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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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Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hey, welcome back to Day Three of our seven day meditation challenge. I hope you enjoyed exploring the concept of self-compassion yesterday. This is not only foundational to mindfulness, but also fundamental to our pursuit of a good life, a fulfilling life. So see if you can continue to integrate selfcompassion into your life as we go throughout these days. In today's session, we're going to explore a new practice, one that can help you feel more grounded in stressful moments and be more purposeful and intentional in the present moment.
And it's a method I like to call the Barbecue Method. Barbecue is an acronym, B-B-Q, and I'll explain what those stand for and how to utilize it. So let's just imagine you're in any particular stressful situation. The first thing that we would do with the Barbecue Method is just take a deep breath. Very simple.
But when we're breathing deeply, what happens is we lower our center of gravity and a deep breath triggers to the brain that were more calm and grounded than maybe we actually feel. It's almost physiologically impossible to be in a stressed out state when we're breathing slowly and when we're breathing deeply. So even though it might seem simple, that deep breath goes a really long way for regrounding you back into the present moment and taking you out of that hijacked state of stress and fear. So the first thing we do, just take a deep breath, feel your center of gravity, lower and reground yourself. The next thing, the next B stands for body posture.
And so we attune to how am I holding my body right now? Am I like this? Am I looking down? Am I cowering? If we're in a fearful, anxious, stressed out state, chances are our body is going to assume a position that it's used to when it's in a stress out state. Maybe the hands are clenched, maybe we're, the shoulders are forward, whatever it might be. It's unique to each person. But chances are, you also are familiar with how your body holds itself when you're feeling confident, when you're feeling grounded, when you're feeling peaceful. For me, I already noticed a shift.
My shoulders came back slightly. I felt my center of gravity lower again. My feet went more flat on the floor. And my chin was up a bit more. And so for me, through years of conditioning, I know that when I'm feeling grounded and confident, this is how I hold my body.
Interestingly, in, in the present moment, when we're feeling a little stressed, if we assume a body posture that feels more confident, more open, more peaceful, more grounded, it will start to shift our internal state. And so the second thing we do is just notice what our body posture is like and shift that to something that feels more grounded and empowering. And the third step is the cue, and this is to ask a more empowering question. The questions we ask ourselves create the running narrative in our mind. And so if in this stressful situation you're asking: Why is this happening to me? Uh, why does this always seem to happen to me and nobody else? How long is this going to last? Then you're going to get answers to those questions.
But if instead you ask something like, What can I learn from this situation? How can this help me grow? What is something here that I'm not seeing that that, that could really help me get through this and grow through this? Different questions create different running narratives in our mind, and that will condition a different physiological response. So this is the Barbecue Method. Take a deep breath, assume a more grounded, open body posture and ask a more empowering question. Try it out today. Thank you for your practice and let's settle in for our meditation.
BBQ Method
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.
Hey, welcome back to Day Three of our seven day meditation challenge. I hope you enjoyed exploring the concept of self-compassion yesterday. This is not only foundational to mindfulness, but also fundamental to our pursuit of a good life, a fulfilling life. So see if you can continue to integrate selfcompassion into your life as we go throughout these days. In today's session, we're going to explore a new practice, one that can help you feel more grounded in stressful moments and be more purposeful and intentional in the present moment.
And it's a method I like to call the Barbecue Method. Barbecue is an acronym, B-B-Q, and I'll explain what those stand for and how to utilize it. So let's just imagine you're in any particular stressful situation. The first thing that we would do with the Barbecue Method is just take a deep breath. Very simple.
But when we're breathing deeply, what happens is we lower our center of gravity and a deep breath triggers to the brain that were more calm and grounded than maybe we actually feel. It's almost physiologically impossible to be in a stressed out state when we're breathing slowly and when we're breathing deeply. So even though it might seem simple, that deep breath goes a really long way for regrounding you back into the present moment and taking you out of that hijacked state of stress and fear. So the first thing we do, just take a deep breath, feel your center of gravity, lower and reground yourself. The next thing, the next B stands for body posture.
And so we attune to how am I holding my body right now? Am I like this? Am I looking down? Am I cowering? If we're in a fearful, anxious, stressed out state, chances are our body is going to assume a position that it's used to when it's in a stress out state. Maybe the hands are clenched, maybe we're, the shoulders are forward, whatever it might be. It's unique to each person. But chances are, you also are familiar with how your body holds itself when you're feeling confident, when you're feeling grounded, when you're feeling peaceful. For me, I already noticed a shift.
My shoulders came back slightly. I felt my center of gravity lower again. My feet went more flat on the floor. And my chin was up a bit more. And so for me, through years of conditioning, I know that when I'm feeling grounded and confident, this is how I hold my body.
Interestingly, in, in the present moment, when we're feeling a little stressed, if we assume a body posture that feels more confident, more open, more peaceful, more grounded, it will start to shift our internal state. And so the second thing we do is just notice what our body posture is like and shift that to something that feels more grounded and empowering. And the third step is the cue, and this is to ask a more empowering question. The questions we ask ourselves create the running narrative in our mind. And so if in this stressful situation you're asking: Why is this happening to me? Uh, why does this always seem to happen to me and nobody else? How long is this going to last? Then you're going to get answers to those questions.
But if instead you ask something like, What can I learn from this situation? How can this help me grow? What is something here that I'm not seeing that that, that could really help me get through this and grow through this? Different questions create different running narratives in our mind, and that will condition a different physiological response. So this is the Barbecue Method. Take a deep breath, assume a more grounded, open body posture and ask a more empowering question. Try it out today. Thank you for your practice and let's settle in for our meditation.
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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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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.
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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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