00:00

00:00

A Hack to Unwind a Busy Mind

Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about a secret hack to unwind a busy mind. And this is kind of important because, you know, there are some days when we sit down to meditate and the mind is really calm. And then there are other days, sometimes the mind is just really active, unruly, or full of thoughts that are really pulling at our attention. Now on days like this, we can use a practice called anapana.

Anapana is a Pali word meaning mindfulness of breathing. I really love this practice. I really appreciate it on these busy days. So what you do is you find one place in the body to rest your attention on the feeling of the breath. And that might be the tip of the nose, belly, chest.

And as we breathe in, we mentally note to ourselves, breathing in. And as we breathe out, we mentally note, breathing out. And as we keep doing that with each breath, it's really a way to anchor the mind in present moment experience. So the breathing here is totally normal. There's no special way to breathe, but we're just using this mental noting as a really helpful technique to steady and settle the mind.

The wonderful thing about this practice is that we can use it, not just in the meditation, but in daily life too. And whenever you feel stressed or anxious, or the mind is just racing at a million miles an hour, you can return to this more centered and present space of mind by using anapana. Breathing in. Breathing out. As Danna Faulds says in her poem, Birthright, you know, "there is a place inside where stillness and abiding peace reside.

And you can ride the breath to go there." So we'll give this a try in today's meditation. So inviting you to now settle in for that, but also just remembering that as you go about your day today, anapana is always accessible to you. It's just one mindful breath away. As always, thank you for your practice.

Melli O'Brien

4.8

A Hack to Unwind a Busy Mind

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 secret hack to unwind a busy mind. And this is kind of important because, you know, there are some days when we sit down to meditate and the mind is really calm. And then there are other days, sometimes the mind is just really active, unruly, or full of thoughts that are really pulling at our attention. Now on days like this, we can use a practice called anapana.

Anapana is a Pali word meaning mindfulness of breathing. I really love this practice. I really appreciate it on these busy days. So what you do is you find one place in the body to rest your attention on the feeling of the breath. And that might be the tip of the nose, belly, chest.

And as we breathe in, we mentally note to ourselves, breathing in. And as we breathe out, we mentally note, breathing out. And as we keep doing that with each breath, it's really a way to anchor the mind in present moment experience. So the breathing here is totally normal. There's no special way to breathe, but we're just using this mental noting as a really helpful technique to steady and settle the mind.

The wonderful thing about this practice is that we can use it, not just in the meditation, but in daily life too. And whenever you feel stressed or anxious, or the mind is just racing at a million miles an hour, you can return to this more centered and present space of mind by using anapana. Breathing in. Breathing out. As Danna Faulds says in her poem, Birthright, you know, "there is a place inside where stillness and abiding peace reside.

And you can ride the breath to go there." So we'll give this a try in today's meditation. So inviting you to now settle in for that, but also just remembering that as you go about your day today, anapana is always accessible to you. It's just one mindful breath away. As always, thank you for your practice.

Melli O'Brien

Melli O'Brien

4.8

Duration

Melli O'Brien

Play in-app

Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on our mobile app

Get Unlimited Access

Start your mindfulness journey today.

A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.

Over 1,800 meditations, sleep, calm music, naturescapes and more
Daily mindfulness video meditations 365 days a year
100s of courses and tools to help manage anxiety, sleep and stress

Available on

Email Missing

We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.

Mindfulness Guarantee

We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.

If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.

Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.

Mindfulness

Bring balance into your everyday life.

We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.

2,000+ Guided Meditations
Daily Coaching
Sleep Content
Mindful Exercises
Mindful Radio
10+ Courses from world-class teachers

Private Browsing

Added to your cart!

Thank you for joining us

Dive into the full library and enjoy all it has to offer!

Claim your free access

Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.

Start a free trial to play this session

7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.

Finish personalizing your account

Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.

Mindfulness

One membership to gain access to a world of premium mindfulness content created to help you live happier and stress less.

2000+ Guided Meditations
Courses from world-class teachers
Resources for Stress + Anxiety
Breathing exercises, gratitude practices, relaxation techniques
Sleep meditations, playlists, stories
Mindful talks, podcasts, music, nature sounds