12 Minute Meditation

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.

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Friday · 13 min
Thaddaeus Washington: A Music-Based Meditation for Rest & Relaxation
Our guest this week is Thaddaeus Washington, Mindful's featured Teacher of the Month for October. He brings a new experience to our meditation lineup: a music-based meditation entitled "Vapour," where sound is the anchor for our attention. In this guided practice, you're invited to simply rest, bring your whole self, and allow the music to unwind the worries of the day. Thaddaeus Washington is a musician, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mind Music—a company dedicated to making mindfulness accessible through music and immersive experiences. Thaddaeus has generously shared music from his Common Ground albums with us, which will be available as a full playlist inside the app starting in early November. 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 Thaddaeus Washington here. Go Deeper Music has long been a part of mindfulness tradition. From singing, dancing, and chanting to simply allowing ourselves to be caught up in wonder and beauty, music has a unique ability to work in us as whole human beings, body, mind, and heart. To learn more about the benefits of incorporating music into your mindfulness practices, check out these resources from Mindful.org: Where Music and Meditation Meet How Empathy Changes the Way We Process Music Why Music Strikes a Chord For a different take on a music-based practice, sample the new Desert Pulse playlist on Mindful's YouTube Channel (now available inside the app, as well). 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.
October 9 · 14 min
Jörg Sprave: A Guided Forest Bathing Meditation
Our guest this week is teacher Jörg Sprave. He leads a guided meditation called "I Am Nature." Designed to be done outdoors, this meditation is based on the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, also known as "forest bathing." In this session, you'll: Learn a bit about the ancient practice forest bathing Consider your intimate connection to the natural world Experience the deep calm, rest, and awe of meditating in nature Jörg Sprave is the founder of and lead instructor at Treeming.org, an international forest therapy education organization based in Zurich. He believes in the transformative power of nature to heal, inspire and unite, and works with his colleagues to build a worldwide community rooted in harmony with the Earth. 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 Jörg Sprave here. Go Deeper Most of us live our daily lives in environments that are disconnected from nature. We are surrounded by steel, concrete, screens, and the endless noise of modern life. But our minds and bodies long for the rest and awe that can only come from connection with wild, natural spaces—even if those spaces are small, simple, and undramatic. To learn more about the benefits of being outdoors and how to extend your practice to include time in nature, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 3 Simple Ways to Reconnect With Nature (Even If You Live in the City) Nature-Based Mindfulness Practices for Families What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature What Green Spaces Can Do For Your Body, Your Mind & Your Practice 7 Reasons to Go Outside (According to Science) For another nature-based practice, try: A Guided Meditation to Awaken the Flow of Gratitude in Nature 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.
October 2 · 18 min
Caverly Morgan: A Meditation for Unconditional Love When You're Struggling
Our guest this week is teacher Caverly Morgan. She offers a sturdy, grounded place to come home to when we're struggling with feelings of failure, inadequacy, or insecurity. This meditation: Offers a steadier alternative to bypassing difficult emotions with positive mantras Gives us a more expansive perspective on our value Allows us to be with what's painful, and still return to a place of unconditional love Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher, author, and visionary who founded Peace in Schools, a nonprofit that created the nation's first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. She is also the founder of Presence Collective, a community of cross-cultural contemplatives committed to personal and collective transformation. 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 Caverly Morgan here. Go Deeper When we're wrestling with experiences that challenge our identities or our confidence, it can be tempting to reach for positive self-talk that pushes back against the difficult feelings we might be having. Unconditional self-love is different. To learn more about how to build this skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org: Building Self-Compassion for Failure in the Creative Process Radical Love for Troubled Times Field Notes on Radical Self Compassion It's Selfish, It's Hokey, and I'll Lose My Edge: 3 Half-Truths About Self-Compassion This Is What Fierce Self-Compassion Looks Like For more practice working with unconditional self-acceptance, try: Self-Compassion for Nervous System Reset 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.
September 25 · 13 min
Shamash Alidina: "Beginner's Mind" Walking Meditation
Our guest this week is teacher Shamash Alidina. He shares a simple technique for opening and strengthening your awareness and curiosity about everyday things. This walking meditation is designed to help you: Practice seeing the world with a "beginner's mind" Get outside, move, breathe, and give your churning mind a break Notice things in a new way through your senses Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998 and runs his own successful training organisation. He is the author of Mindfulness For Dummies and the forthcoming 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. Go Deeper Nurturing a beginner's mind doesn't mean we pretend we don't know stuff. It just means we get more intentional about pausing to ask if our assumptions about people and the world are always correct. To learn more about building this mindful skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org: Beginner's Mind Q&A With Anu Gupta Navigating the Path to Fulfillment: Embrace Psychological Flexibility with ACT for Beginners Don't Be So Sure Want in-person practice with cultivating a more open mind? Here's a retreat you can attend in Garrison, NY, this October 28-31. Skymind: Resting in Our Natural State For a different approach to meditating with beginner's mind, try: A 12-Minute Meditation to Approach the World With a "Don't-Know Mind" 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.
September 18 · 10 min
Vinny Ferraro: Directing Compassion Toward Ourselves
Our guest this week is teacher Vinny Ferraro. He shares a beginner's metta or loving-kindness meditation that offers practice for the most common first step of metta: giving compassion to ourselves. This meditation is designed to help you: Meet yourself with care, whatever you're experiencing Practice being with your own imperfection without slipping into shame or harsh self-criticism Notice where there is room to learn and develop wisdom 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 We are often our own worst critics, treating ourselves and speaking to ourselves with a level of cruelty that we'd never bring to others. Self-compassion isn't indulgence. It's learning to treat yourself the way you would anyone you love. To learn more about how to build this skill and the benefits it holds, check out these resources from Mindful.org: How Practicing Loving-Kindness Helped Me Find My Place in the World The Gift of Loving-Kindness Loving-Kindness Meditation May Protect Your Genes and Slow Aging Why Loving-Kindness Takes Time: Sharon Salzberg 18 Science-Based Reasons to Try Loving-Kindness Meditation For more practice working with loving-kindness meditation, try: Loving-Kindness Meditation with Sharon Salzberg 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.
September 11 · 15 min
Mark Bertin: A Guided Walking Meditation to Meet Uncertainty with Compassion
Our guest this week is also September's Teacher of the Month, Dr. Mark Bertin. He offers a unique practice that uses sensory awareness and gentle movement to help meet moments of uncertainty. This meditation is designed to help you: Practice meeting yourself with patience and attentive care Connect with your body as both a way to calm yourself and as a way to get clarifying information about the situation you're facing Engage skillfully with the discomfort of uncertainty, rather than defaulting to reactivity, anger, or fear 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 Mark Bertin here. Go Deeper Life is inherently changeable and uncertain, and our resilience relies on how we relate to that fact. The good news is that these are skills we can build. To learn more, check out these resources from Mindful.org: Why Uncertainty Is Good for Us How Embracing Uncertainty Leads To Fulfillment New Life, Who's This? Rediscovering Who You Are When Everything Has Changed Navigating Change is Hard. Here's How it Makes Us Better Leaders Finding Peace in Challenging Times with Sharon Salzberg For more practice working with uncertainty, try: A Meditation to Create Inner Balance in the Face of Change 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.
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September 4 · 21 min
Janice Martellucci: Meditation for Transitions
Our guest this week is Janice Martellucci, Executive Director of Peace in Schools. As millions of students get ready to head back to school in the Northern Hemisphere, she brings us a meditation to meet transitions and new places with courage and curiosity. Regardless of the type of transition you might be facing, this meditation is designed to help you: Notice the emotions that arise as you approach this change Stay present to what you're experiencing with care, especially if you're feeling fear or resistance Offer support to yourself and others Janice Martellucci is the Executive Director of Peace in Schools and an educator focused on uplifting the agency and wellbeing of young people. Since 2015, she's been an influencer and change-maker in mindfulness education, playing an integral role in designing and implementing the nation's first, for-credit, semester-long mindfulness course in public high schools. Her work brings transformative mindfulness education to thousands of teens and educators every year. 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 Janice Martellucci here. Go Deeper Change is inevitable, but being with change, without trying to grasp or control the outcome, can be a huge challenge. Mindfulness can help. To learn more, check out these resources from Mindful.org: Back-to-School Mindfulness Toolkit for Parents, Kids, and Educators Finding Your Way Forward When the Path Is Not Clear 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 For another approach to working with transition, try: A Meditation to Help You Let Go and Accept Change 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.
August 28 · 7 min
Jeneé Johnson: Build Resilience by Staying in the Moment
Our guest this week is Jeneé Johnson. She brings us a meditation based on what she calls "staying on the spot." This meditation is designed to help you: Notice when your thoughts wander Come back to the moment without judgment or anxiety Practice training your attention in meditation so you can carry that skill over into 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 (SIYLI) 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 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 Jeneé Johnson here. Go Deeper For more information on how mindfulness practice can help you train your focus and attention, check out these resources from Mindful.org: Attention! How Mindfulness Training Is Helping People Reclaim Their Ability to Focus Paying Attention to the Space In Between Finding a Way to Measure and Study Our Internal Attention The Brain Science of Attention with Amishi Jha Find Your Focus: Own Your Attention in 12 Minutes a Day For another approach to attention-strengthening meditation, try: A Breathing Meditation to Gently Bring Your Attention Back with 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.
August 21 · 20 min
Jon Kabat-Zinn: A Breathscape Practice for Cultivating Mindfulness
It is natural as finite human beings to want to feel certain. To our brains, certainty equals safety. It's normal to wish we could control the future, because uncertainty can be unsettling and scary. But as today's teacher observes, as difficult as it is, the only real leverage we have to positively influence the future is to learn to inhabit the present moment fully, without trying to fix it or manage it. This is the most challenging aspect of mindfulness, and its core principle. This 20-minute guided meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn is practice for simply being awake and aware in the moment without agenda. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as well as the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is author of Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness; Wherever You Go, There You Are; Coming to Our Senses; and Mindfulness for Beginners. He trains, teaches, and lectures throughout the world on applications of mindfulness and is Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. 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 Jon Kabat Zinn here. Go Deeper Like any mindful skill, learning how to tune into and stay rooted in the present moment takes time and practice. Learn more with these resources on Mindful: How Present-Moment Awareness Can Make Life More Meaningful The Science and Practice of Staying Present Through Difficult Times Why It's Hard to Live in the Present Moment Before Fidget Toys, There Were Beads: The Latest Craze is Part of a Long Tradition of Keeping Your Hands Busy Being Present with Cancer For another approach to practicing present moment awareness, try: A 10-Minute Practice to Fully Experience the Present 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.
August 14 · 16 min
Kelly Boys: A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Letting Go of Stress and Falling Asleep
Stress and tension can easily build up in our bodies during busy days or weeks, and often we don't even realize how much that is affecting our ability to let go and fall asleep at night. In this guided practice, teacher Kelly Boys offers a simple body scan meditation that uses sensory awareness and intentional breathing to invite a sense of lovely heaviness and relaxation. Kelly Boys is a mindfulness trainer, coach, author, and speaker, specializing in teaching the NSDR (non sleep deep rest) practice of yoga nidra. She is the author of The Blind Spot Effect and as a trainer has created mindfulness programs for UN humanitarians and veterans with PTSD. Just a quick note: Since this is a sleep meditation, you won't be hearing a closing bell or the usual outro, so that you can drift off in silence. 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 Kelly Boys here. Go Deeper It's not really possible to "get rid" of stress. In fact, the more we try to fight it, the worse it gets. What does work to ease stress is to meet it with compassion, and that can take on various forms: sensory awareness, body scans, deep breathing, mindful movement, journaling, and many other types of mindfulness practice. Here are just a few ways that you can learn to meet, process, and release stress: Make It Personal: How Mindfulness Can Support Highly Stressed People A Steady Heart: A Cardiologist's Advice for Lowering Stress A Simple Inquiry Practice to Unwind from Stress Mindfulness May be a Useful Tool for Dealing with Stress Associated with Autism The Power of Meeting Stress with Softness For another guided meditation to help you get to sleep, try: Healthy Sleep Can't Be Forced. Try this Sleep Meditation Instead 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.
August 7 · 17 min
Rich Fernandez: A Meditation to Help Build Your Capacity to Navigate Difficulty
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. 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 Rich Fernandez here. Go Deeper 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.
July 31 · 11 min
Stacee Reicherzer: A Meditation to Befriend Vulnerability
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 Reicherzer 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. 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 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.
July 24 · 18 min
Ed Halliwell: A Meditation for Resting in the Flow of Experience
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. 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 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.
July 17 · 12 min
Mark Coleman: A Grounding Practice to Focus Your Busy Mind
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.
July 10 · 6 min
Elaine Smookler Laughter Yoga: A Gentle Movement Practice to Get the Giggles Going
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. 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 Elaine Smookler here. Go Deeper 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.
July 3 · 11 min
Jessica Morey: A 12 Minute Meditation to Unhook from Negativity and Savor Joy
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.
June 26 · 9 min
Sharon Salzberg: A Meditation to Rest Your Attention
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.
June 19 · 15 min
Emily Jane: Embodied Compassion for Difficult Emotions
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.
June 12 · 14 min
Cara Bradley: A 12 Minute Meditation to Make Movement Mindful
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: 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.
June 5 · 10 min
Barry Boyce: A Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners
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: 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.

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