Health Journal Online

Tag: awareness

  • A Guided Meditation You Can Do Sitting at Your Desk

    A Guided Meditation You Can Do Sitting at Your Desk

    Need a mindful break at work? Here’s an anytime, anywhere guided practice that can help you find a moment of calm.

    Since most of us spend a great deal of time at work ̶─whether that’s in an office, a classroom, or in our own homes ̶─knowing how to meditate at your desk can be beneficial. This short practice helps you refresh your attention while at work. What I call the “desk chair” meditation gives you a way to incorporate a short mindfulness practice into your day.

    This meditation can be done anywhere you are able to sit quietly and practice.

    If you work in an open office, you may need to be creative to find a quiet place to practice. Many people have told me that they’re best able to do this practice by leaving their office and finding an empty conference room, or even leaving the building to sit in their car during part of their lunch break.

    The “meditate at your desk” part need not be taken literally. This meditation can be done anywhere you are able to sit quietly and practice—be it the staff room, a park bench, or even an airplane seat.

    How to Meditate at Your Desk

    Read and practice the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.

    1. Begin by bringing your attention to the sensations of your breath.
    2. When you’re ready, direct your attention to the soles of your feet, opening your mind to whatever sensations are there to be noticed.
    3. Perhaps you are noticing the pressure on the soles of your feet as the weight of your legs rests on them. Perhaps the soles of your feet feel warm or cool.
    4. Just notice. No need to judge or engage in discursive thinking. If your mind is pulled away or wanders, redirect your attention, firmly and gently.
    5. Move your attention next to the tops of your feet, ankles, lower legs, knees, and so forth.
    6. Gradually scan through your body, noticing sensations, noticing discomfort, and noticing areas of your body where you detect an absence of sensations. No need to search for sensations; just keep scanning through your body, taking your time and being open to what is here.

    Excerpted from Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership by Janice Marturano. Copyright ©2014 by Janice Marturano. January, 2014, by Bloomsbury Press. Reprinted with permission.



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  • Flow State: How to Get in the Zone

    Flow State: How to Get in the Zone

    As you have very likely experienced through mindfulness practice, our ordinary state is not one of flow, but of mind wandering—a state in which our attention drifts between the present moment and thoughts about past and future. When we practice presence, we begin regularly shifting our attention back to the present moment whenever our mind wanders.

    Turning attention into engagement is similar. Think of it as “directed presence” or as cultivating presence in the midst of the activities we engage in, whether it’s brainstorming with colleagues, working out, catching up with our partner, or putting our kids to bed. Psychologists have a name for this state of full engagement. They refer to it as “flow.”

    Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the first psychologists to carry out research on this experience, talks about it in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. He describes flow as “the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

    Linking Flow State and Mindfulness

    By definition, you can experience presence any time, anywhere: lying on the beach, walking to your car, or sitting in traffic. It can be either passive or active. Flow, on the other hand, is a purely active state that feels almost effortless. According to Csikszentmihalyi, the ideal conditions for flow arise when “both challenges and skills are high and equal to each other.”

    Many top athletes, artists, and intellectuals describe this experience. Greek tennis champion Stefanos Tsitsipas recently described the dramatic shift between when he’s playing normally, versus when he’s playing in a flow state: “It felt like I was in a cage and someone decided to unlock it. I suddenly felt free. Every decision I went for felt right,” he said. “It brings you to another level. You’re not playing with your skill any more, you’re playing with your soul.”

    Flow doesn’t always come naturally. We often have to resist the temptation of short-term pleasure to get there.

    Buster Williams, the legendary jazz bassist, recalls his experience playing with Miles Davis that led to a heightened state of engagement. “With Miles, it would get to the point where we followed the music rather than the music following us. We just followed the music wherever it wanted to go.”

    These descriptions might make flow sound mystical, but you don’t have to be a star tennis player or a legendary jazz bassist to experience a state of full engagement. Whether it’s on a challenging morning run, during an important PTA meeting, or while delivering a presentation at work, flow is something that everyone can access. For example, Csikszentmihalyi’s research found that full-time caregivers were just as likely to experience this state as athletes and musicians. One mother described a state of engagement happening as she worked with her daughter when she was discovering something new. “Her reading is one thing that she’s really into, and we read together. She reads to me, and I read to her, and that’s a time when I sort of lose touch with the rest of the world. I’m totally absorbed in what I am doing.”

    FOMO–The Flow of Missing Out?

    Csikszentmihalyi and fellow researcher Martin Seligman’s research illuminates the connection between flow and well-being. In one study, his team had 250 “high-flow” and 250 “low-flow” teenagers keep a record of their mood at specific times throughout the day. When the team examined the responses, the low-flow teens spent the bulk of their time in a state of disengagement, and were said to either be hanging out at the mall or watching television. The high-flow teens, by contrast, were more likely to spend their time developing hobbies, academic interests, and athletic abilities.

    How did these two groups score on measures of happiness? It turned out that the high-flow group outperformed the low-flow group on every measure of psychological well-being, except one. Seligman writes, “The exception is important: The high-flow kids think their low-flow peers are having more fun, and say they would rather be at the mall doing all those ‘fun’ things or watching television.”

    The only disadvantage of experiencing flow was the feeling of missing out on short-term pleasures. Pleasures that fail to produce long-term happiness. Two helpful conclusions can be drawn from this research.

    First, engagement is associated with an increase in happiness and well-being. The  more we live in the state of flow, the more we grow and  experience meaningful success. However, experiencing  mental health challenges like depression and anxiety may correlate to a reduced ability to access flow. In a 2022 study published in PLOS One, researchers examined 664 musicians (a population with high rates of anxiety) and the factors that made them more or less amenable to a flow state while performing. The researchers found that the more anxiety a musician reported, the less likely they  were to experience flow.

    Secondly, flow doesn’t always come naturally. We often have to resist the temptation of short-term pleasure to get there. When we do, we set the stage for this exquisite experience of total absorption in the task at hand.

    3 Essentials for Flow State

    As Csikszentmihalyi and subsequent flow researchers have identified, three main conditions are needed to experience flow:

    1. A clear and purposeful set of goals for your activity, which helps channel your attention.
    2. A subjective sense of balance between the challenging nature of the activity and your skill-level to navigate it, which leads to feeling absorbed in the activity.
    3. Clear, immediate feedback telling you how well you’re progressing and where you can improve.

    To create these ideal conditions for flow, reserve 10 minutes (or more) each day for engaged and purposeful work. Shut down or silence your phone, close your browser and email, and turn off the TV to eliminate digital distractions. Now, use those 10 minutes to focus on a project, task, or hobby you find difficult yet enjoyable. If you make a mistake or a result isn’t what you intended, instead of criticizing yourself, simply see it as feedback and adjust what you’re doing accordingly.

    You can also try alternating between periods of focused engagement and periods of rest and recovery. Notice when your thinking starts to slow down or when you’re no longer operating at peak levels of focus. Then shift your behavior by taking time to allow your mind to recharge: Walk around, stretch, or take a few deep breaths. Finally, rewire your brain to create this habit by savoring the feeling of giving your mind and body a well earned break. Neuroscientist Judson Brewer says it’s powerful when we start to notice: “What’s it like when I get caught up in thinking, compared to when I’m noticing these body sensations that are trying to tell us to do things, and just being with them? We just have to get out of our own way.”

    How to Get into a Flow State

    For some, flow comes almost naturally. Mozart started playing concerts at age six. Picasso painted his first masterpiece at eight. People like Mozart and Picasso don’t have to consciously train the skill of engagement. This experience of total absorption in the task at hand becomes a way of life early on.

    However, for most of us, discovering how to get into a flow state requires a bit more practice and reflection.

    The first step is to identify activities that offer the potential for flow. Here are three points to help you identify which activities, either at work or at home, may be conducive to a flow state for you: 

    1. Challenge: Remember that flow doesn’t arise when things are easy. It’s actually the opposite. Flow arises when we push our skills and abilities to their very limit. What are the activities that challenge you?
    2. Enthusiasm: Flow and lack of interest don’t go well together. You don’t have to love the activity that you are doing, but it helps if you choose something that brings you at least some level of enjoyment. What are the tasks you enjoy doing?
    3. Skill:  Flow requires a certain level of mastery. A beginner learning to play her first song on the piano is less likely to experience flow than a concert pianist with twenty years of experience. You don’t have to achieve complete mastery, but achieving a high level of skill is essential. What are your most highly developed or natural skills?

    Write your answers to these three questions on a sheet of paper. Then take some time to reflect on the activities in your life that allow you to experience these three qualities.

    Adapted from Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing by Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp, PhD.



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  • Formal vs. Informal Mindfulness: 2 Ways to Practice

    Formal vs. Informal Mindfulness: 2 Ways to Practice

    In this 2-minute video, meditation teacher Christiane Wolf explains what “formal” and “informal” mean when it comes to mindfulness.

    If you’ve heard the terms “formal mindfulness” or “informal mindfulness,” you might have been left scratching your head. Isn’t mindfulness just mindfulness? Yes, it is—and it can still refer to different kinds of practices. 

    In this short video, meditation teacher and author Christiane Wolf offers simple definitions of formal and informal mindfulness. Within each of these terms, there’s an abundance of ways to come home to the present moment. As Sharon Salzberg wrote in her book Real Happiness: “Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.”

    What Is Formal Mindfulness Practice?

    Formal practice is what we call every type of practice where you really take the time to do nothing but this particular practice or meditation at that moment. (Formal mindfulness meditation usually includes a clear structure or framework, such as steps to follow, a beginning and an end, and/or techniques that are an integral part of the practice.) That could be when you do a five-minute breathing meditation, or it could be when you do a body scan, or when you do formal walking meditation. Any of these examples would be “formal” meditation. 

    The idea with formal practice is that you’re really only focusing on your given object of meditation during that time. Your focus could be on the sensations of the breath going in and out of the body, the sound of your feet on the floor, or the movements of walking.

    Examples of Formal Mindfulness

    For some beginner-friendly formal practices, try these guided meditations:

    What Is Informal Mindfulness Practice?

    Informal practice, on the other hand, is about bringing the same quality of kind, open attention to whatever you’re already doing in your day, whether it’s petting your cat, opening your car door, or brushing your teeth. It’s really the idea that you bring all your attention and all your senses to this particular moment.

    Being mindfully aware through informal practice does not take any extra time. If you see it from this point of view, then suddenly you have an opportunity to practice mindfulness in every moment that you are awake—and, of course, in every moment that you remember.

    Examples of Informal Mindfulness

    For a few ideas for how to easily integrate informal mindfulness into your day-to-day activities, check out the following:



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  • Awareness in Action: Rethinking ADHD Through Mindfulness

    Awareness in Action: Rethinking ADHD Through Mindfulness

    Practicing mindfulness and compassion helps us see our lives more clearly. Instead of staying caught up in unskillful habits and reactivity, it encourages us to live with more awareness and intention. While mindfulness and compassion serve a uniquely supportive role in ADHD care, anyone can benefit from a similar approach.

    ADHD is not what most people think. Correctly diagnosed, it is a confirmed medical condition; the genetics of ADHD are nearly as strong as the genetics that predict height.  ADHD undermines a wide-ranging skill set called executive function, which represents self-management abilities including attention, behavior, time, tasks, effort, and emotion.  

    While everyone has their emotional ups and downs in life, it is our executive function abilities that allow us to navigate them effectively.   Therefore ADHD often leads to escalating challenges with emotional dysregulation, self-criticism, and stress.  It even undermines the planning skills one would use to manage ADHD itself.  Because of that cycle, ADHD impacts everything from work and school to relationships and physical health.  Kind and comprehensive care of ADHD must acknowledge this wide-ranging impact. 

    Mindfulness is increasingly a part of ADHD care, though often misunderstood in ways that turn people with ADHD away. For starters, mindfulness does not replace any part of ADHD intervention. Concentration and impulse control may improve, but no single treatment works in isolation for ADHD. Instead, focusing on self-regulation and self-awareness with mindfulness, including practices such as self-compassion or loving-kindness, is a foundational shift for living with ADHD. Integrating mindfulness makes it easier to follow through with the rest of evidence-based ADHD care.

    A broad approach to mindfulness in ADHD care means far more than meditation. We aim to develop traits like patience, responsiveness, and kindness that make managing the inevitable ups and downs of life easier. One useful framework for this practice invokes three foundational supports: training the mind, building community, and a desire for ongoing learning.

    A broad approach to mindfulness in ADHD care means far more than meditation.

    Understanding the Mind’s Mechanics

    Learning is a vital aspect of mindfulness practice, often related to the principle of cause and effect. Even though so much is out of our control, how we think about things and choose to engage with the world intrinsically affects our experience. By examining our ways of thinking and communicating through this lens, we stay in closer touch with our own best intentions and core values.  

    Executive function can affect anything requiring “management” in life. Because of that, ADHD can impact not only work or school, but also relationships, communication, decision making, and health routines. Having ADHD is no one’s fault nor is it a moral failing.  It does however often lead to a sense of self-blame. As with any challenge, the more clearly one understands the skills affected by ADHD, the easier it becomes to make skillful choices that minimize its impact. 

    Our actions and beliefs always have consequences, sometimes in subtle ways. For instance, deny having ADHD, and you cannot address it; recognize ADHD fully, and you can take constructive steps forward. If we rely on fleeting sources of transient happiness, like our phones or buying stuff, that undermines our well-being. In contrast, we boost our chances of flourishing with activities such as a healthy lifestyle or acts of kindness. In this way, education guides our journey through life. 

    This continuing education may include:

    • Learning about ADHD and exploring evidence-based management. Core interventions typically include a mix of educational supports, parent training (for families), cognitive behavioral therapy, coaching, and/or ADHD medication.
    • Prioritizing foundations like sleep, exercise, and nutrition for mental clarity, as maintaining these routines can be especially tough with ADHD.
    • Understanding the impact of emotional dysregulation and stress tied to ADHD and practicing tools and strategies for navigating these obstacles.
    • Exploring the reality of cause and effect as it relates to well-being, such as exploring how perfectionism and self-criticism compound suffering, or how meditation or gratitude practices increase the likelihood of happiness.

    Training the Mind

    Reframing the intention of mindfulness practice increases the likelihood of sticking with it. The goal of meditation is not a mind empty of thoughts, although it can help calm or steady the mind. As noted above, with or without ADHD, the initial motivation is often to build awareness and patience—a far more realistic goal than complete stillness. 

    The goal of meditation is not a mind empty of thoughts, although the practice helps calm or steady the mind. With or without ADHD, the initial intention is often to build awareness and patience—a far more realistic goal than complete stillness.

    Inside this framework, we enhance our ability to notice what’s happening right now. We see both joyful moments and our challenges with more clarity. Practice doesn’t have to require sitting still; mindful eating, yoga, and other movement practices work too. This all relates to one key definition of mindfulness that is quite valuable with ADHD: aiming to see our lives with clear and compassionate awareness. 

    Meditation develops patterns that influence us in the long term. Short-term benefits like relaxation happen, but the broader hope is for building traits that spill into everyday life. For example, simply observing emotion during meditation, rather than falling into habits like reacting with anger or shutting down, slowly recalibrates our responses when we are outside of formal meditation. This improved emotional regulation has direct value not only for those with ADHD, but of course for anyone. Other meditation practices focus on traits like compassion, kindness, or forgiveness.

    Meditation develops patterns that influence us in the long term. Short-term benefits like relaxation happen, but the broader hope is for new traits that spill into everyday life.

    To get started, consider:

    • Setting aside a few minutes regularly to meditate, with the aim of building self-awareness and patience.
    • Trying compassion or loving-kindness practices to address ADHD-related challenges such as excessive shame, self-criticism, or rejection sensitivity.
    • Including movement practices in your day, like walking meditation or yoga.
    • Staying patient and kind with yourself when starting, as beginning and sticking to new routines are both especially difficult for individuals with ADHD.

    Nurturing Connection and Support

    Community is another pillar of mindful living. It’s crucial to seek and nurture environments that foster emotional resilience and deepen those connections. For those with ADHD, spending time with others who share similar experiences often leads to greater self-acceptance and a sense of belonging. Surrounding ourselves with caring and supportive people helps with learning and staying strong and hopefully finding friends, joy, and laughter.

    With so many demands on our attention, we have to  be intentional in seeking those relationships that reinforce our well-being. Difficult people may place demands on our time and deplete our energy.  True friends encourage us to be our authentic self and help us feel empowered. Without judgment they accommodate to our experience of ADHD by adapting to symptoms like forgetfulness, time blindness, or sensory overload.  Valuable friends support mutual growth and respect, sustain us, and can foster our mindfulness-based practices.

    Ways to connect with community include:

    • Joining a spiritual or meditation group, or ADHD-focused organizations like, CHADD, ADDA, or ACO.
    • Scheduling regular time with family, if those ties feel close and supportive.
    • Creating or seeking shared school or workspaces that emphasize mindfulness, compassion, and growth, including executive function accommodations for ADHD.
    • Prioritizing time with authentic friends while reducing time spent with people who leave you feeling depleted.  This typically includes limiting exposure to social media, which frequently leads to experiences like anxiety, negativity and jealousy. 

    Building a Practice That Works With ADHD

    Let go of thoughts of perfection, a totally quiet mind, or the idea that you’re unable to meditate. With ADHD, a foundation of self-regulation and self-compassion transforms how we see and respond to our experience.  That foundation increases the effectiveness of all that must be accomplished to manage this complex medical condition. Aspire to a sustainable mindfulness practice, whatever that looks for you.  Even when living through difficult times, you will more easily stay in touch with your own wisdom, joy, and compassion.

    Let go of thoughts of perfection, a totally quiet mind, or feeling like you’re unable to meditate.

    Dr. Mark Bertin and Dana Crews are leading a retreat October 10-12, 2025, to support adults navigating life with ADHD, whether you have it yourself, are living with someone, or are a professional in the field. Hosted at the Menla Retreat Center nestled 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.  We hope to see you there! 

    You can get more information and reserve your spot here. Plus, listeners to this podcast can claim a limited-time 15% early bird discount when they enter code “Mindful” at checkout. Spots are limited!



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  • Mindful Movement: How to Boost Fitness Results with Meditation and Awareness (Target keywords: mindfulness, fitness, meditation)

    Mindful Movement: How to Boost Fitness Results with Meditation and Awareness (Target keywords: mindfulness, fitness, meditation)

    As the world becomes increasingly fast-paced, people are looking for ways to improve their physical and mental well-being. One approach that has gained significant attention in recent years is mindful movement, which combines the principles of mindfulness, fitness, and meditation to achieve better health outcomes. By incorporating mindfulness and meditation into their fitness routine, individuals can experience a range of benefits, from enhanced physical performance to improved mental clarity and reduced stress levels.

    The Power of Mindfulness in Fitness

    Mindfulness, at its core, is about being present in the moment and paying attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without judgment. When applied to fitness, mindfulness can help individuals develop a greater awareness of their body and its movements, allowing them to optimize their exercise routine and achieve better results. By focusing on the present moment and letting go of distractions, individuals can tap into their inner strength and motivation, leading to a more enjoyable and effective workout experience.

    One of the key benefits of mindfulness in fitness is its ability to enhance physical performance. When individuals are fully engaged in their workout, they are able to tap into their full potential, resulting in improved strength, flexibility, and endurance. Mindfulness also helps individuals develop a greater sense of body awareness, allowing them to move with greater precision and control, reducing the risk of injury and improving overall technique.

    The Role of Meditation in Mindful Movement

    Meditation plays a crucial role in mindful movement, as it helps individuals cultivate a greater sense of awareness and calm, both on and off the mat. By incorporating meditation into their fitness routine, individuals can experience a range of benefits, from reduced stress and anxiety to improved focus and concentration. Meditation also helps individuals develop a greater sense of self-awareness, allowing them to tune into their body’s needs and respond accordingly, whether that means taking a rest day or pushing through a challenging workout.

    There are many different types of meditation that can be incorporated into a mindful movement practice, including loving-kindness meditation, transcendental meditation, and guided meditation. Loving-kindness meditation, for example, involves focusing on sending kindness and compassion to oneself and others, helping to cultivate a greater sense of empathy and understanding. Guided meditation, on the other hand, involves following a guided audio or visualization, helping individuals to relax and focus their mind.

    How to Incorporate Mindfulness and Meditation into Your Fitness Routine

    Incorporating mindfulness and meditation into your fitness routine is easier than you might think. Here are a few tips to get you started:

    • Start small: Begin by incorporating short periods of mindfulness and meditation into your daily routine, such as taking a few deep breaths before a workout or practicing a quick meditation session after a run.

    • Focus on your breath: Bring your attention to your breath, noticing the sensation of the air moving in and out of your body. This can help you stay present and focused, even in the midst of a challenging workout.

    • Listen to your body: Pay attention to your physical sensations, noticing areas of tension or discomfort. This can help you adjust your workout routine and avoid injury.

    • Practice mindfulness in daily activities: Mindfulness isn’t just limited to the gym or meditation cushion. Practice mindfulness in daily activities, such as eating, walking, or even doing the dishes.

    The Benefits of Mindful Movement

    The benefits of mindful movement are numerous, ranging from improved physical health to enhanced mental well-being. Some of the key benefits include:

    • Improved physical performance: Mindful movement can help individuals develop greater strength, flexibility, and endurance, leading to improved overall fitness.

    • Reduced stress and anxiety: Mindfulness and meditation can help individuals reduce stress and anxiety, leading to a greater sense of calm and well-being.

    • Improved focus and concentration: Mindful movement can help individuals develop greater focus and concentration, leading to improved performance in all areas of life.

    • Enhanced self-awareness: Mindfulness and meditation can help individuals develop a greater sense of self-awareness, allowing them to tune into their body’s needs and respond accordingly.

    Common Mindful Movement Practices

    There are many different types of mindful movement practices, each with its own unique benefits and advantages. Some of the most common practices include:

    • Yoga: A physical practice that combines movement, breath, and meditation to promote flexibility, strength, and relaxation.

    • Tai chi: A slow, flowing practice that combines movement, breath, and meditation to promote balance, flexibility, and relaxation.

    • Pilates: A physical practice that combines movement, breath, and meditation to promote core strength, flexibility, and body awareness.

    • Walking: A simple yet powerful practice that involves paying attention to the sensation of your feet touching the ground, promoting relaxation and reducing stress.

    Conclusion

    Mindful movement is a powerful approach to fitness that combines the principles of mindfulness, fitness, and meditation to achieve better health outcomes. By incorporating mindfulness and meditation into their fitness routine, individuals can experience a range of benefits, from enhanced physical performance to improved mental clarity and reduced stress levels. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out on your fitness journey, mindful movement can help you achieve your goals and cultivate a greater sense of overall well-being.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: What is mindful movement?
    A: Mindful movement is an approach to fitness that combines the principles of mindfulness, fitness, and meditation to achieve better health outcomes.

    Q: How do I incorporate mindfulness and meditation into my fitness routine?
    A: Start by incorporating short periods of mindfulness and meditation into your daily routine, focusing on your breath, and listening to your body.

    Q: What are the benefits of mindful movement?
    A: The benefits of mindful movement include improved physical performance, reduced stress and anxiety, improved focus and concentration, and enhanced self-awareness.

    Q: What are some common mindful movement practices?
    A: Common mindful movement practices include yoga, tai chi, Pilates, and walking.

    Q: Do I need to be flexible or have prior experience with mindfulness and meditation to practice mindful movement?
    A: No, mindful movement is accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or experience level. Start slow, be gentle with yourself, and have fun!

    Q: Can I practice mindful movement at home?
    A: Yes, mindful movement can be practiced anywhere, at any time. Find a quiet space, put on some calming music, and get started with some simple stretches or movements.

    Q: How often should I practice mindful movement?
    A: Aim to practice mindful movement at least 2-3 times per week, ideally daily if possible. Consistency is key to experiencing the benefits of mindful movement.

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  • Summer Meditation Retreat: 6 Mindfulness Practices for Self-Care

    Summer Meditation Retreat: 6 Mindfulness Practices for Self-Care

    Summary

    • During the summer mindfulness can become an invitation to savor things more completely.
    • Rather than only appreciating the best experiences, savoring every aspect of life allows us to discover the gifts that often hide within unwelcome or challenging moments.
    • Savor the summer with a free collection of 6 guided meditations from expert mindfulness teachers.

    The word “savoring” crops up a lot in instructions for mindful eating, but why stop there? Inspired by that notion, I decided to challenge myself to a week of savoring things. As I started out, I began to see that I was automatically leaving lots of things out—things that were, well, unsavory—so the challenge had to undergo some immediate reengineering. It would have to become about savoring everything. Yikes.

    If I was going to savor the unsavory I would have to be thankful somehow for whatever came my way.

    That immediately led me to the understanding that if I was going to savor the unsavory I would have to be thankful somehow for whatever came my way. I would have to embrace the artificially sweetened (but still valuable) “attitude of gratitude.” It was a bit of a revelation. What I was prepared for was taking time to really enjoy things, in the present moment. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much it would challenge underlying attitudes and assumptions. When the week was over, I came to some conclusions about how savoring can reach into every area of life.

    6 Ways to Savor the Moment

    By Barry Boyce

    1) When things are good…savor the joy

    When things are good, it should be easy to savor them. But it took more effort to savor something I already appreciated than I would have imagined. Joy came in the sudden realization that the body is always in the present, no matter where my thoughts take me, and I can always return to that.

    2) When it’s every kind of bad…savor the resilience

    I can glimpse the fact that pain, whether physical or emotional, is something that lets us know we are alive. And as we try to manage it as best we can, we are humbled, we are vulnerable, we seek help. We find a way. We bounce back. And, as we savor the equanimity, we learn to take the good and the bad.

    3) When it’s boring…savor the freedom

    As we all keep discovering in meditation, we don’t really need to keep ourselves occupied with extra thoughts. It’s peaceful to take a break from that. My savoring challenge helped me learn (once again) to savor the freedom from the need to entertain myself every minute of the day.

    4) When it’s unwieldy…savor the laughter

    When things go haywire, the same tendency we have with hassles—to indulge in some “why me?” time—can easily take over. But, I’m starting to really appreciate the antidote that a meditation teacher friend of mine told me about: Just say “Why not me?”

    5) When you’re alone…savor the space

    In the right doses, being by ourselves can be deeply restorative. It can help us discover a deep reservoir of contentment that does not need to be chased after. That kind of space—a space of awe and wonder and simplicity—is well worth savoring. It may be the most savory treat of all.

    6) When you’re with others…savor the companionship

    The sheer joy of a shared laugh. The moments of listening when you need to be heard. The shoulder to cry on. Someone to share ups and downs, without caring which it is. I’m blessed with friends all over the world, people I can connect with within minutes no matter how long it’s been. Other human beings…what’s not to savor?

    Summer Meditation Retreat: 6 Mindfulness Practices for Self-Care

    Day 1: Connect With Presence

    By Sharon Salzberg

    If we can practice savoring the present moment when we’re sitting in formal meditation, we can also practice while standing in line at the grocery store, sitting anxiously in a doctor’s waiting room, or sitting down for a meal in good company. A portable exercise in meditation is focusing on the sensations of the in- and out-breath. If the breath is not a comfortable place for you, choose another object of attention like the sensation of your hands touching your knees.

    A 10-Minute Breathing Meditation

    This variation of breath meditation can be especially supportive if you feel restless or bored. Savor the freedom to simply let your mind be. It doesn’t matter how many times your attention wanders or how long you may dwell in distraction during this summer meditation. The practice is gently letting go and, with kindness toward yourself, beginning again.

    1. Sit comfortably and relax. Let your attention settle on the feeling of the breath at the nostrils, chest, or abdomen. As you breathe in make the silent mental note “in,” and as you breathe out you can count “one.” This becomes inhale “in,” exhale “one,” inhale “in,” exhale “two,” all the way up to ten. When you get to ten you can begin again.
    2. If your mind becomes distracted, and you lose touch with the breath—that’s OK. You can begin again. Stay connected to the rhythm of the breath with the mental note and the number.
    3. See if your awareness of the breath can be full and complete. Your attention is wholehearted with “in, five,” “in, six,” “in, seven,” all the way through to ten. Each breath is full and complete on its own—with the counting there to support you.
    4. When you feel ready, you can move into the rest of your day.

    A 7-Minute Meditation to Rest Your Attention

    Our habitual tendency is to grasp a thought or a feeling, to build an entire world around it, or push it away and struggle against it. It can be helpful to instead note what is painful, pleasant, or otherwise. Here we stay even, balanced, and calm, as we recognize what arises and bring our attention back, one breath at a time.

    1. Sit comfortably or lie down. Settle in to a comfortable position.
    2. Center your attention on the sensations of the in- and out-breath, at the nostrils, chest, or abdomen. As you feel the sensations of the breath, you can make a mental note of “breath” with the in-breath and then again with the out-breath.
    3. When a thought or feeling arises that’s strong enough to take your attention away from the breath, note it silently as “not breath.” You don’t have to judge yourself; you don’t have to get lost in a thought or elaborate it. Recognize that it’s simply not the breath.
    4. Bring your attention back to the sensations of the breath. Some of your thoughts or feelings may be tender, caring, cruel, or hurtful, but they’re not the breath. You can recognize them, let them go, and bring your attention back to the sensations of the breath.
    5. When you feel ready, come back to your surroundings.

    Day 2: Connect With Yourself

    By Sebene Selassie

    Belonging is the sense of ease and joy we can savor when we are truly present. Often we don’t feel like we belong because we’re caught in feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and doubt. Feelings of not belonging are learned over time and lead us to think that there’s something wrong with us, that we’re not enough, that we don’t belong—but we do. By the very nature of our existence, we belong. Mindfulness helps us remember this by allowing us to experience belonging in any moment.

    A 9-Minute Meditation to Listen to Your Body

    Meditation can help us be more present to life, and mindfulness of body and breath help ground that presence. It’s only when we’re present with each moment that we can savor our experience. This summer meditation invites you to try grounding yourself throughout the day, feeling the body and using the inquiry, “What’s happening in my body right now?”

    1. Find a comfortable posture. You don’t have to do anything special, just make sure that you’re relaxed and alert. Lower your gaze and give yourself the opportunity to go inward.
    2. Bring awareness to the sensations you notice while sitting. It can take some time and practice to feel sensations in the body rather than think about them. Is there a sensation in the body that’s particularly strong or clamoring for attention? It’s OK if you don’t notice anything. Just recognize your experience as it is and see if you can bring a sense of curiosity to it. You can ask yourself, “What’s happening in my body right now?”
    3. Whatever is happening, continue this inquiry. Notice the sensations that are present. When the mind starts to wander, gently bring your awareness back to the body. Again, ask yourself, “What’s happening in my body right now?”
    4. Bring the same curiosity to your breath. If the breath is not a comfortable place for you, continue grounding in sensations of the body. Otherwise, take a moment to connect to the natural rhythm of your breath. Notice your belly rising and falling. You can always ask yourself, “What’s happening in my body right now?”
    5. Know that you can come back to the body at any moment, as you come back to the space around you.

    A 7-Minute Meditation to Welcome Open Awareness

    Open awareness meditation is often associated with the metaphor of the mind being like an open sky. We can observe thoughts, sensations, sounds, but they simply pass like clouds in the sky, or they can flow like a river savor the space between you and what drifts past. The sky is not bothered, the river is not changed, everything is carried by the current of awareness.

    1. Find a comfortable posture. If you like you can gaze down softly at a point in front of you. Allow your body to soften and rest. Feel the connection between your body and the floor or the chair beneath you.
    2. Bring your awareness to the sensations of being right here, right now. Begin to listen to the play of sounds around you. You can notice sounds that are loud or soft, far or near—just listening. You don’t need to name the sound, or follow the sound, just listen in a relaxed and open way. Notice how all sounds arise and vanish as you listen.
    3. Sense that your awareness is expanding to be like the sky—open, clear, vast. Allow your awareness to extend in every direction. Sounds come and go, moving through the sky of your awareness, appearing and disappearing as you rest in this open awareness. You might notice that thoughts and images also arise and vanish. You can let them come and go without resistance or grasping.
    4. Allow the breath or sensations in the body to move like a breeze in this open sky of awareness. Notice that this awareness is naturally clear and spacious. Allow all sounds, thoughts, and sensations, feeling that spaciousness.
    5. As you lift your gaze, pause for a moment to reorient to the space around you.

    Day 3: Connect With Everything

    By Jessica Morey

    We tend to focus our minds on what is wrong or threatening or what could harm us so that we might be better protected through the vagaries of life. But if we allow that bias to run rampant, we risk missing out on what’s beautiful, joyful, and nourishing in our lives. Not to mention, we grow less equipped to cultivate beauty and joy and nourishment in ourselves.

    A 14-Minute Summer Meditation to Appreciate Joy

    Perhaps it seems strange to investigate what we consider to be a positive emotion, but we often miss joy. We don’t pay a lot of attention to it and let it slip by without much notice. The good news is, there are practices to cultivate joy. It can be sparked by something enjoyable, or we can attend to and support joy in our felt experience. One of the great ways to do that is to savor—really stop and savor—what’s beautiful and good in life.

    1. Take a seat or lie down if you’re in a place where you can do that. Take a few deep breaths, lengthening your inhale and your exhale. During these opening breaths, notice how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling tired or drowsy, emphasize the inhale. If you’re feeling agitated or restless, emphasize the exhale. Then allow your breath to come to its natural rhythm.
    2. Now bring to mind recent joyful moments. Alternatively, you could reflect on things you’re grateful for in your life. Choose a few moments of joy and gratitude to focus on.
    3. Reflect on receiving the joy of these experiences. Bring your attention into your body. Notice how you experience joy in this moment. Where do you feel it in your body? The chest, the belly, the throat, the face? What do you notice? Is there a temperature to the joy? Is there a flow or movement to the energy of joy in your body?
    4. If you lose that felt sense of connection, just recall the images, people, or situations that bring you joy. Then return to savoring the felt sense of joy in your body. Breathe into it.
    5. Take a moment to reflect on the people, places, or situations that bring you joy. What were the things that really inspired a felt sense of joy for you? How can you bring more of that into your life?
    6. When you’re ready, bring your attention back to your environment. Take a deep breath. Orient yourself to the space around you and notice how you feel right now.

    A 14-Minute Meditation to Explore What’s True

    Longing is a vulnerable emotion, but it’s also very important. It directs us toward what we want in the world—where we want to go, what we value, what we want to create. When we can stay with the emotion and get to know it on a deeper level, there’s a great deal of wisdom at our disposal. If we can feel into it, be with it, and notice what’s underneath and inside of it, we can then better decide how we want to respond next.

    1. Settle into a comfortable position. You may be seated, or you’re welcome to lie down. Wherever you are, take a few deep breaths. You can cast your gaze down and ahead.
    2. Feel into your body and ask yourself: Is there anything I need right now? Is there anything I’m longing for in this moment? You may want something to be different, or you may be longing for a particular experience. Ask yourself: What do I want? What do I need?
    3. If nothing is emerging for you, bring to mind a recent experience when you really wanted something. Maybe you wanted to be seen or acknowledged; maybe you wanted to connect with a certain person, or you wanted someone to call you or attend to you. Identify a recent experience you had of longing and consider the situation, the people, the place.
    4. Turn your attention toward the felt sense of the wanting. Hold this feeling of wanting, and as you do, see if you can identify what it is that you want—below the particularities. What universal need are you touching upon? Maybe you want respect, ease, joy, or connection.
    5. Consider this question: How could I meet this need? Take a few moments to explore the creative ways this need could be met.
    6. Take a few deep breaths. Feel your body on the chair or on the ground. When you’re ready, lift your gaze.



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  • A 10 Minute Body Scan That You Can Practice

    A 10 Minute Body Scan That You Can Practice

    Explore this guided practice to calm your mind, notice sensations in the body, and bring awareness to the present moment.

    We’re practicing mindfulness each time that we bring attention to a body part and are aware that we are doing so. Practicing mindfulness through this 10-minute body scan involves moving attention through various parts of the body. You will notice sensations that are present in your feet or hands or legs such as tingling, tightness, temperature, or you might notice a lack of sensation; simply be aware of it.

    We’re practicing mindfulness each time that we bring attention to a body part and are aware that we are doing so.

    We typically do the body scan by lying down on the floor or a soft surface, but if that’s not possible for you, you can certainly do the body scan while sitting in a chair.

    A 10-Minute Body Scan Practice

    As we begin this 10-minute body scan, we’ll be slowly and systematically moving attention through the various regions of the body, from the feet to the top of the head, noting any physical sensations as we go along.

    1. As you are lying on whatever surface you’re on, notice what it feels like to be lying there. Noticing the sensations present in this moment, noticing temperature, noticing points of contact with the body and the surface, noticing the rise and the fall of the abdomen. Allowing the body to rest in this position and noticing sensations as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
    2. Left foot and leg: Feeling the air move in and out of your body, let’s begin by bringing attention to the toes of your left foot. With the in-breath, noticing the sensations present or lack of sensation. And then with an out-breath, letting go of the toes and move your attention to the bottom of the left foot, including the heel touching the floor. Noticing all the sensations present in that region of the body, also notice how lack of sensation is something the mind can be aware of. Move on to the top of your left foot and ankle, noticing sensation. Now moving to the lower leg, knee, thigh, and hip on the left side of the body.
    3. Right foot and leg: Moving awareness, now, to the toes of the right foot, the bottom of the right foot, including the heel touching the floor. Bringing awareness to the sensations present in that part of the body. Moving on to the top of your right foot and ankle and scanning that region with awareness, noticing sensations present or lack of sensation. Now move into the lower leg, knee, thigh, and hip on the right side of the body.
    4. Pelvis: Bringing awareness now to the pelvic region, noticing sensations present or lack of sensation.
    5. Lower back and abdomen: Bringing awareness to the lower back and abdomen, aware of what’s there, without judgment or assessment, simply noticing with awareness.
    6. Upper back, ribs, and chest: Continuing to scan the back, the rib cage, and chest.
    7. Shoulders: Moving now to the shoulder blades and shoulders, noticing what is present in those regions of the body.
    8. Fingers and hands: From here, go to the fingers and the hands, the left and right together. Tuning into the fingers, thumbs, palms, back of the hands, wrists, noticing what’s there, noticing sensations present in the hands and the fingers.
    9. Wrists and arms: Now moving awareness to the wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms, and shoulders, and noticing what sensations are present in those regions of the body. On an out-breath, let go of the whole of the arms and the hands.
    10. Neck and throat: Moving now to the neck and the throat, noticing what is there or not there.
    11. Head: Moving on to the head and face, and scanning with awareness the jaw, and the chin, the lips, the teeth, and gums, roof of the mouth, tongue, the back of the throat, the cheeks, and the nose. Feeling the air moving in and out of the nose. Then bringing awareness to the ears, the eyes, the eyelids, eyebrows, forehead, temples, and scalp, holding the whole of that region with awareness.
    12. Now, notice the breath: Stay in the present moment with the breath flowing in and out of the body, simply awake to whatever arises and predominates in your field of awareness at any given moment. And this may include thoughts or feelings, sensations, sounds, the breath, stillness, and silence. Be with whatever comes up in the same way you were with the scan.
    13. Notice how you may tend to react to impulses, thoughts, memories, and worries: Let yourself purposefully observe them without rejecting or pursuing. Practice simply seeing and letting go, seeing and letting go. No agenda other than to be present and awake.
    14. Closing:  In a moment, you’ll hear the sound of the chimes and move the awareness from the body to the sound. And as you follow the last sound to the end, gradually wiggle the toes and move the feet and stretch in whatever way you like. Coming back into the room, fully awake and fully present.

    As we bring this 10-minute body scan practice to a close, may we be peaceful and at ease, may our hearts be soft and open, may we be safe and protected, and our bodies healthy and strong. And for all of those known and unknown to us, may they be peaceful and at ease, may their hearts be soft and open, may they be safe and protected and their bodies healthy and strong. May the merit of this practice be for the benefit of all beings.

    Introduction text adapted from Harvard Pilgrim. This practice was originally published on Mindful.org in October 2018.



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  • 4 Ways Mindfulness Helps Us Find Our Way Through the Dark

    4 Ways Mindfulness Helps Us Find Our Way Through the Dark

    No matter what your political persuasion is, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that we’re living in a time of chaos, pain, and carnage—with many people saying it’s a “dark” time that has made them feel anxious and helpless. Many of us feel we want to do something, but we don’t know what to do on the larger stage and we’re not sure what to do for ourselves and those around us. Many people have raised the question of whether and how meditation, mindfulness, and awareness can help us right now. It can seem almost puny against such massive forces.

    If it couldn’t help us now, though, what good would it be?

    Before helping us with what to do, though, mindfulness first helps us with how to be. And it seems that’s where we need to start. When times are tough, we need to go back to square one.

    Before helping us with what to do, mindfulness first helps us with how to be. That’s where we need to start.

    4 Ways Mindfulness Can Help Us Right Now

    1. Be in the Body

    One of the first facets of mindfulness meditation practice to appreciate, especially in times of great stress and fear, is that it grounds us in our body. When we take in difficult news, either near at hand (a loved one dying of cancer) or from afar (such as news of war over the internet or on TV), our connection to our body can weaken. It can even feel like we leave our body. In such a condition, freed from the gravitational pull, our mind begins to race. We’re more influenced by what our mind projects than by our immediate perception of our surroundings. When our mind is galloping off, even just a little close attention to our breathing while feeling the weight of our body pulling us to earth can bring our mind back home.

    One of the phenomena that takes us away so easily, of course, is media. It’s worthwhile (as many of you probably already do) to go on a news diet. Oliver Burkeman, author of Meditations for Mortals—who explores the relationship between how we spend our time and our well-being—counsels us to pay close attention to the time we spend digesting “news.” News, often in the guise of social media nowadays, is designed to activate our emotions more than inform us of need-to-know information. When we start to leave our body in response to “news,” it’s worthwhile to return to the perception of our body, and to appreciate our surroundings. As we notice a bird alighting on a branch, we can absorb a different sense of time: the tree and the bird are not part of the next news cycle. In terms of keeping up with things, Burkeman counsels being “news-resilient” by returning the news to a place where it’s just something you dip into rather than wallow in, and keeping up with what’s going right as well as what’s going wrong. I would add to engage in mindful reading: searching out reading, listening, and viewing that is reflective and thoughtful, that can generate insight, not just fear and panic.

    2. Rest in Choiceless Awareness

    The grounding quality of mindfulness—noticing the details inside and out—opens us up to our innate awareness, a more panoramic view that’s not caught up in chasing down every stray thought. As a result, we can be less reactive, and take a bigger view of space and a longer view of time. This deep kind of awareness is said to be choiceless: we couldn’t be rid of it if we tried.

    Awareness sees our anxiety but is not itself anxious. It manifests a mountain-like settledness, as well as confidence or courage that knows that no matter what happens, awareness goes on. We can rest in it.

    Being grounded in awareness is not about being detached, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, it’s awareness that allows us to truly feel—to have a natural reaction to something unpleasant or off-putting, such as a raving egomaniac talking about taking chain saws or wood chippers to things that help vulnerable people—and yet have space and sense of humor around the feeling. Awareness sees our anxiety but is not itself anxious. It manifests a mountain-like settledness, as well as confidence or courage that knows that no matter what happens, awareness goes on. We can rest in it.

    3. Feel the Wonder of Not Knowing

    When we’re sure that we know something, our awareness becomes clouded. Fresh perceptions are filtered through our fixed knowledge. Instead, like the great Zen masters, artist Maira Kalman, one-time Mindful contributor and author most recently of Still Life with Remorse, abides in “not knowing.” It is the source of her artistic practice. As she said to me in an interview, “At the end of the day or the end of a life, everybody ends up saying, ‘I don’t know what I know.’” Rather than responding to “the noise we’re bombarded with every day by those who are trying to unnerve us for our money, forcing us to form reactions and opinions,” we can rest in not knowing. When we allow ourselves to question what we know, and shy away from clinging to fixed opinions, the inquisitive quality of our awareness takes over and we perceive the world more freshly. We can be awestruck by the world’s magic.

    4. Cultivate Compassion and Community

    We can also be awestruck by the world’s pain and horror, and this is where the doing part comes in. Precisely what we do and how we do it naturally varies greatly depending on circumstances. Just as awareness is inherent, so is the basic warmth of compassion, our fellow feeling. It can be obscured, but it’s there for us all.

    Just as awareness is inherent, so is the basic warmth of compassion, our fellow feeling. It can be obscured, but it’s there for us all.

    As we become grounded in our body and rest in awareness, touching in with that warmth can guide us to what we can actually do, where we might have some agency. Not knowing brings with it a humbleness that tells us we can’t fix everything. Since we can’t be sure how things will turn out, we don’t cling to certain outcomes. The great heroes who have championed the causes of the oppressed tend to come from this stance, willing to plant seeds in a garden whose harvest they may never see and committed to—as the popular African-American expression goes—Making a Way Out of No Way.

    Whatever we do, one thing we do know in the deep fiber of our being is that we’re connected unavoidably to others, so finding community is never a bad place to start.



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  • A 12-Minute Meditation to Widen Your Perspective

    A 12-Minute Meditation to Widen Your Perspective

    This guided mindfulness practice helps us relax and see the full scope of the possibilities in front of us.

    When we feel stressed, anxious, irritated, or angry, one of the things that happens to the mind is that it shrinks down and zooms in on the challenge at hand—the stressful moment, the emotion we don’t want to feel. There’s a researcher, Andrew Huberman at Stanford, who calls this “the soda straw view” of the mind. This is the view of stress. When we’re stressed, our perspective becomes small and possibilities fade away. All we can see is the thing that we want to get rid of, or that we want to change, or that we wish wasn’t happening in our lives, or even in the world. 

    One of the most powerful mindfulness practices we can do is intentionally and consciously expand our perspective, expand the size of our awareness.

    One of the most powerful mindfulness practices we can do is intentionally and consciously expand our perspective, expand the size of our awareness. Research shows that we can do this by adjusting our visual focus. When we shift from an intensely focused stare to something more like a relaxed gaze, taking in a panoramic awareness of our environment,  we’re actually shifting the nervous system itself. It has a similar effect as taking a few deep breaths. 

    We’re going to play with this shift in this guided meditation. You can think of this shift as going from a small, contracted, tight mind to a relaxed, wide open, big mind. From here, we can begin to create this habit in our lives, intentionally creating an experience of relaxation, especially during tense moments. Stress, moments of discomfort, irritation, and anxiety, are often like looking up into the sky at a dark thundercloud, and all we can focus on is the dark cloud. What we’re going to do in this practice is zoom out from that one small cloud and begin to see that surrounding that one small dark cloud in the sky is miles beautiful, clear blue sky. 

    A Guided Meditation to Expand Perspective and Let Go of Stress

    1. Find a comfortable seat. For this practice, unlike many other forms of mindfulness practice, I actually find that it’s very helpful to keep your eyes open. In addition to that, it can be very helpful to align yourself somewhere where you have a view of something. It could just be a view of your house, a view of your room. Maybe you have a window you can look out of. We’re kind of giving ourselves this visual field that’s going to become part of the practice. This practice is unbelievable when done on the top of a mountain, or sitting at a beach, or at a park, or at sunset—but we’ll take whatever we’ve got. 
    2. As always, I like to start by just feeling the sensations in the body. Feeling a sense of relaxation trickle down from your head, through your neck, into your torso, your hips, your legs, all the way down into your feet. Relaxation, it turns out, is the key to this practice. You might also notice the breath. Notice the sensations happening with each inhale and exhale. 
    3. Now let’s turn our attention to the first element of this bigger view: the big mind. And that is the visual field. So just for fun, let’s start by picking an object in your visual field. One small, tiny object. Maybe it’s a tree outside. Maybe it’s a chair in your room. It doesn’t matter what it is, but we’re going to start with the opposite of the wide view that we’re trying to cultivate. Focus in on this one small thing as intently as you possibly can. Bringing all of your visual perception to this one small dot of awareness. Let’s do it for about ten more seconds…and now drop all effort. 
    4. Let your eyes relax. Notice that almost automatically, after a moment of focus like that, the mind just sort of relaxes into this wider, bigger view. Notice what it’s like now to see the panoramic view of whatever’s in front of you. You’re not trying, you’re not effort-ing. You’re just allowing yourself to take in this view, to gaze at what’s in front of you. In a relaxed way, you can even imagine the edges of your visual field slowly expanding. It’s like you’re now the wide-angle camera on your phone. And we do this from a spirit of allowing and receptivity. You’re just allowing yourself to be in this state where you’re gazing at the world in panoramic awareness. The big view. 
    5. Now let’s add one more piece to this. Begin to notice sound. We’re now going to add auditory perception. Just notice sounds that are close by from this open, receptive, relaxed state. You might even notice the sound of each breath. And now allow the scope of your hearing to expand. Noticing sounds in the room. Maybe there’s the sound of ventilation. 
    6. And now in a relaxed and gentle way, allowing yourself to notice sounds even further off into the distance. Maybe the sound of the breeze outside, the sound of birds, just relaxing into this wide, big view. Eyes relaxed and open. Ears relaxed and open. And now we might add one more sense. As you hold this wide open gaze and you hear the sounds you might also notice that sensation is happening in the body. That’s also part of this view. 
    7. Now see what happens when you just allow the sensations of the body to be part of this view. Noticing that your awareness, the scope of your mind, keeps getting bigger, broader, wider, vast. Noticing the visual field. Noticing sounds. Noticing sensations. No attempt to change. Relaxing into things as they are. Seeing this moment with this totally fresh, wide open view. 
    8. Chances are, if you’re new to a practice like this, it takes a little bit of effort and concentration to stay with this kind of a wide open perspective. So the invitation for the next minute or two is to drop that effort. Don’t try. But see if you can still stay connected in some way to this wide open view. If you feel even the slightest part of yourself wanting to push your eyes open or your ears open, or expand the size of your mind, let that go. No effort, but staying in this relaxed, receptive view. Now see if you can just stay in this effortless open view for the next 30 seconds or so. And now, before we come back, I want to give you a few moments just to explore and investigate this bigger perspective.
    9. Staying where you are, just noticing any differences between the way you ordinarily see life or the world, and the way you’re seeing it now. Comparing and contrasting the big mind that we’ve been trying to cultivate to the small mind, which, for most of us, is our home base. 
    10. Now you can bring yourself here. We never really left. For me, when I enter that state of mind, or that mindfulness practice around opening awareness, the scope of the mind, it often feels like my mind becomes almost like a security camera, that I’m just watching the feed of this camera, listening to the feed of the microphones, watching whatever’s happening. It tends to be really boring and not very interesting, but it starts to become incredibly interesting the more my perspective widens. 
    11. One of the things I’d like to do before you go is to give you a practice that you can take with you for the rest of the day, a way of integrating this shift from the small mind to the big mind into your everyday life. The way to do this is really quite simple. It’s to imagine several times throughout the rest of the day that you’re seeing whatever it is that you’re seeing from the perspective of a mountain top. Or maybe it’s the perspective of a beach. Pick your favorite natural metaphor. The basic idea is that if you catch yourself feeling stressed out, or if you notice that you’ve spent the last 45 minutes scrolling Instagram on your phone with a tight-gripped stare, just take 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, to see whatever’s happening from the mountain top. In fact, it can be quite interesting to bring this big perspective into something like email, or the document you’re working on, or surfing the news, or whatever it is. It’s actually so radically different that it can change your entire perspective of some of these things that make up a big part of our day. So that’s the homework for the rest of the day: three moments where you are seeing whatever’s happening in life from the mountaintop, and then see what happens.

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  • A 12-Minute Meditation for Tuning Into the Present Soundscape

    A 12-Minute Meditation for Tuning Into the Present Soundscape

    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 soundscape 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.

    A Guided Meditation for Tuning Into the Present Soundscape

    1. Prepare for this practice by settling into as comfortable a position as you can find. Allow the body to be settled and as relaxed as possible here and at the same time seeing if you can remain upright rather than slouching. Let the way that you place your physical body reflect your intention to be alert and engaged in the practice for the next ten minutes. 
    2. Allow your eyes to lightly close now, if that feels okay for you, or simply lower your gaze. Then bring awareness into the physical body and into the sensations at the contact points between your body and the surface beneath you. Move awareness in close and explore those sensations at the contact point. Then shift the focus to just feeling that gentle rhythm of the breath moving in the body and how the body is being gently rocked and cradled by the natural breath. 
    3. Now, expand your attention out from the breath and bring the focus to the sounds all around you in this particular moment. Take in the sounds in all directions. Sounds in front. Sounds behind. To the sides. Above and below. Take in the whole surrounding soundscape at once.
    4. As the sounds continue to unfold and change, notice if there’s any tendency to mentally label the sounds as they come, or to judge whether you like them or not. Notice how easily sounds can create a story. If you notice this, see if it’s possible to drop any mental commentary and come back to listening to the sounds themselves. Listen as if hearing for the first time, as if each sound was totally new to you. Observe how each sound arises out of stillness. It unfolds and then dissipates back into stillness. Coming and going, constantly changing. Notice the transient nature of sounds. 
    5. Now let go of listening to sounds and bring awareness to your internal world of thoughts. No need to try and control your thoughts in any way. Just let them come and go on their own, just as you did with sounds. Thoughts coming and going, like clouds passing across the sky of your awareness. Thoughts arising, unfolding, and dissipating back into stillness. 
    6. As you continue to be aware of these mental events, notice that these thoughts are coming and going in your awareness. You are the observer, not the thoughts. You can even say that: Here I am watching. I am not the thoughts. I am not the mind. 
    7. Now see if you can withdraw attention from observing the thoughts and simply sense into the awareness of the silent field in which all things come and go. The awareness that you are. This is not something you can grasp with the mind. You’re sensing into that silent beingness, that silent awareness that’s at the very core of all experience. 
    8. Now, let yourself relax back into this silent center of your being. Drop into that still, unchanging depth of being. Allow everything else to arise and pass. Let life flow through you. Rest in the depths of being. It’s like you’re way down deep at the bottom of the ocean in this timeless space, and all that’s coming and going is surface phenomena. Things arising and passing, arising in passing.
    9. In these last few moments of practice, come back to gently focus on your breathing. Take a long, slow, deep breath in. As you breathe out, begin to wriggle the fingers and toes. Take a moment to notice how you feel after making this time for meditation. When you’re ready, open your eyes. 
    10. Remember that no matter what happens today, you can always reconnect to the stillness and peace within by just taking a moment of mindfulness. Wishing you a great day.  



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