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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of 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 transform unconscious bias. But first it's worth asking why do we have unconscious bias at all? Well, it's because for most of the last 200,000 years, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers in quite small groups or tribes. And their survival depended on their ability to care for and cooperate with the people in their own pack. Now, at the same time, it was important to be very alert to the danger of people outside the pack, the others.
Now the, the others or the outsiders were actually often a source of fear and danger. Therefore, feelings of animosity and even aggression towards them was a basic survival strategy in the human mind. Now in your own life, you can observe how the mind does this kind of rapid sorting of people into people who are like me and not like me. You can observe this as you sit in a restaurant, as you walk down the street. And also you can observe how feelings of slight animosity or indifference tend to arise towards those who seem different to you.
Those who have different political or religious views. Maybe those who dress differently, have different skin color. Anyone who seems different to you in any way. What you can observe as the mind will often very quickly reduce another person to a kind of two dimensional figure, who's either in the in-group or in the out-group. In the human mind, the out-group are often judged, looked down on, ignored, dismissed, or even attacked.
Now we probably all know, right, how it feels to be judged, shunned, ignored, or even aggressed upon for being different. Most of us have been there, right. It's not good at all. So how can we start to transform this unconscious bias? So the first thing is really simply to acknowledge that they exist and to deliberately make an intention to become more mindful of them. So beginning to be attentive when the mind is sorting and judging people into like me, good and not like me, bad.
And if you notice this at all, deliberately practice then looking past your differences with the other. And instead recognizing your common humanity. Recognizing for instance, that actually this person is a lot like you. Just like you, they want to be happy. They don't want to suffer.
Just like you, they experience hurt and fear. And just like you, they want love and protection. As we look more deeply and see that we're more alike than we are different, the threat circuitry in the mind eases, we see past our minds conditioning and become more compassionate, wise and kind. So the invitation for today and ongoing is to be attentive to this opportunity, to transform unconscious bias. And on that note, a heartfelt thank you to you for your practice and difference that this makes in the world.
And inviting you now to settle in for today's meditation.
Transforming Unconscious Bias
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 transform unconscious bias. But first it's worth asking why do we have unconscious bias at all? Well, it's because for most of the last 200,000 years, our ancestors lived as hunter-gatherers in quite small groups or tribes. And their survival depended on their ability to care for and cooperate with the people in their own pack. Now, at the same time, it was important to be very alert to the danger of people outside the pack, the others.
Now the, the others or the outsiders were actually often a source of fear and danger. Therefore, feelings of animosity and even aggression towards them was a basic survival strategy in the human mind. Now in your own life, you can observe how the mind does this kind of rapid sorting of people into people who are like me and not like me. You can observe this as you sit in a restaurant, as you walk down the street. And also you can observe how feelings of slight animosity or indifference tend to arise towards those who seem different to you.
Those who have different political or religious views. Maybe those who dress differently, have different skin color. Anyone who seems different to you in any way. What you can observe as the mind will often very quickly reduce another person to a kind of two dimensional figure, who's either in the in-group or in the out-group. In the human mind, the out-group are often judged, looked down on, ignored, dismissed, or even attacked.
Now we probably all know, right, how it feels to be judged, shunned, ignored, or even aggressed upon for being different. Most of us have been there, right. It's not good at all. So how can we start to transform this unconscious bias? So the first thing is really simply to acknowledge that they exist and to deliberately make an intention to become more mindful of them. So beginning to be attentive when the mind is sorting and judging people into like me, good and not like me, bad.
And if you notice this at all, deliberately practice then looking past your differences with the other. And instead recognizing your common humanity. Recognizing for instance, that actually this person is a lot like you. Just like you, they want to be happy. They don't want to suffer.
Just like you, they experience hurt and fear. And just like you, they want love and protection. As we look more deeply and see that we're more alike than we are different, the threat circuitry in the mind eases, we see past our minds conditioning and become more compassionate, wise and kind. So the invitation for today and ongoing is to be attentive to this opportunity, to transform unconscious bias. And on that note, a heartfelt thank you to you for your practice and difference that this makes in the world.
And inviting you now to 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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