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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:
Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, I want to talk about the difference between holding space for pain versus ruminating about pain. Now, I often talk about the importance of holding space for your pain in order to, to heal and to integrate it into the wholeness of who you are, rather than just suppressing it. And a common refrain I'll hear in response to that is, you know, all I'm ever doing is thinking about my pain and it does nothing. But I want to be clear.
There is a huge difference between thinking about and ruminating about your pain versus holding it with presence and compassion. The former, ruminating about your pain, creates and perpetuates what's known as secondary suffering. All the thoughts and the ideas about how terrible this is, how much you hate it, how much you wish it would go away. The latter, holding it with compassionate presence, that reduces secondary suffering and because you're no longer caking on all these ideas of how this moment should be and meeting it as it is. The former also reinforces an oppositional relationship to yourself while the latter creates more of a sense of ease and a space of ease.
The former can further fracture parts of yourself while the latter helps us move toward an experience of wholeness. Even though rumination and presence can appear to be two forms of moving closer to an experience, they are two very different things. And it's important that we keep that distinction in mind when we're relating to the parts of us that are going through something difficult. There's a big difference between ruminating about our pain and holding space for our pain. Thank you for your practice.
Let's settle in for today's meditation.
Being Present vs. Rumination
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 the difference between holding space for pain versus ruminating about pain. Now, I often talk about the importance of holding space for your pain in order to, to heal and to integrate it into the wholeness of who you are, rather than just suppressing it. And a common refrain I'll hear in response to that is, you know, all I'm ever doing is thinking about my pain and it does nothing. But I want to be clear.
There is a huge difference between thinking about and ruminating about your pain versus holding it with presence and compassion. The former, ruminating about your pain, creates and perpetuates what's known as secondary suffering. All the thoughts and the ideas about how terrible this is, how much you hate it, how much you wish it would go away. The latter, holding it with compassionate presence, that reduces secondary suffering and because you're no longer caking on all these ideas of how this moment should be and meeting it as it is. The former also reinforces an oppositional relationship to yourself while the latter creates more of a sense of ease and a space of ease.
The former can further fracture parts of yourself while the latter helps us move toward an experience of wholeness. Even though rumination and presence can appear to be two forms of moving closer to an experience, they are two very different things. And it's important that we keep that distinction in mind when we're relating to the parts of us that are going through something difficult. There's a big difference between ruminating about our pain and holding space for our pain. Thank you for your practice.
Let's settle in for today's 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
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
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