12 Minute Meditation

Rest isn't a "reward" for working hard enough. It's a human need and birthright. This week's episode is a little different. We're not only sharing a guided meditation from mindfulness leader and professional coach Jenée Johnson, but also her teaching on some of the brain science behind relaxation—why it's essential for our well-being, how it works, and how to incorporate intentional relaxation practices into your daily life. Jenée Johnson, is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Racial Healing, Emotional Intelligence Educator, and HeartMath facilitator. Jenée initiated and led the unique effort to bring mindfulness into San Francisco's public health programs and practices through the Trauma Informed Systems Initiative. She is on the advisory board of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and is certified to teach mindfulness and emotional intelligence based on the latest neuroscience. She is also the founder and curator of The Right Within Experience, a day-long program for people of African ancestry that teaches practical mindfulness to overcome the diminishing impact of racism and open a portal to a liberatory lifestyle. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Jenée Johnson and her work with The Right Within Experience here. Go Deeper Mindfulness is a resource that can be used not only for finding more calm, but also as a support for mental, physical, emotional, and communal healing. If you want to learn more about these restorative practices and how they contribute to wider individual and collective healing, check out these articles: How Mindful Leaders Can Heal Trauma Encouraging Meaningful Conversations about Race and Trauma The Science of How Mindfulness Relieves Post Traumatic Stress Mindfulness for Racial Healing For more practice, here's another deep rest practice you can try: R.E.S.T.—A Guided Practice for the Tired and Weary. And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

Most of us spend most of our waking hours at some kind of job, whether that's in an office, a classroom, or in our own homes. This week, mindful leadership expert Jancie Marturano leads a practice you can do at your desk—or anywhere—to give yourself a mindful pause during busy days. Janice Marturano is founder and executive director of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, a nonprofit that trains and supports leaders in exploring mindfulness and leadership excellence. She founded the institute after ending her tenure as Vice President of Public Responsibility and Deputy General Counsel for General Mills. She is the author of Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Janice Marturano and her commitment to raising mindful leaders here. Go Deeper Mindfulness and meditation don't just have to happen on a cushion. Learn more about creative ways to incorporate mindfulness into your everyday, real life here: The Power of Running and Meditation: A Guide to Mindful Movement Nature-Based Mindfulness Practices for Families Everyday Mindfulness Techniques: Mindful Photography Practice Mindfulness With Everyday Sounds For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A Guided Walking Meditation to Notice the Beauty Around Us—Even in the City And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

We often think about gratitude as happening in response to "good" things—but what about moments that aren't grand or overtly happy, but are small and emotionally neutral? This week, Kim Armstrong leads a guided visualization practice to help you notice, take in, and consciously appreciate even the basic things we do every single day. Kimberly Armstrong is a cofounder and facilitator at Space Between. She practices mindfulness in order to know, see, and feel what is really important in life. Kim has a masters in Child and Adolescent Psychology from the University of Washington and is a certified meditation teacher and 500 hour yoga teacher. Kim's superpower is deep listening with full presence. When she isn't managing operational details, she can be found strumming chords on her guitar. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Kin Armstrong here. Go Deeper If you want to learn more about how starting or growing a robust, regular gratitude practice can improve markers of physical and emotional well-being, check out these articles: How to Practice Gratitude Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate The Power of Gratitude (with a Healthy Dose of Cynicism) The Science of Gratitude For support in establishing a daily practice, we also have a beautiful Gratitude Journal, and a deck of flexible, versatile Gratitude Affirmation cards. For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation to Awaken the Flow of Gratitude in Nature And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

Join Emily Jane, a mindfulness teacher and recovery coach with over eight years of sobriety, as she shares her trauma-informed somatic meditation techniques. She discusses how to cultivate a sense of safety in the body, helping listeners transition from a state of stress to one of peace. Emily guides a gentle body scan and breathwork to identify and release tension. Learn how to create a somatic anchor for safety and tune into the sensations that foster calm. This insightful practice supports those recovering from trauma or addiction.

You may have heard of "impermanence" as an important theme in meditation. In this guided practice, Toby Sola introduces us to the ease of flow state with two simple but profound techniques: exploring impermanence directly by noticing changes in our body sensations, and using labels to hone concentration. Toby Sola is dedicated to helping you create a feedback loop between your meditation practice and your ability to make the world a better place. Toby has been teaching meditation for two decades and has refined his craft through years of monastic training and close collaboration with the world-renowned teacher Shinzen Young. He is an award-winning designer and founder of the Brightmind Meditation app. Note that this meditation includes longer pauses of complete silence to give you time to spend in contemplation and practice the techniques introduced. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Toby Sola here. Go Deeper If you want to learn more about flow state, focus, and facing impermanence, here are more articles to explore: Flow State: How to Get in the Zone Find Your Focus: Own Your Attention in 12 Minutes a Day Not Just Marking Time: How Rituals Help Us Face Impermanence with Mindfulness and Gratitude For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation to Rest in the Flow of Effortlessness. And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

When difficult or painful emotions feel like they're swirling all around you, it can be challenging to find a steady place to catch your breath. In this guided meditation, mindfulness teacher Scott Rogers uses the metaphor of a hurricane to help us recognize the qualities and the impermanence of even our stormiest emotions. Scott Rogers is founder and director of the University of Miami School of Law's Mindfulness in Law Program where he integrates mindfulness into the law school curriculum, and he is co-founder of the UMindfulness, the University's Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative. Scott collaborates on neuroscience research into the efficacy of mindfulness training programs in high stress professions and has written numerous articles and authored five books on mindfulness, including The Elements of Mindfulness. He has appeared on television and radio and been interviewed in newspapers and magazines across the world for his creative and accessible methods of sharing mindfulness with people of all ages and walks of life. Scott is principal advisor to Innergy Meditation in Miami, and lives with his family in Miami Beach, Florida. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup About Our Contributor Find more from Scott Rogers here. Go Deeper If you want to learn about how mindfulness can help you make room for and move through all kinds of challenging emotions, check out these articles: A Mindful Guide to Navigating Difficult Emotions The Upside of Sadness Making Friends with Difficult Emotions For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation for Navigating Difficult Emotions. And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

If you've been having trouble falling asleep lately, this body scan meditation with Diana Winston offers a gentle, soothing way to be with the tension in our minds and our bodies. Take a deep breath, let go, and ease into rest. Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center and author of several books including The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering your Natural Awareness. A quick note: Since this is a sleep meditation, you won't be hearing a closing bell or statement like usual, but instead just a drifting off into silence. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Diana Winston here. Go Deeper Reconnecting with our body and its signals is a key part of being able to drop into full relaxation and rest. Here are two more articles that can help you increase body awareness: How to Befriend Your Body The Science of Embodiment: Connect to Your Body's Wisdom For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Letting Go of Stress and Falling Asleep And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

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, is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics. He's a regular contributor to Mindful.org and Psychology Today. He is the author of How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit developmentaldoctor.com. Together with ADHD Life Coach and Certified ADHD Educator Dana Crews, Dr. Bertin is leading a retreat October 10-12, 2025, to support adults navigating life with ADHD. Hosted at the Menla Retreat Center in the serene Catskill Mountains, Held and Whole is a restorative and educational three-day ADHD retreat that will offer practical, mindfulness-based tools to strengthen emotional regulation, deepen self-awareness, and foster authenticity. You can get more information and reserve your spot here. Plus, listeners to this podcast can claim a 15% early bird discount when they enter code "Mindful" at checkout, good through August 15th. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup More About Our Contributor Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin and his work here. Go Deeper Being with reality exactly as it is, without judgment or denial, is one of the core principles of mindful practice. It is also one of the most challenging. If you want to learn more about what this principle looks like in practice, including fostering mindful awareness with neurodivergence, check out these additional articles: Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different Three Ways Acceptance Helps You Work with Difficult Emotions Mindful Parenting for ADHD And for more practice building calm awareness in meditation, here are other meditations to try: A Guided Breathing Meditation to Cultivate Awareness A Mindfulness Practice for Nonjudgmental Awareness More from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

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 capacity to both give and receive love. As a bestselling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker, Emma Seppälä teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management's Women's Leadership Program. A psychologist and research scientist by training, her expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her bestselling book The Happiness Track (HarperOne, 2016) has been translated into dozens of languages. Her new book is Sovereign (Hay House, 2024). Seppälä is also the Science Director of Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Dr. Emma Seppälä here. Go Deeper If you want to understand more about the practice of loving-kindness, why it matters, and how to build it—even with difficult people or in times when you aren't feeling very compassionate—here are some articles to get you started: Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different Loving-Kindness Meditation with Sharon Salzberg For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A 12-Minute Meditation for Self-Compassion and Loving-Kindness. And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

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 shame. Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the senior director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto. Rockman is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Family Medicine, cross appointed to Psychiatry. She has extensive experience practicing individual psychotherapy, leading therapy groups, and training healthcare providers in mindfulness-based interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and change management for stress reduction. She is a freelance writer, yoga teacher, and meditation practitioner. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter: mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Dr. Patricia Rockman here. Go Deeper Shame is a universal and challenging human experience. If you'd like to learn more about where it comes from and how mindfulness can help heal the wounds of shame, these three articles can help: Feeling Lonely? 4 Ways to Release Shame and Build Healthy Relationships Tame Your Money Shame The Downward Spiral of Shame For more practice, here is another Meditation for Working with Shame. And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.