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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 back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about a way that you can perceive mindfulness and how it might apply to your life. So my working definition of mindfulness is the practice of being with our experience rather than in our experience in a way that is spacious, curious, and heartfelt. So, imagine your life as a river going down a mountain. There are two ways you can be in relationship to the river.
You could be caught up in the river, smashing into the rocks, drowning in the white water, and praying for moments of calm. Or you could be sitting on the bank of the river, watching it go by with a quality of peace and ease. In either case, you're still experiencing the river, just from two different vantage points, and therefore a different experience entirely. This illustrates what I mean by being with the experience instead of being in the experience. And it's also what I mean when I use the word spacious.
This points to the distinction between the part of you that is observing and the part of you that's being observed. There's awareness and there's anger that is passing through awareness. But most often, the two feel like the same thing. I am angry. We identify so strongly with whatever the experience is that we're having that we get sucked into it.
Once inside, we get thrashed around and wherever it takes us, we go. Mindfulness meditation is a way for us to step out of that thrashing. It allows us to deepen our connection to the present moment without getting overwhelmed by it. It's important to point out the potential pushback. Well, what if I like being in the river, Cory? Am I just going to be watching my life happening without actually living it? The quick answer, no.
Although the river metaphor helps us capture what it's like to embody an awareness versus an unconsciousness, specifically in meditation, it doesn't capture another reality, which is that you're still living your life and experiencing even more all there is to experience. So while this metaphor might work well for the stillness in meditation, perhaps a better metaphor can be used for mindfulness in daily life. We're learning how to kayak, to move fluidly with the flow of our life without drowning or being trapped in it. So we'll get to continue to practice this in the meditation. As always, thank you for your practice and let's settle in for our meditation.
How to Think About Mindfulness
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 back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about a way that you can perceive mindfulness and how it might apply to your life. So my working definition of mindfulness is the practice of being with our experience rather than in our experience in a way that is spacious, curious, and heartfelt. So, imagine your life as a river going down a mountain. There are two ways you can be in relationship to the river.
You could be caught up in the river, smashing into the rocks, drowning in the white water, and praying for moments of calm. Or you could be sitting on the bank of the river, watching it go by with a quality of peace and ease. In either case, you're still experiencing the river, just from two different vantage points, and therefore a different experience entirely. This illustrates what I mean by being with the experience instead of being in the experience. And it's also what I mean when I use the word spacious.
This points to the distinction between the part of you that is observing and the part of you that's being observed. There's awareness and there's anger that is passing through awareness. But most often, the two feel like the same thing. I am angry. We identify so strongly with whatever the experience is that we're having that we get sucked into it.
Once inside, we get thrashed around and wherever it takes us, we go. Mindfulness meditation is a way for us to step out of that thrashing. It allows us to deepen our connection to the present moment without getting overwhelmed by it. It's important to point out the potential pushback. Well, what if I like being in the river, Cory? Am I just going to be watching my life happening without actually living it? The quick answer, no.
Although the river metaphor helps us capture what it's like to embody an awareness versus an unconsciousness, specifically in meditation, it doesn't capture another reality, which is that you're still living your life and experiencing even more all there is to experience. So while this metaphor might work well for the stillness in meditation, perhaps a better metaphor can be used for mindfulness in daily life. We're learning how to kayak, to move fluidly with the flow of our life without drowning or being trapped in it. So we'll get to continue to practice this in the meditation. As always, thank you for your practice and let's settle in for our 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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