Our Mindful Nature: Meditations Inspired by Nature to Soothe the Overwhelmed Mind and Ease Anxiety

This meditation practice is an opportunity to cultivate non-judgment as we begin to express ourselves more authentically. It can be easy to second guess these truer parts of ourselves, to feel embarrassed, wrong or uncomfortable after putting yourself out there in a vulnerable and real way.   Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts reminds us that, “The freedom to be average is also the grace granted for imperfect works-in-progress."   Shall we be average together for a bit? My colleague Tiffany Johnson leads this practice. These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice. You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. Learn more about Tiffany Johnson by visiting tiffanydawnjohnson.com You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

This week, Tiffany Johnson and I continue to explore authenticity as a journey thanks to the research of Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts.   Roberts also writes -   “The spotlight is brighter, employment insecurity and economic insecurity looms larger, and the demands of working, caregiving, and merely surviving have grown exponentially. Who has the wiggle room under these circumstances to drop the ball, to deliver less-than-their-best, to express a bit less patience and a bit more frustration? {....} The freedom to be average is also the grace granted for imperfect works-in-progress."   Whew. Exactly what I needed to hear. How about you?   In this episode, Tiffany talks to us about cultivating a practice of non-judgment as we step more fully into ourselves within our work and personal lives. I share a little about my experience of authentic expression while creating my app and the surprising part that almost derailed the whole project.   Join us for today’s discussion and practice! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider leaving me a review wherever you found this podcast. Your review helps others to find this show! You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. Learn more about Tiffany Johnson by visiting tiffanydawnjohnson.com You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

Today’s mini meditation invites us to experience authenticity not as a static endpoint but as a journey. A perpetually evolving place that invites us to take the next best step even when we can’t see the full picture. Join me for today’s practice. These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice. You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

You guys!!! I finally get to see the magic words… my new app, Shoreline, is LIVE and ready to be downloaded! You can find Shoreline by visiting merylarnett.com. It is available in the App store for iPhone users. The android version will be released a bit later. You’ve heard me talk a ton about the app in earlier episodes so all I will say here is please. Go check it out. Download it. Try the free offerings. And please please please, will you leave me a review in the app store? Reviews are everything when it comes to showing up in searches and growing. There is so much goodness in this app. There are meditations that you know and love from the podcast, there is a ton of completely new content and I’m releasing a new meditation every single day on the app. Every. Day. Y’all. We have so much more we are excited to add to the app as we grow, but for now, my new baby is here and I can’t wait for you to experience it. <3 Now, let’s get to today’s class…. In this week's meditation, I continue to co-teach with my friend Tiffany Johnson.   I need to mention that the day this class was recorded, here in the States, we had just learned of another police murder of a young black man - Daunte Wright. So, this class starts out with a brief acknowledgement of the present moment emotions and why this practice, seemingly unrelated, is indeed an important practice for us all to do.   We return to the idea of tapping into the steady space within - not only because of its steadiness but because of what it may be telling us about what we want, need, and feel in the present moment.  Drawing upon the work of Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, we begin talking about authenticity as a journey made up of acts or expressions that originate from the source.  It is here - at the source - that we may begin to understand how to take the next best step, even when we feel uncertain.  In doing so, we may also become aware of ways to creatively craft our environments - be they work, life, parenthood, community, or something at the intersections.  In all, we affirm that life and work -  just like authenticity - are big journeys made up of small moments. We affirm that our practice of mindfulness meditation- through present moment awareness - can help us be on these journeys, and take the next best step along the way.   We wanted to send some goodies your way from this week's talk:   A. Here is the short clip with Dr. Morgan Roberts speaking about authenticity: https://www.hbs.edu/about/video.aspx?v=1_8963oj3w   B. Here is her article about the 4 freedoms work, which she argues are necessary for creating racial justice at work (thus, in the world,at large). They are all centered around authenticity: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/racial-justice-in-workplace-with-freedom-measurements/   C. Here are some inquiry questions that you may want to reflect on over the next week: 1. Do I feel free to express authentically? 2. What inner experiences do I want to express, but I am not expressing? 3. What inner experiences have I wanted to address in the past that I did express (without oppressing)? (Please give yourself major props for this) 4. Where and how might I be more creative and craft in my working life right now. 5. What aspects of my organization make it difficult for me to express authentically? 6. How would I like aspects of my organization or work to shift in order to express myself more authentically? 7. In this job, what do I have agency over? Where is change possible? What small (but potent) shifts can I begin to make now in expressing authentically? If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider leaving me a review wherever you found this podcast. Your review helps others to find this show! You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. Learn more about Tiffany Johnson here: http://tiffanydawnjohnson.com/ You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

Join my friend and colleague, Tiffany Johnson, as she guides us through a meditation designed to wake us up to our true Self and how we relate to ourselves both on the cushion and at work. This meditation is an excerpt from our April Meditation Series: Passion & Paychecks. The full class airs each Thursday on this podcast. These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice. Learn more about Tiffany Johnson: http://tiffanydawnjohnson.com/about/yoga-meditation-with-tiffany/ You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

Whew, y’all…. This meditation series is ALL THINGS WORK RELATED! This series developed out of a conversation with my regular Monday night crew - we were talking about some of the everyday struggles that come up at work, the tug to do something different, even feeling creatively stifled...⁠ ⁠ And so, this series was born... Even more exciting, I’m co-teaching this series alongside a friend/student/colleague - Tiffany Johnson.   Tiffany, aside from being a brilliant meditation teacher {and regular Monday night practitioner}, is a work and equity scholar, writer, and teacher. She is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and she does research related to work(places), equity, and well-being.⁠ ⁠ Together, we will bring a unique exploration to the field of the workplace {and the inner self, naturally} over the next four episodes. Exploring what it means to 'work', how our inner experiences show up, and what do we do with passion and creativity when it comes to our 9 - 5?⁠ ⁠ This series is for you if you:⁠ ✔️ struggle with workplace stress⁠ ✔️ aren't quite sure how to navigate the tension between your passion/s and your paycheck⁠ ✔️ love elements of your job but hate the necessary tasks that accompany it⁠ ⁠ Join Tiffany & me in today’s episode of The Mindful Minute as we discuss work, mindfulness, 4th spaces and how we relate.   Learn more about Tiffany Johnson: http://tiffanydawnjohnson.com/about/yoga-meditation-with-tiffany/ If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider leaving me a review wherever you found this podcast. Your review helps others to find this show! You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

Today’s mini meditation is the Elemental Purification practice we did throughout last month’s meditation series: Our Elemental Nature. You can do this practice anytime you want to feel more connected to Earth, Nature and her elements. It is especially potent to do this practice outside, if you have the opportunity. Enjoy! These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice. You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

Y’all... I have been waiting for almost a full year to share this episode with you! It has felt like the biggest, most exciting secret, and now I can finally share this joy with you! As you know by now, I have been working tirelessly on a new meditation app called Shoreline, and one of my creative partners in this endeavour is acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. For months now, Gordon and I have had weekly virtual conversations to sit together and listen and discuss the sounds of the natural world around us. I think perhaps the thing I love most about these conversations is that when I listen to Gordon talk about his experiences of listening to nature, he uses the same words, the same feeling tones that I use as I talk about meditation. It is two different pathways to the exact same place - a place of awakening to the immense love of being alive. As you know, I am passionate about offering meditation in ways that feel accessible and doable for ALL OF US. No matter how busy, how many kids, how many struggles… we can all meditate. And, I believe Shoreline gives us some new options within this practice. I sat down with Gordon a few weeks ago to talk about the Songs of Spring and what is really offered in the “opportunities of now” - let’s listen together. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider leaving me a review wherever you found this podcast. Your review helps others to find this show! You can listen to Gordon Hempton’s interview on the On Being Podcast here: https://onbeing.org/programs/gordon-hempton-silence-and-the-presence-of-everything/ You can learn more about me and my new app Shoreline here: merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

There is a trail near my house; it cuts through the woods, follows along a creek, and makes its way back to an old textile mill from the 1800s. The mill changed hands a few times and ultimately ended up being run by a woman. This woman also worked to create the first settlement for Eastern European Jewish immigrants in this area. My ancestors are Eastern European Jews. Even before that, before mills and immigrants, the indigenous people first on this land were here. There are carvings in the rocks along this very river from these First People that we can still see today. So, a few times a week, I walk this trail. I step over a heart-shaped rock embedded in the ground, and I reach a spot just before the mill... a sandy little nook along the shoreline. There is a rock that overhangs the water; it is just long enough to lie down on, and so I do. I stretch out on my back, I stare at the sky, and I think about all the other people that might have laid down in this very spot. People that carried worries, if not identical to mine, than very likely in the same vein: Worries about making ends meet Worries about doing the very best by your children Worries about the community and the ecosystems that support that community Worries about changes unknown coming around the corner I lie on this rock, and I allow myself to breathe and to feel, and I stay until I know I’m done. Always past that first inclination to get up... I stay until I well and truly feel held. Because I always do. When I come here and I lie on the earth, on this stone that has seen eons longer than I ever will, I feel held. I feel supported. I remember that these worries aren’t meant to be carried by me alone. When we talk about the earth element - absolutely we can talk about what we want to plant. We can talk about nutrients and nourishment and fecundity, but let’s first talk about support. Let’s talk about being held. For the earth is what has held us {all beings} throughout time. Join me now for today’s discussion of the earth element, both external and internal, and then a 20-minute guided meditation practice. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider leaving me a review wherever you found this podcast. Your review helps others to find this show! You can learn more about my: *Shoreline: my new meditation app *Live, virtual meditation classes with me *Upcoming events All by visiting merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl

Today’s mini meditation is another sneak peak of the upcoming meditation app Shoreline. Today’s practice works with one of my favorite Zen koans from John Tarrant Roshi: The coin that is lost in the river is found in the river. Curious? Join me for today’s 10 minute meditation; the river soundscape you hear in the background was recorded by acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. You’ll be able to access more meditations and soundscapes like this in my new app Shoreline; click the link below to find out when it will be available for download! These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice. You can learn more about my: *My upcoming meditation app: Shoreline *and, my live, virtual meditation classes All by visiting merylarnett.com. You can also grab my FREE Meditation Starter Kit on my website merylarnett.com. It is full of my favorite tips, stories and ideas for starting and maintaining a daily meditation practice. Grab your copy today! --> http://bit.ly/meditationstarterkit *** Connect with me on Instagram {@merylarnett} to get bonus meditation tips, mini-meditations, and the occasional baby spam: https://www.instagram.com/merylarnett/   #meditatewithmeryl