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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about letting go. So I'd first like to read a quote by the great teacher, Ajahn Chah. He says, "Do everything with a mind that lets go. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.
If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end." So it's very important to understand that letting go does not mean passively resigning to the world. It does not mean apathy. The letting go that Ajahn Chah is referring to comes from embodying the depth and breadth of one's mind that is vast and spacious enough to meet a moment with love and fierce compassion, with the understanding that what follows is not within our control.
The development of a mind that can let go like this does not happen by turning away. It happens by turning toward, by going into the fire, the discomfort, the confusion, the complexity of life, so that we can clearly see the futility of our ego's death grip on controlling what will arise next. Seeing this clearly, and the exhaustion that comes with it, well, the previous boundaries of our mind expands, and we're able to hold more to see more clearly. This isn't mystical. You see this at any stage of development.
As we learn more, experience other perspectives and go through pain, our psychological infrastructure organically expands its beliefs, mental models, and emotional bandwidth to meet the newly discovered complexity of life. You've no doubt experienced this already, whether you realize it or not. You go through a breakup, experience the intense pain, see that it eventually passes and next time around, there's more understanding and calm in holding that grief and despair. So the more we bring our attention to how our mind is relating to experience, as one does in meditation, like mindfulness meditation, the more we see and feel the aspects of that relating, which create tension. Instead of turning away, we stay present to it, which becomes more intense and uncomfortable at first, but eventually it forces something within us to soften similar to a lobster, expanding out of its shell, due to sheer stress and pressure.
The more we expand, the more we can let go, not of caring, but of being tormented by the endless, truly endless pursuit of trying to find refuge in some future arrangement of conditions. With more space and less constriction of ego, emerges and organic compassion for others and a more skillful action in the world. The peace we develop is not from turning away. It's from turning toward. Letting, the bigness of life illuminate the bigness of you.
Thank you for your practice and let's settle in for today's meditation.
A Mind That Lets Go
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Duration
Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.
Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about letting go. So I'd first like to read a quote by the great teacher, Ajahn Chah. He says, "Do everything with a mind that lets go. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.
If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end." So it's very important to understand that letting go does not mean passively resigning to the world. It does not mean apathy. The letting go that Ajahn Chah is referring to comes from embodying the depth and breadth of one's mind that is vast and spacious enough to meet a moment with love and fierce compassion, with the understanding that what follows is not within our control.
The development of a mind that can let go like this does not happen by turning away. It happens by turning toward, by going into the fire, the discomfort, the confusion, the complexity of life, so that we can clearly see the futility of our ego's death grip on controlling what will arise next. Seeing this clearly, and the exhaustion that comes with it, well, the previous boundaries of our mind expands, and we're able to hold more to see more clearly. This isn't mystical. You see this at any stage of development.
As we learn more, experience other perspectives and go through pain, our psychological infrastructure organically expands its beliefs, mental models, and emotional bandwidth to meet the newly discovered complexity of life. You've no doubt experienced this already, whether you realize it or not. You go through a breakup, experience the intense pain, see that it eventually passes and next time around, there's more understanding and calm in holding that grief and despair. So the more we bring our attention to how our mind is relating to experience, as one does in meditation, like mindfulness meditation, the more we see and feel the aspects of that relating, which create tension. Instead of turning away, we stay present to it, which becomes more intense and uncomfortable at first, but eventually it forces something within us to soften similar to a lobster, expanding out of its shell, due to sheer stress and pressure.
The more we expand, the more we can let go, not of caring, but of being tormented by the endless, truly endless pursuit of trying to find refuge in some future arrangement of conditions. With more space and less constriction of ego, emerges and organic compassion for others and a more skillful action in the world. The peace we develop is not from turning away. It's from turning toward. Letting, the bigness of life illuminate the bigness of you.
Thank you for your practice and let's settle in for today's meditation.
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I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
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Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
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Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
This is the app I turn to when I want to feel calm and loved.
- Abby
Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
- Adrienne James
I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
- Tara Brach, PhD
Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
- Marisa, Plus+ Member
Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
This is the app I turn to when I want to feel calm and loved.
- Abby
Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
- Adrienne James
I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
- Tara Brach, PhD
Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
- Marisa, Plus+ Member
Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
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Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
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I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
- Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom
Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
- Steve Ericson
A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
- Piper
Just want to say a big thankyou to all involved as this has had a positive impact in my daily life 🙏 Valuable teachings that have allowed me to have a better relationship not only with those around me, but with myself. Heal ourselves and we heal the world 💫✨🌍
- Marty
I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
- Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom
Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
- Steve Ericson
A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
- Piper
Just want to say a big thankyou to all involved as this has had a positive impact in my daily life 🙏 Valuable teachings that have allowed me to have a better relationship not only with those around me, but with myself. Heal ourselves and we heal the world 💫✨🌍
- Marty
I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
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