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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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This bodyscan meditation emphasises kindness and compassion towards your body. Ideal for getting out of your head and to help ease your stress and anxiety.
Welcome to this kindful body scan meditation. This meditation gives you the time and space to relate to your body and mind in a kind and friendly way. I invite you to practice in a way that feels right for you rather than having to follow my instructions exactly. My words serve as a gentle guide rather than rules. You get to decide what's best for you in any given moment.
Start by giving your body a little stretch. Check in with your body and stretch out any tensions if you can. That can be your first act of kindness to yourself in this meditation. You can stretch out your arms, your legs, your back, nice and gently. Now when you're ready, begin by finding a posture that's right for you today.
You can lie down on your back, either on a mat, carpet, or even on your bed. Or you could be seated on a chair or a cushion. See which posture is right for your body today. Now try placing your hand on your heart. Feel the warmth of your hand against your heart.
Your hand can represent a sense of kindness, friendliness towards yourself. And if you like that feeling, keep it there. Begin by taking a nice, deep breath in. Holding it for a few moments. And a slow, smooth breath out.
You may like doing this a couple more times. Feel your lungs filling up with nourishing oxygen. And as you breathe out, have a sense of letting go. When you're ready, let your breath find its own natural rhythm, which of course it does all day and all night. As you practice this body scan, if at any time you feel overwhelmed by sensations or emotions, remember you can shift your attention back to your breath if that feels comforting to you.
You can think of your breath as a refuge from the sensations that may seem too much for you at this time. Now feel your body as a whole as you sit or lie here. Notice the range of different sensations. And as we go through this meditation, also notice how your mind naturally wanders off to other thoughts and comes back. It's perfectly normal and part of the experience of meditation, whether you're a beginner or experienced.
The mind always eventually wanders off and always comes back too. It's totally fine. Mindfulness is not about banning thoughts. We make space for all experiences, kindly, including thinking. Now when you're ready to do so, shift your attention down your body, down both your legs, and all the way down to the toes in your feet.
Feel any sensation that's present for you. If you can't feel any sensation, feel the lack of sensation. Or you could try giving your toes a little wiggle. Now move your attention to the soles of both your feet, and the upper part of both your feet. As you feel the sensations in your feet, bring a sense of kindness, friendliness to your experience.
Now include your ankles and any sensations there. Feel both your feet as a whole now. You may like to play with the idea that your breath can go down and into and out of your feet, bringing a sense of care and compassion. And if that works for you, keep doing it. If that doesn't mean anything to you, then no need to force it.
Just feel any sensations you can in your ankles and feet. In this way, move your mindful, kindful awareness into your lower legs. And then your upper legs. And then both your legs as a whole, together. Imagining and feeling your breath going into and out of both of your legs.
Bringing a friendly attention to all the sensations in your legs. If you experiment with gently smiling as you do this practice, you may find it easier to bring this affectionate awareness to your body. Just practicing as best you can in this moment. Now gently moving your attention up. Letting your attention rest in the area of your hips and pelvis and buttocks and all the delicate organs in this part of your body.
Being aware of how the sensations shift and change from breath to breath. You don't need to try to change any sensations at all. Just kindly noticing and exploring whatever you notice. Continue to work your way through your body in this mindful way. Up to your belly.
Being aware of and sensitive to the rising and falling of your belly and any emotions that may be present in that area of your body too. Allowing your experiences to just be as they are. Accepting them with that little smile if you can. Grateful for your breath oxygenating all the cells in your body. If you're able to do so, making a kind and friendly and welcoming space for whatever feelings you want to arise for you as you feel this part of your body.
Now moving up to your chest and perhaps around your back. Feeling the sensations in your back and your chest area. Feeling the movement of your ribcage as you breathe in and out. You may be able to feel your heart beating. Get in touch with any emotional signals or sensations in your emotional heart if that feels okay for you to do so.
Imagine or feel your breathing going into each body part to increase your sense of awareness. Feel sensations with an attitude of affection, the way you may look at something precious or someone or something you love. If possible, reflect on how fortunate you are for the parts of your body that are working okay, that are ensuring that in this very moment, you are not only alive, but also present and mindful of them. Continue to move through your body with this kindly awareness as best you can. Feeling and accepting the sensations in your shoulders, including any tensions that don't release.
Then down your arms and into your hands and fingers. Feeding them with a sense of gratitude. Then moving your awareness gently up through your neck, including the back of your neck, your throat, voice box and into your face. Perhaps giving your jaw a little wiggle to ensure you're not holding any tension there. Feeling the surface skin of your face and the muscles underneath.
Begin with the forehead. Are you frowning? Try raising and lowering your eyebrows playfully. Move down to sense all the sensations in your face. Invite a gentle smile to arise on your face to remind you to bring a quality of kindness to yourself in this meditation. But if you prefer, you can also have a neutral face.
Experiment to see what works for you. You can now even be mindful of your brain. Notice how that feels. You can be grateful for how hard your brain works for you, to care for you and protect you. Making peace with your brain.
And last but not least, feeling the sensations in the top of your head. And notice what it feels like now that we've mindfully and kindfully scanned through our entire body. Feel the sensations in your body as a whole in a wide and spacious way.
Kindful Body Scan
This bodyscan meditation emphasises kindness and compassion towards your body. Ideal for getting out of your head and to help ease your stress and anxiety.
Duration
Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.
Welcome to this kindful body scan meditation. This meditation gives you the time and space to relate to your body and mind in a kind and friendly way. I invite you to practice in a way that feels right for you rather than having to follow my instructions exactly. My words serve as a gentle guide rather than rules. You get to decide what's best for you in any given moment.
Start by giving your body a little stretch. Check in with your body and stretch out any tensions if you can. That can be your first act of kindness to yourself in this meditation. You can stretch out your arms, your legs, your back, nice and gently. Now when you're ready, begin by finding a posture that's right for you today.
You can lie down on your back, either on a mat, carpet, or even on your bed. Or you could be seated on a chair or a cushion. See which posture is right for your body today. Now try placing your hand on your heart. Feel the warmth of your hand against your heart.
Your hand can represent a sense of kindness, friendliness towards yourself. And if you like that feeling, keep it there. Begin by taking a nice, deep breath in. Holding it for a few moments. And a slow, smooth breath out.
You may like doing this a couple more times. Feel your lungs filling up with nourishing oxygen. And as you breathe out, have a sense of letting go. When you're ready, let your breath find its own natural rhythm, which of course it does all day and all night. As you practice this body scan, if at any time you feel overwhelmed by sensations or emotions, remember you can shift your attention back to your breath if that feels comforting to you.
You can think of your breath as a refuge from the sensations that may seem too much for you at this time. Now feel your body as a whole as you sit or lie here. Notice the range of different sensations. And as we go through this meditation, also notice how your mind naturally wanders off to other thoughts and comes back. It's perfectly normal and part of the experience of meditation, whether you're a beginner or experienced.
The mind always eventually wanders off and always comes back too. It's totally fine. Mindfulness is not about banning thoughts. We make space for all experiences, kindly, including thinking. Now when you're ready to do so, shift your attention down your body, down both your legs, and all the way down to the toes in your feet.
Feel any sensation that's present for you. If you can't feel any sensation, feel the lack of sensation. Or you could try giving your toes a little wiggle. Now move your attention to the soles of both your feet, and the upper part of both your feet. As you feel the sensations in your feet, bring a sense of kindness, friendliness to your experience.
Now include your ankles and any sensations there. Feel both your feet as a whole now. You may like to play with the idea that your breath can go down and into and out of your feet, bringing a sense of care and compassion. And if that works for you, keep doing it. If that doesn't mean anything to you, then no need to force it.
Just feel any sensations you can in your ankles and feet. In this way, move your mindful, kindful awareness into your lower legs. And then your upper legs. And then both your legs as a whole, together. Imagining and feeling your breath going into and out of both of your legs.
Bringing a friendly attention to all the sensations in your legs. If you experiment with gently smiling as you do this practice, you may find it easier to bring this affectionate awareness to your body. Just practicing as best you can in this moment. Now gently moving your attention up. Letting your attention rest in the area of your hips and pelvis and buttocks and all the delicate organs in this part of your body.
Being aware of how the sensations shift and change from breath to breath. You don't need to try to change any sensations at all. Just kindly noticing and exploring whatever you notice. Continue to work your way through your body in this mindful way. Up to your belly.
Being aware of and sensitive to the rising and falling of your belly and any emotions that may be present in that area of your body too. Allowing your experiences to just be as they are. Accepting them with that little smile if you can. Grateful for your breath oxygenating all the cells in your body. If you're able to do so, making a kind and friendly and welcoming space for whatever feelings you want to arise for you as you feel this part of your body.
Now moving up to your chest and perhaps around your back. Feeling the sensations in your back and your chest area. Feeling the movement of your ribcage as you breathe in and out. You may be able to feel your heart beating. Get in touch with any emotional signals or sensations in your emotional heart if that feels okay for you to do so.
Imagine or feel your breathing going into each body part to increase your sense of awareness. Feel sensations with an attitude of affection, the way you may look at something precious or someone or something you love. If possible, reflect on how fortunate you are for the parts of your body that are working okay, that are ensuring that in this very moment, you are not only alive, but also present and mindful of them. Continue to move through your body with this kindly awareness as best you can. Feeling and accepting the sensations in your shoulders, including any tensions that don't release.
Then down your arms and into your hands and fingers. Feeding them with a sense of gratitude. Then moving your awareness gently up through your neck, including the back of your neck, your throat, voice box and into your face. Perhaps giving your jaw a little wiggle to ensure you're not holding any tension there. Feeling the surface skin of your face and the muscles underneath.
Begin with the forehead. Are you frowning? Try raising and lowering your eyebrows playfully. Move down to sense all the sensations in your face. Invite a gentle smile to arise on your face to remind you to bring a quality of kindness to yourself in this meditation. But if you prefer, you can also have a neutral face.
Experiment to see what works for you. You can now even be mindful of your brain. Notice how that feels. You can be grateful for how hard your brain works for you, to care for you and protect you. Making peace with your brain.
And last but not least, feeling the sensations in the top of your head. And notice what it feels like now that we've mindfully and kindfully scanned through our entire body. Feel the sensations in your body as a whole in a wide and spacious way.
Duration
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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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