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
Duration
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.
Today we're going to talk about
why we sometimes feel like we're
deficient or broken, and I'm going
to offer a different perspective.
A little bit of context here
about the way your mind works.
So the human mind has evolved to
think in such a way that it naturally
causes psychological suffering.
You see, for the last 200,000 years,
most of our hunter-gatherer ancestors
lived very difficult and dangerous lives.
Very different to our lives today.
In order for them to survive, their
mind had to constantly be on the
lookout for threats and dangers.
And if a person's mind wasn't good at
avoiding and predicting danger, they
just didn't survive in those days.
Therefore, even though we live
in a completely different kind of
world, this mind we've inherited
is still pretty anxious and on the
lookout for what could go wrong.
Yeah, we sometimes call it negativity
or anxiety, but really it's just our
minds trying to protect us from harm.
But now, instead of worrying about
a 200 kilo bear attacking out camp
or a rival clan coming to plunder
our supplies, we worry about
losing our job or our relationship
falling apart, or the economy.
Another survival needed in
the caveman days is that you
had to fit in with the group.
If you got rejected from the
group, you didn't survive.
Humans only survived
in packs in those days.
Because of that, we all
have two primal fears.
We fear we're not enough.
We fear we won't be loved and approved of.
So what does the mind do to
ensure that we'll be approved of?
It constantly assesses.
Am I good enough?
Am I contributing enough?
And my special enough am I doing
anything that will get me rejected?
And the problem with modern life
now is that because of the media
and the internet, we're comparing
ourselves to a huge amount of people,
not just those in a small tribe.
And that constant comparison ramps
up our fear of not being good enough.
And that's one of the likely reasons for a
huge surge in depression around the world.
Now another thing, in the caveman days,
any advantage that you could get to
survive was really useful because life
was hard and resource really scarce.
So the mind was always saying, you need
more food, you need better tools, you
need better clothing, better shelter.
And unfortunately in the modern
world, this manifests as a constant
dissatisfaction and craving.
We never feel content with what we have.
We always want more.
So when your mind starts playing out these
unhelpful habits, just remember there's
nothing defective or deficient about
this, and there's nothing wrong with you.
It just means you have a normal
human mind, just like the rest of us.
And your mind is just doing
what it evolved to do.
It's just trying to keep you alive.
Through mindfulness, we're learning to
be not so caught up in and thrown around
by this old conditioning of the mind.
We're training the mind to adapt and
engage in the world with new levels of
wisdom, self-awareness and inner strength.
So as always thank you for your practice
and for your presence here with us and in
the spirit of all of this, just inviting
you now to settle in for today's practice.
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.
-
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.