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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 we're going to talk about why we sometimes feel like we're deficient or broken, and I'm going to offer a different perspective. A little bit of context here about the way your mind works. So the human mind has evolved to think in such a way that it naturally causes psychological suffering. You see, for the last 200,000 years, most of our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived very difficult and dangerous lives.
Very different to our lives today. In order for them to survive, their mind had to constantly be on the lookout for threats and dangers. And if a person's mind wasn't good at avoiding and predicting danger, they just didn't survive in those days. Therefore, even though we live in a completely different kind of world, this mind we've inherited is still pretty anxious and on the lookout for what could go wrong. Yeah, we sometimes call it negativity or anxiety, but really it's just our minds trying to protect us from harm.
But now, instead of worrying about a 200 kilo bear attacking out camp or a rival clan coming to plunder our supplies, we worry about losing our job or our relationship falling apart, or the economy. Another survival needed in the caveman days is that you had to fit in with the group. If you got rejected from the group, you didn't survive. Humans only survived in packs in those days. Because of that, we all have two primal fears.
We fear we're not enough. We fear we won't be loved and approved of. So what does the mind do to ensure that we'll be approved of? It constantly assesses. Am I good enough? Am I contributing enough? And my special enough am I doing anything that will get me rejected? And the problem with modern life now is that because of the media and the internet, we're comparing ourselves to a huge amount of people, not just those in a small tribe. And that constant comparison ramps up our fear of not being good enough.
And that's one of the likely reasons for a huge surge in depression around the world. Now another thing, in the caveman days, any advantage that you could get to survive was really useful because life was hard and resource really scarce. So the mind was always saying, you need more food, you need better tools, you need better clothing, better shelter. And unfortunately in the modern world, this manifests as a constant dissatisfaction and craving. We never feel content with what we have.
We always want more. So when your mind starts playing out these unhelpful habits, just remember there's nothing defective or deficient about this, and there's nothing wrong with you. It just means you have a normal human mind, just like the rest of us. And your mind is just doing what it evolved to do. It's just trying to keep you alive.
Through mindfulness, we're learning to be not so caught up in and thrown around by this old conditioning of the mind. We're training the mind to adapt and engage in the world with new levels of wisdom, self-awareness and inner strength. So as always thank you for your practice and for your presence here with us and in the spirit of all of this, just inviting you now to settle in for today's practice.
Why We’re Not Deficient
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 we're going to talk about why we sometimes feel like we're deficient or broken, and I'm going to offer a different perspective. A little bit of context here about the way your mind works. So the human mind has evolved to think in such a way that it naturally causes psychological suffering. You see, for the last 200,000 years, most of our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived very difficult and dangerous lives.
Very different to our lives today. In order for them to survive, their mind had to constantly be on the lookout for threats and dangers. And if a person's mind wasn't good at avoiding and predicting danger, they just didn't survive in those days. Therefore, even though we live in a completely different kind of world, this mind we've inherited is still pretty anxious and on the lookout for what could go wrong. Yeah, we sometimes call it negativity or anxiety, but really it's just our minds trying to protect us from harm.
But now, instead of worrying about a 200 kilo bear attacking out camp or a rival clan coming to plunder our supplies, we worry about losing our job or our relationship falling apart, or the economy. Another survival needed in the caveman days is that you had to fit in with the group. If you got rejected from the group, you didn't survive. Humans only survived in packs in those days. Because of that, we all have two primal fears.
We fear we're not enough. We fear we won't be loved and approved of. So what does the mind do to ensure that we'll be approved of? It constantly assesses. Am I good enough? Am I contributing enough? And my special enough am I doing anything that will get me rejected? And the problem with modern life now is that because of the media and the internet, we're comparing ourselves to a huge amount of people, not just those in a small tribe. And that constant comparison ramps up our fear of not being good enough.
And that's one of the likely reasons for a huge surge in depression around the world. Now another thing, in the caveman days, any advantage that you could get to survive was really useful because life was hard and resource really scarce. So the mind was always saying, you need more food, you need better tools, you need better clothing, better shelter. And unfortunately in the modern world, this manifests as a constant dissatisfaction and craving. We never feel content with what we have.
We always want more. So when your mind starts playing out these unhelpful habits, just remember there's nothing defective or deficient about this, and there's nothing wrong with you. It just means you have a normal human mind, just like the rest of us. And your mind is just doing what it evolved to do. It's just trying to keep you alive.
Through mindfulness, we're learning to be not so caught up in and thrown around by this old conditioning of the mind. We're training the mind to adapt and engage in the world with new levels of wisdom, self-awareness and inner strength. So as always thank you for your practice and for your presence here with us and in the spirit of all of this, just inviting you now to settle in for today's practice.
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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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