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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
healing body image issues.
So according to research from Ann
Kearney Cooke and Diana Tieger,
around 91% of women are unhappy with
their bodies and resort to dieting
to achieve a better body shape.
In another survey, 40% of women and about
20% of men said they were considering
cosmetic surgery in the near future.
So having a negative body image, you
know, that feeling of being constantly
dissatisfied with the way your body
looks is associated with higher
levels of depression, low self-esteem,
anxiety and fixations on losing weight.
This is a really tender
topic for me personally.
I'm in that 91% a lot of the time.
I had an eating disorder
when I was a teenager.
And even though I've done a lot of
healing and growing since then, this
probably still remains one of my
greatest challenges to work with in life.
Now, many factors contribute to a
negative body image - our culture,
our upbringing, the way the human
mind is wired, our peer group.
But the biggest influence for most
of us is advertising and media.
When we constantly scroll through
images of filtered and photo-shopped
and polished images of so-called
ideal beauty standards, we're
often left feeling deficient.
In fact, research has shown that using
social media for only 30 minutes a day
has the potential to negatively change
the way a person perceives their body.
One 2010 study also showed that 47%
of elementary school girls reported
wanting to lose weight after looking
through these kinds of pictures.
Now for women, this can be
especially hard because early in
life, we get the message that our
physical appearance is what matters.
So many of us have a tendency
to become really self-critical
about physical attributes that
we don't feel in measuring up.
But it's not just women.
Many men are also really
self-critical as well.
And what can happen is when we start
being self-critical when we're young,
it can become a deep seated habit.
But, you know, the more mindful
awareness we can bring to those
self-critical thoughts, the more
we can learn to let them go and
switch our focus to self-acceptance
and self-compassion instead.
Our minds are trainable.
So each time we practice being kinder
to ourselves, we soften the inner
critic and strengthen the muscle of
self-love, confidence and inner strength.
So my invitation for today and ongoing
is every time you catch yourself
being critical on yourself, about
how you look, pause, and let go of
those thoughts and then offer yourself
some kind and supportive words.
Offer yourself kindness instead
of criticism, acceptance
instead of aggression.
And in this way, you will grow true
confidence from the inside out and
reclaim your own power to feel at
home within your own skin and at
ease with who you are right now.
So as always, thank you for your
practice and your presence here with us.
And let's now 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.
- 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.
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- 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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