12 Minute Meditation

In this week's meditation, Dr. Mark Bertin walks us through a practice that is both concrete and compassionate. It guides us to take note of our tendency to either deny or try and "fix" what's going on in our lives, and then find a third way—one where we aim to see things as clearly as possible, so that our decisions are filled with awareness, skill, and care for everyone involved. Mark Bertin, MD...

Loving-kindness meditation, also called metta,  springs from a basic understanding of human nature: On one hand, we might truly believe that  compassion makes the world better—and on the other, we might struggle to offer it to ourselves and to others for various reasons.  Metta practices, like the one Dr. Emma Seppälä leads this week, offer a simple, structured way to help us  gently expand our ca...

Shame is one of the most complex and difficult human emotions to experience and process.  This week, we're refreshing a meditation from Dr. Patricia Rockman, who offers a practice to meet shame with courage, tenderness, and curiosity. The more we can sit with these difficult emotions, the more we build resilience, self-knowledge, and self-trust—which are the most powerful natural antidotes to sham...

In this week's guided meditation, teacher and author Melli O'Brien offers a practice that uses gentle, steady awareness to help you find your calm center again when you're feeling wound up with stress or anxiety. Melli is a mindfulness educator and mental health coach with over two decades of experience. She is also cofounder of Mindfulness.com and the Mindfulness Summit—the world's largest mindfu...

Sometimes the best gift we can give ourselves is just a moment set aside for quiet, breath, and reminding ourselves of who we really are.  In this gentle guided practice, Kimberly Brown uses simple repeated phrases to ground attention and offer a place to rest and reset.  Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. If you want more time, feel fre...

It might seem counterintuitive, but intentionally tuning into what's distracting you can actually help strengthen your ability to focus.  In today's guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola introduces what he calls a "concentration algorithm." This practice will help you identify which type of sensory experience you are naturally drawn to, and then give you a structure for how to focus on it,...

When we are stressed or overwhelmed, or when our mind feels like it's spinning out of control—it's easy to forget that simply dropping into the body can be a powerful way to interrupt thEse thought loops.   In this week's refresh, meditation teacher Tara Healey guides us through a practice to calm the mind, notice sensations in the body, and bring awareness to the present moment.  If you'd like th...

We mostly think of walking as an activity that is supposed to accomplish something: getting from point A to point B, exercising, reaching our daily step goals. And of course, those are all great reasons to go for a walk.  In today's practice, meditation teacher and bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn offers up another way that you can experience a walk—simply as a way to enter more deeply into the v...

Tonglen, sometimes called loving-kindness meditation, is a Tibetan practice of giving and receiving.  In Tonglen, we open ourselves to our entire experience, including what is painful and difficult. We acknowledge our suffering, including the suffering we share with others. Then, we release intentions for peace, healing, and love out into the world.   In today's meditation, teacher Kimberly Brown...

When we are experiencing difficult emotions or situations, our first impulse is often to look for a way out—usually through distracting, numbing, running, or denying.   But what if the key to getting to the other side of difficulty is to simply be with it, offering the discomfort our courageous awareness and presence?  In this week's practice, author and meditation teacher Ed Halliwell guides us t...

You might not think of mindfulness as being a resource to help with decision-making, but moments of intentional silence can sharpen our mental clarity and help us discern which choices feel most aligned.  In this guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola offers a simple technique you can use, whether you're facing a life-changing choice or are just feeling overwhelmed by all the small decision...

If you've ever been awake at three a.m., tossing and turning and wishing you could snap your fingers and get back to sleep, then you know: the more you try to fall asleep, the less likely you are to drift off. In this week's guided practice, we're revisiting a meditation with Mark Bertin that can release the striving, let go of tension, and make it easier for body and mind to settle into rest.  A...

Have you ever wondered why there are so many varieties of meditation practices, and why some of them seem to contradict each other in approach, style, or even objective?  In today's guided practice, meditation teacher Toby Sola walks us through three common types of meditation. Plus, he explains why the word "meditation" is very much like the word "sport"—and how all these different practices actu...

Many modern Western cultures don't have a deep understanding of land as a source of collective identity, story, or purpose. There is a sense that, yes, land can be lovely—but it is mainly seen as a source of recreation or extraction, not necessarily as an integral part of what shapes us and future generations.   In this guided practice, Indigenous scholar and teacher Yuria Celidwen introduces a fr...

Recent studies have confirmed that the constant presence and use of tech in our lives have become a hazard to our well-being on multiple levels.  Meditation teacher, mindful tech designer, and self-identified tech lover Jay Vidyarthi observes, "It's okay to enjoy technology. Tech becomes a problem when we get so attached to it that our lives fall out of balance—and this happens because a certain d...

If you've faced challenging or polarizing conversations lately, you likely know how difficult it can be to connect and cooperate with the person on the other side of that interaction.  In today's guided practice, Dr. Shalini Bahl invites us to explore our innate interconnectedness by recognizing our needs and those of others, so that we can be empowered to work together in new and creative ways th...

Forgiveness is a cornerstone practice of mindfulness, and it's also one of the most difficult.  Extending forgiveness to others and to ourselves requires a kind of awareness and vulnerability that can feel deeply uncomfortable, especially if we are carrying heavy stories of shame, anger, or resentment connected to that experience.  In today's guided practice, Will Schneider from Men Talking Mindfu...

Being in pain makes being present extra challenging.  On a physical level, being in the present moment while our body is in pain is often extremely unpleasant. There is a part of us, understandably, that wishes we could escape from it entirely.  At the same time, the experience of pain itself can be overwhelming—to our senses, our thoughts, our emotions. It can feel like drowning, when what we lon...

What does it feel like to experience ourselves—in our own minds and bodies—as a reliable place we can come home to in order to feel grateful, calm, and resilient?  In this week's guided meditation, Melli O'Brien walks us through a practice we can return to in times of uncertainty or challenge to remind us of our own inner strength.    This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulnes...

Traditional meditation practices can sometimes be frustrating and alienating for those who are neurodivergent. Bodily discomfort or intense mental restlessness can make even the most mindfulness-curious person feel like classic meditation techniques might not be for them. Sue Hutton believes that mindfulness can be for anyone, and she's dedicated her work to making mindfulness practices like medit...

When we're wrestling with experiences that challenge our identities or our confidence—like failures at work, relationship struggles, or letting go of old belief systems — it can be tempting to reach for positive self-talk that pushes back against the difficult feelings we might be having.   In today's guided practice, Caverly Morgan offers something much sturdier, what she calls unconditional reas...

In recent years, mental health professionals have raised the alarm about the growing epidemic of loneliness. Millions of people feel separated and isolated, even when they are surrounded by colleagues or thousands of social media acquaintances.  In today's guided practice, Shelly Harrell offers one mindful approach that can counteract this sense of lonely atomization. It is the South African greet...

When we are adrift in the wide sea of grief, it can be difficult to imagine any world other than the world of our intense sorrow and loss. In this guided meditation, Brenda K. Mitchell offers one tiny heart-opening invitation: simply allowing what she calls "the possibility of possible." There isn't an expectation that you have answers, or lots of hope, or a clear path forward. Rather, this is a t...

In a world filled with challenges and distractions, we often find ourselves repeating automatic reactions that once helped us survive but now hold us back. Mindful journaling offers a lifeline—allowing us to slow down, listen inwardly, and meet ourselves with compassion. Today, we're refreshing a powerful journaling practice guided by Caverly Morgan, focused on letting go of limiting habits. With...

In a world that constantly pulls us in different directions—from productivity and external validation to endless distractions—coming home to ourselves is one of the most powerful things we can do. True resilience isn't about pushing through; it's about creating an inner refuge, a place of strength and safety that stays steady no matter what's happening around us. That's why we're bringing back Com...