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, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today we're going to talk about one of the biggest obstacles to mindful living, and we're going to learn a simple practice from a Zen monk to help us overcome it. So one of the biggest obstacles to us being fully present is that we tend to get really caught up and really fixated on the idea of trying to find our fulfillment in the future, but kind of always trying to get somewhere else, become something more, have something more, get it, all done, fix it all and get it all together. And so easily our whole life can become a haze of rushing and striving and automaticity just kind of like trying to get there. And we kind of end up spending most of our days waiting to live.
Instead of living. And whether it's waiting until you're thin enough, waiting until the next holiday, waiting until the end of the day or the end of the week, waiting until all of your problems get worked out, you know, waiting until you're enlightened, or maybe waiting until you've finished this Daily Mindfulness. so you can get on with the rest of your day. There's often this subtle sense, this kind of like tension inside, a tension that comes from wanting to be there so we're not quite here. If we're sitting here waiting in some way, then it means we're looking to the future for our fulfillment.
We're wanting something different from now. So this is the basic habit. The mind is projecting into the future with these ideas of what we need to do to become happy. And so we just don't fully arrive here. But what if we learned how to really show up in our moments and our lives and really occupy our mind and now body and our life fully.
Zen monk, poet, and peace activists Thich Nhat Hahn often spoke about this tendency we have to not truly inhabit our moments. And he teaches a mantra that helps us drop that tendency and come back to the present moment. And the mantra is this: I have arrived, I am home. And this is something we can say to ourselves mentally anytime we get caught up in striving. So this is mindfulness really, it's about arriving right here in your own life.
It's training in being fully alive. And if you, if you think mindfulness is a self improvement project in some way, you've really missed the point. What mindfulness has always been about is about you living a more rich, full and meaningful life. And to do that, you need to be present for it. So as you go about the rest of your day today, and maybe the rest of your week, just remembering that if at any time you find yourself getting caught up in striving, you know, that tension of wanting to be there, you can always drop the striving and practice arriving by repeating the mantra, "I have arrived, I am home." So as always thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.
And I invite us all now to just settle in for today's meditation.
Drop the Striving, Practice Arriving
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 we're going to talk about one of the biggest obstacles to mindful living, and we're going to learn a simple practice from a Zen monk to help us overcome it. So one of the biggest obstacles to us being fully present is that we tend to get really caught up and really fixated on the idea of trying to find our fulfillment in the future, but kind of always trying to get somewhere else, become something more, have something more, get it, all done, fix it all and get it all together. And so easily our whole life can become a haze of rushing and striving and automaticity just kind of like trying to get there. And we kind of end up spending most of our days waiting to live.
Instead of living. And whether it's waiting until you're thin enough, waiting until the next holiday, waiting until the end of the day or the end of the week, waiting until all of your problems get worked out, you know, waiting until you're enlightened, or maybe waiting until you've finished this Daily Mindfulness. so you can get on with the rest of your day. There's often this subtle sense, this kind of like tension inside, a tension that comes from wanting to be there so we're not quite here. If we're sitting here waiting in some way, then it means we're looking to the future for our fulfillment.
We're wanting something different from now. So this is the basic habit. The mind is projecting into the future with these ideas of what we need to do to become happy. And so we just don't fully arrive here. But what if we learned how to really show up in our moments and our lives and really occupy our mind and now body and our life fully.
Zen monk, poet, and peace activists Thich Nhat Hahn often spoke about this tendency we have to not truly inhabit our moments. And he teaches a mantra that helps us drop that tendency and come back to the present moment. And the mantra is this: I have arrived, I am home. And this is something we can say to ourselves mentally anytime we get caught up in striving. So this is mindfulness really, it's about arriving right here in your own life.
It's training in being fully alive. And if you, if you think mindfulness is a self improvement project in some way, you've really missed the point. What mindfulness has always been about is about you living a more rich, full and meaningful life. And to do that, you need to be present for it. So as you go about the rest of your day today, and maybe the rest of your week, just remembering that if at any time you find yourself getting caught up in striving, you know, that tension of wanting to be there, you can always drop the striving and practice arriving by repeating the mantra, "I have arrived, I am home." So as always thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.
And I invite us all now to just 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.