Health Journal Online

Tag: meditation

  • A Guided Meditation for Collective Healing

    A Guided Meditation for Collective Healing

    In this guided practice, we cultivate collective healing amidst the ways we are all shaped by our experiences, fears, and hopes.

    Key Points:

    • The mindful practice of deeper understanding can help us when we seek to find common ground with people who seem different from ourselves.
    • This meditation helps us to see that we are all shaped by our experiences, fears, and hopes, despite our differences.
    • By reflecting on our experiences and shared humanity, we can better understand others and take meaningful action for collective healing.

    In today’s interconnected yet paradoxically divided world, the path to understanding each other requires more than just good intentions. To truly connect and heal, we need something more: the cultivation of a deeper understanding. The path forward isn’t about eliminating differences—it’s about building bridges of understanding across them.

    In this gentle yet powerful meditation with Shalini Bahl, we experience how we are all shaped by our experiences, fears, and hopes. Deep understanding is like diving below the illuminated surface to deeper waters. By understanding both what floats on the surface and what lies in the depths, we can begin to shift our habitual patterns and make choices that arise from genuine wisdom rather than reactive impulses.

    A Meditation for Collective Healing

    1. In today’s practice, we’ll move through three steps. One, returning to a non-judging awareness; two, listening for deeper understanding; and three, beginning to take mindful action. 
    2. Let’s start by taking a few minutes to simply pause and return to our non-judging awareness. Come to a comfortable sitting position, feeling the elongation along the back of the spine. Gently lift your shoulders up, back, and down, so that the breath can move at ease. Feel the support under your feet. 
    3. You may lower or close your eyes. Bring your attention to your breath. Notice how it moves in and out of your body effortlessly. If it’s deep, let it be deep. If it’s shallow, let it be shallow. Simply invite your mind to be here with your breath and your body. If you like, let your attention rest in the region of your heart, feeling the spaciousness in your chest with each in-breath, and a gentle release with each outbreath. 
    4. Gently bring to mind the situation causing tension or conflict. See it clearly as if watching from a slight distance. Notice what arises in your body. Perhaps there’s tightness in your chest or belly, or your breath becomes shallow. Notice with kindness that all the sensations are rising and dissolving in your body, and make room for all your sensations, all the emotions. Whether it’s grief or anger, frustration, sadness—notice with kindness, without trying to fix or suppress anything. 
    5. Now, notice what thoughts are underlying these emotions. See the people involved, their expressions or words or tone of voice. Feel this spaciousness in your mind, like a vast sky where all the thoughts arising are passing by like clouds. 
    6. Once you feel a little more space in your mind and your body, you can move to the next step: listening deeply. Set an intention to understand not just our experience and needs, but also extending that same understanding toward others involved. 
    7. If you need some support getting into this posture of deep listening, here are some questions you can explore. If you need a little more time, you can always pause the recording or try some journaling. Begin with, What are your core needs in this situation? Perhaps you long for safety, acknowledgment, a healthy environment, respect for your values. 
    8. Next, connect with our shared humanity with others. Silently reflect, Just like me, this person wants to be happy and healthy. Just like me, this person also cares for their family. Continue on your own with your shared similarities with this person or people. Just like me…. 
    9. From this place of connection, seek to understand what lived experiences might be shaping their current stance or actions. What assumptions or beliefs are you bringing to this situation? 
    10. Continue to breathe deeply to create more space in your mind and body. Breathe out any rigidity or tension you may be holding. What else might be possible here? No need to search or strive for answers, just trusting our intention for a deeper understanding and seeing our shared humanity, knowing we will be guided to clarity with this inner compass. 
    11. Feel free to pause this recording to go for a mindful walk in nature or do some journaling to create room for a deeper understanding. As clarity emerges, you may notice a release of tension. It might be a very subtle shift in our body or your breath becoming deeper or easier. 
    12. From this place of connection with your intention and insights, you can move to the last step: considering possibilities for intentional, mindful action. These are small steps you can take to create more understanding and harmony in this situation. Let this intentional approach extend beyond this specific situation. For example, how might your choices around consumption—what you put into your body, how you source things—all support a mind and body guided by your intention and values?
    13. Remember, you can return to this practice whenever you need, using these three steps: return to your non-judging awareness, listen for deeper understanding, and begin to take aligned actions. Let’s take a final breath together. As we exhale slowly, may this practice benefit us and benefit all beings.



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  • A 12-Minute Meditation to Meet Difficult Emotions With Compassion

    A 12-Minute Meditation to Meet Difficult Emotions With Compassion

    This guided meditation is a simple practice to help us navigate the ups and downs of everyday life challenges with a kind and open heart.

    Often when we’re struggling with challenging situations or emotions, the things that feel the most supportive aren’t complex techniques, but just simple, down-to-earth practices.

    In this podcast episode, teacher and leadership trainer Carley Hauck introduces a practice for working with difficult emotions that’s all about noticing the body and visualizing the support, care, and wisdom to stay present to the right-now experience. In a world that feels increasingly complex and uncertain, Carley’s guidance is like a gentle hand on the back, encouraging us to slow down and find calm amidst the chaos. She shows us how to face life’s challenges with a kind and open heart, reminding us that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes.

    A Guided Meditation for Working With Difficult Emotions

    1. For this meditation, allow yourself to come into a comfortable sitting position. Feel your feet firmly planted on the floor. Notice your posture as you’re sitting. Allow your shoulders and your upper back to relax. 
    2. Begin to notice the rhythm of your breath as you breathe in and out. It may even be helpful to place one hand on your lower abdomen. And as you breathe in, you feel the stomach rise. And as you breathe out, you feel the stomach fall. 
    3. Start to notice the slowing down of your heart rate, of your blood pressure, allowing you to fully be here in this present moment. 
    4. Bring to mind a situation that occurred recently where you felt sadness or disappointment. It doesn’t need to be the most difficult experience, but just something moderately difficult so that you can practice. It may even be something that hasn’t happened yet, but that you are feeling sad, disappointed, or anxious about. 
    5. Turn your attention to the physical body. As you’re reflecting on this situation of sadness, what do you feel in the body right now? Is there tightness or tension behind the eyes? Is there a heaviness in the shoulders or your head? What are you aware of right now?
    6. With a compassionate curiosity, turn towards your experience. Everything is welcome right now. 
    7. If you find it difficult to be with what’s arising, that’s okay. Use the breath as a stabilizer, helping you to fully be here to whatever is arising and passing in the mind and the body and the heart. It might also help to name the feelings that are here for you, like sadness, loss, or disappointment. 
    8. If this feels comfortable for you, allow yourself to imagine a wise and loving figure who is cradling you. They have enveloped you with strong and loving arms. And they’re stroking your head and repeating, “It’s okay. I am here for you.” Let yourself take that in. Receive the support.
    9. If there’s anything else that you need to hear to really feel supported right now, allow that to come into your awareness. What words or gestures would feel most comforting and helpful? 
    10. Notice what’s happening in your physical body as you receive this support. Is there heaviness? Is there peace? Acceptance?
    11. When you’re feeling ready, you can thank this loving figure for its support and presence. You are centered, strong, resilient. And you are ready to meet the day. 
    12. When you feel ready, allow yourself to slowly transition back into your day—slowly open your eyes, feel your feet on the floor, notice your surroundings. Thank you for your practice today.

    Never Miss a Meditation

    Enter your email below to get new podcast episodes delivered straight to your inbox! You’ll also get insights from expert mindfulness teachers and exclusive deals on Mindful Shop products, events, and more.



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  • Find Stability Amid Change With A 12-Minute Meditation

    Find Stability Amid Change With A 12-Minute Meditation

    In this meditation on impermanence, Aden Van Noppen reminds us that when the outside world feels overwhelming, we can often find inner calm by coming back to the breath.

    We live in a world of constant change and this week, Aden Van Noppen invites us to find what roots us. Aden is the founder and executive director of Mobius, a collaboration between leading neuroscientists, meditation teachers, and technologists to work toward the creation of digital technology that enhances our individual and collective well-being. Aden is also one of the 10 powerful women of the mindfulness movement 2022, and here she guides a meditation on impermanence. 

    A 12-Minute Meditation to Find Stability Amid Change

    1. Let’s begin with a little grounding. Gently move your attention to the place where you are most rooted to the Earth. Whether that’s the bottom of your feet or where your body rests on a chair or a cushion, take a moment to just rest your attention there. Feeling the rootedness. Feeling the ground, the floor, the chair, the cushion holding you, holding your weight, grounding you. 
    2. Gently move your attention toward your breath. Take a relaxed breath, feeling the in- and out-breath like a wave. A wave of breath in and the wave as it moves out with your breath out. And just like the quality of a wave, it’s washing over you and through you. You don’t have to control it. In and out, without controlling it. 
    3. And just like a wave, no two breaths are the same. And just like every moment, no two moments are the same. Let this breath be a reminder of impermanence. As you breathe in, you can gently say to yourself, “This breath.” Each moment, each breath is a chance to begin again. “This breath.” Just like a wave. 
    4. As you take in your next breath, imagine the feeling of soaking up the nutrients of that breath, the life force of that breath, and with your out-breath, letting go. In—”Soaking up.” Out—”Letting go.” “Soaking up. Letting go.” Just as we do over and over in our lives. “Soaking up. Letting go. “ And combining them: “This breath. Letting go.” 
    5. As we transition to close this meditation, gently move your attention away from the wave of your breath and back to the rootedness of your seat, of your feet, wherever your weight is held most by the ground. 
    6. Even with the constant change, the moving in, the moving out, we always have this rootedness. It is always available to us, to remind us that we are held amid the change in our lives moment to moment. 
    7. When you’re ready, you can bring your attention back into the room and gently open your eyes. Thank you for sitting with me.  

    Never Miss a Meditation

    Enter your email below to get new podcast episodes delivered straight to your inbox! You’ll also get insights from expert mindfulness teachers and exclusive deals on Mindful Shop products, events, and more.

    The Power of Sustainable Self-Care 

    Shelly Tygielski explores how consistently showing up for yourself first lays the foundation for our life’s purpose—showing up for others—and how to create your own self-care practice.
    Read More 

    • Shelly Tygielski
    • June 17, 2022

    10 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement: 2022 

    In our fourth annual focus on women leaders of the mindfulness movement, ten women share what they’ve learned about living a life of meaning and purpose and how cultivating happiness fits into the equation.
    Read More 

    • Amber Tucker, Ava Whitney-Coulter, Kylee Ross, Oyinda Lagunju, and Stephanie Domet
    • July 16, 2022



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  • A 12-Minute Meditation for Honoring Our Connection to Ourselves and Others

    A 12-Minute Meditation for Honoring Our Connection to Ourselves and Others

    A guided meditation to begin making space for healing political polarization, racial strife, and social disconnect.

    This racial healing meditation emphasizes interconnection, honoring our connection to self in order to honor our connection to others. Acknowledging our interconnection, we can create space for healing political polarization, racial strife, and really any kind of disconnection in our lives.

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.” This is the interrelated structure of reality. Let us just be with that for a moment. This is such an interconnected reliance.

    “I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.”

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

    Many people feel like the answer to a more equitable and inclusive society is to be kind and treat everyone the same. As you consider your own journey of racial healing and interconnection, hopefully you come to realize kindness and awareness are important, but not enough. There is inner work that is essential. 

    The journey of racial healing gently opens your eyes to the initial work, the work of self-transformation as key to becoming a culturally inclusive and connected person. In our time together today, we begin to take the first steps to embracing interconnection.

    A Guided Meditation for Interconnection

    1. I invite you to sit comfortably yet with reverent alertness, lengthening the spine if you choose. The body is not trying too hard. We’re just sitting like a majestic mountain. A formed presence, but not working hard at it. I invite you to gaze down or close your eyes.

    2. And now I like to give this signal to my body and mind. Now that I’ve settled in, I’m about to do this. What we’re about to open up to is more of ourselves in this moment, with full curiosity, non-judgment, and deep self-compassion. I do this by taking three deep breaths. Please take three deep breaths at a pace that feels good for you. And then just settle into breathing at a pace that feels good and supportive. Finding your own rhythm of your in-breaths and your out-breaths. Let us just be here for about one minute of silence, staying anchored and aware of our breath.

    3. Now, I invite you to imagine a world where every being is connected to love. And because of this connection, not a single being would ever hurt another. And let us recognize that this world begins with us. With our willingness to connect and see, recognize value, and honor our interconnection. Continue to imagine for a moment what it would be like to live in a world where everyone freely and equally shared a deep connection to one another. Let us begin to create this, starting with ourselves. Let us just take a moment to continue to anchor to our own breath and the imagining of a world where we are connected to everyone.

    4. And now I invite you to picture someone who is racially different than you. And we know that race is a socialized construct, yet it is also one that we are working to heal from. So imagine someone who was racially different than you. Whether you feel connected to this person or not, whether you know them personally or not. Just picture someone who is racially different than you. 

    5. And as you picture them, I invite you to repeat these words to yourself, silently or out loud, whichever feels comfortable to you. These phrases are inspired by fellow meditator Melanie Cerdan. We will have some moments of silence in between the phrases, to allow the feelings to settle into our consciousness and our bodies. And let’s just take a moment. Connecting with this person who we’re visualizing. We offer the phrases: “I am open to connect with you. And I am grateful for your openness to connect with me. May the love in me connect with the love in you. I am present and I honor your presence. I am light and I honor your light. I am a unique human being and I honor that you are a unique human being. I am grateful and I honor that you are grateful.”

    6. Thank this person for exchanging this connection with you. Notice how you’re feeling in this moment. What emotions are present? What does it feel like in your body to have connected in this way? Just noticing. Not marking any feelings, emotions, thoughts as right or wrong, just simply being in the open awareness of what is present for you in this moment. 

    7. As we close, let us anchor to a powerful quote by Dr. Harriet Lerner. “Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.” May we see all others as being happy and connected. As we send this wish out into the world, may we appreciate it coming back to us. 

    8. I invite you to bring your attention back into your body. Back into your current location. Bringing our full awareness to being interconnected. May we move about being connected to others and every living being. Thank you for practicing with me today.



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  • A Guided Meditation to Set Your Intentions for the New Year

    A Guided Meditation to Set Your Intentions for the New Year

    Skip the resolutions this year. Set a different tone by cultivating your intentions for the new year with this mindful practice.

    While many of us take stock at the end of a year, set goals, or make new plans for the upcoming year, that sense of letting go of what we’re caught up in and the habits we’ve been living through are a part of our everyday mindfulness practice. Each time we sit for a few minutes, there’s an opportunity to let go of wherever our minds, attention, and awareness have gotten caught up in, come back, and realign ourselves with our best intentions and efforts. 

    It might be a sense of bringing full awareness and attention to our experience, to the people around us, to a conversation with our children. It might be a sense of letting go of reactivity and coming back to resolve with more patience and clarity. It might also be balancing the tendency most of us have to get caught up in stress and giving more attention to gratefulness, positive moments, and things we enjoy. Or it might be a sense of wanting to bring more kindness and compassion to how we treat ourselves, how we treat others, or even how we treat the people we find difficult in our lives. All of that can be cultivated, sustained, and developed through any amount of time we spend in our mindfulness practice. 

    A Guided Meditation to Set Your Intentions for the New Year

    1. Find a comfortable posture. Dropping your gaze or shutting your eyes, notice the physical movement your body makes with each breath. You might notice your belly, your chest, or perhaps the air moving in and out of your nose and mouth. 
    2. Check in with your effort and intention. What is it you’d like to bring to the practice today? Perhaps it’s an opportunity to settle and gather your attention or a sense of resolve and strength. Of course, you might have the intention to simply show up to this practice without adding any sense of stress or strain. 
    3. Bring that sense of intention and awareness to your practice today. One way to do that can be within each in-breath, developing a sense of open awareness. 
    4. With each out-breath, come up with a word that captures your intentions for yourself. Breathe in with awareness and maybe picture something or feel gratitude toward whatever feels appropriate to you right now. Breathe out with your intentions for this moment. 
    5. You might lose touch with your intentions throughout the practice and in life—you can come back again. If you lose touch with the practice and your mind gets caught up in distraction or reactivity or some sense of discomfort, that’s normal. That’s all part of the practice. Try coming back to the same practice with awareness. 
    6. As the practice ends, pause for a moment with intention, and choose when to move on with your day. 
      Whatever you’re facing in life, all we indirectly influence is how we choose to relate to that. Reactivity and anger so often lead to more reactivity and anger. You can get caught up in self-criticism and in criticism of others. You can develop a more balanced sense of awareness, preciseness, and clarity through mindfulness practice. At any moment, you can catch yourself and realign yourself with your best intentions, recognizing that you may lose touch again and then come back when you do. 
    Why You Need a Self-Care Plan 

    Shelly Tygielski offers a three-step exercise to help you get started with your own self-care plan—no bubble bath required.
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    • Shelly Tygielski
    • January 3, 2023



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  • 7 Mindful Prompts for Reading Poetry

    7 Mindful Prompts for Reading Poetry

    Poetry can seem intimidating, but all it really asks us to do is slow down, get curious, and notice. It’s a lot like meditation! Here are seven mindful prompts to help you discover the nurturing practice of reading poetry.

    Poetry is a quiet sanctuary for the mind. Its rhythm and vivid imagery invite us to immerse ourselves. By exploring the depths of a poem, we embark on a journey of self-discovery, connecting with emotions, sensations, and the underlying wisdom within the words. This exploration can be a profound practice in mindfulness, cultivating peace, clarity, and a deeper appreciation for life’s complexities.

    Reading poetry isn’t just an intellectual pursuit. We encounter poetry in our everyday lives, whether on a meditation retreat, in quotes or videos on social media, and sometimes in everyday interactions with others. So, how does poetry differ from anything else we read, and why does it deserve special consideration? 

    While poetry may seem intimidating, all it really asks of you is to be curious, present, and open to listening to your intuition so you may connect with the words on the page.

    Poetry has a more challenging job than a novel that is typically linear in its construction. Most poems compress meaning into various poetic structures while using tone and literary devices to express ideas and emotions. When we pay attention to these details, we can better unpack a poem and the multifaceted meanings that exist in it. The sometimes more abstract language of poetry also engages our intuition in a unique way, tapping into our emotions. Poetry also allows for ambiguity and uncertainty about its meaning, making more space for each reader’s individual experience.

    While poetry may seem intimidating, all it really asks of you is to be curious, present, and open to listening to your intuition so you may connect with the words on the page. There’s no right or wrong way to read or experience poetry, much like there’s no right or wrong way to experience meditation.

    Mindful Prompts for Poetry Reading

    When you read a poem, try asking yourself the following questions to gain deeper understanding of both the poem and how it affects you:  

    • What mood does this poem evoke?
    • What emotions are coming up for me?
    • What is this poem describing?

    These questions can serve as helpful entry points for any poem. Checking in with our emotions can be an easy way to notice a poem’s effect on us.

    Next, you might ask yourself: 

    • What stands out immediately?

    Or, as Allen Ginsberg used to say, “Notice what you notice.” You may notice a repeated text pattern or a specific description of an object, a shift in tone, or a point of view. Simply identify something specific that sticks out to you.

    Last, ask yourself:

    • Who is speaking in this poem?
    • Who or what is the poem addressing?
    • What questions do I have after finishing the poem?

    When you’re done, consider what these prompts bring to light. Did you gain some kind of understanding? Explore your beliefs? Something else?

    Explore Your Experience

    Now that we’ve explored the prompts to help us better understand poetry’s qualities, we can put them into practice by taking a closer look at the following excerpt from poet Catherine Barnett’s “Critique of Pure Reason” from her collection Solutions for the Problem of Bodies in Space.

    Inspired by the work of philosopher Immanuel Kant, this poem helps explore the existential. Barnett typically asks deep, abstract questions about the quotidian parts of our lives while keeping an intellectual curiosity about human existence and our habits and behaviors. Barnett’s poems often invite a sense of internal dialogue or philosophical rumination. Considering the addressee in her poetry opens a conversation about intimacy, self-awareness, and uncertainty. Let’s take a closer look at an excerpt from the poem:

    With him pressed so close beside her,
    she couldn’t sleep. Perhaps it was his skin,
    or the rain. It kept raining.

    She lay there trying to remember
    exactly how many thoughts she could have.
    Was it 30,000 or 70,000? Per hour?

    Or was it per minute?
    She’d heard from someone
    who’d heard from someone

    who listened to the number, whatever it was,
    from an HVAC specialist.

    Take out a notebook and pen or open a word document and reflect on this poem with the help of the prompts:

    1. What mood does this poem evoke?
    2. What emotions are coming up for me?
    3. What is this poem describing? 
    4. What stands out immediately?
    5. Who is speaking in this poem?
    6. Who or what is the poem addressing?
    7. What questions do I have after finishing the poem?

    Meditation and poetry ask us to use the same tools:

    • Slowing down
    • Being a curious observer of our experience
    • Connecting our body and mind

    By reading poetry mindfully, we can gain a deeper understanding of both the poem and our inner landscape. Approaching poetry with curiosity and mindfulness opens the door to deeper understanding and richer engagement. Next time you read a poem, try using these prompts to discover what resonates for you.



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  • A Guided Meditation to Reset and Let Go

    A Guided Meditation to Reset and Let Go

    In this guided mindfulness practice, we release what no longer serves us and anchor in our inner wisdom, peace, and freedom.

    While the new year often inspires reflection, January isn’t the only time we can release what no longer serves us. Resetting can happen in any moment—simply by connecting to the rhythm of our breath. In this meditation, journey inward to release, reset, and anchor into our inner wisdom, peace, and freedom. “Every inhale is a new moment, a sense of total renewal. And every exhale is an opportunity to arrive in the space, free. Totally free.”

    A Meditation to Reset and Let Go

    1. Prepare for this practice by finding a quiet place and a comfortable seat. If you wish, you can also lay down. Whichever you choose, find connection and grounding with the space that you’re in. If you’re seated in a stool or a chair, plant both feet on the ground. If you’re seated on the floor directly or on a meditation cushion, sit with a straight spine. If you’re lying down, lie flat in a way that you feel grounded and connected to the space you’re lying on. 
    2. Close your eyes and start to bring awareness to your breath. Start to notice and be a witness to life flowing through your body, which is your breath. Notice the pace of your breath and tune in to its rhythm. Use each breath as an opportunity to arrive here, to shift your focus away from what might have happened earlier and towards the space you’re in, to this recording, this meditation, this practice that we’re all sharing together. 
    3. Breathe in and out through your nose to start. Notice if anything is still arising from what might have happened before you came into this practice. If so, just acknowledge it and then consciously shift your awareness back to your breath. 
    4. Now breathe in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth. Notice if you feel any release throughout your body with that long, deep exhale. Let’s do that again, breathing in through our nose and out through our mouth. Deep exhale. Again, just notice what arises or what releases in your body. One last time, let’s breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth. 
    5. We can carry weight energetically, physically, mentally. With total awareness and non-judgment, let’s be a witness to what might be coming up. With every exhale, ask, Can we let this go?   
    6. Notice if you feel tension somewhere in your body. Bring awareness to that space and take a deep inhale into that space that feels tense. Then, exhale to try to release that tension that you might feel. Remember, the tension might be a reoccurring thought or situation that’s presenting itself. Keep going through this process of being a witness if something’s coming up for you—physically, mentally, energetically—and then use the power of your breath to slowly bring some relief, some release, with your breath, with your exhale. 
    7. We might not be able to control everything happening on the outside, but we always have the power to be aware and shift what’s happening on the inside. You can use this practice of connecting to your breath to release as a means to create a subtle shift, lessening that tension of everything that’s not serving you in this present moment. You can invite a sense of freedom and liberation, even for one breath cycle. Notice the shift it creates throughout your entire being. At any time, you can use your breath to reclaim your inner power, your inner peace, and your inner wisdom. You don’t need to carry the past with you. 
    8. If you’re having any trouble with really being present, I encourage you to place one hand over your heart, one over your stomach. Use this physical reminder to connect with the rhythm of your breath and the beauty that your breath holds in helping you release and lighten your daily load. Every inhale is a new moment, a sense of total renewal. And every exhale is just an opportunity to arrive in the space free, totally free, of everything that ever was. 
    9. Start to bring awareness again to the space you’re in. Offer gratitude for yourself for showing up today, for embarking on this inward adventure. Honor yourself, your journey, and your willingness to release and let go of what no longer serves you. 
    10. Take a deep inhale in, a big exhale out, and ever so slowly, open your eyes. Stay connected to the space you’re in. How are you feeling? Has anything shifted from the moment we started this practice? Remember that this practice to reset and let go is available to you every day, throughout the day if you need. Your breath is a powerful ally to help you in your journey to release and let go. Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to next time practicing with you. 



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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 to Come Home to Your Heart

    A 12 Minute Meditation to Come Home to Your Heart

    Jenée Johnson welcomes us home to our hearts with a guided meditation to rest, replenish, and renew.

    This is a practice to usher us home for the holidays—“home” meaning to our inner selves, with love and care. In her book, Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection, Sharon Salzberg says, “awareness and love are qualities we can rely on moment to moment…They protect us during whatever storms or blow outs we undergo.” 

    Awareness and love are qualities we can rely on moment to moment

    Jenée Johnson, mindfulness, health, and racial healing innovator, and the founder of the Right Within Experience, guides us in this seven-minute meditation. We will explore a HeartMath practice called Quick Coherence that helps to synchronize the heart, mind, emotions, and body. This practice can help us work on being present with ourselves in an aware, kind, and loving way to take respite from the storms and renew strength and resilience. 

    A 12-Minute Guided Meditation to Come Home to Your Heart

    1. Please be seated in a relaxed, upright position. Drop your gaze or close your eyes and sit with ease. Take a deep breath in and an audible sigh out.

    2. I invite you to come home to yourself, come home to your own heart. I invite you to acknowledge any sadness, loss, or uncertainty you may be experiencing. Hold it gently, and hold it tenderly. I invite you to acknowledge your discoveries, your hopes and passions. Hold them lightly and with kindness as well. 

    Welcome home. Welcome to our hearts to heal, replenish, rest, and renew.

    3. Focus your attention on the area of the heart. Imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart and chest area a little slower and deeper than usual. Inhale to the count of five and exhale to the count of five, or find a rhythm that is comfortable.  If you would like, you can place a hand gently over your heart. This can help you center and invite inner ease and coherence.

    4. Meet yourself in a compassionate and easy way with language like, “I’m so glad you’re here,” “It’s good to be with you.” Stay with slow, deep breaths through the heart or chest area. Rest here.

    5. Now, let’s create an experience of renewal. On the next breath, make a sincere attempt to experience a renewing feeling such as appreciation or care for something or someone in your life. Re-experience the feeling you have for someone you love, a pet, a special place, or an accomplishment.

    6. Simply focus on a feeling of calm or ease. Stay with calm easy breaths through the heart and chest area.

    Welcome home for the holidays. May you have calm in the storms, ease, and grace.

    A Guide to Practicing Self-Care with Mindfulness 

    Making sure our own needs are met is as important as taking care of those we love most. When turning your attention toward yourself feels challenging, there are simple ways to move through the discomfort. Explore our new guide for tips, practices, and reminders on how to engage in self-care.
    Read More 

    • Mindful Staff
    • December 18, 2020



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  • The Power of Running and Meditation: A Guide to Mindful Movement

    The Power of Running and Meditation: A Guide to Mindful Movement

    While this article has been reviewed for accuracy and fairness by Mindful editors, some material in this article was generated by AI. To learn more about our AI practices and why we sometimes use AI to generate content, please see our statement here.

    Combining running and meditation can create a powerful experience known as mindful running, which enhances both mental and physical health. This article will explore the benefits of integrating mindfulness into your running routine, offering insights into how this practice can improve your well-being and overall quality of life.

    Whether you’re a seasoned runner or new to the concept of mindfulness, this guide provides practical tips and techniques to help you embrace the power of running meditation, stay focused on the present moment, and enjoy a more fulfilling running experience.

    Key Takeaways

    • Mindful running is a powerful tool for improving mental and physical health, and can be adapted to suit individual needs and goals.
    • By incorporating mindfulness into your running routine, you can reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being.
    • Remember to stay present, focused, and mindful, and to enjoy the journey of mindful running.

    What is Mindful Running?

    Mindful running is a practice that combines physical movement with mindfulness techniques to cultivate a greater sense of awareness and presence in the present moment.

    It involves paying attention to your breath, body, and surroundings while running, allowing you to stay focused and fully engaged in the experience.

    Combining mindfulness with physical activity like running can enhance mental and physical health, reduce stress, improve emotional resilience, and increase body awareness. Mindful running can be done anywhere, at any time, and can be adapted to suit individual needs and goals.

    Benefits of Running Meditation

    Enhanced Focus and Clarity

    Running meditation sharpens your focus by training your mind to stay present. This heightened awareness can translate into improved concentration in everyday life, allowing you to tackle tasks with greater clarity and efficiency.

    Increased Pain Tolerance

    Engaging in running meditation strengthens the connection between your mind and body. By paying attention to how your body feels during each step and breath, you develop a deeper understanding of your physical and mental state, fostering a sense of harmony and balance. 

    By practicing mindfulness during your runs, you become more attuned to your body’s sensations. This awareness can help you manage discomfort and increase your pain tolerance, making it easier to push through challenging workouts.

    Improved Cardiovascular Health

    Combining the physical activity of running with the calming effects of meditation can lead to better cardiovascular health. The rhythmic nature of running meditation promotes healthy heart function, improving circulation and reducing the risk of heart-related issues.

    Greater Emotional Resilience

    Running meditation helps build emotional resilience by enabling you to process and release negative emotions. As you focus on your breath and the present moment, you learn to navigate stressful situations with a calm and balanced mindset, enhancing your overall mental well-being.

    Strengthened Mind-Body Connection

    Engaging in running meditation strengthens the connection between your mind and body. By paying attention to how your body feels during each step and breath, you develop a deeper understanding of your physical and mental state, fostering a sense of harmony and balance.

    Incorporating these additional benefits into your running routine can further enhance your mental and physical health, making running meditation a valuable practice for overall well-being.

    Running Meditation Can Help Boost Mood

    Participating in moving meditation while running can immerse you in a sense of positivity. Running naturally triggers the release of endorphins, those mood-enhancing chemicals that can boost your spirits. By incorporating meditation into your run, you intensify this positive effect, which has been proven to help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

    By anchoring yourself in the present moment and concentrating on your breathing pattern during running meditation, you foster a deep sense of well-being and emotional upliftment, making it a powerful method for improving mental health.

    Running Meditation May Provide More Energy

    Engaging in aerobic exercise, such as running, increases your heart rate and circulation, providing an energy boost. By combining running with meditation, you can keep your mind sharp, potentially altering your perception of the run’s difficulty. Staying fully aware of your body’s natural rhythm and taking deep breaths can help you tap into more energy during your run, enhancing both physical and mental performance.

    Running Meditation May Improve Performance

    Running meditation can help you find your flow during a workout. By staying mindful, you can connect with your body, discover a pace that feels comfortable, and lower the risk of injury. Being present and in tune with how your body feels can enhance your running routine and lead to better outcomes. This approach not only improves performance but also supports lasting heart health.

    Running Meditation May Lower Stress Levels

    Everyday stress can feel overwhelming, but running meditation provides a much-needed respite. As you immerse yourself in your run and focus on the present, the typical worries that clutter your mind begin to fade away. By integrating mindfulness into your running practice, you can effectively reduce stress and anxiety, leading to a calmer and more balanced mental state. This approach not only helps you manage stressful situations more smoothly but also improves your overall quality of life.

    Running Meditation Could Lead to Better Sleep

    If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, incorporating running meditation into your routine might be the solution you need. This practice not only helps expend excess energy but also cultivates a tranquil mind, making it easier to slip into a restful sleep. By blending mindfulness with your running routine, you’ll not only enhance the quality of your sleep but also reap the physical and mental benefits that come with a rejuvenating night’s rest. This approach supports overall well-being, making you feel more energized and balanced in everyday life.

    The Science Behind Mindfulness

    Mindfulness practice can change the structure and function of the brain, increasing gray matter in areas related to attention, emotion regulation, and memory.

    It can also increase the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, and reduce the production of stress hormones such as cortisol. Aerobic exercise like running can enhance mental alertness and cognitive function by increasing blood flow and heart rate.

    The rhythmic nature of running can help induce a meditative state, making it easier to practice mindfulness.

    Running Meditation Techniques

    • Focus on your breath, taking deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
    • Pay attention to your body, noticing how it feels with each step and movement.
    • Use a phrase that you repeat to yourself or a physical sensation to help keep your mind focused and present.
    • Practice walking meditation as a way to transition into running meditation.

    Running Meditation for Beginners

    Running meditation is a wonderful way to blend physical movement with mindfulness practice, helping you stay focused and present in the moment. If you’re new to this practice, it’s important to start with the basics and gradually build up your routine. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started with running meditation:

    1. Start with Walking Meditation: Begin by practicing walking meditation. This involves walking slowly and mindfully, paying attention to each step and your breath. This will help you get used to the idea of combining movement with mindfulness.
    2. Focus on Your Breath: As you transition to running, keep your focus on your breath. Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. This will help you stay centered and calm.
    3. Pay Attention to Your Body: Notice how your body feels with each step. Are your muscles tense or relaxed? How does the ground feel under your feet? This awareness will help you stay present and connected to your body.
    4. Use a Mantra: Choose a simple word or phrase to repeat in your mind as you run. This can help keep your mind focused and prevent it from wandering.
    5. Start Slow: Begin with short runs and gradually increase your distance and intensity. This will help you build endurance and get comfortable with the practice.
    6. Stay Patient: Remember, running meditation is a practice. It’s normal for your mind to wander. When it does, gently bring your focus back to your breath or your mantra.

    By following these steps, you can start to incorporate running meditation into your routine, helping you stay focused, reduce stress, and enjoy the many benefits of mindful running.

    Preparing for Mindful Running

    Start by incorporating mindfulness into your everyday life, such as through meditation or deep breathing exercises, and recognize the importance of physical activity in enhancing both mental and physical health.

    Begin with short runs and gradually increase distance and intensity as you become more comfortable with the practice.

    Find a safe and comfortable running route, and consider running with a buddy or joining a mindful running group.

    Overcoming Challenges

    Don’t get discouraged if your mind wanders—simply acknowledge the thought and refocus on your breath or body.

    If you’re feeling tired or struggling with motivation, try incorporating physical training exercises into your routine.

    Remember that mindful running is a practice, and it’s okay to take breaks and rest when needed.

    Mindfulness Practice for Runners

    Practice meditation before or after your run to help calm your mind and prepare your body. Engaging in physical activity, such as running, enhances both mental and physical health by reducing stress, improving emotional resilience, and increasing body awareness.

    Use mindfulness techniques during your run to stay focused and present.

    Mindful Running in Daily Life

    Incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine through meditation or deep breathing exercises to cultivate a sense of calm and balance.

    Use mindful running as a powerful tool to reduce stress and enhance mental health, allowing you to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease.

    Apply the principles of mindful running to other areas of your life, such as work or relationships, by staying present and fully aware of your thoughts and emotions, leading to improved communication and emotional resilience.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the difference between mindful running and regular running?

    Mindful running focuses on staying present and aware, unlike regular running, which targets physical training and performance. Regular running often involves goals like speed or distance, while mindful running emphasizes breath, body sensations, and surroundings to maintain a meditative state. Mindful running enhances mental health, reducing anxiety and boosting well-being, making it a holistic exercise approach.

    How do I get started with mindful running?

    Starting mindful running combines the physical benefits of running with the mental clarity of mindfulness. Here’s a quick guide:

    1. Set Your Intention: Before running, decide on a goal, like staying present or reducing stress.
    2. Choose a Quiet Place: Pick a peaceful route outdoors, if it’s available to you, to connect with nature and avoid distractions.
    3. Focus on Breathing: Maintain a comfortable pace, focusing on nasal breathing to stay calm.
    4. Be Aware of Your Body: Pay attention to sensations, from your feet hitting the ground to muscle movements.
    5. Stay Present: Redirect wandering thoughts to your breath or body, using a mantra if needed.
    6. Reflect Post-Run: After running, consider any changes in mood or energy.

    By following these steps, transform your runs into a moving meditation that boosts well-being. Remember, it’s a practice, so be patient and enjoy the journey.

    Can I practice mindful running if I’m not an experienced runner?

    Absolutely! Mindful running is for everyone, no matter your experience level. Focus on the present moment and integrate mindfulness into your run, without stressing over performance. Start at a comfortable pace, paying attention to your breathing and body sensations.

    You can begin with walking meditation and gradually transition to running. Mindful running is about self-discovery, reducing stress, and improving mental well-being, offering benefits for beginners and seasoned runners alike.

    Mindful Running and Technology

    Use apps or online resources to help guide your mindful running practice. There are numerous applications available that offer guided meditations, mindfulness tips, and running plans tailored to enhance your mental state and physical performance.

    Consider using a fitness tracker or running watch to track your progress and stay motivated. These devices can monitor your heart rate, pace, and distance, providing valuable insights into your running routine and helping you maintain a comfortable pace.

    Be mindful of your use of technology, and avoid distractions such as music or social media. While technology can aid your practice, it is essential to stay focused on the present moment, paying attention to your breathing pattern and how your body feels during the run.

    Mindful Running Communities

    Engaging with a mindful running community can significantly enhance your practice and motivation. Joining a local mindful running group or club offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow runners who share your interest in combining physical activity with mindfulness. This sense of community can provide encouragement, shared experiences, and tips to help you stay focused and inspired.

    Additionally, participating in online forums or social media groups dedicated to mindful running can expand your network, offering a platform to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and celebrate achievements with like-minded individuals from around the world. For those looking to deepen their practice, attending a mindful running retreat or workshop can be incredibly beneficial. These events often provide structured guidance, immersive experiences, and expert insights into the art of mindful running, helping you to refine your techniques and enhance your overall well-being.



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