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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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In this meditation, we'll explore how to step back from our thoughts, give them space, and find greater peace.
Let's start by finding
a comfortable posture.
This could be sitting,
lying down or standing.
Something that feels good
for your body right now.
And if it feels okay to do so,
you can let your eyes close.
We'll take one deep breath together.
In through the nose.
Slowly out through the mouth.
Inviting the jaw and all the muscles
in the face to soften and relax.
Allow the shoulders to be at ease.
As well as the hands and the belly.
You can let your breath settle
into its natural rhythm.
Doesn't need to be forceful or deep.
And take the next few moments just to
settle your attention on the breath.
Every time the mind wanders,
just recentering back to
this moment and this breath.
If it's helpful, you could
place a hand on your belly to
feel the breath more vividly.
Try this out for a little bit.
So in this meditation, we're
exploring what it's like to cultivate
a freedom from your thoughts.
You're most likely very familiar
with how stress can get created
from an anxious thinking mind.
A lot of the time, what we try
to do is change our thoughts or
stop ourselves from thinking.
And sometimes that can work, but a lot
of times it just creates extra tension.
So we're going to try
something different today.
Instead of trying to redirect your
attention away from thoughts, I want
you to practice watching your thoughts.
So let's start right now.
Instead of focusing just on your
breath, bring your attention to any
thoughts moving through your mind.
The thoughts could be anything.
This is kind of weird.
What's the point of focusing on thoughts?
I don't even know if I'm
having any thoughts right now.
That would be a thought.
So just watch what's going on in the mind.
And the relationship we're going to
take to those thoughts is as if we were
observing clouds passing through the sky.
We're not examining and judging the clouds
saying, Oh, that cloud's really big.
I like that one.
Or that one's small and gray.
I don't like that one.
No, it's just a cloud, just the cloud.
Same thing with our thoughts.
We're not judging them as good or bad.
We're just watching them.
Just a thought.
And you can even label the thought
as thinking every time it arises.
So just practice sitting
back, watching the mind think.
And every time you notice a thought, just
label it with a mental note, thinking.
Another thought comes up, thinking.
Try that out and see if you
can label at least 10 thoughts.
I'll give you some time
in silence to practice.
Every time you notice a thought
moving through the mind, just very
lightly label it thinking, and then
come back to this spacious awareness.
Just watching whatever emerges.
Not pushing the thoughts,
not holding onto them.
Just observing.
Let's take one more deep breath together.
In through the nose.
Out through the mouth.
And when you're ready, you
can allow your eyes to open.
Today, as you're going about your
day, notice when these thoughts arise
and practice, instead of pushing or
fighting them, just allowing them to be
there, but watching them as if you were
watching a cloud passing through the sky.
It's a skill you'll get
better at over time.
And feel free to use the
mental label of thinking.
Sometimes that just helps us
put the thought and perspective.
It's just a thought.
Keep up the great work.
Take care.
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