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
This meditation cultivates a more loving and less judgemental mind.
The Dalai Lama once said, "What is love?
Love is the absence of judgment."
so we can all be really prone to viewing
people and the world around us through
a screen of preconceived notions,
judgments, beliefs, and opinions.
When we think we already know someone
or something, it really limits
our capacity to see truly what is.
So maybe you have an opinion
about someone and you put them
in a box, as the saying goes.
She's a hippie.
He's arrogant.
She's smart.
He's weird.
Or maybe you had a challenging
interaction with someone and you
made your mind up about them.
But if we hold on to these mental
labels, thinking that we know someone
through these mental judgments, we never
really get to truly meet them again.
We only ever see them through
the lens of our own viewpoints.
And we've all experienced how our
judgments can often feel negative
feelings towards others towards
ourselves, and even towards life.
But whatever our mental labels
are about things, the truth is, is
that that's all, they really are.
Mental labels about things.
Not reality.
So to meet reality moment by moment
is to put aside our attachment to
these viewpoints and ideas that you
already know something or someone and
adopt the openness, the freshness, and
the kindness of the beginner's mind.
By doing so we naturally become more
loving and compassionate people.
So let's give it a try.
So settling into a meditation
posture, if you haven't already.
Allowing the eyes to lightly close.
And as a way of gathering the fullness
of your awareness to this moment, just
taking three deep, slow, full breaths.
So breathing in.
And breathing out.
And taking two more breaths like
that in your own time, your own way.
And at the end of this next exhale,
just relaxing any control of the breath.
Just letting the breath now settle
back into its own natural rhythm.
But staying in touch with the feeling
of the breath moving in the body.
And as we settle into this
meditation, just beginning to really
be attentive to wherever you're
feeling the breath the most vividly.
It might be the sensation of the
rising and falling of the belly.
It might be the touch of air
at the tip of the nostrils.
Or maybe the gentle expansion
and contraction of the chest.
Or it might be a kind of overall sense
of the breath moving in the body.
Whatever it is, just bring your
attention to the sensation of the
shifting tides of the breathing.
And becoming more and more
intimate with those sensations.
Moving awareness right up close and
feeling the flow of each and every breath.
And remember there's no need to try
to control the breath or change it.
No need to think about the breath,
just simply feeling into it, just
following it with your awareness.
And now begin to expand your focus
out to the sounds around you.
Just taking in the soundscape as it
unfolds moment by moment by moment.
And as you listen to sounds,
seeing if you can do so without
any liking or disliking, without
trying to change or fix anything.
Having a sense of allowing the
sounds to unfold just as they are.
Just taking it in.
Listening to the song of this moment.
Also noticing any tendency to
start getting involved in a mental
commentary about the sounds.
Any judgments.
And seeing if you can just let that go.
And instead, just hearing what's here
to be heard as if for the first time,
as if each sound was totally new to you.
So each time you notice a sound,
see if you can simply experience it
without judgment, without liking or
disliking, just bringing a curiosity
and an openness to the listening.
And this moment of sound
will never be heard again.
It's fleeting.
So let it be heard fully.
A wise man once told me that the
optimum state for meditation is a little
bit like a moment of being in love.
So when you're in love, you give a person
your complete attention and you accept
them and you love them just as they are.
You're completely open to them.
And in that moment, you're
not trying to change them.
You don't judge them.
You don't have an agenda.
You're just fully present and accepting.
So with this in mind, can you get
a sense of listening to sounds
around you with that kind of
unconditional loving awareness?
Just let the song of this moment
be fully heard and experienced.
So just keep noticing sounds with an
open, fresh, and curious awareness
as best you can, without judgment,
without liking or disliking.
Just allowing the dance of
sound to unfold in awareness.
So if the mind wanders away from
listening to sounds and gets
caught in thinking, no problem.
Just notice the thought that
distracted you and then gently
guide the focus back to listening to
sounds unfolding moment by moment.
And in these last moments of meditation,
just bringing the focus back now to
rest attention in the feeling of the
breath gently moving in the body.
Well, we can train ourselves
again and again to bring a less
judgmental mind, a more loving mind,
a beginner's mind into our lives.
We can cultivate it through meditation,
but we can also bring the beginner's mind
into our work, our hearts and our homes.
And by doing so we can experience a new
level of depth and richness in our lives.
And perhaps most importantly, we can bring
it into our relationships with others.
When we put aside our preconceived ideas
about others and meet them as they are in
this moment, we give them a great gift,
the gift of being truly seen and heard.
And that may be the greatest
gift that we can give.
So maybe take a moment to contemplate
how can you bring the beginner's
mind into your life today?
What notions, judgments and
opinions can you lay aside so that
you can see what is more clearly.
And as this practice now draws to a
close, just notice how your mind and
your body are feeling after meditation.
And take a deep breath in.
And as you breathe out, beginning
to wriggle fingers and toes.
And open the eyes.
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
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.