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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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When we fight our stress, we create more stress. In this meditation, we'll practice holding our stress with spacious, curious awareness, so that it can be processed and let go.
Let's start by finding
a comfortable posture.
This could be sitting down in a chair or
on the floor, or it could be lying down
in a bed or standing, if you prefer that.
But something that allows you
to feel alert, but also at ease.
And if you're sitting, we might say
sitting upright, but not uptight.
If it's comfortable, you can
invite your eyes to close.
And we'll start by taking
a deep breath together.
In through the nose.
And slowly out through the mouth.
Inviting the jaw to relax.
The teeth don't need to
be clenched right now.
Inviting the shoulders to be at ease.
As well as the hands and the belly.
And we'll let the breath fall
back into its natural rhythm.
You don't need to try to deepen it
or breathe in a way that you think
is appropriate for meditation.
Just let the breath be natural.
And all you're doing is bringing
a gentle awareness to the
fact that you're breathing.
If you'd like, you can even
place one hand on your belly to
feel the breath more vividly.
As the mind wanders, you just gently
notice it with kind awareness.
The thoughts will come up.
You just say, Hey, thoughts.
And direct the attention
back to the breath.
Just this moment.
Just this breath.
And in this meditation, we're really
exploring developing our stress container.
That is this capacity within us to
hold what we're experiencing with
love and compassion and care, rather
than forcing it out or creating
more tension by resisting it.
So take a moment to notice any stress
that might be in the body or in the mind.
And just what that feels like.
It could be an accumulation of stress
from earlier today or stuff from
years ago that's just weighing heavy.
Whatever you notice any
stress that's there.
You might feel the tendency to
contract around it, to try to
turn the attention away from it.
Instead, just meet it with a smile.
Say, Hey, stress.
I see you.
I know things have been tough.
I know you're worried.
I know there's a lot
going on, but we're okay.
I appreciate you doing your job.
I'm just going to be here with you.
Just notice what it's like to take
that relationship to your stress.
Recognizing that who you are
is different than the stress
and bigger than the stress.
There's a part of you that can hold the
full experience without drowning in it.
And you're just practicing
connecting to that part of you.
So let's take one more
deep breath together.
In through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
And when you're ready, you can
allow your eyes to open again.
As you go about your day, see
if you can practice cultivating
this stress container.
When you feel stress, instead of
immediately fighting it or pushing
it, just meet it with kindness, with
compassion and connect to that part
of you that is bigger than the stress.
Thank you for your practice.
And I'll talk to you soon.
Take care.
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