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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 the idea of shifting our mindset from being consumers to being custodians. So I'm going to share a brief passage from the Tao Te Ching. It says, "Don't let a thread fall without noticing it. Don't rake dry, brown leaves carelessly.
Think how difficult it was for something to take this existence." So think about how difficult it was for something to take this existence. So you can really hear in this simple passage, an invitation to be really aware of the preciousness of things, appreciating even the smallest things that we would usually overlook, like a piece of thread or some dry leaves. So perhaps we can consider all that it took to bring those things into being. You know, in the case of the leaves, it started with a small seed and then rain and sun and soil and time and the growth of a tree and oxygen and seasons. And eventually after many seasons, those particular leaves fell and are now here.
The thread maybe was shorn from a sheep that depended on its mother for nourishment, the land it lived on. And the wool was maybe woven by somebody died, spun and then sold. You know, in almost every indigenous culture, there's an importance placed on this kind of appreciation of all of the life around us and an attitude of caretaking and honoring life through conservation and simplicity. An attitude of being a custodian, in other words, was a common way of being. Now consumer culture today is not the same, is it? We have this kind of throw away culture, somewhat careless attitude, you might say, towards the things in our lives.
But we can reclaim a more mindful and meaningful way of living by being aware of conservation every day. For instance, we could consider if we want to reuse or recycle something. We can spend our money carefully, you know, really thinking about if we really need to buy certain things. And we can be careful of wasting our time doing things that are maybe superficial or unimportant. And we can take care of our possessions, you know, really trying to caretake them, fix them instead of throwing them away.
And of course, we can caretaker our own bodies and minds with healthy habits and compassion and nurturing. This kind of custodianship and caretaking of life truly is mindful, mindfulness integrated into daily life. It's also a demonstration of wisdom because it shows that we have a sound understanding of the wholeness of the cycles of life. Now everything lives or dies in its own time. We're part of those same cycles.
And when we remember how precious something is, how much time, effort and interconnectedness it took for that thing to come into being and how fleeting it is, we value it deeply. And then when it's time, we can dispose of it very carefully and thoughtfully. The more we're able to bring this attitude of being a custodian into our life, the more we experience a sense of meaning and even sacredness in the flow of our lives. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here. And now let's settle in for today's meditation.
Consumer vs. Custodian
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 the idea of shifting our mindset from being consumers to being custodians. So I'm going to share a brief passage from the Tao Te Ching. It says, "Don't let a thread fall without noticing it. Don't rake dry, brown leaves carelessly.
Think how difficult it was for something to take this existence." So think about how difficult it was for something to take this existence. So you can really hear in this simple passage, an invitation to be really aware of the preciousness of things, appreciating even the smallest things that we would usually overlook, like a piece of thread or some dry leaves. So perhaps we can consider all that it took to bring those things into being. You know, in the case of the leaves, it started with a small seed and then rain and sun and soil and time and the growth of a tree and oxygen and seasons. And eventually after many seasons, those particular leaves fell and are now here.
The thread maybe was shorn from a sheep that depended on its mother for nourishment, the land it lived on. And the wool was maybe woven by somebody died, spun and then sold. You know, in almost every indigenous culture, there's an importance placed on this kind of appreciation of all of the life around us and an attitude of caretaking and honoring life through conservation and simplicity. An attitude of being a custodian, in other words, was a common way of being. Now consumer culture today is not the same, is it? We have this kind of throw away culture, somewhat careless attitude, you might say, towards the things in our lives.
But we can reclaim a more mindful and meaningful way of living by being aware of conservation every day. For instance, we could consider if we want to reuse or recycle something. We can spend our money carefully, you know, really thinking about if we really need to buy certain things. And we can be careful of wasting our time doing things that are maybe superficial or unimportant. And we can take care of our possessions, you know, really trying to caretake them, fix them instead of throwing them away.
And of course, we can caretaker our own bodies and minds with healthy habits and compassion and nurturing. This kind of custodianship and caretaking of life truly is mindful, mindfulness integrated into daily life. It's also a demonstration of wisdom because it shows that we have a sound understanding of the wholeness of the cycles of life. Now everything lives or dies in its own time. We're part of those same cycles.
And when we remember how precious something is, how much time, effort and interconnectedness it took for that thing to come into being and how fleeting it is, we value it deeply. And then when it's time, we can dispose of it very carefully and thoughtfully. The more we're able to bring this attitude of being a custodian into our life, the more we experience a sense of meaning and even sacredness in the flow of our lives. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here. And now let's settle in for today's meditation.
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Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
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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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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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