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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
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 our habit of living on autopilot mode and how we can take back some control of our attention and steer our lives more deliberately. There's an old Zen story about this. A lady in a village saw a man on a horse suddenly come galloping through the streets at high speed. So it seemed as though this man had somewhere very important to go in a hurry.
So she shouted out to him, "Where are you going?" And the man on the horse replied, "I don't know, ask the horse." So this story is a metaphor for how we can all get kind of swept up in and swept along by our habit energy. The horse is like the momentum of our conditioning that just kind of pulls us along. And as it does pull us along, it often ends up driving us to rush and hurry and busy ourselves. So we're doing, doing, doing day after day. And we can kind of get caught up in this haze of habitual activity.
It's a really easy thing to get caught up in and hey, we all do this sometimes. But if we continue galloping through our lives without stopping every now and then to pause and take stop, it's pretty easy to end up with a sense that life is passing us by and we can end up in places we may not have wanted to go. So, you know, potentially we can end up with our health or lifestyle way off course, our relationships breaking down, or maybe we end up living that sense of just being out of alignment with our values. And despite all the activity and doing and rushing, it's not bringing us any closer to actual fulfillment. And this is part of the reason why it's so important to learn how to take back the reins of attention and take back the reins of our mind and steer our lives in a more deliberate way.
Now, of course, mindfulness meditation is the most effective way to train our attention and our minds to be present so we can live more deliberately in the long-term. But a simple invitation for today is, as you go about daily life, see if you can notice when you have that sense of just going through the motions, that sense of autopilot mode. It often has a bit of a dullness to it, or a bit of tension to it. And when you notice you're on autopilot mode, see if you can just pause, take a mindful breath. And in that moment, you can be present again and take back the reins of attention and then continue your day with more presence and intentionality.
If you can continue to bring lots of these little short moments of awareness and intention into your day, you can keep steering your life in the direction of wellbeing, joy, and genuine fulfillment. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And now let's settle in for today's meditation on intentional living.
Are We Steering Our Lives?
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 our habit of living on autopilot mode and how we can take back some control of our attention and steer our lives more deliberately. There's an old Zen story about this. A lady in a village saw a man on a horse suddenly come galloping through the streets at high speed. So it seemed as though this man had somewhere very important to go in a hurry.
So she shouted out to him, "Where are you going?" And the man on the horse replied, "I don't know, ask the horse." So this story is a metaphor for how we can all get kind of swept up in and swept along by our habit energy. The horse is like the momentum of our conditioning that just kind of pulls us along. And as it does pull us along, it often ends up driving us to rush and hurry and busy ourselves. So we're doing, doing, doing day after day. And we can kind of get caught up in this haze of habitual activity.
It's a really easy thing to get caught up in and hey, we all do this sometimes. But if we continue galloping through our lives without stopping every now and then to pause and take stop, it's pretty easy to end up with a sense that life is passing us by and we can end up in places we may not have wanted to go. So, you know, potentially we can end up with our health or lifestyle way off course, our relationships breaking down, or maybe we end up living that sense of just being out of alignment with our values. And despite all the activity and doing and rushing, it's not bringing us any closer to actual fulfillment. And this is part of the reason why it's so important to learn how to take back the reins of attention and take back the reins of our mind and steer our lives in a more deliberate way.
Now, of course, mindfulness meditation is the most effective way to train our attention and our minds to be present so we can live more deliberately in the long-term. But a simple invitation for today is, as you go about daily life, see if you can notice when you have that sense of just going through the motions, that sense of autopilot mode. It often has a bit of a dullness to it, or a bit of tension to it. And when you notice you're on autopilot mode, see if you can just pause, take a mindful breath. And in that moment, you can be present again and take back the reins of attention and then continue your day with more presence and intentionality.
If you can continue to bring lots of these little short moments of awareness and intention into your day, you can keep steering your life in the direction of wellbeing, joy, and genuine fulfillment. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And now let's settle in for today's meditation on intentional living.
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Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
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