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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners

10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation

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Reduce Stress

In this meditation, we'll address the root cause of stress, stepping out of our "perceived demands" and into what is actually here in this moment.

Let's start by finding a comfortable posture. This could be sitting, lying down or standing. And if it feels okay to do so, you can allow your eyes to close. And we'll take a deep breath together to help settle in. Breathing in through the nose.

And slowly out through the mouth. Inviting the jaw to relax, Inviting the shoulders to be at ease. And let the belly soften. As well as the hands. As the body settles, you can let your breath also settle into its own natural rhythm.

Just tuning into the preciousness and the privilege of being alive. Your body is breathing you. We'll take a couple of moments just to feel that as a way to anchor our attention, meditating on our breathing. The theme of our meditation here is around reducing stress, specifically looking at how our perceived demands, which the mind often creates many of, can create extra stress for us in the moment. The phrase or mantra, if you will, that I think is most helpful for this is just, what's here now.

What's here now. And that's what we'll practice in this meditation. We can start right now as you're sitting here, just ask the question in your mind. What's here now? Do you notice any sensations in your body? Do you notice sounds around you, even including my voice? Do you notice any emotions that are present, even an emotion that feels stressful? When we're just present with the emotion and not getting caught up in a story about the emotion, the emotion has the space to pass and dissipate. Just tuning into this simplicity of any emotions that are there.

Giving them space, and kindness goes a long way as well. And in the last few minutes of this meditation, let's come back to our breath. You can place one hand on your belly. Just feel the rhythm of your breathing. Making this, the only thing that you need to attend to.

The mind can get caught up in a number of other things, number of perceived demands that it needs to take care of, but right now you're here. So connect to the simplicity of just one breath, one full inhale, and one exhale, and then you get to do it again. And that's all you need to focus on. We'll take one more deep breath together. In through the nose.

And out through the mouth. When you're ready, you can reorient yourself and invite the eyes to open. So well done. As you go about your day today, notice where you might get caught up in your perceived demands and drop back into what's here now. I think you'll often see that this moment is a little less of a catastrophe than the mind is making it out to be.

Thank you for your practice. Until then, take care.

Meditation

4.7

Reduce Stress

In this meditation, we'll address the root cause of stress, stepping out of our "perceived demands" and into what is actually here in this moment.

Duration

Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.

Let's start by finding a comfortable posture. This could be sitting, lying down or standing. And if it feels okay to do so, you can allow your eyes to close. And we'll take a deep breath together to help settle in. Breathing in through the nose.

And slowly out through the mouth. Inviting the jaw to relax, Inviting the shoulders to be at ease. And let the belly soften. As well as the hands. As the body settles, you can let your breath also settle into its own natural rhythm.

Just tuning into the preciousness and the privilege of being alive. Your body is breathing you. We'll take a couple of moments just to feel that as a way to anchor our attention, meditating on our breathing. The theme of our meditation here is around reducing stress, specifically looking at how our perceived demands, which the mind often creates many of, can create extra stress for us in the moment. The phrase or mantra, if you will, that I think is most helpful for this is just, what's here now.

What's here now. And that's what we'll practice in this meditation. We can start right now as you're sitting here, just ask the question in your mind. What's here now? Do you notice any sensations in your body? Do you notice sounds around you, even including my voice? Do you notice any emotions that are present, even an emotion that feels stressful? When we're just present with the emotion and not getting caught up in a story about the emotion, the emotion has the space to pass and dissipate. Just tuning into this simplicity of any emotions that are there.

Giving them space, and kindness goes a long way as well. And in the last few minutes of this meditation, let's come back to our breath. You can place one hand on your belly. Just feel the rhythm of your breathing. Making this, the only thing that you need to attend to.

The mind can get caught up in a number of other things, number of perceived demands that it needs to take care of, but right now you're here. So connect to the simplicity of just one breath, one full inhale, and one exhale, and then you get to do it again. And that's all you need to focus on. We'll take one more deep breath together. In through the nose.

And out through the mouth. When you're ready, you can reorient yourself and invite the eyes to open. So well done. As you go about your day today, notice where you might get caught up in your perceived demands and drop back into what's here now. I think you'll often see that this moment is a little less of a catastrophe than the mind is making it out to be.

Thank you for your practice. Until then, take care.

Meditation

4.7

Duration

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