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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, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about how we can learn to calm reactivity so that we can act more intentionally. So when we practice mindfulness and we begin to really watch the mind, we start to see how the mind can be really jumpy, really reactive. Often we're there, and we're focusing on the breath and then all of a sudden, an unpleasant feeling arises and the mind immediately starts to push it away or fight against it. And then we might come back to the breath for a while and then maybe a pleasant thought comes up, maybe about planning a vacation or something like that.
And we chase the thought, we get lost in the thought. Then we realize what's happening. We come back to the breath. And then maybe a memory arises about someone who let us down. We immediately start to going to a mental narrative about how wrong they are.
Anger starts to build. And then we catch ourselves and we come back to the breath. And so on. Now, as we watch the mind, we can really start to see that a lot of what it does has an almost automated kind of feeling to it. It's very reactive.
So an unpleasant emotion arises, and we have a knee-jerk response of resistance. A pleasant thought arises, we have a knee-jerk response to chase it. An impulse arises, and we act on it. A judgment arises, and we buy into it and we react to that. So we really start to see that a lot of the time, we're not really consciously choosing a response, the mind just kind of does what it does.
It reacts. But as we continue to practice mindfulness, what we see is that we open up more and more inner space. So we learn to step back from thoughts, emotions, and impulses and observe them. So what we're really doing here is we're really kind of unhooking ourselves from the thought and the emotion and learning to meet it with awareness. Now, when we're meeting it with awareness, we don't have to react immediately.
We can pause in that space of awareness and then choose a more skillful response instead. So we don't have to always be at the mercy of all the mind's knee-jerk reactions, whether it's to a feeling, a thought, an impulse or a difficult situation in our lives. So the more we develop this capacity for mindfulness, the more we open up that inner space, the more we actually have the ability to respond to life instead. And of course, what we develop in meditation really relates to every part of daily life. Whereas before we might've spent so much time in reactive mode, chasing this, acting on that, resisting this, judging that, now we've become less reactive and more grounded in presence and able to respond instead.
Therefore, we're able to make more wise choices, the ones that move us away from suffering and lead towards us living a happier, more loving and more meaningful life. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And let's now settle in for today's meditation.
Calming Reactivity, Acting Intentionally
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, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about how we can learn to calm reactivity so that we can act more intentionally. So when we practice mindfulness and we begin to really watch the mind, we start to see how the mind can be really jumpy, really reactive. Often we're there, and we're focusing on the breath and then all of a sudden, an unpleasant feeling arises and the mind immediately starts to push it away or fight against it. And then we might come back to the breath for a while and then maybe a pleasant thought comes up, maybe about planning a vacation or something like that.
And we chase the thought, we get lost in the thought. Then we realize what's happening. We come back to the breath. And then maybe a memory arises about someone who let us down. We immediately start to going to a mental narrative about how wrong they are.
Anger starts to build. And then we catch ourselves and we come back to the breath. And so on. Now, as we watch the mind, we can really start to see that a lot of what it does has an almost automated kind of feeling to it. It's very reactive.
So an unpleasant emotion arises, and we have a knee-jerk response of resistance. A pleasant thought arises, we have a knee-jerk response to chase it. An impulse arises, and we act on it. A judgment arises, and we buy into it and we react to that. So we really start to see that a lot of the time, we're not really consciously choosing a response, the mind just kind of does what it does.
It reacts. But as we continue to practice mindfulness, what we see is that we open up more and more inner space. So we learn to step back from thoughts, emotions, and impulses and observe them. So what we're really doing here is we're really kind of unhooking ourselves from the thought and the emotion and learning to meet it with awareness. Now, when we're meeting it with awareness, we don't have to react immediately.
We can pause in that space of awareness and then choose a more skillful response instead. So we don't have to always be at the mercy of all the mind's knee-jerk reactions, whether it's to a feeling, a thought, an impulse or a difficult situation in our lives. So the more we develop this capacity for mindfulness, the more we open up that inner space, the more we actually have the ability to respond to life instead. And of course, what we develop in meditation really relates to every part of daily life. Whereas before we might've spent so much time in reactive mode, chasing this, acting on that, resisting this, judging that, now we've become less reactive and more grounded in presence and able to respond instead.
Therefore, we're able to make more wise choices, the ones that move us away from suffering and lead towards us living a happier, more loving and more meaningful life. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And let's now 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.
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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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- 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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