Browse
Top articles
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Try free for 7 days.
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
00:00
00:00
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, I want to talk about befriending all the parts of you. In my experience as a teacher and as a practitioner who has spent thousands of hours paying careful attention to my internal experience through meditation, I still can't find an example of a time when it's actually beneficial to create an oppositional relationship to one's experience, including the parts of you that you might feel are destructive or problematic. In fact, those are often the parts that need the most love, compassion and care in order to not be destructive and problematic. This doesn't mean you give those parts free reign to act how that, however they wish to act.
We all know how that can be problematic. But it does mean we take the time to learn about and understand the positive intention of these parts, fear, anger, and create an internal space where all of our parts can collaborate as a team to respond most appropriately to what's arising in this moment. I want to acknowledge that it can be true that suppression of these seemingly problematic and destructive parts, like the part that might say I'm a failure, or I shouldn't even try, or I hate this person. I need to yell at them. This can be useful, perhaps as an in the moment strategy for reducing the negative impact of these parts on yourself and others around you, but it also seems to be the case that you can manage these parts in a similar, if not more effective and often more effective way in the moment through compassion and internal conversation.
And meeting these parts with a loving attitude of, oh, you know, what's coming up for you right now. Is there a different way that we can respond? What are you trying to accomplish with this? And when we do this, it doesn't come with the longterm consequences of suppression of our internal experience and all this internal opposition that we end up feeling when we're trying to fight our experience, which often leads us to do a lot of projection onto other people, leads to spontaneous outbursts of destructive energy and it leads to this feeling of being internally fractured, that there's parts of me that are okay to experience and other parts that are not okay that I have to push aside. That's not the experience of wholeness. And when we're talking about mindfulness and meditation and also internal freedom, we're talking about creating a space where the fullness of you can exist within awareness so that we're not creating this external tension. Again, it doesn't mean that all those parts have to come through in every moment.
It just means that we're developing a friendship with those parts, talking with them honestly and compassionately, and seeing how they can be used effectively in moments where they are needed and how they might be able to take a back seat when they're not needed. That can be done with kindness, with love rather than fear and hatred. So hope you can continue to integrate that into your practice and especially in your day to day relationship with yourself. It's very important in my opinion. Thank you for your practice.
Let's settle in for today's meditation.
Befriending Your Internal World
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, I want to talk about befriending all the parts of you. In my experience as a teacher and as a practitioner who has spent thousands of hours paying careful attention to my internal experience through meditation, I still can't find an example of a time when it's actually beneficial to create an oppositional relationship to one's experience, including the parts of you that you might feel are destructive or problematic. In fact, those are often the parts that need the most love, compassion and care in order to not be destructive and problematic. This doesn't mean you give those parts free reign to act how that, however they wish to act.
We all know how that can be problematic. But it does mean we take the time to learn about and understand the positive intention of these parts, fear, anger, and create an internal space where all of our parts can collaborate as a team to respond most appropriately to what's arising in this moment. I want to acknowledge that it can be true that suppression of these seemingly problematic and destructive parts, like the part that might say I'm a failure, or I shouldn't even try, or I hate this person. I need to yell at them. This can be useful, perhaps as an in the moment strategy for reducing the negative impact of these parts on yourself and others around you, but it also seems to be the case that you can manage these parts in a similar, if not more effective and often more effective way in the moment through compassion and internal conversation.
And meeting these parts with a loving attitude of, oh, you know, what's coming up for you right now. Is there a different way that we can respond? What are you trying to accomplish with this? And when we do this, it doesn't come with the longterm consequences of suppression of our internal experience and all this internal opposition that we end up feeling when we're trying to fight our experience, which often leads us to do a lot of projection onto other people, leads to spontaneous outbursts of destructive energy and it leads to this feeling of being internally fractured, that there's parts of me that are okay to experience and other parts that are not okay that I have to push aside. That's not the experience of wholeness. And when we're talking about mindfulness and meditation and also internal freedom, we're talking about creating a space where the fullness of you can exist within awareness so that we're not creating this external tension. Again, it doesn't mean that all those parts have to come through in every moment.
It just means that we're developing a friendship with those parts, talking with them honestly and compassionately, and seeing how they can be used effectively in moments where they are needed and how they might be able to take a back seat when they're not needed. That can be done with kindness, with love rather than fear and hatred. So hope you can continue to integrate that into your practice and especially in your day to day relationship with yourself. It's very important in my opinion. Thank you for your practice.
Let's settle in for today's meditation.
Duration
Play in-app
Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on our mobile app
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Annual membership
$0
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
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
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
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
Thank you for joining us
Dive into the full library and enjoy all it has to offer!
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.
Sign up or login to your mindfulness account to proceed.
Sign up or login to your mindfulness account to proceed.
Mindfulness
One membership to gain access to a world of premium mindfulness content created to help you live happier and stress less.