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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, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about the experience of tension. So I'm going to offer you a quick formula to think about how tension can get created. And then this formula is, experience times resistance equals tension. Experience times resistance equals tension.
Now, the first thing I want to say about this is that we're talking about internal experience, not external experience. There's a role for resistance against external experience that we can very logically justify. Resisting things that we're seeing around us, maybe a relationship that we're not being treated well or something we see systemically that needs to change, resisting these things is an important way that we grow as individuals in relationship and as a community and as a global community. So that's not the resistance I'm talking about. The resistance I'm talking about is the one that we apply to our internal experience.
The emotions that we're feeling, the thoughts that we're having, the sensations that might be arising, or any sort of sensory experience. When we apply resistance to that, that's when we're going to get an internal experience of tension. So if you think of an experience of sadness, that would be the experience in this equation. Resistance to that sadness could be something like, I shouldn't be feeling this, what's wrong with me for feeling this, or trying to suppress the sadness. There's a role for skillfully compartmentalizing experiences at times when maybe it's not the appropriate time to feel that emotion fully.
But there's a way to do that gracefully, where we can acknowledge that this experience is here and then say, I'm going to work with this later, but not right now. That's very different than I shouldn't be having this experience. What often happens for people is that they develop all of these different ideas and stories about experiences they can have and shouldn't have, experiences that are okay and experiences that they might put shame around. And all of that shame and all of those ideas about I shouldn't have this experience is a form of internal resistance that creates excess tension that can arise in a moment, but can also continue and sustain itself for long periods of time. So as you go about your day today and perhaps for the rest of the week, and maybe for the rest of your life, I encourage you to look at, what is your relationship to your internal experience? Chances are there's lots there that you have full permission to feel, lots there that feels open, spacious, good, compassionate.
But maybe some other experiences that you find yourself contracting around, fighting, pushing away. And what would it look like to meet those experiences with a little more openness, curiosity, presence, and even compassion? There's a good argument to be made that there's no experience that can arise in your internal, internal experience that doesn't warrant some degree of compassion and presence. It doesn't mean you have to give it full reign, but you can at least give it the space within yourself to be seen, to be acknowledged and then to be responded to in a skillful way. So I hope this gives you something to think about in your journey of navigating tension. We'll continue to work with it as we go throughout our meditation practice.
Thank you for your practice and let's settle in for today's meditation.
Experience x Resistance = Tension
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, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about the experience of tension. So I'm going to offer you a quick formula to think about how tension can get created. And then this formula is, experience times resistance equals tension. Experience times resistance equals tension.
Now, the first thing I want to say about this is that we're talking about internal experience, not external experience. There's a role for resistance against external experience that we can very logically justify. Resisting things that we're seeing around us, maybe a relationship that we're not being treated well or something we see systemically that needs to change, resisting these things is an important way that we grow as individuals in relationship and as a community and as a global community. So that's not the resistance I'm talking about. The resistance I'm talking about is the one that we apply to our internal experience.
The emotions that we're feeling, the thoughts that we're having, the sensations that might be arising, or any sort of sensory experience. When we apply resistance to that, that's when we're going to get an internal experience of tension. So if you think of an experience of sadness, that would be the experience in this equation. Resistance to that sadness could be something like, I shouldn't be feeling this, what's wrong with me for feeling this, or trying to suppress the sadness. There's a role for skillfully compartmentalizing experiences at times when maybe it's not the appropriate time to feel that emotion fully.
But there's a way to do that gracefully, where we can acknowledge that this experience is here and then say, I'm going to work with this later, but not right now. That's very different than I shouldn't be having this experience. What often happens for people is that they develop all of these different ideas and stories about experiences they can have and shouldn't have, experiences that are okay and experiences that they might put shame around. And all of that shame and all of those ideas about I shouldn't have this experience is a form of internal resistance that creates excess tension that can arise in a moment, but can also continue and sustain itself for long periods of time. So as you go about your day today and perhaps for the rest of the week, and maybe for the rest of your life, I encourage you to look at, what is your relationship to your internal experience? Chances are there's lots there that you have full permission to feel, lots there that feels open, spacious, good, compassionate.
But maybe some other experiences that you find yourself contracting around, fighting, pushing away. And what would it look like to meet those experiences with a little more openness, curiosity, presence, and even compassion? There's a good argument to be made that there's no experience that can arise in your internal, internal experience that doesn't warrant some degree of compassion and presence. It doesn't mean you have to give it full reign, but you can at least give it the space within yourself to be seen, to be acknowledged and then to be responded to in a skillful way. So I hope this gives you something to think about in your journey of navigating tension. We'll continue to work with it as we go throughout our meditation practice.
Thank you for your practice and let's settle in for today's meditation.
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Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
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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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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.
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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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