenure as Vice President of Public Responsibility and Deputy General Counsel for General Mills. She is the author of Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Janice Marturano and her commitment to raising mindful leaders here.
Go Deeper
Mindfulness and meditation don’t just have to happen on a cushion. Learn more about creative ways to incorporate mindfulness into your everyday, real life here:
- The Power of Running and Meditation: A Guide to Mindful Movement
- Nature-Based Mindfulness Practices for Families
- Everyday Mindfulness Techniques: Mindful Photography
- Practice Mindfulness With Everyday Sounds
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: A Guided Walking Meditation to Notice the Beauty Around Us—Even in the City
And more from Mindful here:
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We often think about gratitude as happening in response to “good” things—but what about moments that aren’t grand or overtly happy, but are small and emotionally neutral? This week, Kim Armstrong leads a guided visualization practice to help you notice, take in, and consciously appreciate even the basic things we do every single day.
Kimberly Armstrong is a cofounder and facilitator at Space Between. She practices mindfulness in order to know, see, and feel what is really important in life. Kim has a masters in Child and Adolescent Psychology from the University of Washington and is a certified meditation teacher and 500 hour yoga teacher. Kim’s superpower is deep listening with full presence. When she isn’t managing operational details, she can be found strumming chords on her guitar.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Kin Armstrong here.
Go Deeper
If you want to learn more about how starting or growing a robust, regular gratitude practice can improve markers of physical and emotional well-being, check out these articles:
- How to Practice Gratitude
- Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate
- The Power of Gratitude (with a Healthy Dose of Cynicism)
- The Science of Gratitude
For support in establishing a daily practice, we also have a beautiful Gratitude Journal, and a deck of flexible, versatile Gratitude Affirmation cards.
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation to Awaken the Flow of Gratitude in Nature
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When we are experiencing a lot of stress or recovering from trauma or addiction, we can find ourselves living in a fight-flight-freeze state, where we feel either disconnected from or unsafe in our bodies. This practice is designed to gently cultivate a sense of safety and then create a kinesthetic anchor (rooted in awareness of how our body is moving) to start building a felt sense of security that your body can remember.
Emily Jane is a mindfulness teacher, certified Embodied Processing (EP) practitioner, and recovery coach with a background in social work. She’s been in recovery for over eight years, following two decades of active addiction, and her lived experience now fuels her passion for helping others heal. Emily is also the author of Beyond Addiction: A Mindful Guide to Recovery, where she shares her trauma-informed, compassionate approach to healing. Her work integrates mindfulness, coaching, trauma therapy, and somatic tools to help people reconnect with their bodies and find safety, peace, and empowerment on their recovery journey.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Emily Jane here.
You can order your copy of Beyond Addiction here.
Go Deeper
If you want to learn more about embodied practice and how mindfulness can aid in addiction recovery, check out these articles:
- Make It Personal: How Mindfulness Can Support Highly Stressed People
- A Simple Inquiry Practice to Unwind from Stress
- Could Mindfulness Decrease the Severity of Opioid Cravings?
- Constant Craving
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: HALT Practice to Tune In to What Your Body Needs
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You may have heard of "impermanence" as an important theme in meditation. In this guided practice, Toby Sola introduces us to the ease of flow state with two simple but profound techniques: exploring impermanence directly by noticing changes in our body sensations, and using labels to hone concentration.
Toby Sola is dedicated to helping you create a feedback loop between your meditation practice and your ability to make the world a better place. Toby has been teaching meditation for two decades and has refined his craft through years of monastic training and close collaboration with the world-renowned teacher Shinzen Young. He is an award-winning designer and founder of the Brightmind Meditation app.
Note that this meditation includes longer pauses of complete silence to give you time to spend in contemplation and practice the techniques introduced. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Toby Sola here.
Go Deeper
If you want to learn more about flow state, focus, and facing impermanence, here are more articles to explore:
- Flow State: How to Get in the Zone
- Find Your Focus: Own Your Attention in 12 Minutes a Day
- Not Just Marking Time: How Rituals Help Us Face Impermanence with Mindfulness and Gratitude
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation to Rest in the Flow of Effortlessness.
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When difficult or painful emotions feel like they’re swirling all around you, it can be challenging to find a steady place to catch your breath. In this guided meditation, mindfulness teacher Scott Rogers uses the metaphor of a hurricane to help us recognize the qualities and the impermanence of even our stormiest emotions.
Scott Rogers is founder and director of the University of Miami School of Law’s Mindfulness in Law Program where he integrates mindfulness into the law school curriculum, and he is co-founder of the UMindfulness, the University’s Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative. Scott collaborates on neuroscience research into the efficacy of mindfulness training programs in high stress professions and has written numerous articles and authored five books on mindfulness, including The Elements of Mindfulness. He has appeared on television and radio and been interviewed in newspapers and magazines across the world for his creative and accessible methods of sharing mindfulness with people of all ages and walks of life. Scott is principal advisor to Innergy Meditation in Miami, and lives with his family in Miami Beach, Florida.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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About Our Contributor
Find more from Scott Rogers here.
Go Deeper
If you want to learn about how mindfulness can help you make room for and move through all kinds of challenging emotions, check out these articles:
- A Mindful Guide to Navigating Difficult Emotions
- The Upside of Sadness
- Making Friends with Difficult Emotions
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation for Navigating Difficult Emotions.
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If you’ve been having trouble falling asleep lately, this body scan meditation with Diana Winston offers a gentle, soothing way to be with the tension in our minds and our bodies. Take a deep breath, let go, and ease into rest.
Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of several books including The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering your Natural Awareness.
A quick note: Since this is a sleep meditation, you won’t be hearing a closing bell or statement like usual, but instead just a drifting off into silence.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Diana Winston here.
Go Deeper
Reconnecting with our body and its signals is a key part of being able to drop into full relaxation and rest. Here are two more articles that can help you increase body awareness:
- How to Befriend Your Body
- The Science of Embodiment: Connect to Your Body’s Wisdom
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Letting Go of Stress and Falling Asleep
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In this week’s meditation, Dr. Mark Bertin walks us through a practice that is both concrete and compassionate. It guides us to take note of our tendency to either deny or try and “fix” what’s going on in our lives, and then find a third way—one where we aim to see things as clearly as possible, so that our decisions are filled with awareness, skill, and care for everyone involved.
Mark Bertin, MD, is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics. He’s a regular contributor to Mindful.org and Psychology Today. He is the author of How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit developmentaldoctor.com.
Together with ADHD Life Coach and Certified ADHD Educator Dana Crews, Dr. Bertin is leading a retreat October 10-12, 2025, to support adults navigating life with ADHD. Hosted at the Menla Retreat Center in the serene Catskill Mountains, Held and Whole is a restorative and educational three-day ADHD retreat that will offer practical, mindfulness-based tools to strengthen emotional regulation, deepen self-awareness, and foster authenticity.
You can get more information and reserve your spot here. Plus, listeners to this podcast can claim a 15% early bird discount when they enter code “Mindful” at checkout, good through August 15th.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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More About Our Contributor
Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin and his work here.
Go Deeper
Being with reality exactly as it is, without judgment or denial, is one of the core principles of mindful practice. It is also one of the most challenging. If you want to learn more about what this principle looks like in practice, including fostering mindful awareness with neurodivergence, check out these additional articles:
- Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different
- Three Ways Acceptance Helps You Work with Difficult Emotions
- Mindful Parenting for ADHD
And for more practice building calm awareness in meditation, here are other meditations to try:
- A Guided Breathing Meditation to Cultivate Awareness
- A Mindfulness Practice for Nonjudgmental Awareness
More from Mindful here:
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Loving-kindness meditation, also called metta, springs from a basic understanding of human nature: On one hand, we might truly believe that compassion makes the world better—and on the other, we might struggle to offer it to ourselves and to others for various reasons.
Metta practices, like the one Dr. Emma Seppälä leads this week, offer a simple, structured way to help us gently expand our capacity to both give and receive love.
As a bestselling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker, Emma Seppälä teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. A psychologist and research scientist by training, her expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her bestselling book The Happiness Track (HarperOne, 2016) has been translated into dozens of languages. Her new book is Sovereign (Hay House, 2024). Seppälä is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Emma Seppälä here.
Go Deeper
If you want to understand more about the practice of loving-kindness, why it matters, and how to build it—even with difficult people or in times when you aren’t feeling very compassionate—here are some articles to get you started:
- Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different
- Loving-Kindness Meditation with Sharon Salzberg
For more practice, here’s another meditation to try: A 12-Minute Meditation for Self-Compassion and Loving-Kindness.
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Shame is one of the most complex and difficult human emotions to experience and process.
This week, we’re refreshing a meditation from Dr. Patricia Rockman, who offers a practice to meet shame with courage, tenderness, and curiosity. The more we can sit with these difficult emotions, the more we build resilience, self-knowledge, and self-trust—which are the most powerful natural antidotes to shame.
Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the senior director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto. Rockman is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Family Medicine, cross appointed to Psychiatry. She has extensive experience practicing individual psychotherapy, leading therapy groups, and training healthcare providers in mindfulness-based interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and change management for stress reduction. She is a freelance writer, yoga teacher, and meditation practitioner.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Patricia Rockman here.
Go Deeper
Shame is a universal and challenging human experience. If you’d like to learn more about where it comes from and how mindfulness can help heal the wounds of shame, these three articles can help:
- Feeling Lonely? 4 Ways to Release Shame and Build Healthy Relationships
- Tame Your Money Shame
- The Downward Spiral of Shame
For more practice, here is another Meditation for Working with Shame.
And more from Mindful here:
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In this week’s guided meditation, teacher and author Melli O’Brien offers a practice that uses gentle, steady awareness to help you find your calm center again when you’re feeling wound up with stress or anxiety.
Melli is a mindfulness educator and mental health coach with over two decades of experience. She is also cofounder of Mindfulness.com and the Mindfulness Summit—the world’s largest mindfulness conference. Melli has distilled and synthesized her knowledge on resilience, stress management, peak performance psychology, positive neuroplasticity training, and mindfulness into The Deep Resilience Method, released as her book Deep Resilience in February 2025.
Starting July 15th, Melli is hosting The Deep Resilience Experience, a 30-day online course that will help you build unshakeable inner strength in 15 minutes a day.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Melli O’Brien here.
To learn more about Melli’s upcoming Deep Resilience Experience (and how you can get $350 in bonus gifts when you sign up before July 15th), click here.
Go Deeper
Want to understand more about the connection between practicing mindfulness and easing anxiety? These three articles are a great place to start:
- Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop
- Most Habit-Change Tools Fail With Anxiety—Here’s One that Works
- Why Does My Anxiety Keep Coming Back?
For more practice, here are 5 Guided Meditations for Panic and Anxiety that you can try when you need support.
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Sometimes the best gift we can give ourselves is just a moment set aside for quiet, breath, and reminding ourselves of who we really are.
In this gentle guided practice, Kimberly Brown uses simple repeated phrases to ground attention and offer a place to rest and reset.
Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her book Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends, is published with Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website, www.meditationwithheart.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here and read her recent (and timely) article on Mindful.org.
Go Deeper
Want to learn more about how taking intentional breaks can make your days better? These two articles are a great place to start:
- Break Up Your Work Day with Purposeful Pauses
- How to Get Good Pause
For more practice, try this 12-Minute Meditation to Cultivate Calm and Clarity that you can turn to when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed and need a break.
And more from Mindful here:
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It might seem counterintuitive, but intentionally tuning into what’s distracting you can actually help strengthen your ability to focus.
In today’s guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola introduces what he calls a “concentration algorithm.” This practice will help you identify which type of sensory experience you are naturally drawn to, and then give you a structure for how to focus on it, so that you can quickly attain deep concentration.
Toby Sola is dedicated to helping you create a feedback loop between your meditation practice and your ability to make the world a better place. Toby has been teaching meditation for two decades and has refined his craft through years of monastic training and close collaboration with the world-renowned teacher Shinzen Young. He is an award-winning designer and founder of the Brightmind Meditation app.
Note that this practice includes long pauses of complete silence to give you time to spend in contemplation. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup
Show Notes
Find more from Toby Sola and his company Brightmind here.
Go Deeper
Want to learn more about training your attention? Here are two articles we think you’ll love:
- Paying Attention to the Space In Between
- Reclaiming Our Attention From “Convenience”
For more practice, try this 3-Part Focused Attention Meditation Series you can use to strengthen your focus when you feel distracted.
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When we are stressed or overwhelmed, or when our mind feels like it’s spinning out of control—it’s easy to forget that simply dropping into the body can be a powerful way to interrupt thEse thought loops.
In this week’s refresh, meditation teacher Tara Healey guides us through a practice to calm the mind, notice sensations in the body, and bring awareness to the present moment.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Learn more about Tara Healy here.
And more from Mindful here:
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Today, meditation teacher and bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn guides us through a silent walking meditation—a great addition to your mindfulness toolkit and a way to enter more deeply into the vitality & sensory richness of what is happening in & around you right now. [link]
We mostly think of walking as an activity that is supposed to accomplish something: getting from point A to point B, exercising, reaching our daily step goals. And of course, those are all great reasons to go for a walk.
In today’s practice, meditation teacher and bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn offers up another way that you can experience a walk—simply as a way to enter more deeply into the vitality and sensory richness of what is happening in and around you right now.
A walking meditation isn’t about getting anywhere or accomplishing anything. It’s just about being with each step, fully here, where you actually are. There is no arriving, other than continually arriving in the present moment.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Learn more about the work and research of Jon Kabat-Zinn here.
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Tonglen, sometimes called loving-kindness meditation, is a Tibetan practice of giving and receiving.
In Tonglen, we open ourselves to our entire experience, including what is painful and difficult. We acknowledge our suffering, including the suffering we share with others. Then, we release intentions for peace, healing, and love out into the world.
In today’s meditation, teacher Kimberly Brown guides us through a gentle practice based on Tonglen. This meditation is a space for us to simply experience our struggle, to breathe in any tension or tightness, and to breathe out love, both as a sense of openness and ease, and also as a way of being at peace with ourselves and others.
Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here and read her recent (and timely) article on Mindful.org.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we are experiencing difficult emotions or situations, our first impulse is often to look for a way out—usually through distracting, numbing, running, or denying.
But what if the key to getting to the other side of difficulty is to simply be with it, offering the discomfort our courageous awareness and presence?
In this week’s practice, author and meditation teacher Ed Halliwell guides us through a meditation we can lean on when things get tough.
Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Ed Halliwell here.
And more from Mindful here:
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You might not think of mindfulness as being a resource to help with decision-making, but moments of intentional silence can sharpen our mental clarity and help us discern which choices feel most aligned.
In this guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola offers a simple technique you can use, whether you’re facing a life-changing choice or are just feeling overwhelmed by all the small decisions that often crowd our busy lives.
Note that this practice includes pauses of complete silence that might be longer than our listeners are accustomed to. This is to give you time to spend in contemplation. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
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Show Notes
Find more from Toby Sola and his company Brightmind here.
And more from Mindful here:
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If you’ve ever been awake at three a.m., tossing and turning and wishing you could snap your fingers and get back to sleep, then you know: the more you try to fall asleep, the less likely you are to drift off.
In this week’s guided practice, we’re revisiting a meditation with Mark Bertin that can release the striving, let go of tension, and make it easier for body and mind to settle into rest.
A quick note: Since this is a sleep meditation, you won’t be hearing a closing bell or statement like usual, but instead just a drifting off into silence.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin here.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many varieties of meditation practices, and why some of them seem to contradict each other in approach, style, or even objective?
In today’s guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola walks us through three common types of meditation. Plus, he explains why the word “meditation” is very much like the word “sport”—and how all these different practices actually share the same overarching purpose.
If you’re new to meditation or curious about trying new approaches, you’ll love this week’s practice.
Note that there are intentional pauses included in today's recording. If you'd like more time to practice the techniques outlined here, please feel free to pause the recording as you go along.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
There’s still time to get in on some of our best Mother’s Day deals! Claim up to 50% off—ends May 12th.
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Show Notes
Find more from Toby Sola and his company Brightmind here.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Many modern Western cultures don’t have a deep understanding of land as a source of collective identity, story, or purpose. There is a sense that, yes, land can be lovely—but it is mainly seen as a source of recreation or extraction, not necessarily as an integral part of what shapes us and future generations.
In this guided practice, Indigenous scholar and teacher Yuria Celidwen introduces a fresh way to consider our connection to the natural spaces around us. This is a practice that invites reverence, gratitude, and belonging, where our experience of the earth moves from being strictly transactional to being interconnected and relational.
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Yuria Celidwen here.
You can learn more about Yuria’s story and how her work is fostering an “ethics of belonging” on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
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Recent studies have confirmed that the constant presence and use of tech in our lives have become a hazard to our well-being on multiple levels.
Meditation teacher, mindful tech designer, and self-identified tech lover Jay Vidyarthi observes, “It’s okay to enjoy technology. Tech becomes a problem when we get so attached to it that our lives fall out of balance—and this happens because a certain device or app or game or even your work email might satisfy a specific, lacking, healthy emotional need.”
So how do we mindfully hold that tension and seek balance in our relationship to technology?
In today’s meditation, Jay leads us through a contemplative practice that can help us dig down and understand our motivations for using tech, while also identifying ways to be more intentional about the why, how, and when of our digital consumption.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Jay Vidyarthi here.
If you live in North America and are interested in creating a healthier relationship to all the screens in your life, you can enter to win a free copy of Jay’s new book, Reclaim Your Mind: Seven Strategies to Enjoy Tech Mindfully, which offers a compassionate, research-informed path to a more intentional digital life. The contest runs through May 17th, and it’s easy and free to enter. Just click here.
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If you’ve faced challenging or polarizing conversations lately, you likely know how difficult it can be to connect and cooperate with the person on the other side of that interaction.
In today’s guided practice, Dr. Shalini Bahl invites us to explore our innate interconnectedness by recognizing our needs and those of others, so that we can be empowered to work together in new and creative ways that benefit all involved.
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Bahl here.
You can learn more about Shalini’s story and how she leads through bringing mindfulness to organizations, marketing, and business on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
And more from Mindful here:
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Forgiveness is a cornerstone practice of mindfulness, and it’s also one of the most difficult.
Extending forgiveness to others and to ourselves requires a kind of awareness and vulnerability that can feel deeply uncomfortable, especially if we are carrying heavy stories of shame, anger, or resentment connected to that experience.
In today’s guided practice, Will Schneider from Men Talking Mindfulness walks us through a forgiveness meditation filled with kindness, grace, and surrender that’s designed to help us walk a little lighter in the world.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Will Schneider here.
Discover more from Men Talking Mindfulness here.
Men Talking Mindfulness is also starting a new online meditation circle, every Sunday at 4pm ET from April 27 - June 29. It’s for all adults, not just men! You can get more info and sign up here. And if you missed this one, there will be more in the future. Email will@mentalkingmindfulness.com to get on the list.
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Being in pain makes being present extra challenging.
On a physical level, being in the present moment while our body is in pain is often extremely unpleasant. There is a part of us, understandably, that wishes we could escape from it entirely.
At the same time, the experience of pain itself can be overwhelming—to our senses, our thoughts, our emotions. It can feel like drowning, when what we long for is just a moment of peace to rest in.
In today’s guided meditation, longtime meditation teacher and pain expert Vidyamala Burch offers a tender practice to find a middle way—one that doesn’t lean into denial or give in to overwhelm, but rather allows all that is happening to be gently met, as Vidyamala says, with “wholeness, integration, and kindliness.”
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
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Show Notes
Find more from Vidyamala Burch here.
You can learn more about Vidyamala’s story and how she came to be a leader in the mindfulness movement on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
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What does it feel like to experience ourselves—in our own minds and bodies—as a reliable place we can come home to in order to feel grateful, calm, and resilient?
In this week’s guided meditation, Melli O’Brien walks us through a practice we can return to in times of uncertainty or challenge to remind us of our own inner strength.
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Melli O’Brien here.
You can learn more about Melli’s story and her leadership in helping people develop robust mental strength on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
Get your copy of Melli’s new book, Deep Resilience, here.
You can also sign up for a chance to win one of three signed copies of Melli’s book during our giveaway. Just click here to learn more and add your name to the drawing.
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Traditional meditation practices can sometimes be frustrating and alienating for those who are neurodivergent. Bodily discomfort or intense mental restlessness can make even the most mindfulness-curious person feel like classic meditation techniques might not be for them.
Sue Hutton believes that mindfulness can be for anyone, and she’s dedicated her work to making mindfulness practices like meditation accessible for neurodiverse communities. In this practice, she guides us through what she calls “Dual Anchor,” a kind of meditation that engages the senses to help gently steer attention.
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Sue Hutton here.
You can learn more about Sue’s neurodiversity-informed approach to mindfulness on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
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When we’re wrestling with experiences that challenge our identities or our confidence—like failures at work, relationship struggles, or letting go of old belief systems — it can be tempting to reach for positive self-talk that pushes back against the difficult feelings we might be having.
In today’s guided practice, Caverly Morgan offers something much sturdier, what she calls unconditional reassurances.
In this practice, we’re not just saying the opposite of what we’re feeling, hoping that it will be true. Rather, it’s about anchoring into a deep-down sense of worthiness and compassion that’s always present, regardless of how well things are going for us or how great we feel about ourselves in any given moment.
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Caverly Morgan here.
You can learn more about unconditional reassurances on Mindful.org, where we interviewed Caverly for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
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In recent years, mental health professionals have raised the alarm about the growing epidemic of loneliness. Millions of people feel separated and isolated, even when they are surrounded by colleagues or thousands of social media acquaintances.
In today’s guided practice, Shelly Harrell offers one mindful approach that can counteract this sense of lonely atomization. It is the South African greeting of Sawubona, which carries an intentional willingness to see and to be seen, in our fullness, vulnerability, mutual belonging, and radiance.
This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we will be sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our new subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Shelly Harrell here:
- The Soulfulness Center
- You can read Dr. Harrell’s story on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we are adrift in the wide sea of grief, it can be difficult to imagine any world other than the world of our intense sorrow and loss. In this guided meditation, Brenda K. Mitchell offers one tiny heart-opening invitation: simply allowing what she calls “the possibility of possible.” There isn’t an expectation that you have answers, or lots of hope, or a clear path forward. Rather, this is a tender way to be with the many difficult emotions that accompany losses in our lives, while opening the door just a bit to what might lie ahead.
Brenda K. Mitchell is a pastor, mindfulness teacher, and advocate for survivors of gun violence. She lost her son Kenneth to gun violence in 2005, when he was just 31 years old. After discovering how mindfulness could help her be with and heal her own grief, she started bringing mindful practices to other people who have experienced trauma and loss as a result of gun violence.
This meditation marks the beginning of our Women of Mindfulness series, where we will be sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.
If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.
Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our new subscription tiers and join Mindful here.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
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Show Notes
Find more from Brenda Mitchell here:
Read Brenda’s story
Learn how Brenda and others are using mindfulness to heal from the trauma of gun violence on Mindful.org
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In a world filled with challenges and distractions, we often find ourselves repeating automatic reactions that once helped us survive but now hold us back. Mindful journaling offers a lifeline—allowing us to slow down, listen inwardly, and meet ourselves with compassion.
Today, we’re refreshing a powerful journaling practice guided by Caverly Morgan, focused on letting go of limiting habits. With gentle prompts, Caverly invites us to explore inherited survival strategies, understand deeper needs beneath them, and nurture true belonging within ourselves.
If you’d like more from Caverly, join us for an experiential practice collective based on Caverly Morgan’s transformational, practical and timely book, The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together.
This interactive and experiential course will support you to connect your personal meditation practice to community practice, and to true and meaningful change. True change occurs when we not only understand who we truly are but also act in the world from this understanding.
Learn more and sign up here!
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
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Show Notes
Find more from Caverly Morgan here:
Caverly Morgan on Mindful.org
Caverly Morgan's Website
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In a world that constantly pulls us in different directions—from productivity and external validation to endless distractions—coming home to ourselves is one of the most powerful things we can do. True resilience isn’t about pushing through; it’s about creating an inner refuge, a place of strength and safety that stays steady no matter what’s happening around us.
That’s why we’re bringing back Coming Home to Yourself, a meditation guided by Georgina Miranda. This meditation invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your inner strength. Georgina reminds us that while mindfulness can be a refuge in difficult times, its real power comes from regular practice. This meditation is an opportunity to reset, find stability, and ground yourself in the present moment.
We’re also excited to share that Georgina has a new course with us: Reset and Let Go: The Freedom to Live Fully. This transformative journey will help you release what no longer serves you, reset your mindset, and step into a life of greater clarity and joy. Through guided exercises, journaling prompts, and mindfulness practices, you’ll learn practical tools to support real, lasting change.
Learn more and sign up here
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
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Show Notes
Find more from Georgina Miranda here:
Georgina Miranda on Mindful.org
Georgina Miranda's Website
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
The invitation with this practice is to put aside ideas and concepts about differences, shame, fear, survival, and to simply see if you can begin to develop a felt sense of common humanity—that all of us wish for happiness and freedom from suffering.
Steven Hickman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He is executive director of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and the Founding Director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness, a program of community building, clinical care, professional training, and research. Also author of Self-Compassion for Dummies.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Steve Hickman here:
Steve Hickman on Mindful.org
Steve Hickman’s website
Self-Compassion for Dummies
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In today’s interconnected yet paradoxically divided world, the path to understanding each other requires more than just good intentions. To truly connect and heal, we need something more: the cultivation of a deeper understanding. The path forward isn’t about eliminating differences—it’s about building bridges of understanding across them.
In this gentle yet powerful meditation with Shalini Bahl, we experience how we are all shaped by our experiences, fears, and hopes. Deep understanding is like diving below the illuminated surface to deeper waters. By understanding both what floats on the surface and what lies in the depths, we can begin to shift our habitual patterns and make choices that arise from genuine wisdom rather than reactive impulses.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here:
Shalini Bahl on Mindful.org
Know Your Mind
The Book: Return to Mindfulness
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In a world where change is the only constant, it’s easy to feel untethered. This week, mindfulness teacher and Mobius founder Aden Van Noppen invites us to pause, breathe, and explore the grounding power of impermanence.
Through this practice, Aden guides us to reconnect with the breath, an anchor amidst life’s ebbs and flows. Each inhale and exhale becomes a gentle reminder of the moment-to-moment shifts in our inner and outer worlds, offering an opportunity to find calm and stability no matter what surrounds us. Whether you’re navigating a season of uncertainty or simply seeking a moment of stillness, this meditation encourages us to come back to what roots us, even when everything else feels in motion.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Aden Van Noppen here:
Aden Van Noppen on Mindful.org
Mobius
10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement 2022
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As we begin a new year, pediatrician, mindfulness teacher, and author Mark Bertin offers us a thoughtful practice to reconnect with our intentions. Mark’s meditation gently reminds us that intention-setting isn’t just a ritual for January—it’s a practice we can revisit anytime, as part of our everyday mindfulness.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here:
Mark Bertin on Mindful.org
Mark Bertin Website
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Start your year with clarity and peace. In this episode, mindfulness expert Georgina Miranda guides us through a Meditation to Reset and Let Go. Discover how to release what no longer serves you and connect with your inner wisdom, peace, and freedom.
Looking to deepen your practice? Join Georgina live on January 25 for Connecting with Hope and Peace in the New Year, a free Premium-exclusive workshop. Visit shop.mindful.org to reserve your spot today.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Georgina Miranda here:
Georgina Miranda on Mindful.org
Georgina Miranda's Website
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, we revisit one of our Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2024, led by Nate Klemp, PhD. Nate, a founding partner at Mindful and the co-author of The 80/80 Marriage, brings us a powerful practice to help expand our perspective.
In the hustle and stress of daily life, it’s easy for our focus to narrow, locking us into a tight, “soda straw” view of the world. This can make challenges feel larger than life, leaving little room for possibility or ease. Nate’s meditation invites us to shift our perspective—to move from this contracted view to a panoramic awareness.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
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Show Notes
Find more from Nate Klemp here:
Nate Klemp on Mindful.org
Nate Klemp’s Website
80/80 Marriage
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, we’re revisiting one of our Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2024, led by Carley Hauck. This meditation is an invitation to notice the emotions that arise during difficult moments, to meet them without judgment, and to hold them with tenderness.
We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
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Show Notes
Find more from Carley Hauck here:
Carley Hauck on Mindful.org
Carley Hauck's Website
And more from Mindful here:
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Jenée Johnson invites us to come home to our hearts during the holiday season. Through a simple heart-centered practice, we’ll focus on our breath, cultivate calm and appreciation, and create space to rest and renew. This meditation helps us honor the season’s challenges and beauty while finding strength in self-love and care. We’re also celebrating the revival of Mindful Magazine with a special giveaway for our podcast listeners. Mindful Premium gives you a full year of access to the print magazine, plus our complete digital library of articles, meditations, courses, and more.
Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today.
This giveaway is our way of saying thank you for being part of our amazing community. We can’t wait for you to explore everything Mindful Premium has to offer!
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Show Notes
Find more from Jenée Johnson here:
Jenée Johnson on Mindful.org
Jenée Johnson's Website
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Melli O’Brien guides us in a practice that invites us to pause and reconnect with the simplicity of being. In the midst of life’s noise and distractions, this meditation creates space to step back and truly listen. By exploring the sensations of the body, the natural rhythm of the breath, and the sounds surrounding us, we’re reminded that peace is found in awareness, not in controlling what’s around us.
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Show Notes
Find more from Melli O’Brien here:
Melli O'Brien on Mindfulness.com
Melli O'Brien's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, we’re bringing back a past episode from Dr. Mark Bertin, and it couldn’t come at a better time. As the holiday season ramps up—whether it’s preparing for the celebrations ahead or simply managing the hustle and bustle—it’s easy to feel caught up in the stress of planning, perfection, and endless to-do lists. This meditation is a chance to pause, take a breath, and let go of any unrealistic expectations we we may be carrying.
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Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here:
Mark Bertin on Mindful.org
Mark Bertin Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Steve Hickman guides us in a meditation to cultivate gratitude for the small things that often go unnoticed in our daily lives. It’s easy to get caught up in longing for what we don’t have, which can lead to a cycle of dissatisfaction and striving. In this practice, we’re invited to pause, let go of striving, and open our hearts to the joy and wisdom already present in the seemingly simple moments around us.
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Show Notes
Find more from Steven Hickman here:
Steven Hickman on Mindful.org
Dr. Steven Hickman’s Website
And more from Mindful here:
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This week, Rose Felix Cratsley leads us in a meditation to pause and honor equity—a practice that invites us to celebrate the power of slowing down together. Pausing offers us a chance to reflect on what it means to belong, to trust in the strength of renewal, and to hold space for healing. It’s a moment to connect with ourselves and each other, recognizing the profound impact of small, intentional breaths as steps toward creating a more inclusive and equitable world.
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Show Notes
Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here:
Rose Felix Cratsley on Mindful.org
Ivy Child International
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This guided meditation from Dr. Mark Bertin reminds us that we don’t have to pretend everything is fine or be calm all the time. Instead, being mindful in difficult times can look like carving out a moment to settle before we decide what comes next. This is a walking meditation that supports us in cultivating a balanced perspective. While we accept what we can’t change right now, we can also choose our next steps from a place of compassion and wisdom.
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Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here:
Mark Burton on Mindful.org
How Children Thrive by Mark Bertin
Developmental Doctor
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This week, Angela Stubbs gently guides us inward, helping us explore these patterns with compassion and kindness. Through six stages, she invites us to bring awareness to these feelings, accepting ourselves without judgment and affirming our worth. With each stage, we cultivate a sense of warmth and resilience, creating space to move beyond self-doubt and reconnect with our inner strength. This practice offers us a chance to release the hold of self-criticism, embracing a more gentle, patient approach toward ourselves.
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Show Notes
Find more from Angela Stubbs here:
Angela Stubbs on Mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
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This week, Frank Ostaseski guides us through a meditation that invites us to let curiosity lead. Life doesn’t always bring what we desire—instead, it can deliver pain, uncertainty, and even sorrow. While we can’t always change these circumstances or the emotions that arise with them, we can choose to meet them with an open curiosity. When we do, we create space to welcome, or at least acknowledge, whatever comes our way. This openness helps us release the added suffering that often follows tough moments, reminding us that while life’s challenges are inevitable, the suffering we add to them is optional.
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Show Notes
Find more from Frank Ostaseski here:
Frank Ostaseski, Author at Mindful
Zen Hospice Project
Metta Institute
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This week, Anu Gupta guides us in simple phrases of compassion and loving-kindness that allow us to remember: Just like me, this person is also human. Just like me, they have their own joys, desires, and struggles. Offering kind wishes to someone difficult is a powerful way to expand our circle of compassion. We don’t have to like them, but we can cultivate compassion for them, softening our resistance and acknowledging their humanity.
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Show Notes
Find more from Anu Gupta here:
Anu Gupta on Mindful.org
Anu Gupta’s Website
Be More with Anu
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This week, Anu Gupta leads us through a detailed body scan, guiding us to shift our energy back to the present moment, coming back from any distracting thoughts and worries that come up. Here and now, we can return to our breath. Take this time to feel wonder and gratitude for every part of your physical body, from head to toe, just the way you are today. With this practice, you’ll cultivate a sense of grounding and openness as you let this energy of relaxation soothe your whole body.
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Show Notes
Find more from Anu Gupta here:
Anu Gupta on Mindful.org
Anu Gupta’s Website
Be More with Anu
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This week, Diana Hill leads a meditation focused on gently letting go of attachment to your thoughts. In this practice, you’ll explore how to allow your thoughts to come and go without feeling the need to hold onto them or push them away. This technique, part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, uses the visualization of clouds to guide you through this process in a soothing and mindful way.
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Show Notes
Find more from Diana Hill here:
Diana Hill on Mindful.org
Diana Hill’s Website
Diana Hill on Youtube
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This week, Will Schneider instructs us in paying attention to the gentle, natural flow of our breath. By becoming more aware of our inhales and exhales, we gradually bring calm to our mind and our nervous system. We’re giving ourselves permission to slow down for a few minutes. As we breathe, we can also witness the active chatter of our mind without being swept away—in thoughts about the past, or worries about the future. Mindfulness practice reveals how our thoughts and emotions are constantly changing, and this simple, relaxing meditation gives us a chance to release expectations and judgments. A state of mindful awareness is strengthened each time we notice the mind wandering, and choose to come back to the sensations of the breath moving in and out of our body.
Is your mind more like a circus than a sanctuary? If you’re hoping to let go of stress and anxiety, and feel more present and focused throughout your day, check out the upcoming online Meditation Course with Men Talking Mindfulness. This 9-week, fully online course offers weekly sessions in a group atmosphere where two experienced mindfulness experts will lead practices together, answer your questions, and help you build a consistent mindfulness practice. Beginning October 6th, this course welcomes adults of all genders. Visit mentalkingmindfulness.com to learn more and sign up.
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Show Notes
Find more from Will Schneider here:
Will Schneider on Mindful.org
Men Talking Mindfulness Podcast
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This week, Susan Kaiser-Greenland guides us through a meditation practice focused on one of the oldest and simplest techniques: “Sit and Know You’re Sitting.”
In our busy lives, we often rush through moments without truly being present. This practice invites you to slow down and become aware of the simple act of sitting. By tuning into the sensations in your body and the rhythm of your breath, you can cultivate a deep sense of awareness. It’s not about doing anything special—just noticing what’s already here.
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Show Notes
Find more from Susan Kaiser-Greenland here:
Susan Kaiser Greenland on Mindful.org
Susan Kaiser Greenland Website
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This week, Shamash Alidina guides us through a practice focused on the calming power of belly breathing. In our fast-paced world, stress can easily take hold, and this meditation offers a simple yet powerful way to find relaxation and ease.
Belly breathing, or deep diaphragmatic breathing, encourages a full breath that engages the diaphragm and helps activate the body’s relaxation response. By consciously slowing your breath and focusing on the expansion and contraction of your belly, you can send signals to your nervous system that it’s safe to relax, lowering stress levels and promoting a sense of calm.
Don’t miss out on our upcoming Community Connection Meditation Series from August 26th to 30th, 2024! This live virtual event brings us together in the spirit of mindfulness, connection, and growth. Over five days, enjoy 30 minutes of daily group meditations followed by a Q&A session, all guided by renowned meditation teachers Christopher Willard, Caverly Morgan, Shamash Alidina, Sue Hutton, and Tovi C. Scruggs-Hussein. Learn more and register at https://shop.mindful.org/products/community-connection-meditation-series.
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Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here:
Shamash Alidina on Mindful.org
Shamash Alidina's Website
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This week, Christopher Willard and Olivia Weisser bring us a mediation inspired by the Japanese concept of ma, which refers to “the spaces between everything.” This practice invites us to take the opportunity to explore the empty spaces that exist all around us and inside us.
For instance, we might think of the space between the plants in the garden, or between the notes in a song. It can also be emotional space, like the silences in a conversation. Or the little gaps between our thoughts and emotions.
Often, we don’t even notice these empty spaces—but bringing our awareness to them can reveal new meaning and beauty. By exploring the space in-between through this mindfulness practice, we also enhance our creativity, noticing skills, and awareness.
We’re also thrilled to announce our upcoming Community Connection Meditation Series, taking place from August 26th-30th, 2024! This live virtual event is designed to bring us together in the spirit of mindfulness, connection, and growth.
- 5 days of live group meditations with the Mindful community
- 30 minutes of daily practice + Q&A
- Pay what you can
- Guidance from leading meditation teachers: Christopher Willard Psy. D., Caverly Morgan, Shamash Alidina, Sue Hutton, and Tovi C. Scruggs-Hussein!
Learn more and register here: https://shop.mindful.org/products/community-connection-meditation-series
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Show Notes
Find more from Chris Willard here:
Chris Willard on Mindful.org
Chris Willard's Website
Find more from Olivia Weisser
Olivia Weisser on Mindful.org
Olivia Weiser Books
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This week, Sue Hutton guides us in a breathing practice to foster awareness of our senses, honoring our neurodiversity while we strengthen our mindfulness practice. We live in a neurodiverse world. We are all wired with unique minds and bodies, and each of us has a unique sensory constitution. For instance, someone who experiences sensory overwhelm when they pay attention to direct sensations inside the body may find a body scan practice overwhelming instead of centering. Similarly, someone who is blind isn't going to use vision as a meditation tool.
It can be useful to explore the breath by engaging with different senses involved in breathing. Breath practice can be an interesting undertaking for many neurodivergent meditators. Some of us find the feelings of the breath rising and falling inside the body a bit nerve-wracking. Some of us feel anxiety increasing as we concentrate on the movement of the lungs, and thoughts of breath keeping us alive become more concerning. Not the calming experience we are looking for in mindfulness practice!
In this practice, we’ll talk about a variety of ways those of us who are neurodivergent can practice mindful breathing, and foster calm for ourselves.
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Show Notes
Find more from Sue Hutton here:
Sue Hutton on Mindful.org
Sue Hutton's Website
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This week, Jonathan Fisher leads us through a body scan meditation designed to nurture your heart and bring awareness to the present moment.This practice invites you to notice the sensations in your body, from the soles of your feet to the space around your heart. As you shift your attention through different parts of your body, you allow a sense of softness and kindness to flow in.
Jonathan is also offering 10 signed copies of his new book, Just One Heart: A Cardiologist’s Guide to Healing, Health, and Happiness. Using the “seven timeless traits of the heart,” Dr. Fisher empowers readers with simple tools and daily practices to manage stress, cultivate lasting joy, and connect with what truly matters. If you’d like your own copy, head over to https://signups.mindful.org/book-giveaway-just-one-heart-by-dr-jonathan-fisher/ before August 22nd to enter for a chance to win.
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Show Notes
Find more from Jonathan Fisher here:
Jonathan Fisher on Mindful.org
The Mindful Heart Doctor
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This week, Men Talking Mindfulness co-host Will Schneider begins by guiding listeners to connect with our breath. Gradually, we release distractions and rest attention on breathing in and out, so we can bring our minds fully into the present moment. With this preparation, we shift our attention and notice what we can hear, see, and other sensory information coming to us, awakening our natural curiosity. By tuning in to our body and mind, where we observe the nature of the ever-changing world, we can develop greater awareness of the shifts occurring around us and within us. Change can be difficult or painful, and often we yearn for things to be otherwise. Yet this meditation helps us open to the idea that life can be easier when we flow with the currents of change. By choosing to simply be a witness to whatever is happening in this moment, we’re able to be there for ourselves without judgment. We’re learning to meet life exactly the way it is.
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Show Notes
Find more from Men Talking Mindfulness here:
Men Talking Mindfulness Website
MTM on Apple Podcast
MTM on Spotify
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This week, Georgina Miranda guides us through a meditation called "Coming Home to Yourself." This practice is about finding inner strength and resilience by reconnecting with our true self.
Georgina emphasizes that while many of us turn to mindfulness during times of crisis, the true power of these practices lies in their consistent application. This meditation invites you to pause and reflect, grounding yourself in the present moment. It offers a way to create a stable inner environment, regardless of external circumstances..
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Show Notes
Find more from Georgina Miranda here:
Georgina Miranda on Mindful.org
Georgina Miranda's Website
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This week, Georgina Miranda guides us through a meditation to awaken the flow of gratitude in nature. Regardless of where you are—whether in a local city park, perched on a mountain top, or swimming in the sea—there is always a moment to pause and feel grateful for our inherent connection to nature.
This meditation encourages you to breathe deeply, paying attention to the air, the smells, and the sensations around you. Feel the sun, wind, snow, or rain on your skin, and listen to the sounds of nature. Each breath becomes a bridge, connecting you more deeply with the world around you and fostering a sense of unity.
Alongside this week's meditation, we also want to announce an upcoming event by Georgina Miranda this month. Join us for the masterclass, Conscious Leadership: Shaping the Future of Work, on Wednesday, July 24th, 2024, from 9am - 1pm Pacific / 12pm - 4pm Eastern on Zoom. This session will explore essential principles of mindfulness, personal leadership, and conscious decision-making, helping you navigate today’s complex organizational environments with clarity and compassion.
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Show Notes
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Georgina Miranda on Mindful.org
Georgina Miranda's Website
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This week, Ruth King offers a guided meditation practice from her heart to yours. Ruth King, a teacher, author, and founder of the Mindful of Race Institute, invites us to savor stillness and feel deeply into the ways our lives are interconnected.
Imagine the gentle rustling of leaves as a reminder that we are part of a greater whole, each leaf connected to the same tree. This meditation encourages us to recognize our deep connections to one another, much like those leaves, each contributing to the vitality of the tree. As we explore this practice, we are reminded of our shared humanity and of the profound truth that we belong to each other.
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Show Notes
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Ruth King on Mindful.org
Ruth King's Website
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This week, Tovi Scruggs Hussein shares that the foundation of racial healing is emotional work. Most long-term healing involves deep exploration of emotions. Fortunately, many of us have come to recognize that the competencies we call “emotional intelligence” are the rock-solid basis of meaningful and productive change. The ability to regulate emotions is a superpower.
This meditation is a key part of our Racial Healing Series, guided by Tovi. This series offers a space for reflection, vulnerability, and learning, aimed at dismantling racism through emotional intelligence and cultural humility. Each session, including today's, builds on mindfulness techniques to explore race and racism, fostering deep, systemic change through personal and collective healing. Join us as we navigate these critical topics with compassion and awareness, striving for a more inclusive and healed society.
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Show Notes
Find more from Tovi Scruggs-Hussein here:
Tovi Scruggs-Hussein on Mindful.org
Tici'ess
Racial Healing Allies
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More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Kelly Boys leads us in a meditation to let go of stress. So, find a comfortable position and prepare to release tension in the body in order to achieve a deep state of relaxation.
Kelly Boys is an author and mindfulness trainer who specializes in a non-sleep deep rest practice called Yoga Nidra–and we’re excited to share that we’ve partnered with Kelly and our friends and Mindfulness.com to bring you a course all about deep rest and relaxation. Learn all about it and enroll by checking out the link in the show notes or by visiting the shop on mindful.org.
Show Notes
Find more from Kelly Boys here:
Kelly Boys on Mindful.org
Yoga Nidra: Deep Rest and Renewal course
Kelly’s website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Melli O'Brien leads us through a body scan meditation designed to help you experience greater self-compassion, self-acceptance, and presence. This meditation is a chance to reconnect with yourself, to nurture a sense of presence and compassion. It’s like giving yourself a gift of time and care, creating a sanctuary of peace within. As you immerse yourself in this practice, allow it to foster a deeper connection with your body and mind.
Alongside today's meditation, we're excited to announce the upcoming launch of Melli’s Mindful Eating Course on Mindful.org. This 7-session audio course will teach you how to use mindfulness-based skills to give you a more healthy, enjoyable, and empowered relationship with both food and with your body in just 15 minutes a day.
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Show Notes
Find more from Melli O’Brien here:
Melli O'Brien on Mindfulness.com
Melli O'Brien's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Stephanie Domet invites us to explore a mindful journaling practice. With the launch of our new Mindful Living Journal, this meditation serves as a perfect companion to deepen your reflective journey.
In this guided meditation, you’ll connect with your senses in a real or imagined setting. What do you hear? What do you smell? Feel the emotional content of the space. Mindful journaling empowers you to connect deeply with yourself and the present moment. In just a few minutes each day, it offers a sanctuary where you can slow down, center your thoughts, and nurture your inner calm. This practice is a compassionate space for self-exploration, helping you to process emotions, gain clarity, and cultivate gratitude.
To celebrate the launch, we're offering a special discount for our podcast listeners. Use the code 12MINUTEMEDITATION at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase. Visit mindful.org/journal to get your Mindful Living Journal today.
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Show Notes
Find more from Stephanie Domet here:
Stephanie Domet on Mindful.org
AfterWords Literary Festival
Stephanie Domet's Website
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Mark Coleman guides us in a 12-minute meditation on abundance in nature, an invitation to immerse ourselves in the beauty and generosity of the natural world. As spring graces the northern hemisphere, the call to connect with nature becomes ever more inviting. Mark poses a question that resonates deeply: How can we translate our knowledge of nature's benefits into a practice that nurtures and sustains us? Discover the essence of mindfulness with Mindful.org's "How to Meditate" page. Whether you're new to meditation or seeking a return to its roots, our resources cater to all levels of experience. Dive into techniques and insights to nurture your practice and cultivate presence, clarity, and inner peace. Best of all, these resources are completely free. Plus, by adding your email to the sign-up form on the page, you'll receive a complimentary email series covering the basics of meditation. Start your journey to mindfulness at https://www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/.
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Show Notes
Find more from Mark Coleman here:
Mark Coleman on Mindful.org
Mark Coleman on Mindfulness.com
Mark Coleman's Website
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This week, Elaine Smookler invites us to explore A Meditation for Navigating Grief Anniversaries, a practice that gently supports us in honoring and processing our feelings during these tender times. Grief anniversaries often bring a resurgence of emotions and memories, some of which can be painful and difficult to manage. This meditation creates a compassionate space where you can acknowledge these feelings without judgment, fostering a sense of acceptance and self-compassion.
Alongside today's Navigating Grief Meditation, we're thrilled to highlight the relaunch of Elaine Smookler's engaging video course, Get Started with Mindfulness. Perfect for beginners and those looking to deepen their practice, this lively course offers step-by-step guidance to help you love your life more, have more fun, and be more present in body and mind.
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Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here:
Elaine Smookler on Mindful.org
Elaine Smookler's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Melli O’Brien invites us to immerse ourselves in a Self-Compassion and Loving-Kindness meditation, a practice designed to soothe the nervous system and cultivate self-compassion through deep relaxation and warm, gentle affirmations. Under Melli's guidance, we will begin by settling into a comfortable posture, releasing tension, and focusing on mindful breathing to ground ourselves in the present moment.
Alongside today's meditation, we're excited to announce the upcoming launch of Melli’s Mindful Eating Course on Mindful.org. This 7-session audio course will teach you how to use mindfulness-based skills to give you a more healthy, enjoyable, and empowered relationship with both food and with your body in just 15 minutes a day.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Melli O’Brien here:
Melli O'Brien on Mindfulness.com
Melli O'Brien's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Tovi Scruggs-Hussein invites us on a transformative journey through mindfulness aimed at racial healing and understanding our deep-seated biases. Through her guided meditation, we delve into the roots of implicit biases—those "carefully taught" lessons of childhood that subtly shape our attitudes and behaviors towards others. Tovi's approach fosters an environment of introspection and forgiveness, encouraging us to reflect on these ingrained prejudices and the impact they have on our interactions and societal structures. This meditation is a key part of our Racial Healing Series, guided by Tovi. This series offers a space for reflection, vulnerability, and learning, aimed at dismantling racism through emotional intelligence and cultural humility. Each session, including today's, builds on mindfulness techniques to explore race and racism, fostering deep, systemic change through personal and collective healing. Join us as we navigate these critical topics with compassion and awareness, striving for a more inclusive and healed society.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Tovi Scruggs-Hussein here:
Tovi Scruggs-Hussein on Mindful.org
Tici'ess
Racial Healing Allies
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Elaine Smookler invites us to explore the Mountain Meditation, a practice aimed at grounding us in the present moment through an upright and dignified posture, reminiscent of a mountain's enduring presence. With Elaine's guidance, we will embody the mountain's steadfast calm amidst the swirling winds and shifting clouds of life.
Alongside today's Mountain Meditation, we're thrilled to highlight the relaunch of Elaine Smookler's engaging video course, Get Started with Mindfulness. Perfect for beginners and those looking to deepen their practice, this lively course offers step-by-step guidance to help you love your life more, have more fun, and be more present in body and mind.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here:
Elaine Smookler on Mindful.org
Elaine Smookler's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Nadene Cherry will guide us through practices uniquely tailored for moments when the world demands more than we might be ready to give. Imagine standing at the edge of a calm lake early in the morning, the world around you just waking up, and you're about to step into an important day filled with challenges and opportunities.
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Show Notes
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Nadene Cherry Website
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Diana Hill invites us into a soothing space where we learn to embrace our uncomfortable feelings, much like finding shelter in a serene greenhouse while a storm rages outside. In this practice, guided by principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dr. Hill helps us turn toward our emotions—be it anxiety, stress, sadness, or anger—with the kind of tender attention you might give a fragile seedling needing nurture to grow.
Diana is also offering 10 free copies of her new book The Self-Compassion Daily Journal: Let Go of Your Inner Critic and Embrace Who You Are with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to our listeners. If you’d like your own copy, head over to https://signups.mindful.org/book-giveaway-the-self-compassion-daily-journal-dr-diana-hill/ before May 15th to enter for a chance to win. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Diana Hill here:
Diana Hill on Mindful.org
Diana Hill’s Website
Diana Hill on Youtube
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Elaine Smookler invites us to explore how grief, a complex and often overwhelming emotion, shows up in our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. Through grounding exercises, Elaine helps us find a sense of stability and gently guides us to acknowledge our losses and meet the present with openness and resilience.
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Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here:
Elaine Smookler on Mindful.org
Elaine Smookler's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Carley Hauck introduces us to a simple yet profound meditation practice aimed at helping us navigate through the ups and downs of everyday life. In a world that feels increasingly complex and uncertain, Carley's guidance is like a gentle hand on the back, encouraging us to slow down and find calm amidst the chaos. She shows us how to face life's challenges with a kind and open heart, reminding us that it's okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes.
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Show Notes
Find more from Carley Hauck here:
Carley Hauck on Mindful.org
Carley Hauck's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Carley Hauck introduces us to a simple yet profound meditation practice aimed at helping us navigate through the ups and downs of everyday life. In a world that feels increasingly complex and uncertain, Carley's guidance is like a gentle hand on the back, encouraging us to slow down and find calm amidst the chaos. She shows us how to face life's challenges with a kind and open heart, reminding us that it's okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Carley Hauck here:
Carley Hauck on Mindful.org
Carley Hauck's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Cara Bradley invites you on a meditation journey that starts in the familiar setting of your daily life:smack in the middle of the commotion, distractions, and obligations that often fill your hours. . Imagine stepping off the noisy city street into a quiet courtyard, a space where the chaos begins to fade, and your breath becomes your guide to calmness and clarity.
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Show Notes
Find more from Cara Bradley here:
Cara Bradley on Mindful.org
Cara Bradley's Website
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, join Kim Armstrong as she leads a gratitude visualization practice. This gentle meditation invites you to shift your gaze inward and discover the often-overlooked moments of joy and contentment that punctuate your day. Kim guides us to visualize the warm embrace of our morning coffee, the soft light of dawn, or the comfort of a familiar smile. By focusing on these simple yet profound experiences, we grow our capacity for gratitude, because we begin to realize we can appreciate everything from the mundane to the magnificent.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Kim Armstrong here:
Kim Armstrong on Mindful.org
Space Between Youtube Channel
Space Between
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, join Nadene Cherry for a 12-minute meditation journey aimed at Cultivating Connection to Yourself and Beyond. Amid the rapid pace of everyday life, it's common to feel isolated, with our attention tightly focused on our personal experiences—our physical sensations, our thoughts, our emotions. Nadene's meditation offers a pathway to break down these walls, fostering a deep sense of connection and belonging that resonates with the values of inclusivity and unity.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Nadene Cherry here:
Nadene Cherry Website
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, we join Nate Klemp, who will introduce us to a unique three-stage meditation practice aimed at broadening and deepening our understanding of our own minds. Picture your mind as a flashlight, narrowly focused on a single point. This practice, "From Flashlight to Floodlight," is about learning to widen that beam, shedding light on a much larger area.
Nate is also offering 20 free copies of his new book "Open: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World" to our listeners. This is a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into mindfulness and expansion. To win a copy of Nate's new book, head over to https://signups.mindful.org/book-giveaway-open-by-nate-klemp/ before March 15th to enter for a chance to win.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Nate Klemp here:
Nate Klemp on Mindful.org
Nate Klemp’s Website
80/80 Marriage
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, join Kim Armstrong as she leads a practice called "Meditation for Challenging Emotions," similar to a lighthouse guiding ships through the stormy seas of the mind. This guided meditation offers a sanctuary for those seeking to confront and process difficult emotions with grace.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Kim Armstrong here:
Kim Armstrong on Mindful.org
Space Between Youtube Channel
Space Between
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Tovi Scruggs-Hussein invites us to explore our inner selves as the foundation for connecting authentically with others. Through mindful awareness, deep breathing, and envisioning a world bound by love and respect for our unique differences, we embark on the first steps toward embracing our interconnection.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Tovi Scruggs-Hussein here:
Tovi Scruggs-Hussein on Mindful.org
Tici'ess
Racial Healing Allies
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This week, join Nate Klemp as he leads us in a meditation practice to widen our perspective. In our world, brimming with constant information and rapid change, it's common to feel overwhelmed and resort to narrowing our focus, often manifesting as stress and anxiety. This practice proposes a different approach by widening our perspective. It shifts our view from a limited 'soda straw' outlook to an expansive 'panoramic' one.
Excitingly, Nate is also offering 20 free copies of his new book "Open: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World" to our listeners. This is a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into mindfulness and expansion. To win a copy of Nate's new book, head over to https://signups.mindful.org/book-giveaway-open-by-nate-klemp/ before March 15th to enter for a chance to win.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Nate Klemp here:
Nate Klemp on Mindful.org
Nate Klemp’s Website
80/80 Marriage
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Michelle Maldonado leads a meditation designed to cultivate awareness and inspire action. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and confused about how to engage with the world from a place of strength, groundedness, and calm. As we navigate through the layers of self, family, community, and organizational dynamics, this meditation serves as a bridge, connecting inner reflection with outer action.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.
Show Notes
Find more from Michelle Maldonado here:
lucenscia.comA Bridge to Better
More from Michelle on mindful.org
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This week’s meditation is led by Rashid Hughes and is based on the acronym REST. This practice specifically takes into account that every one of us show up to mindfulness practice with our life experience.
In the REST meditation, R stands for Relax your attention. Release. E is for Exhale all striving. Empty. S is for Sense the silence. Surrender. T is for Tune in to awareness. Trust.
Show Notes
Find more from Rashid Hudges here:
Rashid Hughes on Mindful.org
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This week, Shalini Bahl offers a 12-minute meditation to make some space and time to reconnect with ourselves and ask the question, “What’s most important to me?” Research shows that we are most energized when we find purpose and meaning in what we’re doing. We feel depleted when we don’t take time to do activities that we find inspiring or important to us.
This practice is part of a four-part series rooted in the lessons and wisdom from Shalini’s new book Return to Mindfulness: Disrupting Default Habits for Personal Fulfillment, Effective Leadership, and Global Impact, which launched on January 18th.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here:
Shalini Bahl on Mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Shalini Bahl offers a 12-minute meditation to help us take in and process information efficiently. When we use our senses—touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell—our thinking mind rests. So here, we focus on our senses and relax the mind.
This practice is part of a four-part series rooted in the lessons and wisdom from Shalini’s new book Return to Mindfulness: Disrupting Default Habits for Personal Fulfillment, Effective Leadership, and Global Impact, which launched on January 18th.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here:
Shalini Bahl on Mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Shalini Bahl offers a 12-minute meditation to explore the relationship between our emotions and our energy. High-intensity emotions drain our energy—not just the unpleasant ones like anxiety and fear, but also pleasant ones like excitement and elation. This meditation helps us channel these emotions to help us meet our goals without burning out.
This practice is part of a four part series rooted in the lessons and wisdom from Shalini’s new book Return to Mindfulness: Disrupting Default Habits for Personal Fulfillment, Effective Leadership, and Global Impact, launching January 18th.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here:
Shalini Bahl on Mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Shalini Bahl offers a 12-minute meditation to intentionally give your body the rest it needs and replenish your physical energy by checking in, softening, and letting go of tension.
This practice is part of a four part series rooted in the lessons and wisdom from Shalini’s new book Return to Mindfulness: Disrupting Default Habits for Personal Fulfillment, Effective Leadership, and Global Impact, launching January 18th.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here:
Shalini Bahl on Mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, Mark Bertin guides us in a practice to find harmony amidst the holiday hustle. Release the grip of the "comparing mind," and embrace imperfect moments. Through intentional reflection, gratitude, connection, and self-compassion,this meditation offers a serene path to a joyous holiday experience.
Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here:
Mark Bertin on Mindful.org
Mark Bertin Website
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Jenée Johnson extends a warm invitation to reconnect with our inner selves, embracing love and care. This practice guides us in being present with ourselves in an aware, kind, and loving way, which can help us foster an interior refuge from life’s storms while also building strength and resilience. We synchronize our heart, mind, emotions, and body to nurture awareness and love in the present moment.
Show Notes
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Jenée Johnson on Mindful.org
Jenée Johnson Website
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Today, Barry Boyce guides you through the latest episode of our Focused Attention Series,.building on last week's session, where we explored meta-awareness and focused the mind using the breath as an anchor.. Mindfulness, as Barry emphasizes, is about noticing thoughts without judgment and fostering a natural awareness beyond mental chatter. In this episode, Barry introduces the practice of tuning into the present moment—a powerful experience of simply being.
Show Notes
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Barry Boyce on Mindful.org
Shambhala Publications
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Today, Barry Boyce guides you to focus the mind using the breath as an anchor. Mindfulness involves noticing thoughts without judgment, fostering a natural awareness beyond the constant stream of mental chatter. In this particular practice, Barry introduces you to the power of “meta-awareness”—the moment you notice a thought—and how you can gently return your focus to the breath. Remember, in meditation, failure is part of the journey; each session is a learning experience. Take a moment to ground yourself, tune into your natural awareness, and explore the depths of mindfulness with Barry's guidance.
Show Notes
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Barry Boyce on Mindful.org
Shambhala Publications
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More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Today, Diana Winston guides us through a loving-kindness meditation by encouraging us to focus on someone who brings joy—be it a relative, friend, or beloved pet. As you extend well-wishes for their safety, happiness, health, and ease, notice the calm and contentment you feel. And as you practice this meditation over time, you might be pleasantly surprised by how your thoughts, feelings, and responses begin to shift.
Show Notes
Find more from Diana Winston here:
Diana Winston
Diana Winston on Mindful.org
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This week, meditation teacher Ed Halliwell guides you through "A Guided Meditation for Resting in the Flow," inviting you to envision the human experience as a flowing river—comprised of countless moving droplets forming a dynamic stream. Just as a river undergoes continuous change while maintaining a sense of continuity through well-worn grooves, our lives follow established patterns set by past events. By becoming attuned to the flow and the grooves, we can relax into the journey, gaining clarity that empowers us to skillfully navigate the current. Ed introduces the practice of resting in the flow, offering a meditation that aligns with the metaphor of the river, encouraging a deeper connection with the ever-changing currents of our existence.
Show Notes
Find more from Ed Halliwell here:
Mindfulness with Ed Halliwell
Ed Halliwell on Mindful.org
Ed Halliwell Youtube
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This week, meditation teacher Jay Vidyarthi leads us through a practice that helps release racing thoughts and immerse us in the present moment. In a world where self-care can feel like an added task, Jay offers a new approach. Rather than pushing for change, this practice encourages you to simply be. The aim is not to do, but to exist, letting things be as they are.
Show Notes
Find more from Jay Vidyarthi here:
https://www.jayvidyarthi.com/
https://hminnovations.org/people/jay-vidyarthi
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This week, meditation teacher Vinny Ferraro leads us in a practice that helps us direct compassion to ourselves. We often strive for perfection and can become our harshest critics as we try to hide our flaws and mistakes. This meditation guides us to embrace self-compassion, a shift that allows us to grow more comfortable with our imperfections and human difficulties. We set the intention to meet ourselves with warmth and affection, fostering a friendship with ourselves.
Show Notes
Find more from Vinny Ferraro here:
https://www.mindful.org/author/vinny-ferraro/
https://vinnyferraro.org/
https://www.bigheartcity.org/teachers
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This week, meditation teacher Holly Rogers leads us in a guided meditation for moving on. Life often presents us with challenges and discomfort. This practice is a gentle guide to navigating those moments with grace and clarity.
Acceptance, as Holly reminds us, is not about liking or agreeing with what's happening; it's about acknowledging the truth of the present moment. By learning to embrace each moment as it is, without layering on resistance or judgments, we can ease the suffering that often accompanies adversity.
Show Notes
Find more from Holly Rogers here:
The Mindful Twenty-Something
Mindfulness for the Next Generation
https://mindfulnessinstituteforemergingadults.com/
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This week, meditation teacher Adam Ortman leads us through a guided meditation that explores our inner dialogue. Our inner voice often constructs a limited narrative that obscures the full picture of our experiences. By paying close attention to this inner voice, especially when it tends to focus on negative thoughts, we can begin to nurture a habit of self-compassion.
This episode of 12-Minute Meditation is one of a series we created earlier this year in partnership with WholeSchool Mindfulness to support young people. That being said, anyone of any age can benefit from this beginner friendly self-compassion meditation.
Show Notes
Find more from Adam Ortman here:
https://wholeschoolmindfulness.org/
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This week, meditation teacher Charisse Minerva guides us in a unique sound meditation for greater awareness and self-discovery. Explore the symphony of sounds that surround us and learn to navigate stress through mindful breathing. Join us to embark on a sensory adventure with sound.
This episode of 12-Minute Meditation is one of a series we created earlier this year in partnership with WholeSchool Mindfulness to support young people. That being said, anyone of any age can benefit from this beginner-friendly loving-kindness meditation.
Show Notes
Find more from Charisse Minerva here:
https://www.trueheart.co/
https://www.instagram.com/minervatrueheart/
https://www.youtube.com/user/MinervaCultureShop/videos
https://wholeschoolmindfulness.org/
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This week, meditation teacher Carrington Kernodle Epperson leads us in a guided visualization meditation for self-care and self-compassion. This meditation helps us invite in abundance and inner peace, and reminds us that we have everything we need within us.
This episode of 12-Minute Meditation is one of a series we created earlier this year in partnership with WholeSchool Mindfulness to support young people. That being said, anyone of any age can benefit from this beginner-friendly, loving-kindness meditation.
Show Notes
Find more from Carrington Kernodle Epperson here:
https://withcarrington.com/about
https://wholeschoolmindfulness.org/
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The Real Mindful Podcast
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This week, meditation teacher Enrique Collazo leads a guided loving-kindness meditation to practice compassion toward ourselves and all others. In our society, we’re often hard on ourselves and strive to reach the high expectations we set. Inevitably, we fall short and this can lead to a habit of self-criticism. With loving-kindness we can learn to befriend ourselves and others, even when it’s difficult.
This episode of 12-Minute Meditation is one of a series we created earlier this year in partnership with WholeSchool Mindfulness to support young people. That being said, anyone of any age can benefit from this beginner-friendly loving-kindness meditation.
Show Notes
Find more from Enrique Collazo here:
https://dharmahomies.com/
https://www.traumaawaremindfulness.com/
https://ibme.com/
https://wholeschoolmindfulness.org/
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This week, Kazumi Igus leads a guided walking meditation that invites you to slow down and rediscover the beauty of the natural world, even within the bustling urban environment. If you pay attention, you can hear the call of a bird, notice your favorite color in shop windows, and look up at the vast sky above. In this guided meditation, we slow our roll and take in the beauty of our surroundings, no matter where we find ourselves.
This episode of 12-Minute Meditation is one of a series we created earlier this year in partnership with WholeSchool Mindfulness to support young people. That being said, anyone of any age can benefit from this relaxing walking meditation.
Show Notes
Find more from Kazumi Igus here:
https://kazumiigus.wixsite.com/igus
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Wholeschool Mindfulness Director, Ashley Williams shares a practice to help us check in with our minds, our bodies, our hearts, our energy, and our emotions. Earlier this year, Mindful partnered with WholeSchool Mindfulness to create a series of guided meditations to support young people. With the new school year beginning for many people, we'll be sharing these practices over the next few weeks. However, these practices don't have an age limit. Anyone can benefit from these guided meditations!
Show Notes
Find more from Ashley Williams here:
BareSOUL Yoga & Wellness
https://www.iamashleywilliams.com/
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More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In this week's episode, we explore a unique approach to dealing with difficult emotions. Instead of pushing them away, we delve into the power of recognizing and embracing these emotions with kindness and curiosity. Join us this week as Jud Brewer introduces a straightforward exercise that can help shift your perspective towards what you're feeling. Discover how curiosity can be a valuable tool in connecting with your own lived experience, whether it involves emotions like sadness, anxiety, or any other challenging feeling.
Show Notes
Find more from Judson Brewer here:
Drjud.com
Unwinding Anxiety
Judson on mindful.org
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Embark on a journey of self-discovery and mental growth with the insightful guidance of clinical psychologist Diana Hill in this week's edition of 12 Minute Meditation. Dr. Diana Hill leads you through a meditation designed to sharpen your perspective-taking skills—an essential component rooted in psychological flexibility and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This practice empowers you to momentarily step back from your personal narrative and connect with a broader viewpoint, offering fresh insights into your experiences.
Discover a balanced state between heightened awareness and relaxation, crafting a tranquil and harmonious mental space. Your breath becomes a reliable anchor, facilitating an easy return to focus amidst distractions or life's demands. Through this transformative practice, you'll uncover a haven of mental calm—a reservoir of composure and resilience, equipping you to gracefully navigate life's trials.
Don't miss the chance to infuse mindfulness into your daily routine, expertly guided by Dr. Diana Hill. Join her on this enlightening journey and unlock the empowering potential of mindful awareness in your everyday life. Your path to discovery and growth is ready to unfold.
Show notes
Find more from Diana Hill, Ph.D. here:
Drdianahill.com
https://www.mindful.org/author/dianahill/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, join mindfulness expert Shamash Alidina in this transformative 12-minute guided meditation, "Strengthening Response Flexibility," exclusively on mindful.org. Drawing from his acclaimed course "ACT for Beginners," Shamash will lead you through the 6 flexibility skills of the ACT process, using the acronym ACTION:
A - Acceptance: Embrace the present moment with kindness, making space for feelings.
C - Cognitive Defusion: Unhook from unhelpful thoughts, creating mental flexibility.
T - Transcendent Self: Observe experiences without judgment, fostering a flexible sense of self.
I - In the Moment: Embrace presence by focusing on sensory experiences, cultivating mindfulness.
O - Open to Values: Recognize what truly matters, aligning actions with core values.
N - Navigating with Meaningful Action: Infuse daily activities with intention, living according to values.
Experience psychological flexibility and discover fulfillment by integrating mindfulness and values-directed living. Explore the journey of mindful living with Shamash, and join his 30-day Mindfulness Challenge for deeper insights into ACT and mindfulness.
Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here:
https://www.mindful.org/author/shamash-alidinia/
https://www.shamashalidina.com/
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More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join clinical psychologist Diana Hill this week as she takes you on a transformative journey of mindfulness and self-discovery. Embrace the soothing power of Thich Nhat Hanh's mantras from the revered Plum Village tradition as you begin with a gentle focus on your breath. From there, expand your awareness, letting your breath flow through your head, your heart and into a space of profound loving consciousness.
In this meditation, Dr. Diana Hill skillfully guides you to find the delicate balance between wakefulness and ease, creating a serene and harmonious mental state. The breath becomes your grounding anchor, a sanctuary to which you can effortlessly return whenever your mind wanders, or life becomes overwhelming. Through this practice, you'll discover a place of refuge, a source of calm and strength to navigate life's challenges with grace and composure.
Don't miss this opportunity to experience the transformative benefits of mindfulness. Join Dr. Diana Hill and unlock the power of loving awareness in your daily life. The journey awaits you.
Show notes
Find more from Diana Hill, Ph.D. here:
Drdianahill.com
http://yourlifeinprocess.com/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join Dr. Reena Kotecha, creator of Mindful in Healthcare, in this week's practice, called the 'SOS Response' meditation. This practice uses guided visualization and mindfulness to enable response flexibility when you're experiencing a challenging situation or when you're in the midst of difficulty. You will come away equipped to emotionally regulate and create a well thought out response when you're stressed or triggered.
Show notes
Find more from Dr. Reena Kotecha here:
https://drreenakotecha.com/
https://www.mindful.org/author/reenakotecha/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join Shalini Bahl-Milne in this week's practice as she guides us through a practice to replenish our mental energy. By focusing on our senses, we can rest our thinking mind and fully experience the present moment. Feel the sensations in your feet, listen to the sounds around you, and embrace the scents in your environment. Open your eyes and see an object with fresh eyes, free from judgments.
This 12-Minute Meditation allows you to reconnect with yourself and cultivate a sense of presence.
Take a moment to replenish your energy and feel fully present.
Show Notes Find more from Shalini Bahl-Milne here:
https://www.mindful.org/author/shalinibahlmilne/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join us for a transformative meditation led by Jessica Morey, as we explore the power of connecting with our own goodness. By anchoring ourselves in feelings of love and gratitude, we can cultivate a sense of loving-kindness and compassion that extends beyond ourselves and into the world.
In this practice, Jessica guides us through various steps to deepen our connection with ourselves and others. Starting with listening to our bodies and surrendering to gravity, we embrace the support and kindness within and around us. Placing a hand on our body, we offer soothing and supportive gestures throughout the practice.
Through breath and intention, we wish ourselves well and explore phrases of loving-kindness and self-compassion. We allow these well wishes to permeate our being, bathing every cell of our body in happiness and ease.
With our hearts overflowing with love and gratitude, we shift our focus to someone in our lives who effortlessly inspires love. We extend our well wishes to them, hoping for their well-being, happiness, and ease.
As we conclude this meditative journey, we carry the warmth of loving-kindness and compassion with us, ready to face the world with open hearts and open minds.
Tune in to this episode and embrace the transformative power of connecting with your own goodness.
Show Notes Find more from Jessica Morey here:
jessicamorey.org
www.mindful.org/author/jessica-morey/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join clinical psychologist Diana Hill as she takes us on a journey to uncover the profound meaning that can arise from our greatest pains.
Drawing from her extensive experience straddling the realms of pain and meaning, Diana guides us through a thought-provoking experiment. Through a series of activities, we explore the discomfort we feel and the significance these activities hold in our lives. From saying no when overwhelmed to engaging with opposing political views, Diana skillfully highlights the inherent connection between pain and meaning.
Discover how a meaningful life is not devoid of pain but rather intertwined with it. Engaging in purposeful activities often brings discomfort, yet this discomfort can serve as a source of pleasure and growth. Diana shares insights from experts, revealing how contrast, self-reflection breaks, and the signaling of strength contribute to finding pleasure in pain.
Learn how pain plays a vital role in our brain's dopamine balance and why skillfully choosing pain in service of what matters to us can lead to a more fulfilling life. Diana introduces six strategies to expand our flexibility in the face of discomfort, such as embracing the power of choice, turning up the meaning dial, and staying present in the moment. She guides us to physicalize our discomfort, expand our perspective, and transcend our self-centered mindset to cultivate compassion and interconnection.
Don't miss this captivating episode that will challenge your understanding of pain, meaning, and the transformative possibilities that arise when we wholeheartedly embrace our full range of experiences.
Show notes
Find more from Diana Hill, PhD here:
Drdianahill.com
http://yourlifeinprocess.com/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join us this week as Rose Felix Cratsley shares powerful affirmations that nurture self-compassion, encourage personal growth, and bring about healing through hope. With a firm belief in the importance of mindfulness as a fundamental human right, Rose reminds us that we enter this world with openness and curiosity, yet often find ourselves burdened by self-judgment, criticism, fear, and anxiety.
Rose is the visionary founder and president of Ivy Child International, a remarkable non-profit organization dedicated to creating global mental health initiatives for children, families, and communities. Through their impactful work, Ivy Child International strives to improve the well-being of individuals worldwide.
Tune in to discover affirmations that will empower you to embrace self-compassion, foster growth, and find solace in the transformative power of hope. Rose's wisdom and experience will guide you on a journey of healing, as you navigate the challenges of life with renewed strength and resilience.
Show notes:
Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here:
Ivy Child International
https://www.mindful.org/author/rosefelixcratsley/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Join expert Cara Bradley for a transformative mindful movement practice, synchronizing mind and body through breath and spinal movement. This practice integrates mindfulness into movement, unlocking the power of the mind-body connection. Experience increased calmness, clarity, relaxation, and alertness.
Cara Bradley, renowned in mindful movement, guides you through spinal alignment with breath, followed by seated observation. Explore subtle sensations and body boundaries in the first half. In the second half, sit and notice thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment.
Cara Bradley's practice offers a holistic approach, enhancing physical alignment, flexibility, body awareness, and mental resilience. Embark on this journey, guided by Cara Bradley, and embrace the profound benefits of mindful movement in just one session. Harmonize mind and body, transforming your well-being.
Show notes:
Find more from Cara Bradley here:
https://www.carabradley.net/
https://www.mindful.org/author/cara-bradley/
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
As this week’s meditation teacher Mark Coleman says, "We know being in nature is good for us, but how do we put this into practice in a way that will really serve and nurture us?" This is a question we address in our course, Nature Meditations. And with Spring blossoming around us, it seems like the right time to get outside and appreciate what the natural world offers.
Show Notes:
Find more from Mark Coleman here:
markcoleman.org
Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery
Make Peace With Your Mind
From Suffering to Peace
And more from Mindful here:
Nature Meditations course
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Delicious means enjoyable, delightful, and pleasant—and we can bring that perspective into the kitchen as we cook. This week, mindful eating expert Lynn Rossy offers four ways to savor the dance of cooking. Lynn says Delicious is the term used to describe the type of food she hopes to eat, but also the way in which she moves.
For this practice, find a quiet spot to listen and visualize with Lynn’s guidance, or, bring this podcast with you into the kitchen when you go to cook your next meal. When Lynn’s instructions end, you can continue to meditate, journal, or cook, reflecting on Lynn’s offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell.
Show notes
Find more from Lynn Rossy here:
lynnrossy.com
mindful.org/author/lynn-rossy
And more from Mindful here:
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week we're offering something a little different. Elaine Smookler guides a laughter yoga practice. The amazing thing about laughter is you don’t even have to really have something funny to laugh at. We can actually induce laughter as an experience and the body will still release the same endorphins. This gentle movement exercise is Elaine’s foolproof way to induce laughter. It is based on the Hawaiian word “Aloha,” a nice vowel-y word that opens the mouth and throat just by saying it. You can practice alongside Elaine, then, when the laughter yoga ends, find a comfortable position where you can continue to meditate or journal, reflecting on Elaine’s offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell.
Show notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here:
Elainesmookler.com
mindful.org/author/elaine-smookler
And more from Mindful here:
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Patricia Rockman offers a practice to explore your habitual reactions. This meditation is about working with habits. In particular, our habitual reactions to difficult situations that commonly arise. These could be anger at being stuck in traffic, sadness at not getting what we want, or frustration when dealing with companies that keep us on hold for what feels like eternity. Whatever it may be, mindfulness practices can help us deal with our habitual reactivity in more skillful ways.
Show notes
Find more from Patricia Rockman here:
patriciarockman.com
mindful.org/author/patricia-rockman
And more from Mindful here:
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Wisdom arises out of our mind’s capacity to be aware—which is not the same as thinking. Meditation teacher Kimberly Brown says, wisdom is a moment-to-moment awareness of what’s arising internally and externally. So, this week, Brown offers a practice to train our awareness. It begins with developing concentration, which allows us to let go of our thoughts and our plans and be in this moment.
Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here:
meditationwithheart.com
mindful.org/author/kimberlybrown
And more from Mindful here:
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Walking meditation can be a formal practice, like watching the breath, or it can be informal, simply bringing awareness to this everyday activity whenever we need to travel from point A to point B. It’s an opportunity to gather our awareness which so often becomes distracted or even stuck when the mind is left to its own devices. Whether moving between floors of a building, on a city street, or in the woods, Mark Bertin offers this opportunity to guide ourselves out of the distracted autopilot we live in throughout so much of our day. So take a break and boost your mood with this simple walking meditation.
Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here:
developmentaldoctor.com
Mark on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
Mindful.org
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
The opposite of feeling checked out or distracted—the unfortunate reality for many—is the experience of flow state, bringing your skills and focus together to meet whatever challenge you face. This week, Nate Klemp offers a practice to rest in the flow of effortlessness. Here’s how you can train your mind to cultivate the ease and joy of being “in the zone.”
You’ll find this practice as a web extra in the April issue of Mindful. You can find the April issue of the magazine now on newsstands or you can check it out on mindful.org
Show Notes
Find more from Nate Klemp here:
Nateklemp.com
Nate on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
Flow State: How to Get in the Zone
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Movement is a valuable ally in bringing more calm, focus, and clarity to our state of mind. So, this week, Dianne Bondy offers a soothing yoga flow to help you choose yourself. Gentle movement helps us tune in to the daily routines that we might otherwise go through on autopilot.
Savor this gentle practice as part of your time to simply be present with yourself or invite a loved one to join you and unwind together.
You’ll find this practice as a web extra to our guide to mindful movement, in the April issue of Mindful. You can find the April issue of the magazine now on newsstands or you can check it out on mindful.org
Show Notes
Find more from Diane Bondy here:
diannebondyyoga.com
And more from Mindful here:
7 Mindful Movement Practices for Daily Life
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we lengthen the exhale, we’re better able to find our power and invite a sense of relaxation to high intensity movement. Longer exhales cause the vagus nerve to send a signal to your brain, activating the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and easing the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, or freeze).
You’ll find this practice as a web extra to our Guide to Mindful Movement, in the April issue of Mindful magazine—now on newsstands and mindful.org.
Show Notes
More from Georgina Miranda:
Georginamiranda.com
Georgina Miranda, Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
7 Mindful Movement Practices for Daily Life
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Even when we’re sitting still, we can sense the movement of nature around us, full of moment-to-moment reminders of the continuous state of growth and life surrounding us. This week, Jeanne Corrigal offers a practice to rest in the movement of nature. You can do this meditation outdoors, or anywhere.
You’ll find this practice as a web extra to our Guide to Mindful Movement, in the April issue of Mindful magazine—now on newsstands and mindful.org.
Show Notes
Find more from Jeanne Corrigal here:
jeannecorrigal.com
Jeanne Corrigal, Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
7 Mindful Movement Practices for Daily Life
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
There are countless ways we can shift our world for the better—whether it’s volunteering weekly in our communities, engaging someone in a compassionate conversation, joining an activist group, or creating art that envisions what positive change might look like and energizes us to get there. But that’s not the whole story. We need to care for ourselves, too: Healing and replenishing ourselves is part of the healing we wish for others.
In this seated yoga practice, we cultivate the tools to nurture, strengthen, and give courage to our fearless hearts.
Show Notes
Find more from Boo Boafo here: @holisticlifestyler
And more from Mindful here:
7 Mindful Movement Practices for Daily Life
The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed and confused about how to engage with the world from a place of strength, groundedness, and calm. So, this week, we’re sharing an awareness practice to foster three key insights: clarity of intention; understanding of our power, presence, and impact; and opportunities for wise action-taking. We don’t have to know all the answers. We are simply inviting in reflection and introspection to allow insights and awareness of body and mind to arise. Whatever arises, see if you can meet it with self-compassion and curiosity.
This practice was featured in the February 2023 issue of Mindful as part of an at-home meditation retreat designed for you to take your individual practice into your relationships and your community. You can find the new issue of Mindful on newsstands or on mindful.org.
Show Notes
Find more from Michelle Maldonado here:
lucenscia.com
A Bridge to Better
More from Michelle on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
Try This Self-Guided Meditation Retreat for Rest and Restoration
The February 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Healing Burnout Issue
Mindful at Work
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
We tend to focus all our love on the people we care about—yet, to connect more deeply with others, we must turn toward the one person we keep on the shortest leash: ourselves. We often reject other people’s care or attention when we believe we don’t deserve it. This practice reminds us that there’s nothing special we must do to deserve love. You are worthy of love simply because you exist.
Show Notes:
More from Sharon Salzberg here:
sharonsalzberg.com
More from Sharon on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
Try This Self-Guided Meditation Retreat for Rest and Restoration
The February 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Healing Burnout Issue
Mindful at Work
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
The simple act of questioning the thoughts that shape our reality (especially when they create stress, anger, or frustration) opens the door to living a life with more compassion, ease, and openness to new possibilities. This week, Nate Klemp and Eric Langshur offer a practice (recorded by Mindful editor-in-chief Heather Hurlock) to inquire into our thoughts and unwind from stress.
This practice is featured in the February 2023 issue of Mindful as part of an at-home meditation retreat. The mini-retreat is curated for relief and restoration when you're teetering on the edge of burnout and designed for you to take your individual practice into your relationships and your community.
Show Notes
Find more from Nate Klemp and Eric Langshur here:
Nateklemp.com
Start Here: Mast the Lifelong Habit of Well-beingMore from Nate on mindful.org
More from Eric on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
Try This Self-Guided Meditation Retreat for Rest and Restoration
The February 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Healing Burnout Issue
Mindful at Work
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
While many of us take stock at the end of a year, and use the fresh page of January to set goals, or make plans, that sense of letting go of what we're caught up in and the habits we've been living through can be an integral part of our everyday mindfulness practice. Each time we sit for a few minutes, there's an opportunity to let go of wherever our minds, attention, and awareness have gotten caught up in, come back, and realign ourselves with our best intentions and efforts.
As you approach this practise, ask yourself what you'd like to bring to it today. And remember that at any moment, you can realign yourself with your best intentions, recognizing that you may lose touch again and then come back when you do.
Show Notes
Find more from Mark Bertin here:
Mark Bertin, Author at Mindful
developmentaldoctor.com
And more from Mindful here:
The February 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Healing Burnout Issue
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org
For the month of December we're rounding up our most popular meditations from this year. This week, Rose Felix Cratsley offers affirmations for self-compassion, embracing growth, and healing through hope. She says, “I think mindfulness is an essential and fundamental human right. We come into the world open and curious, but oftentimes self-judgment, criticism, fear, and anxiety come about.”
Show Notes
Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here:
Ivy Child International
Rose Felix Cratsley. Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org
For the month of December we're rounding up our most popular meditations from this year. This week, Elaine Smookler offers a practice to help savor the moment by tapping into your senses.
One morning in early October, Elaine Smookler glanced at her cell phone and noticed the weather app ominously predicting many days of snow and icy temperatures ahead. Life’s challenges were seemingly everywhere. And Elaine was smiling. Cheerful. Grateful. Difficulties were still present, but awareness of her gratitude shifted her view, letting her see that everything was not dark and cold—in fact, many sights and sounds were quite lovely. Cultivate gratitude for life's small delights as you're guided through the senses by Elaine.
Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here:
elainesmookler.com
Read Elaine’s latest Inner Wisdom column in Mindful magazine
More from Elaine on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022
The February 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Healing Burnout Issue
The Gratitude Journal by Mindful
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Sometimes we need to drop into our body to discern what we need in this moment. In this episode of 12 Minute Meditation, author and mindfulness teacher Dr. Christopher Willard offers four prompts to help us self-regulate by attending to what our difficult emotions or physical sensations may be telling us, using the acronym H.A.L.T. H is for asking ourselves: Am I hungry right now? A means checking in to see: Am I angry or anxious, or otherwise dysregulated and activated? L stands for lonely: Am I feeling lonely in this moment? And T stands for: Am I tired?
Show Notes:
Find more from Chris Willard here:
drchristopherwillard.com
Chris on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When love feels scarce, we are conditioned to slip into survival mode. We cling to our beliefs about who we are in order to feel safe, to compensate for the belief that we are lacking. But seeing these conditioned habits for what they are can help create pathways for returning, for remembrance, for releasing into our inherent belonging. This mindful journaling practice guides you in bringing any judgments or unmet needs into your conscious awareness, where they can be healed.
Show Notes:
Find more from Caverly Morgan here:
caverlymorgan.org
Caverly Morgan, Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
More episode of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Win a free copy of The Heart of Who We Are by Caverly Morgan
If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving this week, we’re sending you warm wishes for a safe and happy holiday. And, in the spirit of season, this week, Steve Hickman offers a gratitude practice for small things.
You’ll find this practice featured in our Gratitude Journal, which is a beautiful, lovingly designed collection of essays, articles, and practices, rooted in neuroscience, and featuring writing prompts by Jane Anne Staw, and lots of space for you to draw, write, and reflect on your own relationship with and practice of gratitude.
Show Notes
Find more from Steve Hickman here:
drstevenhickman.com
More from Steven on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue
The Gratitude Journal by Mindful
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Sometimes gratitude can be tough to tap into, so this week, Jessica Morey shares a meditation to help us connect with our own goodness. When we're anchored in feelings of love and gratitude, we can bring loving-kindness and compassion with us out into the world. This practice as a web extra to our guide to gratitude, in the December issue of Mindful. Our guide to gratitude features a variety of practices designed to help you tune into your five senses, shift toward qualities like joy and awe, and more.
Show Notes
Find more from Jessica Morey here:
jessicamorey.org
Jessica on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
One of the biggest obstacles to gratitude is resentment, says Barry Boyce, Mindful’s founding editor. From time to time, we need to undercut our own perspective and see things from the other side—maybe even from all sides. Here, Barry shares a gratitude practice to help us stop clinging to our ideas of what we want, and to work with the feelings that come up when we feel resistant to the way things are.
Show Notes
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
“Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate”
“The Truth About Parasocial Relationships”
More from Barry on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
While moving through nature, we have the opportunity to enter a state of being, be present with all of our sensations, and awaken gratitude for the Earth that is also part of us. So, take this moment to connect with the breath as Georgina Miranda, social entrepreneur, outdoor adventurer, speaker, writer, and mindful leadership expert guides you in a meditation for gratitude in nature. This meditation is a web extra for the December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine, on newsstands now or on mindful.org.
Show Notes
Find more from Georgina Miranda here:
georginamiranda.com
“Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate”
More from Georgina on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
While moving through nature, we have the opportunity to enter a state of being, be present with all of our sensations, and awaken gratitude for the Earth that is also part of us. So, take this moment to connect with the breath as Georgina Miranda, social entrepreneur, outdoor adventurer, speaker, writer, and mindful leadership expert guides you in a meditation for gratitude in nature. This meditation is a web extra for the December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine, on newsstands now or on mindful.org.
Show Notes
Find more from Georgina Miranda here:
georginamiranda.com
“Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate”
More from Georgina on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we take a moment to appreciate what's happening in our bodies, with a spirit of curiosity, we honor all that our bodies do for us every day. This week, Elaine Smookler guides us in a moment to bring appreciation to our embodied experience right now.
Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here:
Elainesmookler.com
Elaine Smookler, Author at Mindful
Mindful course: Get Started with Mindfulness Course
And more from Mindful here:
The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue
The Gratitude Journal by Mindful
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful PodcastLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, experienced mindfulness practitioner and instructor Gina Rollo White offers a gentle way to connect with each area of your body, while nurturing a felt sense of loving-kindness and gratitude. This somatic (embodied awareness) practice is a bonus that adds on to the “Guide to Gratitude” that you’ll find in the December issue of Mindful magazine. There, mindfulness experts share their best tips and guided practices to shift focus toward qualities like joy and awe, and discover new ways to let gratitude come alive.
Show Notes
Find more from Gina Rollo White here:
Mindfuljunkie.com
Mindful course: Learn to De-Stress With Gina Rollo White
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful PodcastLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we’re caught in the throes of an emotion like sadness, loneliness, or anger, shifting our awareness into the body allows us to experience the ever-changing nature of these strong and often unpleasant emotions. This practice will help you get used to the feeling of paying attention to difficult emotions in the body with curiosity and without judgment.
Show Notes
Find more from Sharon Salzberg here:
sharonsalzberg.com
Sharon Salzberg on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The October 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Peaceful Mind Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful PodcastLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This practice is a web extra in the October issue of Mindful magazine where we look into the science and practice of meditating—not to push away your painful emotions, but to see and recognize those emotions with kindness and curiosity. This week, Jud Brewer offers this simple exercise to help you shift your attitude toward what you’re feeling. Curiosity is a helpful tool for engaging with our embodied experience, including emotions like sadness, anxiety, or any other unpleasant emotion.
Show Notes
Find more from Judson Brewer here:
Drjud.com
Unwinding Anxiety
Jud on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The October 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Peaceful Mind Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This practice is a web extra in the October issue of Mindful magazine where we look into the science and practice of meditating—not to push away your painful emotions, but to see and recognize those emotions with kindness and curiosity. By allowing ourselves to experience where tough emotions are present in the body, and opening up to them with love, we can cultivate a sense of peace and acceptance toward the imperfect nature of life. This meditation is guided by author and mindful self-compassion expert Kristin Neff. It’s designed for dealing with really difficult emotions, so if you're feeling something very difficult right now, this may be a good meditation for you.
Show Notes
Find more from Kristin Neff here:
Self-compassion.org
Fierce Self-Compassion
Kristin on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The October 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Peaceful Mind Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Sometimes we need to drop into our body to discern what we need in this moment. In this episode of 12 Minute Meditation, author and mindfulness teacher Dr. Christopher Willard offers four prompts to help us self-regulate by attending to what our difficult emotions or physical sensations may be telling us, using the acronym H.A.L.T. In a nutshell, H is for asking ourselves: Am I hungry right now? A means checking in to see: Am I angry or anxious, or otherwise dysregulated and activated? L stands for lonely: Am I feeling lonely in this moment? And T stands for: Am I tired?
Show Notes
Find more from Chris Willard here:
drchristopherwillard.com
Chris on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The October 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Peaceful Mind Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, meditation teacher and author Kimberly Brown offers a loving-kindness practice variation to help us cultivate more ease and openness within the moment-to-moment unfolding of our lives. “Everything is impermanent. It's always changing, coming together and falling apart,” she says. When we can accept that not everything is up to us, and let go of trying to control what we can’t change, we can find more ease. This practice is a web extra in the October issue of Mindful magazine. In the feature, veteran journalist Caren Osten Gerszberg looks into the science and practice of meditating—not to push away your painful emotions, but to see and recognize those emotions with kindness and curiosity.
Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here:
Kimberly on Mindful.org
Meditationwithheart.com
Navigating Grief and Loss
Check out the October issue of Mindful Magazine here:
The Peaceful Mind issue: Calm Your Anxious Brain
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful PodcastLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang leads us in a 4-7-8 breath practice to release stagnant air and find calm. Ni-Cheng is a pulmonary physician, podcast host, and mindfulness teacher. In the early days of the pandemic, she recruited eight medical colleagues from across the United States to create the Mindful Healthcare Collective, which offers free online mindfulness sessions to healthcare workers, with topics including basic breath awareness, mindful eating, and even anti-racism work.
Show Notes:
Find more of Ni-Cheng Liang here:
Ni-Cheng Liang, Author at Mindful
ncliangmd.com
Meditate with Ni-Cheng in the Mindful30: a 30-Day Meditation Challenge
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Georgina Miranda shares a guided practice to help us feel more grounded and at ease, especially during stressful or fearful moments. Georgina is a global leader in change, transformation, mindfulness, conscious leadership development and the advancement of women. She is also a highly sought after international transformation coach, public speaker, and management consultant.
Show Notes:
Find more of Georgina Miranda here:
Author Page, Georgina Miranda
This Woman Used Mindfulness to Climb Mt. Everest
GEORGINA MIRANDA
Meditate with Georgina in the Mindful30: a 30-Day Meditation Challenge
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In order to be giving, we need to be nourished. This week, Andres Gonzalez shares a practice about learning to check in with yourself and to do so with love. Andres is cofounder of the Holistic Life Foundation. For twenty years, Andres has taught yoga to diverse populations, including Baltimore City Public School, drug treatment centers, mental crisis facilities, homeless shelters, wellness centers, colleges, private schools, and other venues throughout the nation. He is also one of this year's teachers in our Mindful30 meditation challenge. Andres will be guiding practices based on easing stress with intentional breathing. If you want to know more about Mindful30, we’ll link to it in the show notes for this episode.
Show Notes:
Find more from Andres Gonzalez here:
Holistic Life Foundation
Meditate with Andres in the Mindful30: a 30-Day Meditation Challenge
Andres on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The August 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Happiness Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Founding editor of Mindful and mindful.org Barry Boyce offers a simple practice for cultivating your attention. He says, "The simple act of paying attention is really the kindest thing you can do for yourself. When our mind is scattered it creates pain and disconnection, and that pain and disconnection gets picked up by others." But paying attention isn’t as easy as deciding to do it—it does take practice! So that’s what this week’s meditation is all about.
Show Notes:
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Barry on mindful.org
Read his latest column in Mindful magazine, “What Happens If We Drop Our Illusions?”
Mindful30: 30-Day Meditation Challenge
And more from Mindful here:
The August 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Happiness Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, we're offering something a little different. Dr. Michelle Chatman shares a practice that she's been singing since 2020, when we saw the killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor; when the COVID-19 pandemic began and we saw its devastating effects upon Black and brown communities; and we also saw protests and uprisings in response to racial injustice around the globe.
As an assistant professor in the Crime, Justice, and Security Studies program at The University of the District of Columbia and contemplative educator, Michelle weaves meditation, music, and introspective practices into her teaching to help facilitate student learning and growth and build community. This song helps Michelle restore.
You can close your eyes or lower your gaze while you listen to Michelle sing and then can continue to meditate, reflecting on Michelle's offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell.
Show Notes:
Find more from Dr. Michelle Chatman here:
Healing the Harm in Schools - TEDxUStreetWomen
Black Mindfulness Summit
10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022
And more from Mindful here:
The August 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Happiness Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
During times of stress and uncertainty, touching into your groundedness while remaining open can help you find calm—and inspire others to do the same. Meena Srinivasan offers a practice for staying both rooted, and open. “You can always draw upon the strength of those who’ve come before us,” she says. “Know that you can act from a place and space of groundedness and compassion. And this is what the world needs now.”
Show notes:
Find more from Meena Srinivasan here:
meenasrinivasan.com
Transformative Educational Leadership
10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022
And more from Mindful here:
The August 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Happiness Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
“Resilience can be thought of as our capacity to know when we are not in a state of equilibrium and to be in the practice of gently inviting ourselves to open up and reveal whatever it is we need to be nourished and to be held.” Dr. Sará King says. And this can help us to reestablish a feeling of safety, connectedness, and grounding. This week, Dr. King invites us to connect with the love and healing we’d like to send to future generations to cultivate intergenerational resilience.
Show Notes:
Find more from Sará King here:
Where Science, Mindfulness, and Social Justice Intersect
10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022
Sará King on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The August 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Happiness Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Rose Felix Cratsley offers affirmations for self-compassion, embracing growth, and healing through hope. She says, “I think mindfulness is an essential and fundamental human right. We come into the world open and curious, but oftentimes self-judgment, criticism, fear, and anxiety come about.” Rose is founder and president of Ivy Child International, a non-profit that develops global mental health initiatives for children, families, and communities.
Show Notes:
Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here:
Ivy Child International
10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022
Rose on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The August 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Happiness Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Renda Dionne Madrigal is a licensed clinical psychologist and registered drama therapist. She is Turtle Mountain Chippewa, and specializes in embodied mindfulness-based practices. This week she's sharing one of the practices from her book, The Mindful Family Guidebook, called North Star Breathing.
Show Notes:
Find more about Renda Dionne Madrigal here:
“10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022”
The Mindful Family Guidebook
Check out the August issue of Mindful Magazine here:
Mindful - August 2022: The Self-Care Issue
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
We live in a world of constant change and this week, Aden Van Noppen invites us to find what roots us. Aden is the founder and executive director of Mobius, a collaboration between leading neuroscientists, meditation teachers, and technologists to work toward the creation of digital technology that enhances our individual and collective well-being. Aden is also one of the 10 powerful women of the mindfulness movement 2022, and here she guides a meditation on impermanence.
Show Notes:
Find more about Aden Van Noppen here:
“10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022”
Mobius
Check out the August issue of Mindful Magazine here:
Mindful - August 2022: The Self-Care Issue
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Learning to tune in to our own vulnerability is an act of courage that allows us to form deeper, more genuine relationships. In the August 2021 issue of Mindful magazine, Dr. Stacee Reicherzer wrote, “If you’re someone who grew up being told that tears are a sign of weakness, or that you should never show fear lest you be exploited, you understand how very difficult it is to communicate complex emotions like jealousy, resentment, or sorrow.” In this week’s episode, Dr. Reicherzer leads us in a guided meditation to explore vulnerability and what it might be like to open up to someone we trust.
Show Notes:
drstacee.com
The Healing Otherness Handbook
Healing Otherness with Compassion (and Sass)
A Guided Meditation to Reflect on the Colours of the Pride Flag
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Rose Felix Cratsley offers a meditation to honor equity by uplifting and celebrating the power of pausing together. In this mindfulness framework, each letter of the word BREATH serves to remind us of our responsibility to ourselves and to others to honor and promote equity. So she invites us to breathe, renew, exercise equity, activate and advocate, trust the power, and heal.
Rose Felix Cratsley is the founder and president of Ivy Child International, a nonprofit that develops global mental health initiatives for children, families, and communities. She is also featured in our annual list of powerful women in the mindfulness movement. You can find that feature in the August issue of Mindful Magazine later this month.
Show Notes:
Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here:
Ivy Child International
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Life doesn't always serve us exactly what we want. Sometimes it offers pain, confusion, and sorrow. There's no way to stop those circumstances, nor to stop the difficult emotions that might arise alongside them. This week, Frank Ostaseski offers a meditation to investigate all of the circumstances of our lives with curiosity, and that can help us welcome everything that comes, or at least allow it. When we allow what is to simply be, we relieve ourselves of the suffering that can get heaped on top of our moments of difficulty. That extra suffering is optional, even if the difficult causes and conditions are not.
Show Notes:
Find more from Frank Ostaseski here:
Frank Ostaseski, Author at Mindful
Zen Hospice Project
Metta Institute
Read Kate Bowler’s essay:
Coming Undone But Not Unmade
Read the June issue of Mindful Magazine here:
Discover the June 2022 Issue
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Nurses help those who are sick or injured, they hold the hands of others as their life ends or offer solace to those pained by loss. To mark National Nurses Week, Cynda Hylton Rushton calls on nurses to pause for a moment to honor their hands—and to acknowledge the joys, sorrows, disappointments, fears, and triumphs in their professional lives.
Show Notes:
More from Cynda Rushton on Mindful.org
How Integrity Can Heal Burnout
As Mark Coleman says, listening is a beautiful doorway to the present moment, a tuning in to what’s here. With listening practice, we develop the qualities of receptivity, relaxation, and a sense of naturalness. We don’t need to make much effort to hear anything. A sound arises and is known quite easily and naturally in awareness. So, with this particular meditation, we can cultivate a sense of ease, receptivity, and openness. We allow the sounds to be the locus for our attention, simply present to the ebb and flow in the soundscape.
Shownotes:
Find more from Mark Coleman here:
markcoleman.org
Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery
Make Peace With Your Mind
From Suffering to Peace
And more from Mindful here:
Nature Meditations course
The June 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Resilience Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In this practice, Sharon Salzberg invites us to allow ourselves to feel our emotions, notice the sensations that arise in our body, and forgive ourselves for what we feel. And while your mind might wander during the meditation, Salzburg reminds us that it is always possible to let go and begin again. This practice is featured in the June issue of Mindful magazine, which you can find on Mindful.org or at a newsstand near you.
Show Notes
Find more from Sharon Salzberg here:
Sharon Salzberg, Author at Mindful
Read the June issue of Mindful magazine here:
Discover the June 2022 Issue - Mindful Magazine
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
As this week’s meditation teacher Mark Coleman says, "We know being in nature is good for us, but how do we put this into practice in a way that will really serve and nurture us?" This is a question we address in the June issue of Mindful, and in our new course, Nature Meditations. And with Earth Day happening this week, it seems like the right time to get outside and appreciate what the natural world offers.
Show Notes:
Find more from Mark Coleman here:
markcoleman.org
Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery
Make Peace With Your Mind
From Suffering to Peace
And more from Mindful here:
Nature Meditations course
The June 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Compassion Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week on 12 Minute Meditation, Jenée Johnson leads a practice to remind us that we are enough. In this practice, Jenée offers five affirmations that are designed to help us be more compassionate toward ourselves, and in turn build a solid base to be more compassionate toward others.
Show Notes:
Find more from Jenée Johnson here:
Jenée Johnson, Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Mindful managing editor and your regular 12 Minute Meditation host Stephanie Domet leads a mindful writing practice for settling into your body, noticing your surroundings in a real or imagined setting, and using your experience as a writing prompt. This practice is drawn from Stephanie's new course, Mindful Writing. She shares tips, practices, and prompts to strengthen your existing writing practice, or discover a new creative outlet.
Show Notes:
Find more from Stephanie Domet here:
Mindful Writing course
Stephanie on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The April 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Resilience Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Shalini Bahl-Milne shares a practice to replenish our energy. If we draw from a pool of resources without replenishing them, we can begin to feel depleted—our brain gets sluggish, and we don’t make good decisions. By resting our attention on our senses, we are taking a moment to reconnect with ourselves and feel fully present.
This practice was featured in the April issue of Mindful magazine as part of a three-day at-home retreat designed by Shalini and other veteran mindfulness teachers Mark Bertin and Tovi Scruggs-Hussein.
Show Notes:
Find more from Shalini Bahl-Milne here:
Shalini Bahl-Milne, Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
An At-Home Meditation Retreat You Can Share with Those You Love
The April 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Resilience Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of the four elements to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Follow the guided practice and join your child on a mindful adventure.
This week, Dr. Sará King offers a practice to explore, "don't know mind"— an idea that is sometimes used in meditation to evoke a sense of curiosity. So in this practice, we'll explore what it's like to approach the world with a don't know mind. How does that land in the body? What is it like to explore not knowing, not being quite certain?
Show Notes:
Find more from Dr. Sará King here:
Where Science, Mindfulness, and Social Justice Intersect
And more from Mindful here:
The Only Constant is Change
The April 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Resilience Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When we're aware that events of war and injustice are unfolding wherever we are in the world, we often feel a powerful sense of connection with those who are at the center of the conflict.
This week, the invitation with this practice is to put aside ideas and concepts about differences, shame, fear, survival, and to simply see if you can begin to develop a felt sense of common humanity—that all of us wish for happiness and freedom from suffering.
Show Notes:
Find more from Steve Hickman here:
Steven Hickman, Author at Mindful
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, John Taylor shares a five-step practice for finding some peace and freedom after trauma. John’s work as a mindfulness teacher is focused on racial equity and reconciliation initiatives. He is a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher and serves as adjunct faculty for UCSD’s Center for Mindfulness. Here, he reminds us that we all have potential for healing and for positive change. All of this and more lies within each of us.
This practice is featured in the April issue of Mindful magazine alongside a piece written by longtime journalist Robert Huber exploring how mindfulness can help survivors of gun violence navigate their pain and support post-traumatic growth, one breath at a time. You can find it now on newsstands or at mindful.org.
Show Notes:
Find more from John Taylor here:
UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
And more from Mindful here:
Why Survivors of Gun Violence Are Turning to Mindfulness
The April 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Resilience Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Kimberly Brown leads a practice to cultivate curiosity. We might not always think about curiosity as a part of mindfulness, but this powerful quality is what allows our everyday experiences, even the ones we really don't want to be having to get some breathing room and maybe even to shift in unexpected ways. Our curiosity practice can start with the simplest tools we have at hand: Our breath, our body, and our awareness.
Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here:
Kimberly Brown, Author at Mindful
Find Stephnie Domet’s article on mindfulness and curiosity here:
How Compassion and Curiosity Help Me to Be Present
And more from Mindful here:
Discover the April 2022 Issue - Mindful Magazine
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
In this practice from Mindful founding editor Barry Boyce, we investigate the relationship between our heart and mind. What our heart feels is influenced by what our mind perceives, which is sometimes one of the reasons developing kindness, a loving heart, and compassion can be so challenging. The quality of the warmth and openness in our heart emerges not just from generating warmer feelings, but from developing a clearer view of what we’re seeing and how we’re processing the world. Once we’re aware of our preconceptions, we can loosen our grip on what we think we know and explore what’s true.
Show Notes:
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Come As You Are: A 7-Day DIY Mindfulness Retreat
“The Only Constant Is Change”
“How COVID Reminded Me We’re All Connected”
Barry on mindful.org
And more from Mindful here:
The April 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Resilience Issue
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
The Real Mindful Podcast
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Cardiologist Jonathan Fisher leads a body scan to notice sensations in the body and bring awareness to the present moment.
This week, Mindful’s founding editor Barry Boyce leads a "touch and go" practice. In this practice, we're not trying to deal with the issues in our thoughts or with the difficult emotions that might be arising. There's nothing to solve. There's nothing to change. Instead, we're spending time with our mind in this way, and over time, our thoughts can become more transparent and have less power over us because we're fighting with them less.
Show notes:
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Barry Boyce, Author at Mindful
Find Barry’s course, Come As You Are, here:
Come As You Are - Mindfulness Course
And more from Mindful here:
Welcome Everything: The February 2022 issue of Mindful magazine.
More episodes of 12 Minute MeditationAnd find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Barry Boyce leads a practice for mindfulness of the body and our embodied experience because whatever is happening isn't happening in an abstract way—it's happening here in our bodies, so we have to return home to ourselves, to our body. This practice is drawn from a live, guided meditation session from Barry's new course called Come As You Are. Whether you're an experienced meditator or just beginning, it can be fun and refreshing to explore mindfulness with an experienced guide who knows that meditation doesn't have to fit any particular mold. Instead, it's a way of being that can bring a sense of presence and joy to your everyday moments.
Show Notes:
Find more from Barry Boyce here:
Barry Boyce, Author at Mindful
Find Barry’s course, Come As You Are, here:
Come As You Are - Mindfulness Course
And more from Mindful here:
Welcome Everything: The February 2022 issue of Mindful magazine.
More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation
This week, Judy Lief leads a meditation for grief and loss. Most of us have come up against the experience of grief and loss over the last several years. These feelings can be hard to hold, even as we see how widespread they are. Judy, who wrote the book Making Friends With Death, says that "There’s nothing really to be said about grieving that doesn’t sound trite. There’s no simple way through it. It is extremely difficult to put the gravity or the force of grief into words. And there’s no one way to grieve. Neither is there a cure for our fragility and vulnerability. We have only one option, which is somehow to figure out a way to love and embrace it."
Show notes:
Find more from Judy Lief here:
judylief.com
Making Friends with Death
And more from Mindful here:
Welcome Everything: The February 2022 issue of Mindful magazine.
The Real Mindful Podcast
When we're under pressure, our ability to care and to lead can feel compromised. Mindfulness can provide a path to cultivate the focus and determination of grit and the care and calm of grace, to learn from growth and change. In this practice to arrive, breathe, and connect, Dr. Lili Powell, a professor at UVA Darden School of Business, offers space to fully arrive in the present moment and make a commitment to focusing on being right here, right now.
This week, Frank Ostaseski leads a practice to welcome everything. And we hear you—there’s a lot going on that you may not feel like welcoming right now. To welcome something doesn't mean we have to like it, and it doesn't mean we have to agree with it; it just means we have to be willing to meet it. In this practice which you can also find in the February 2022 issue of Mindful magazine, Frank Ostaseski offers six steps to open up to the present moment—whatever it may bring.
Show Notes:
Lean Into Love: An Interview with Frank Ostaseski
How to Bookend Your Day with Compassion
The Metta Institute
Check out the February 2022 issue of Mindful magazine
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Dr. Cynda Hylton Rushton, the Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics and Professor of Nursing and Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University Berman Institute of Bioethics and Schools of Nursing & Medicine, invites us to welcome whatever feelings are present right now and to trust what we discover in body and mind without judgment.
Show notes:
More from Cynda Rushton on Mindful.org
How Integrity Can Heal Burnout
Sign up for free: Healing Healthcare: A Global Mindfulness Summit
This week, Cheryl Jones leads us in a practice to foster self-acceptance—another of our top guided meditations of 2021. Mindfulness meditation involves a willingness to be with ourselves as we are. It offers a way of learning to work with ourselves, and not on ourselves, especially if you are healing from perfectionism. We can start to notice whatever is happening within us and around us with curiosity and kindness. Cheryl Jones is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor and author who provides mindfulness training to businesses, organizations, retreat centers, and more. You can find the full list of top 10 guided meditations from 2021 at mindful.org.
Show notes:
The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2021
More from Cheryl Jones on mindful.org
thrivingwithcheryljones.com
This week, Jenée Johnson leads us in a guided meditation to encourage deep relaxation at any point during the day. With a reminder to listen to our bodies and acknowledge when it’s time for us to rest, she shares an effective technique known as quiet sitting to inspire us to simply be. Jenée Johnson is the program innovation leader at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Mindfulness, Trauma and Racial Healing. Her goal is to improve her organization's ability to manage change, stay resilient, inspire growth and become a mindful culture that leads and serves with compassion.
Show notes:
Top 10 meditations of 2021: The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2021
Find more from Jenée Johnson here: Jenée Johnson, Author at Mindful
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, we bring you one of our top 10 guided meditations of 2021, a practice for allowing the storm of our emotions to pass. Scott Rogers guides us to take the role of observer to difficult emotions, so that we can more easily create the space we need to let them go. Rogers is founder and director of the University of Miami School of Law’s Mindfulness in Law Program where he integrates mindfulness into the law school curriculum, and he is cofounder of the UMindfulness, the University’s Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative.
Show notes:
scottrogers.com
UMindfulness
University of Miami School of Law’s Mindfulness in Law Program
The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2021
More from Scott Rogers on mindful.org
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Taking a moment to pause can enable us to move in the direction of suffering, to work, and to alleviate it, with wisdom and compassion. This gentle practice from law professor and author Rhonda Magee can provide support to you in remaining grounded as you open up to information that might cause you pain.
Show notes
Find our top 10 guided meditations of 2021 here: The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2021
Find more from Rhonda Magee here:
Rhonda Magee, Author at Mindful
Home - Rhonda V. Magee
Grab a copy of Rhonda Magee’s book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice, Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities through mindfulness here: Book - Rhonda V. Magee
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
When things don't go according to plan it becomes easier to focus on what’s wrong and minimize what’s right. This mindful gratitude practice is designed to change that; its aim is to amplify the experience of optimism and studies show that this simple shift leads to enhanced mood and better relationships. This exercise is adapted from Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing by Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp, and is led by mindfulness coach Priti Patel.
Show Notes:
Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing by Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp
Top 10 Meditations of 2021 (to come on Friday, December 3)
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of seeds to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Follow the guided practice and join your child on a mindful adventure.
Show Notes:
Meditation by Heather Hawk Feinberg. Heather Hawk Feinberg is a mother, counselor, writer, music-maker, educator, and spiritual guide. In 2016 she founded Mindful Kids, a nonprofit organization that creates pioneering resources for social emotional awakening.
The holiday season can be a time full of commitments, planning, and (pleasant or unpleasant) anticipation. In this special episode of 12 Minute Mediation, Christiane Wolf offers a guided meditation to help navigate stress that may arise in the coming weeks. Christiane reminds us to check in with ourselves and acknowledge what we need to tap into ease.
Show notes:
christianewolf.com
More from Christiane Wolf on mindful.org
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
One of the most important (free!) tools for strengthening our communities is gratitude. On this week’s episode of 12 Minute Meditation, Shalini Bahl-Milne shares a guided practice to help you notice, appreciate, and shift your mindset toward ways of being in community with others that benefit us all, while respecting our differences. Shalini Bahl-Milne, PhD., is an award-winning researcher, Certified MBSR and Search Inside Yourself teacher, TEDx speaker, and town councilor. With 15 years of research, Dr. Bahl develops mindfulness skills to help people disrupt harmful default habits to cope with stress and be more resilient. This practice is part of our month devoted to gratitude. Our first-ever Gratitude Journal will be on newsstands now, or available in our shop at mindful.org.
Show notes:
Find more of Shalini Bahl-Milne here:
Shalini Bahl-Milne, Author at Mindful
Shalini Bahl-Milne in the Mindful Directory
Shalini Bahl-Milne, TEDx Talk
Order our brand new gratitude journal here: Shop Mindful
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Rashid Hughes leads us in a practice to feel gratitude for our body, in all of its beauty and mystery. Taking a moment for intentional pause and appreciation can help us feel a sense of restoration that our hardworking bodies deserve. Rashid is a writer, meditation teacher, and cofounder of the Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community, a mindfulness community in Washington, DC that is dedicated to inspiring Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to live with love and courage. This practice is part of our month devoted to gratitude. Our first-ever Gratitude Journal will be on newsstands on November 23, or available in our shop at mindful.org.
On this week’s episode of 12 Minute Meditation, Shelly Tygielski shares a guided practice to infuse your body with a sense of gratitude. This is a practice that can help us gain a new found appreciation for the people we know and even those we don’t know. Shelly Tygielski is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher and author of the book, Sit Down to Rise Up: How Radical Self-Care Can Change the World. She teaches formalized self-care and resilience practices at organizations around the world, and is widely regarded as a self-care activist. In 2019, she was named one of the “12 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement” by Mindful magazine.
Show Notes:
Find more from Shelly Tygielski here:
Shelly Tygielski, Author at Mindful
Shelly Tygielski – Mindfulness and Meditation For All
Order our brand new gratitude journal here: Shop Mindful
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
What would it be like to let go of needing anything to be different in this moment, and to open up to what's actually here that may bring joy? In this week’s episode, psychologist and executive director of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, Steve Hickman, guides us to uncover the wisdom of gratitude by noticing small things to be grateful for, then opening our awareness to the truth that everything and everyone—no matter how small—is interconnected. Might it be possible, Hickman says, to follow the words of the poet Mark Nepo when he said, "One key to knowing joy is to be easily pleased."
Show Notes:
More from Steve Hickman on mindful.org.
UC San Diego Centre for Mindfulness
Self-Compassion for Dummies
The Mindful Self-Compassion Program
And find more from Mindful at mindful.org and on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Lynn Rossy shares a mindful eating meditation that you can bring to any meal, whether it’s lunch, dinner or snack time. This is a practice that can help you enjoy and savour each meal. Lynn is a longtime practitioner of mindfulness, meditation and yoga and is president of the Center for Mindful Eating. She is also a health psychologist who specializes in mindful eating and developed a 10 week, empirically-validated ‘Eat for Life’ class that teaches people to eat mindfully and intuitively, love their bodies, and find deeper meaning in their lives.
Show notes:
Find more of Lynn Rossy here:
Savor Every Bite: Mindful Ways to Eat, Love Your Body, and Live With Joy
www.lynnrossy.com
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
The elements have the ability to connect us, both internally and externally, with the world around us. Jeanne Corrigal brings her Métis heritage, and her training as an insight meditation teacher, to this guided practice to connect with the four elements within our own body. You can read more about Jeanne and her work at the intersections of mindfulness and Indigenous and tribal people in the December issue of Mindful magazine or at mindful.org.
Show notes:
Find more of Jeanne Corrigal here:
“All Our Relations: Four Indigenous Lessons on Mindfulness”
Jeannecorrigal.com
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
On this week’s episode of 12 Minute Meditation, Georgina Miranda shares a guided practice to help you feel more grounded and at ease. This is a practice that can help you reconnect with yourself, especially during stressful or fearful moments. Georgina is a global leader in change, transformation, mindfulness, conscious leadership development and the advancement of women. She is also a highly sought after international transformation coach, public speaker, and management consultant.
Find more of Georgina Miranda here:
Author Page, Georgina Miranda
This Woman Used Mindfulness to Climb Mt. Everest
GEORGINA MIRANDA
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And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
On this week’s episode of 12 Minute Meditation, Tara Brach leads us in a practice to consider a relationship where there’s tension or conflict. Then, with compassion for ourselves and for the other person, we can go beyond the difficulty and find healing. Tara Brach is one of the 10 powerful women of the mindfulness movement highlighted in the August 2021 issue of Mindful magazine. She’s an internationally renowned teacher of mindfulness, meditation, and emotional healing, as well as the author of several books, most recently Trusting The Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness.
Find more of Tara Brach here:
“10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2021”
Trusting The Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness
tarabrach.com
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
This week, Shelly Tygielski offers a guided meditation to help you acknowledge what is causing you pain or stress, and hold it with more self-compassion and connection. Shelly is a self-care activist, trauma-informed mindfulness teacher, and the author of the new book Sit Down to Rise Up: How Radical Self-Care Can Change the World. She invites you to open your heart to community, forgiveness, and gratitude.
Find more of Shelly Tygielski here:
Radical Self-Care course and free book offer
Sit Down to Rise Up: How Radical Self-Care Can Change the World
Excerpts in the October issue of Mindful Magazine: “The Power of Sustainable Self-Care” and “Why You Need a Self-Care Plan”
Pandemic of Love
shellytygielski.com
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful. Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
It’s important to remember that mindfulness is a practice; despite our best intentions, we might not always get it right the first time around, and that’s okay. This week, award-winning researcher and certified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher, Shalini Bahl-Milne offers a practice to help you hit reset and refresh. This practice can help you align with your intention and let go of what is no longer serving you. It can also help you create space around your emotions, so you can act in a way that corresponds with what you wish to bring into the world.
Find more of Shalini Bahl-Milne here:
Shalini Bahl-Milne, Author at Mindful
Find more about Mindful30 here: Mindful30 Challenge 2021
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful and on mindful.org.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Find more about Mindful30 here: Mindful30 Challenge 2021
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast, Real Mindful and on mindful.org.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Learning to tune in to our own vulnerability is an act of courage that allows us to form deeper, more genuine relationships. In the August 2021 issue of Mindful magazine, Dr. Stacee Reicherzer wrote, “If you’re someone who grew up being told that tears are a sign of weakness, or that you should never show fear lest you be exploited, you understand how very difficult it is to communicate complex emotions like jealousy, resentment, or sorrow.” In this week’s episode, Dr. Reicherzer, author of The Healing Otherness Handbook, leads us in a guided meditation to explore vulnerability and what it might be like to open up to someone we trust.
Find more of Dr. Stacee Reicherzer here:
Drstacee.com
The Healing Otherness Handbook
Healing Otherness with Compassion (and Sass)
Guided Practices for Remembering How to Trust
A 15-Minute Guided Meditation on the Pride Flag
And more from Mindful on our conversation podcast Real Mindful and on mindful.org.
Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.
Andres Gonzales is the co-founder of the Holistic Life Foundation and for the past 16 years, he has taught yoga to diverse populations around the world ranging from Baltimore City public schools to mental health facilities. He has also partnered with John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health and the Penn State’s Prevention Research Center on a Stress and Relaxation Study. This week, Andres Gonzales shares a breathing meditation to help you activate your vagus nerve and enter a state of relaxation.
This week, Ni-Cheng Liang leads us in a 4-7-8 breath practice to release stagnant air and find calm. Ni-Cheng is a pulmonary physician, podcast host, and mindfulness teacher. In the early days of the pandemic, she recruited eight medical colleagues from across the United States to create the Mindful Healthcare Collective, which offers free online mindfulness sessions to healthcare workers, with topics including basic breath awareness, mindful eating, and even anti-racism work.
Susan Bauer-Wu shares a guided mindfulness practice to help you cultivate the patience to ride the waves of change. Susan Bauer-Wu, a researcher, scholar, teacher, and trained nurse, turned to meditation to help her develop both a peaceful mind and heart. Now, as president of the Mind & Life Institute, she integrates her scientific and clinical background with the wisdom of mindfulness to better understand the mind and help heal the world in its current divisive state.
This week, Tovi Scruggs-Hussein leads us in a practice to explore integrity, inspiration, and purpose with compassion. Tovi is an author, educator, and leadership coach, as well as one of the powerful women of the mindfulness movement featured in the August issue of Mindful magazine. Her 17 years as a high school principal showed her that overworked and under-supported teachers were burning out, while students suffered as a result. Now she teaches leaders to reach their full professional potential—which in turn helps those they lead reach their full potential.
Ruth King offers a guided meditation practice from her heart to yours. Ruth is a teacher, author, founder of the Mindful of Race Institute, and featured in the August issue of Mindful magazine as one of the powerful women of the mindfulness movement. In this first episode of 12 Minute Meditation, she invites us to savor stillness and feel deeply into the ways our lives are interconnected. “May we remember that we belong to each other.”
If you find it difficult to pause and grieve, begin this meditation practice to connect with the natural rhythm of rest. This practice is a refuge from the ever-present social and political chaos in society. Experience the sacred healing that comes with resting in awareness
Show notes: Meditation by Rashid Hughes.
Rashid Hughes is the co-founder of the Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community, a mindfulness community in Washington, DC that is dedicated to inspiring Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to live with love and courage.
Mindfulness allows us to create space between ourselves and our emotions. In this space, we can find stability and cultivate resilience. As you go through this guided practice, you can begin to see how emotions are like hurricanes and recognize the qualities and impermanence of your stormiest emotions.
Show notes: Meditation by Scott Rogers.
Scott Rogers integrates neuroscience research into the efficacy of mindfulness training programs in high-stress professions and has written numerous articles and authored various books on mindfulness.
This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of the wind to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Follow the guided practice and join your child on a mindful adventure.
Show notes: Meditation by Heather Hawk Feinberg.
Heather Hawk Feinberg is a mother, counselor, writer, music-maker, educator, and spiritual guide. In 2016 she founded Mindful Kids, a non profit organization that creates pioneering resources for social emotional awakening.
Our hearts break, but our hearts also heal. The thread that pulls us from heartbreak to healing is love, says Judy Lief in this practice for working with grief.
This gratitude practice is designed to change that; its aim is to amplify the experience of optimism.
Meditation by Nate Klemp. Meditation read by Priti Patel.
If discussing money brings a feeling of unease and discomfort, try this guided practice led by Spencer Sherman to turn the feeling of stress into one of self-awareness.
This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of the wind to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Follow the guided practice and join your child on a mindful adventure.
Show notes: Meditation by Heather Hawk Feinberg.
Heather Hawk Feinberg is a mother, counselor, writer, music-maker, educator, and spiritual guide. In 2016 she founded Mindful Kids, a non profit organization that creates pioneering resources for social emotional awakening.
This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of trees to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Follow the guided practice and join your child on a mindful adventure.
Show Notes:
Meditation by Heather Hawk Feinberg.
Heather Hawk Feinberg is a mother, counselor, writer, music-maker, educator, and spiritual guide. In 2016 she founded Mindful Kids, a non profit organization that creates pioneering resources for social emotional awakening.
This engaging meditation uses the energy and imagery of clouds to foster inner connection and emotional regulation. Follow the guided practice and join your child on a mindful adventure.
Show Notes:
Meditation by Heather Hawk Feinberg.
Heather Hawk Feinberg is a mother, counselor, writer, music-maker, educator, and spiritual guide. In 2016 she founded Mindful Kids, a non profit organization that creates pioneering resources for social emotional awakening.
With time we might find ourselves drifting apart from our partners. In this guided meditation, you will take a moment to visualize your love story and as your heart grows with gratitude, you will find the space to reconnect with your partner.
Show notes: Meditation by Nate Klemp and Kaley Klemp.
Nate and Kaley Klemp are a husband and wife team that are co-authors of The 80/80 Marriage: A New Model for Happier, Stronger Relationship.
The idea of a home is not limited to a physical location, it can refer to the love and care you feel within yourself. This practice can help you work on being present with yourself in an aware, kind, and loving way.
Show notes: Meditation by Jenée Johnson.
Jenée Johnson is the Program Innovation Leader in Mindfulness, Trauma, and Racial Equity at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
In times of conflict and anger, it becomes difficult to respond with compassion. Mark Bertin takes us through this meditative practice to take care of the world, take care of ourselves, and stay in touch with the fact that all beings everywhere are driven by the same core wishes in life.
Show notes: Meditation by Mark Bertin.
Mark Bertin MD., is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics.
It’s easy to get trapped in your own emotions and narratives, let alone the ways you can encounter obstacles in society. Here, Jenée Johnson leads a loving-kindness practice, adapted from the work of Dr. Shelly Harrell, that focuses on liberation.
Show notes: Meditation by Jenée Johnson.
Jenée Johnson is the Program Innovation Leader in Mindfulness, Trauma, and Racial Equity at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Life is constantly changing in various ways that can make it feel like the rug is constantly being pulled out from under you. Join this walking meditation with Mark Bertin as he explores how mindfulness can help you find a balance between accepting what you cannot change and seeking out where to actively put your effort.
Show notes: Meditation by Mark Bertin.
Mark Bertin, MD., is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics.
If you find it difficult to develop a sense of patience in the face of uncertainty and discomfort, begin this guided meditation to face whatever is causing you discomfort in this moment. You will learn to let go of whatever feels triggering and be able to engage with compassion.
Show notes: Meditation by Mark Bertin.
Mark Bertin MD., is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics.
By teaching children meditation and mindfulness skills we help them increase their well-being and enable them to meet the stresses of the world with presence, self-compassion, and openness. Try this fun mindful meditation to help kids focus on their breath while their thoughts zoom by.
Show notes: Mindful meditation by Susan B. Katz.
Susan B. Katz is an award-winning author, National Board Certified Teacher, educational consultant and social media advisor to authors.
It’s not always the case that our formal mindfulness practice carries seamlessly into daily life—especially in conversations that spark tension. Shalini Bahl-Milne offers a practice to help you remain present for these difficult moments.
Show notes: Meditation by Shalini Bahl-Milne.
Shalini Bahl-Milne, PhD, is an award-winning researcher and Certified MBSR and Search Inside Yourself teacher. Dr. Bahl develops mindfulness skills to help disrupt harmful default habits, cope with stress, and more.
This guided meditation is focused on deepening your awareness, freeing yourself, and settling in the present moment. This practice will lead you to experience a greater capacity to clear your mind, and increase your ability to focus.
Show notes: Meditation by Rhonda Magee.
Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. She is a highly practiced facilitator of restorative MBSR interventions for lawyers and law students.
Experiencing an intentional, mindful walk can provide an opportunity to connect with your senses and nourish your relationship to the present moment. Turn your attention to what your body is feeling, bring awareness to your body, and appreciate the here and now.
Show notes: Meditation by Elaine Smookler.
Elaine Smookler has been a mindful practitioner for over 20 years and is on the faculty at The Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto. She is a Registered Psychotherapist, a columnist for Mindful magazine, and teaches mindfulness to corporate clients through eMindful.
Using the repetition of certain phrases, Sharon Salzberg takes us through a loving-kindness
meditation to shift our attention away from our mistakes and toward self-compassion and understanding.
Show notes: Meditation by Sharon Salzberg.
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author. She is also the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society.
In this guided meditation, we become aware of the mind as a process. When we think of our mind in this way, we can let our thoughts float by like bubbles without getting caught up in the contents of each thought.
Show Notes: Meditation by Enrique Collazo.
Enrique Collazo is a meditation teacher at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education. He works internationally, mostly with teens.
Embodied awareness means grounding ourselves in our sensory experiences in order to connect with what we’re experiencing in the present moment. Sebene Selassie leads us in this guided meditation to connect with our body and our breath.
Show notes: Meditation by Sebene Selassie.
Sebene Selassie is a mindfulness teacher on the Ten Percent Happier app and author of the book You Belong.
In this guided meditation, Vinny Ferraro invites us to see our thoughts as they arise, notice them, and gently return our attention to the breath and body. This practice can help us find compassion and focus as we let go of judgement, anxiety, and irritation.
Show notes: Meditation by Vinny Ferraro.
Vinny Ferraro is a board member of the Mind Body Awareness Project. He is widely recognized for his contributions in mindfulness-based programming and interventions for at-risk and incarcerated youth.
We often use the breath and sensations of the body as anchors in meditation, but listening to the sounds around us can also help ground us. In this guided meditation for focus we listen, notice, and let go of tension.
Show notes: Meditation by Susan Kaiser Greenland.
Susan Kaiser Greenland is a mindfulness teacher and author who specializes in teaching mindfulness to children and families. She's an author and founding faculty member of UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center's facilitator training.
Founding Editor Barry Boyce speaks with mindfulness trainer and former police officer Richard Goerling on the role of mindfulness in policing.
This is a foundational awareness practice designed to help bring about three key insights: clarity of intention; understanding of our power, presence, and impact; and opportunities for wise action-taking.
Show notes: Meditation by Michelle Maldonado.
Michelle Maldonado is the author of A Bridge To Better: An Open Letter To Humanity and Resource Guide. She is also the founder and CEO of Lucenscia, a human potential and mindful business transformation firm.
Society often pushes benchmarks at us: We are enough if we have a certain amount of money, if we look a certain way, if we live in a certain house. In this guided meditation for acceptance and awareness we come into the present moment and remember that right now, we are enough.
Show notes: Meditation by Spencer Sherman.
Spencer Sherman is a mindfulness teacher and author. He promotes the belief that we can all feel a sense of ease and purpose when it comes to money, regardless of how much we have.
We let go of the feeling that we need to work toward something in this practice for self-care. Jay Vidyarthi guides us to let go of racing thoughts and settle into radical self-acceptance with awareness and presence.
Show notes: Meditation by Jay Vidyarthi.
Jay Vidyarthi is a digital researcher and product designer. He is also a mindfulness teacher with over ten years of personal meditation practice.
Since the beginning of shelter in place regulations, many of us have experienced increased stress and have been spending more time with those we live with than usual. This guided meditation helps us open to self-compassion and forgiveness.
Show notes: Meditation by Carley Hauck.
Carley Hauck is an author and expert in leadership. She is the founder of Leading from Wholeness, a consultancy company that helps workplaces operate from a people-first approach.
If you’re feeling fear, anger, or any unpleasant emotion, begin this guided meditation to embrace what you’re feeling. Move from a place of becoming your emotion to simply experiencing the emotion. You will end with a feeling of open-hearted awareness.
Show notes: Meditation by Loch Kelly.
Loch Kelly, M.Div., LCSW, is an author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the non-profit Open-Hearted Awareness Institute.
Settle into this meditation to strengthen your concentration and utilize the full power of your energy. Sharon Salzberg guides us from fragmented thoughts to a place of integration and empowerment.
Show notes: Meditation by Sharon Salzberg. Excerpted from Real Change, © 2020 by Sharon Salzberg, with permission from Flatiron Books. Available for pre-order now.
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author. She is also the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society.
Linda Graham guides us through three breath and awareness practices to help ground ourselves throughout the day. Soothe your body with affectionate breathing, feel warmth with the hand over heart practice, and find comfort with a visualization of a call to a compassionate friend.
Show notes: Meditation by Linda Graham.
Linda Graham, MFT, is a psychotherapist and mindful self-compassion teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The deepest healing occurs when you come to terms with the way things are. This simple awareness of breath practice is an act of self-love and compassion for the moment we find ourselves in.
Show Notes: Meditation by Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein. This practice is excerpted from A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, by Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein. New Harbinger Publications.
Elisha Goldstein, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and conducts a private practice in West Los Angeles. He is founder of the Mindful Living Collective.
Bob Stahl, PhD, has founded eight Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs in medical centers in the San Francisco Bay Area and is currently offering programs at Dominican Hospital and El Camino Hospitals in Los Gatos and Mt. View.
Equanimity helps us understand that when we allow difficult thoughts and feelings—when we don’t over-identify with them or cling to them—they will change and pass. This guided meditation will help you cultivate equanimity, find steadier ground and meet the challenges of the day.
Show notes: Meditation by Willem Kuyken.
Willem Kuyken, Ph.D., DClinPsy, is Director of the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre and Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford.
Navigate reactivity and distressing moments with the STOP practice. The four steps create space for you to interrupt thought patterns and call on the resources within. This practice can be used whenever and wherever you need it.
Show notes: Meditation by Rhonda Magee.
Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. Also trained in sociology and MBSR. She is a facilitator of trauma-sensitive, restorative MBSR interventions for lawyers and law students.
Explore RAIN as a stand-alone meditation or move through the four steps in a more abbreviated way whenever you feel stuck or anxious.
Show notes: Meditation by Tara Brach.
Clinical psychologist Tara Brach is the author of True Refuge: Finding Peace & Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart.
Exploring difficult emotions and experiences may be the key to loosening their hold over us. Patricia Rockman guides us through the experience of shame, offering a chance to let go and shift the narrative.
Show notes: Meditation by Patricia Rockman.
Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the Senior Director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto.
This mindfulness practice is meant to help you tame your inner critic, so you can reach out for help simply and gracefully.
Show notes: Meditation by Tara Healey.
Tara Healey is the program director for Mindfulness-Based Learning at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
Find your inner support group with this guided meditation for working with physical pain and internally connecting with people who have a similar experience.
Show notes: Meditation by Christiane Wolf. Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a certified MBSR and mindfulness teacher and teacher trainer, and coauthor of A Clinician’s Guide To Teaching Mindfulness.
Our bodies have power to influence our minds, and vice versa. This guided meditation shows you how.
This meditation guides you through one of the fundamental practices of mindfulness: breathing. For seasoned meditators and beginners alike, this practice will bring your awareness to your breath, mind, and body.
Show notes: This practice has been adapted from The Mindful Life Project.
JG Larochette is a former classroom teacher, community organizer, and mentor in Richmond, CA who is the founder and executive director of the Mindful Life Project.