Browse
Top articles
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
00:00
00:00
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hey, welcome back to Day Five of our seven day meditation challenge. Yesterday, you got to explore the negativity bias. This built in programming we have into our brain to focus more on what could go wrong rather than what can go right. This tendency also seems to show up in how we talk to ourselves, and many of us refer to this as our inner critic. Chances are, you're quite familiar with your inner critic.
It's the voice in your head that tends to tell you when you're not good enough, you can't do something, why something is going to go wrong or why you're going to mess it up. We all have different degrees of, of an inner critic and some of us have many different inner critics that arise in our mind. So I'm going to share a two part strategy that you can use to start to work with with this inner critic when it arises. The first is to give your inner critic a name. Give your inner critic a name.
So since I have a number of different inner critics, I have a lot of different names for my inner critics, but one of them is Cranky Cory. Cranky Cory tends to show up in the mornings when there's a lot of work to do and Cranky Cory's tired and he might say something like, "Ugh, dude, this is going to be such a long day. Just keep hitting the snooze button. You don't have enough energy to do this right now. It's not going to go well.
Just don't do what you're doing." Sometimes Cranky Cory has a point and we're not in a good position to be doing what we're doing and we actually need rest. But a lot of times, Cranky Cory is just being a little cranky and kind of lazy. And so when I hear Cranky Cory, if I don't bring him into awareness, if I don't, if I'm not present to him, then he sort of operates in the background and subconsciously controls me. But if I can hear a Cranky Cory and I could say," Oh, I see you Cranky Cory. I see you.
Good morning." Well, now it becomes a little bit more playful. And now Cranky Cory can't be pulling all these levers in the background of my mind, subconsciously informing me what to do. Instead I can hear the voice, maybe that voice saying like, "There's no way you're going to be able to do this well today or do whatever you're doing." And I could go, "Oh, hi Cranky, Cory. Good morning. Yeah, I know, I know.
This is, this is tough. This is going to be hard." I can, I can now have an interaction with Cranky Cory. And so by, by giving that voice in this case, Cranky Cory a name, it allows me to interact with it. And you can do this in your own particular context. Might not be in the morning or there might be one central voice that arises for you throughout the day.
Debbie downer pants, whatever it might be. And you get to be playful in giving it a name. Now the second part to this comes after we've given it a name and we've given it some sort of identity, and this is to collaborate with this part of you. And so when Cranky Cory arises and he goes, "Dude, just give up. Stop doing what you're doing.
You're not going to be good at it anyway." I can go, "Yeah, Cranky Cory. I know. This does seem tough. And I see that you have some strong thoughts about this, but this is important and you know, it is important. And you know that we have this vision for our life that we're trying to get to, trying to improve.
You know, if we were to think differently about this, if we were to feel a little bit more empowered, how might we think about it? What might we be saying to ourselves." And Cranky Cory might go, "Nothing. It's going to be awful. It's going to be terrible." And we go, "Yeah, I know Cranky Cory. But if we could think a little bit more positively or be a little bit more optimistic, how would that sound?" And eventually you could get Cranky Cory to come on board and start to shift to that narrative. So the first stage is just giving it an identity, giving it a name.
And then the second stage is starting to collaborate with it, meet it and ask it how it can help you in service of where you're trying to get. So have some fun trying this out. Thank you for your practice. And let's settle in for our meditation.
The Inner Critic
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 Day Five of our seven day meditation challenge. Yesterday, you got to explore the negativity bias. This built in programming we have into our brain to focus more on what could go wrong rather than what can go right. This tendency also seems to show up in how we talk to ourselves, and many of us refer to this as our inner critic. Chances are, you're quite familiar with your inner critic.
It's the voice in your head that tends to tell you when you're not good enough, you can't do something, why something is going to go wrong or why you're going to mess it up. We all have different degrees of, of an inner critic and some of us have many different inner critics that arise in our mind. So I'm going to share a two part strategy that you can use to start to work with with this inner critic when it arises. The first is to give your inner critic a name. Give your inner critic a name.
So since I have a number of different inner critics, I have a lot of different names for my inner critics, but one of them is Cranky Cory. Cranky Cory tends to show up in the mornings when there's a lot of work to do and Cranky Cory's tired and he might say something like, "Ugh, dude, this is going to be such a long day. Just keep hitting the snooze button. You don't have enough energy to do this right now. It's not going to go well.
Just don't do what you're doing." Sometimes Cranky Cory has a point and we're not in a good position to be doing what we're doing and we actually need rest. But a lot of times, Cranky Cory is just being a little cranky and kind of lazy. And so when I hear Cranky Cory, if I don't bring him into awareness, if I don't, if I'm not present to him, then he sort of operates in the background and subconsciously controls me. But if I can hear a Cranky Cory and I could say," Oh, I see you Cranky Cory. I see you.
Good morning." Well, now it becomes a little bit more playful. And now Cranky Cory can't be pulling all these levers in the background of my mind, subconsciously informing me what to do. Instead I can hear the voice, maybe that voice saying like, "There's no way you're going to be able to do this well today or do whatever you're doing." And I could go, "Oh, hi Cranky, Cory. Good morning. Yeah, I know, I know.
This is, this is tough. This is going to be hard." I can, I can now have an interaction with Cranky Cory. And so by, by giving that voice in this case, Cranky Cory a name, it allows me to interact with it. And you can do this in your own particular context. Might not be in the morning or there might be one central voice that arises for you throughout the day.
Debbie downer pants, whatever it might be. And you get to be playful in giving it a name. Now the second part to this comes after we've given it a name and we've given it some sort of identity, and this is to collaborate with this part of you. And so when Cranky Cory arises and he goes, "Dude, just give up. Stop doing what you're doing.
You're not going to be good at it anyway." I can go, "Yeah, Cranky Cory. I know. This does seem tough. And I see that you have some strong thoughts about this, but this is important and you know, it is important. And you know that we have this vision for our life that we're trying to get to, trying to improve.
You know, if we were to think differently about this, if we were to feel a little bit more empowered, how might we think about it? What might we be saying to ourselves." And Cranky Cory might go, "Nothing. It's going to be awful. It's going to be terrible." And we go, "Yeah, I know Cranky Cory. But if we could think a little bit more positively or be a little bit more optimistic, how would that sound?" And eventually you could get Cranky Cory to come on board and start to shift to that narrative. So the first stage is just giving it an identity, giving it a name.
And then the second stage is starting to collaborate with it, meet it and ask it how it can help you in service of where you're trying to get. So have some fun trying this out. Thank you for your practice. And let's settle in for our meditation.
Duration
Play in-app
Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on our mobile app
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
Congratulations on taking the first step towards a more mindful life! As a token of our appreciation, we want to offer you an exclusive opportunity to upgrade to Mindfulness Plus+ for a price you won't find anywhere else.
Mindfulness Plus+ is our premium membership that includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and keep practicing throughout all stages of life.
Take this exclusive offer to further your mindfulness skills and experience deeper levels of well-being.
Annual membership
$0
Just a small sample of the life-changing 5-star reviews we get on a daily basis.
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.
-
Thank you for joining us
Dive into the full library and enjoy all it has to offer!
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.
Sign up or login to your mindfulness account to proceed.
Sign up or login to your mindfulness account to proceed.
Mindfulness
One membership to gain access to a world of premium mindfulness content created to help you live happier and stress less.