12 Minute Meditation

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 decisions that often crowd our busy lives.   Note that this practice includes pauses of complete silence that might be longer than our listeners are accustomed to. This is to give you time to spend in contemplation. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.      If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Toby Sola and his company Brightmind here. 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 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 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.  If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin here. 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.

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 actually share the same overarching purpose.  If you’re new to meditation or curious about trying new approaches, you’ll love this week’s practice.  Note that there are intentional pauses included in today's recording. If you'd like more time to practice the techniques outlined here, please feel free to pause the recording as you go along.   If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  There’s still time to get in on some of our best Mother’s Day deals! Claim up to 50% off—ends May 12th.  Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Toby Sola and his company Brightmind here. 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.

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 fresh way to consider our connection to the natural spaces around us. This is a practice that invites reverence, gratitude, and belonging, where our experience of the earth moves from being strictly transactional to being interconnected and relational.  This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.   If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Yuria Celidwen here. You can learn more about Yuria’s story and how her work is fostering an “ethics of belonging”  on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature. 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.

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 device or app or game or even your work email might satisfy a specific, lacking, healthy emotional need.” So how do we mindfully hold that tension and seek balance in our relationship to technology?  In today’s meditation, Jay leads us through a contemplative practice that can help us dig down and understand our motivations for using tech, while also identifying ways to be more intentional about the why, how, and when of our digital consumption.  If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our  subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Jay Vidyarthi here. If you live in North America and are interested in creating a healthier relationship to all the screens in your life, you can enter to win a free copy of Jay’s new book, Reclaim Your Mind: Seven Strategies to Enjoy Tech Mindfully, which offers a compassionate, research-informed path to a more intentional digital life. The contest runs through May 17th, and it’s easy and free to enter. Just click here.    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 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 that benefit all involved.  This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.   If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our  subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Dr. Bahl here. You can learn more about Shalini’s story and how she leads through bringing mindfulness to organizations, marketing, and business on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature. 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.

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 Mindfulness walks us through a forgiveness meditation filled with kindness, grace, and surrender that’s designed to help us walk a little lighter in the world.  If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our  subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Will Schneider here. Discover more from Men Talking Mindfulness here.  Men Talking Mindfulness is also starting a new online meditation circle, every Sunday at 4pm ET from April 27 - June 29. It’s for all adults, not just men! You can get more info and sign up here. And if you missed this one, there will be more in the future. Email will@mentalkingmindfulness.com to get on the list. 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.  

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 long for is just a moment of peace to rest in.  In today’s guided meditation, longtime meditation teacher and pain expert Vidyamala Burch offers a tender practice to find a middle way—one that doesn’t lean into denial or give in to overwhelm, but rather allows all that is happening to be gently met, as Vidyamala says, with “wholeness, integration, and kindliness.”    This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.  If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our  subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Vidyamala Burch here. You can learn more about Vidyamala’s story and how she came to be a leader in the mindfulness movement on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature. 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.  

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 Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.  If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our  subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Melli O’Brien here. You can learn more about Melli’s story and her leadership in helping people develop robust mental strength on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature. Get your copy of Melli’s new book, Deep Resilience, here. You can also sign up for a chance to win one of three signed copies of Melli’s book during our giveaway. Just click here to learn more and add your name to the drawing.   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.

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 meditation accessible for neurodiverse communities. In this practice, she guides us through what she calls “Dual Anchor,” a kind of meditation that engages the senses to help gently steer attention.  This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.  If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week.  Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our  subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup. Show Notes Find more from Sue Hutton here. You can learn more about Sue’s neurodiversity-informed approach to  mindfulness on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature. 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.