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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 how everything can become your teacher. So there's a story from a meditation teacher, Larry Rosenberg, about his experience of meditating in the forests of Thailand. So after many years, There's a Zen monk in Korea. He goes on this journey to Thailand to study in this particular tradition, the Thai forest tradition.
And so what he didn't realize is that he also, on this journey to Thailand, took a whole bunch of expectations about what his experience was going to be like there. So he arrived. He was assigned his lodging there. And he was going to be in this small hut each day with an attendant bringing him food. He was just going to be in isolation, just meditating.
So there he was at this retreat, this place where he came to cultivate inner peace in a serene forest. And it turned out that this particular forest was overrun by loud, screeching, scratching, wild chickens. This was not what he was expecting. So as he started to meditate, he started to think to himself, you know, how am I supposed to be at peace with all of this noise around me? My retreat is ruined. I came all this way just for this.
So he started to feel really distressed and defeated and disappointed. But after enduring his own annoyance, frustration, and dismay day after day, he finally realized he had a choice. He cannot control all of those wild chickens, but he could control his response to them. He could choose to keep resisting the fact that the wild chickens were there or he could accept them. Now, as he chose to accept the presence of these chickens, all the negativity and annoyance in him melted away and he found peace in the middle of it all.
As the story shows, our teachers can appear in our lives at any time in the most unexpected ways. And if we're curious, open and willing, we can receive gave teachings from the most surprising sources. Stranger on the street, curious child, an illness, a loud neighbor, even from chickens. To recognize these teachers, all we need to do is stay receptive to being taught. When you do that, life itself and everything that unfolds within it becomes an opportunity to shape your ongoing development in awakening.
As Bruce Lee once said, "Life is your teacher and you can be in a constant state of learning." So that's the invitation for practice today is to let everything become your teacher. And as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here. And let's settle in for today's meditation.
Letting Everything Become Your Teacher
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 how everything can become your teacher. So there's a story from a meditation teacher, Larry Rosenberg, about his experience of meditating in the forests of Thailand. So after many years, There's a Zen monk in Korea. He goes on this journey to Thailand to study in this particular tradition, the Thai forest tradition.
And so what he didn't realize is that he also, on this journey to Thailand, took a whole bunch of expectations about what his experience was going to be like there. So he arrived. He was assigned his lodging there. And he was going to be in this small hut each day with an attendant bringing him food. He was just going to be in isolation, just meditating.
So there he was at this retreat, this place where he came to cultivate inner peace in a serene forest. And it turned out that this particular forest was overrun by loud, screeching, scratching, wild chickens. This was not what he was expecting. So as he started to meditate, he started to think to himself, you know, how am I supposed to be at peace with all of this noise around me? My retreat is ruined. I came all this way just for this.
So he started to feel really distressed and defeated and disappointed. But after enduring his own annoyance, frustration, and dismay day after day, he finally realized he had a choice. He cannot control all of those wild chickens, but he could control his response to them. He could choose to keep resisting the fact that the wild chickens were there or he could accept them. Now, as he chose to accept the presence of these chickens, all the negativity and annoyance in him melted away and he found peace in the middle of it all.
As the story shows, our teachers can appear in our lives at any time in the most unexpected ways. And if we're curious, open and willing, we can receive gave teachings from the most surprising sources. Stranger on the street, curious child, an illness, a loud neighbor, even from chickens. To recognize these teachers, all we need to do is stay receptive to being taught. When you do that, life itself and everything that unfolds within it becomes an opportunity to shape your ongoing development in awakening.
As Bruce Lee once said, "Life is your teacher and you can be in a constant state of learning." So that's the invitation for practice today is to let everything become your teacher. And as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here. 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.
- 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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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.
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I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
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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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