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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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Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In this session, we're going to discuss how to embrace transitions. So I'll start by sharing a story from my own life. When I was a kid, I was fascinated with butterflies. Starting around age six or seven, the earliest summers I can remember, I'd take this 10 foot butterfly net run around my backyard and catch as many butterflies as I could.
It's mainly monarchs, tiger swallowtails and black swallowtails. And I had this little kid's tent from Toys R Us. Every time I caught a butterfly, I'd put it in the tent until it was filled with, I'd say about 20 or 30 butterflies. Then at the end of the day, I'd go into the tent, lie down and watch them all fly around and land on me. Afterward, I'd let them go and then repeat the experience the next day I did this almost every day during the summer.
And I wasn't only fascinated with the butterflies themselves, but their entire life cycle. Especially the transition from caterpillar to butterfly, which to my little kid mind seemed like magic. One day in my childhood wonder I peeled apart the chrysalis of a Monarch butterfly. I was just curious to see what was inside and to my horror, there was nothing but mush. I'm not sure what I was expecting to find, but it wasn't that.
I tried to tape it back together, but needless to say that caterpillar never turned into a butterfly. And as an eight year old, I felt terrible and spent much of the next several years of my childhood, uh, helping to raise, nurture, and even take care of the butterfly population. In much the same way though, as a butterfly's metamorphosis, we all go through stages of growth. Sometimes where a caterpillar, sometimes where a butterfly and sometimes we're transitioning from one to the other. We're just a pile of mush.
The mush stage can be disconcerting and makes us think maybe I should go back to being a caterpillar or I need to hurry up and become a butterfly already. And I think it's helpful to remember that this stage is a part of a larger process of growth and certain processes must unfold in their own time. And as you go through your own journey of discovering and deepening presence and mindfulness, you'll inevitably transition from one way of being to another. This is exciting, no doubt. But it can also be scary.
If at any point in the process you're confused, uncertain or lost, remind yourself that this may just be your chrysalis stage. Try to be patient with yourself as you grow. These transitions are opportunities for self-care and inner exploration, compassion, and perhaps most of all trust. So see if you can give yourself the permission to be in that stage. The maturation may happen, have to happen in its own time and you'll emerge when the time is right.
So we'll do a meditation practice to connect more deeply to this. As always, thank you for your practice and I'll talk to you soon. Take care.
Embracing Transitions
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.
Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In this session, we're going to discuss how to embrace transitions. So I'll start by sharing a story from my own life. When I was a kid, I was fascinated with butterflies. Starting around age six or seven, the earliest summers I can remember, I'd take this 10 foot butterfly net run around my backyard and catch as many butterflies as I could.
It's mainly monarchs, tiger swallowtails and black swallowtails. And I had this little kid's tent from Toys R Us. Every time I caught a butterfly, I'd put it in the tent until it was filled with, I'd say about 20 or 30 butterflies. Then at the end of the day, I'd go into the tent, lie down and watch them all fly around and land on me. Afterward, I'd let them go and then repeat the experience the next day I did this almost every day during the summer.
And I wasn't only fascinated with the butterflies themselves, but their entire life cycle. Especially the transition from caterpillar to butterfly, which to my little kid mind seemed like magic. One day in my childhood wonder I peeled apart the chrysalis of a Monarch butterfly. I was just curious to see what was inside and to my horror, there was nothing but mush. I'm not sure what I was expecting to find, but it wasn't that.
I tried to tape it back together, but needless to say that caterpillar never turned into a butterfly. And as an eight year old, I felt terrible and spent much of the next several years of my childhood, uh, helping to raise, nurture, and even take care of the butterfly population. In much the same way though, as a butterfly's metamorphosis, we all go through stages of growth. Sometimes where a caterpillar, sometimes where a butterfly and sometimes we're transitioning from one to the other. We're just a pile of mush.
The mush stage can be disconcerting and makes us think maybe I should go back to being a caterpillar or I need to hurry up and become a butterfly already. And I think it's helpful to remember that this stage is a part of a larger process of growth and certain processes must unfold in their own time. And as you go through your own journey of discovering and deepening presence and mindfulness, you'll inevitably transition from one way of being to another. This is exciting, no doubt. But it can also be scary.
If at any point in the process you're confused, uncertain or lost, remind yourself that this may just be your chrysalis stage. Try to be patient with yourself as you grow. These transitions are opportunities for self-care and inner exploration, compassion, and perhaps most of all trust. So see if you can give yourself the permission to be in that stage. The maturation may happen, have to happen in its own time and you'll emerge when the time is right.
So we'll do a meditation practice to connect more deeply to this. As always, thank you for your practice and I'll talk to you soon. Take care.
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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.
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- 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.
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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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