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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 mindfulness practice called urge surfing. So urge surfing is a technique created by the psychologist, Alan Marlatt. And this is a technique that can be used to help you avoid acting on any behavior that you really want to reduce or stop. So for example, say you wanted to stop smoking, biting your nails, overeating, spending money compulsively, or maybe lashing out at somebody in anger.
So what often goes unnoticed with all of these unhelpful habits and addictions is that they start with an urge. So what urge surfing actually teaches us is how to notice an urge or impulse without playing it out or exhausting ourselves fighting against it. Instead, we simply learn to surf it. So by practicing urge, surfing your brain gradually learns that it doesn't have to react to all of your impulses and urges. So they gradually lose control over you.
So imagine urges like ocean waves that crest and subside. They're quite small when they arrive and then they tend to grow in size and eventually they dissipate and dissolve. So surfers can trust that even the biggest wave they ride will eventually get smaller and dissolve and they'll be able to rest again. They know, in other words, they're not going to get stuck on a huge way forever. In a similar way, we learn to ride the wave of any urge or impulse until it subsides, knowing that they always do.
In fact, research shows that urges pass within 30 minutes if we don't feed them. So, in what ways do we feed urges? We feed an urge by ruminating about it, planning to fulfill it, suppressing it, or fighting it. Also by trying to talk ourselves out of the urge or compulsively distracting from it. All of those strategies, feed the urge, make the urge bigger and tend to keep that around longer. The mindful view of urges is that it's better not to try and get rid of the urge.
Instead, we simply accept it and ride out the urge without giving into it. Urges then simply pass on their own. And when they leave, we're free to choose a nourishing way of, of living or behaving that actually leads to our fulfillment and wellbeing. So in today's meditation, I'm going to guide you through a practice of urge surfing. And once you know this technique, you can use it at any point in the future or you can always come back to this guided practice in the library as a support.
So let's settle in for our meditation practice now and give this a try. And as always thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.
Urge Surfing
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 mindfulness practice called urge surfing. So urge surfing is a technique created by the psychologist, Alan Marlatt. And this is a technique that can be used to help you avoid acting on any behavior that you really want to reduce or stop. So for example, say you wanted to stop smoking, biting your nails, overeating, spending money compulsively, or maybe lashing out at somebody in anger.
So what often goes unnoticed with all of these unhelpful habits and addictions is that they start with an urge. So what urge surfing actually teaches us is how to notice an urge or impulse without playing it out or exhausting ourselves fighting against it. Instead, we simply learn to surf it. So by practicing urge, surfing your brain gradually learns that it doesn't have to react to all of your impulses and urges. So they gradually lose control over you.
So imagine urges like ocean waves that crest and subside. They're quite small when they arrive and then they tend to grow in size and eventually they dissipate and dissolve. So surfers can trust that even the biggest wave they ride will eventually get smaller and dissolve and they'll be able to rest again. They know, in other words, they're not going to get stuck on a huge way forever. In a similar way, we learn to ride the wave of any urge or impulse until it subsides, knowing that they always do.
In fact, research shows that urges pass within 30 minutes if we don't feed them. So, in what ways do we feed urges? We feed an urge by ruminating about it, planning to fulfill it, suppressing it, or fighting it. Also by trying to talk ourselves out of the urge or compulsively distracting from it. All of those strategies, feed the urge, make the urge bigger and tend to keep that around longer. The mindful view of urges is that it's better not to try and get rid of the urge.
Instead, we simply accept it and ride out the urge without giving into it. Urges then simply pass on their own. And when they leave, we're free to choose a nourishing way of, of living or behaving that actually leads to our fulfillment and wellbeing. So in today's meditation, I'm going to guide you through a practice of urge surfing. And once you know this technique, you can use it at any point in the future or you can always come back to this guided practice in the library as a support.
So let's settle in for our meditation practice now and give this a try. And as always thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.
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Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
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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.
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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.
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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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