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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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Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we're going to talk about getting through difficult moments. You know, a lot of the conversations we have in these Daily Mindfulness sessions are about cultivating a quality of peace, joy, optimizing the goodness in your life, or mitigating discomfort, developing the skills to experience life a little more fully and gracefully. But there are other times in life, other experiences we might grow through when we're just in survival mode. Moments of intense pain, trauma, and grieving.
These are often experiences where we're just trying to keep our head above water and we're just trying to survive. There's not going to be much peace per se. And we might lose some of our access to our mindfulness skills or even our ability to ground ourselves cause the pain and the emotions are so overwhelming. And this is okay. It's a natural part of the human experience.
And it's helpful to remember that you come from a long lineage of humans who for thousands of years have endured great suffering and have made it through it. It's very much within your DNA and your wiring to experience these things and be able to move through to the other side. I think that's a helpful reminder. And I also think it's helpful to remember that you don't need to be super present, more peaceful or grounded or mindful in these moments. It's okay to cry, to feel, to be confused, to be angry, to wail, to just want to run away.
All of this is very much a part of processing difficult experiences. So while we may not be able to find peace in these moments, we may be able to do some things to minimize the suffering. Or at least create a container that can hold it in such a way that we're not adding another layer of suffering. I do find that the breath is a great way to do this since soft, relaxed breathing is directly related to a more settled nervous system. So if you find yourself in these moments now or in the future, perhaps place your hand on your belly and one hand on your heart.
Kind of like this. And we could do this together right now. Feeling the beating of your heart and the movement of the breath. Letting it be your reminder that you're alive. And there's still more right with you than wrong with you.
Allowing this hold, hand on the heart, the hand on the belly to be a gentle crade, cradling, a nurturing that you're offering to yourself. You can let the abdomen soften. Feeling as though you're breathing deeply down into the belly. The shoulders relaxed. The face at ease.
And on each exhale, letting some of that extra tension and gripping just soften and settle. So this won't make the pain go away, but like a warm, caring embrace, it might help soothe you. And sometimes when we're in these deeper places of despair, this kind of self kindness and compassion is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves. So if you're going through something difficult in this moment, I hope this helps. If you're going through something difficult in the future.
I hope you can refer back to this. And if you know someone who's going through something difficult right now, maybe you can share this with them. I'll talk to you more about this in the meditation, and thank you for your practice. Talk soon and take care.
Getting Through Difficult Moments
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.
Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we're going to talk about getting through difficult moments. You know, a lot of the conversations we have in these Daily Mindfulness sessions are about cultivating a quality of peace, joy, optimizing the goodness in your life, or mitigating discomfort, developing the skills to experience life a little more fully and gracefully. But there are other times in life, other experiences we might grow through when we're just in survival mode. Moments of intense pain, trauma, and grieving.
These are often experiences where we're just trying to keep our head above water and we're just trying to survive. There's not going to be much peace per se. And we might lose some of our access to our mindfulness skills or even our ability to ground ourselves cause the pain and the emotions are so overwhelming. And this is okay. It's a natural part of the human experience.
And it's helpful to remember that you come from a long lineage of humans who for thousands of years have endured great suffering and have made it through it. It's very much within your DNA and your wiring to experience these things and be able to move through to the other side. I think that's a helpful reminder. And I also think it's helpful to remember that you don't need to be super present, more peaceful or grounded or mindful in these moments. It's okay to cry, to feel, to be confused, to be angry, to wail, to just want to run away.
All of this is very much a part of processing difficult experiences. So while we may not be able to find peace in these moments, we may be able to do some things to minimize the suffering. Or at least create a container that can hold it in such a way that we're not adding another layer of suffering. I do find that the breath is a great way to do this since soft, relaxed breathing is directly related to a more settled nervous system. So if you find yourself in these moments now or in the future, perhaps place your hand on your belly and one hand on your heart.
Kind of like this. And we could do this together right now. Feeling the beating of your heart and the movement of the breath. Letting it be your reminder that you're alive. And there's still more right with you than wrong with you.
Allowing this hold, hand on the heart, the hand on the belly to be a gentle crade, cradling, a nurturing that you're offering to yourself. You can let the abdomen soften. Feeling as though you're breathing deeply down into the belly. The shoulders relaxed. The face at ease.
And on each exhale, letting some of that extra tension and gripping just soften and settle. So this won't make the pain go away, but like a warm, caring embrace, it might help soothe you. And sometimes when we're in these deeper places of despair, this kind of self kindness and compassion is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves. So if you're going through something difficult in this moment, I hope this helps. If you're going through something difficult in the future.
I hope you can refer back to this. And if you know someone who's going through something difficult right now, maybe you can share this with them. I'll talk to you more about this in the meditation, and thank you for your practice. Talk soon and take care.
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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.
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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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