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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 a two step approach to dealing with restlessness if it comes up in meditation. So, first of all, it's important to know that it's really quite common to feel restless from time to time in our practice. It really happens to all of us. Sometimes it can occur because we're going through a period of stress in our lives, and so the mind is quite agitated or it could be that we've had a really busy day or a really difficult day and so our body and mind are kind of revved up.
Sometimes it can happen because there's pain in the body or discomfort of some kind, so that can bring on restlessness. And some days you know, we just experience agitation, impatience, or an unsettledness in ourselves for really no good reason that we can understand. It just arises. But when it does, when restlessness is there, it's very tempting in those moments to just think, you know, okay, this practice is not working today, or I'm no good at meditation, and you just get up and walk away from the practice. Or maybe we sit there, but we kind of grit our teeth and try to just get through the meditation.
Or perhaps we start wandering off into constant distractions so that we don't have to feel so directly the uncomfortableness of what we're feeling. But from the perspective of mindfulness, these strategies are all different forms of trying to run away from that restless feeling. Whereas what we want to learn is to cultivate throughout practice this ability to stop running from our feelings so that we can bring awareness and compassion to them. So we transform our relationship with the restless. So you can deal with restlessness in two simple steps.
The step one is simply to allow it and relax with it. So in this step, you can start by mentally saying to yourself, okay, restlessness is here. This is a way of bringing acceptance to the feelings. So you're essentially saying, okay, I see you restlessness. You're welcome here.
And then you just kind of have a sense of making room for it in your experience. You don't have to like it or want it. You're just accepting that it's here. Now, if the restlessness is only mild, that might be enough. You don't need to give it any more attention that it really needs.
But if the restlessness is really pulling at your attention, then you go to step two. Now step two is to basically take your focus off the object of meditation, say the breath, for example, and actually bringing a curious, kindly and compassionate awareness right into wherever you feel the sensations of the restlessness the strongest in the body and explore them. I like to imagine that I'm breathing a kindly and soothing awareness right into and out from the sensations of restless. Now it might sound counter intuitive to move closer to the feeling, but if you can deliberately surround the agitation with a calm, accepting awareness, then you transform your relationship to the feeling and train your mind to stay steady in presence and peace, no matter what emotion is passing through it. We'll explore this a little more in today's meditation.
So let's now settle in for that. And as always, thank you for your practice.
Two Steps to Deal With Restlessness in Meditation
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 a two step approach to dealing with restlessness if it comes up in meditation. So, first of all, it's important to know that it's really quite common to feel restless from time to time in our practice. It really happens to all of us. Sometimes it can occur because we're going through a period of stress in our lives, and so the mind is quite agitated or it could be that we've had a really busy day or a really difficult day and so our body and mind are kind of revved up.
Sometimes it can happen because there's pain in the body or discomfort of some kind, so that can bring on restlessness. And some days you know, we just experience agitation, impatience, or an unsettledness in ourselves for really no good reason that we can understand. It just arises. But when it does, when restlessness is there, it's very tempting in those moments to just think, you know, okay, this practice is not working today, or I'm no good at meditation, and you just get up and walk away from the practice. Or maybe we sit there, but we kind of grit our teeth and try to just get through the meditation.
Or perhaps we start wandering off into constant distractions so that we don't have to feel so directly the uncomfortableness of what we're feeling. But from the perspective of mindfulness, these strategies are all different forms of trying to run away from that restless feeling. Whereas what we want to learn is to cultivate throughout practice this ability to stop running from our feelings so that we can bring awareness and compassion to them. So we transform our relationship with the restless. So you can deal with restlessness in two simple steps.
The step one is simply to allow it and relax with it. So in this step, you can start by mentally saying to yourself, okay, restlessness is here. This is a way of bringing acceptance to the feelings. So you're essentially saying, okay, I see you restlessness. You're welcome here.
And then you just kind of have a sense of making room for it in your experience. You don't have to like it or want it. You're just accepting that it's here. Now, if the restlessness is only mild, that might be enough. You don't need to give it any more attention that it really needs.
But if the restlessness is really pulling at your attention, then you go to step two. Now step two is to basically take your focus off the object of meditation, say the breath, for example, and actually bringing a curious, kindly and compassionate awareness right into wherever you feel the sensations of the restlessness the strongest in the body and explore them. I like to imagine that I'm breathing a kindly and soothing awareness right into and out from the sensations of restless. Now it might sound counter intuitive to move closer to the feeling, but if you can deliberately surround the agitation with a calm, accepting awareness, then you transform your relationship to the feeling and train your mind to stay steady in presence and peace, no matter what emotion is passing through it. We'll explore this a little more in today's meditation.
So let's now settle in for that. And as always, thank you for your practice.
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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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Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
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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.
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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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