The Mindful Podcast

Forgiveness is almost never a one-and-done action. Whether what we’re forgiving is big or small, our own error or someone else’s—most often, there are residual feelings of anger, hurt, or resentment to contend with.  In this guided practice, Mark Bertin addresses this tendency to compound our suffering when we hang onto these difficult emotions. He offers a way to gently surrender this extra emotional baggage so that we can fully experience the healing that forgiveness offers. 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 (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit . 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:  Show Notes Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin . Go Deeper Forgiveness is one of the most challenging mindful qualities to develop. Understandably, we want to feel seen and heard in our pain, and we don’t want to feel like we’re being walked over or making excuses for harmful behavior. From a mindfulness perspective, forgiveness holds all of these experiences in a kind of loving tension, allowing the complexities to surface. To learn more about what forgiveness is (and isn’t) and how to nurture it in your daily life, check out these resources from the website:         If you’re at the very beginning of the process and want help getting started on your forgiveness journey, try this practice: .  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

Having chronic pain often feels incredibly lonely. You might not know anybody else who has the same condition. In addition, most people you're close to, even though they might be well-intentioned, might not understand what you're going through.  But the fact is that probably thousands and thousands of people all over the world know exactly what you're feeling. In this meditation, Christiane Wolf offers a guided practice to meet your own body in pain and relieve that sense of isolation by internally connecting with others who understand your experience.  Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is passionate about translating ancient wisdom teachings into accessible and applicable modern-day language. She is the author of Outsmart Your Pain – Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind and the co-author of the classic training manual for mindfulness teachers, A Clinician's Guide To Teaching Mindfulness. Christiane is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA’s (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training and a senior teacher at InsightLA. She is the mom of three amazing humans and can usually be found in the Los Angeles area training for ultramarathons and triathlons. 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:  Show Notes Find more from Christiane Wolf . Go Deeper Living with chronic conditions is one of the most difficult challenges to face—the effects are never just physical. While mindfulness is never a cure-all for pain or illness, it can offer relief in sometimes-surprising ways. To learn more about how mindful practices can ease suffering in mind and body, check out these articles from the archive:         For more practice using meditation to be with your body, even when it’s in pain, here is a meditation from pain expert Vidyamala Burch: .  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

We often imagine that our actions are the result of choice and awareness, which means that we can be extra critical of ourselves when we’re struggling with habits that aren’t serving us. But researchers in the science of habit and craving have found that much of our decision-making process is the result of unconscious neuro-chemical loops that reinforce themselves over time.  In this meditation, author and researcher Judson Brewer introduces a thoughtful way to bring genuine awareness and choice back into the equation when cravings arise.  Judson Brewer, MD, Ph.D. (“Dr. Jud”) is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” who blends over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large. Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as a professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University.  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:  About the Teacher Find more from Judson Brewer . Go Deeper Learning how to witness our mind without over-identifying with everything it comes up with is one of the most challenging parts of mindful practice. But it also yields some of the biggest benefits for our overall well-being. If you want to learn more about this foundational mindful skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org:         For more practice on working with thoughts, here’s another meditation you can try: .  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

The nature of the mind is to make thoughts. All day long, mostly without our even noticing, the mind is generating thousands of thoughts. People often misunderstand mindfulness and meditation as ways to control or even stop our mind’s churning—but that isn’t even really possible.  With mindful attention, we can learn to notice and be aware of what our minds are up to, and that awareness is what gives us agency and opens new doorways to interior peace. In this meditation, teacher Vinny Ferraro guides us through a practice to see thoughts clearly as they arise, gently note them, and then return to the breath and body. Vinny Ferraro has been a practitioner of insight meditation (vipassanā) since the early 1990s. He is a co-Founder of the Dharma Punx and co-Guiding Teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He is also a nationally recognized leader in designing and implementing interventions for at-risk adolescents and is currently Senior Trainer for Mindful Schools. In 1987, he began leading groups in drug rehabilitation centers, juvenile halls, and halfway houses. In 2001, he began teaching for Challenge Day, a nationally recognized, social & emotional learning program, eventually becoming their Director of Training and leading workshops for over 110,000 youth on four continents. 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:  Show Notes Find more from Vinny Ferraro . Go Deeper Learning how to witness our mind without over-identifying with everything it comes up with is one of the most challenging parts of mindful practice. But it also yields some of the biggest benefits for our overall well-being. If you want to learn more about this foundational mindful skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org:         For more practice on working with thoughts, here’s another meditation you can try: .  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

What do you do when you’ve made a plan, you’ve done everything you can to make it work…and things still don’t turn out the way you hoped? In frustration and disappointment, it’s easy to focus on what’s wrong.  This exercise—adapted from Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing by Eric Langshur and Nate Klemp, and led by mindfulness coach Priti Patel—offers a quick way to realign toward what is working, which can help us settle and give us clarity.   Nate Klemp, PhD, is coauthor of . He is a former philosophy professor and a founding partner at Mindful. He is also coauthor of The 80/80 Marriage: A New Model for a Happier, Stronger Relationship and Start Here, a New York Times bestselling guide to mindfulness in the real world. Nate received his BA and MA from Stanford University, and his PhD from Princeton University.   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:  Show Notes Find more from Nate Klemp . Go Deeper Gratitude is a game-changer. It’s so much more than just trying to scare up happy feelings—it’s actually a practice that can rewire our brains, shift our neurochemistry, and improve our relationships over time. For more info on this small-but-mighty skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org:         For more practice, here’s you can try.  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

When painful emotions are circling all around, our instinct is often to reach for external reassurance.  In this practice, law professor and author Rhona Magee offers a gentle reminder that the key to calm starts with a simple pause—and we get to choose that.   Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. Also trained in sociology and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), she is a highly practiced facilitator of trauma-sensitive, restorative MBSR interventions for lawyers and law students, and for minimizing the effects of social-identity-based bias. Magee has been a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Law and Society and a visiting professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley. 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:  Show Notes Find more from Rhonda Magee . Go Deeper Working with challenging, painful emotions is at the heart of mindfulness practices. It’s counter-intuitive, but the key to alleviating the suffering that often accompanies feelings like fear, rage, grief, or jealousy is not to fix or overcome them, but to move toward them with compassion and curiosity. To learn more about building this mindful skill, check out these articles:         For another meditation, here’s you can try.  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

If you’ve ever tried to push away anxiety or depression when they show up, you probably already know: Fighting these complex, difficult emotions usually doesn’t work. In fact, our resistance often makes the experience even more challenging.  In today’s practice, Ed Halliwell offers a guided visualization based on a foundational mindful question: What if you don’t try to push this experience away, but instead watch it as it plays out?  Ed Halliwell is a mindfulness teacher and writer, based in Sussex and London, UK. He is author of three books: , and (as co-author) and teaches courses and retreats to public groups, in organizations and to individuals, face-to-face and online via Skype. He is also an advisor to , which is supporting the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK. 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:  Show Notes Find more from Ed Halliwell . Go Deeper Anxiety, panic, and depression can sometimes feel like a vortex we’re sucked into that’s impossible to get out of. It’s important to understand that mindfulness and meditation aren’t cure-alls or instant fixes, and that they’re most effective when used in concert with other healing modalities. There are practices that can help us be with thoughts and feelings in a compassionate, non-judgmental way—and this open-hearted approach can often loosen the grip of difficult moments. If you’d like to explore more about how mindful practices can help improve mental well-being, check out these resources on Mindful.org:           ​​  For more practice, here are that you can try.  And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

Our brains are hardwired to notice the negative. It’s part of how our ancient ancestors were able to survive in constantly threatening environments.   But this negativity bias can also make it difficult for us and our kids—even in our comparatively less threatening environments—to navigate daily stressors, like big tests, arguments, or disappointments.  In this shorter practice specifically designed for younger meditators, Dr. Mark Bertin shows kids how to gently guide their attention back to the positive things they might have missed, in order to help soothe the nervous system and bring calm.  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 (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit . 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:  Show Notes Find more from Mark Bertin . Go Deeper Kids of all ages can benefit from learning and practicing mindful skills. For more resources to help kids and teens build resilience, navigate tough emotions, calm anxiety, and improve emotional regulation, check out these resources on the Mindful site:         For more practice, we’ve got an entire collection of meditations to support growing minds.   And more from Mindful here:

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 , 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:  Show Notes Find more from Jenée Johnson and her work with The Right Within Experience . 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:         For more practice, here’s another deep rest practice you can try: . And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

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 , 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:  Show Notes Find more from Janice Marturano and her commitment to raising mindful leaders . 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:         For more practice, here’s another meditation to try:   And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

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:  Show Notes Find more from Kin Armstrong . 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:         For support in establishing a daily practice, we also have a beautiful , and a deck of flexible, versatile .  For more practice, here’s another meditation to try:   And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

Join us for a transformative meditation led by Jessica Morey, as we explore the power of connecting with our own goodness. By anchoring ourselves in feelings of love and gratitude, we can cultivate a sense of loving-kindness and compassion that extends beyond ourselves and into the world. In this practice, Jessica guides us through various steps to deepen our connection with ourselves and others. Starting with listening to our bodies and surrendering to gravity, we embrace the support and kindness within and around us. Placing a hand on our body, we offer soothing and supportive gestures throughout the practice. Through breath and intention, we wish ourselves well and explore phrases of loving-kindness and self-compassion. We allow these well wishes to permeate our being, bathing every cell of our body in happiness and ease. With our hearts overflowing with love and gratitude, we shift our focus to someone in our lives who effortlessly inspires love. We extend our well wishes to them, hoping for their well-being, happiness, and ease. As we conclude this meditative journey, we carry the warmth of loving-kindness and compassion with us, ready to face the world with open hearts and open minds. Tune in to this episode and embrace the transformative power of connecting with your own goodness.   Show Notes Find more from Jessica Morey here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .    

Join clinical psychologist Diana Hill as she takes us on a journey to uncover the profound meaning that can arise from our greatest pains. Drawing from her extensive experience straddling the realms of pain and meaning, Diana guides us through a thought-provoking experiment. Through a series of activities, we explore the discomfort we feel and the significance these activities hold in our lives. From saying no when overwhelmed to engaging with opposing political views, Diana skillfully highlights the inherent connection between pain and meaning. Discover how a meaningful life is not devoid of pain but rather intertwined with it. Engaging in purposeful activities often brings discomfort, yet this discomfort can serve as a source of pleasure and growth. Diana shares insights from experts, revealing how contrast, self-reflection breaks, and the signaling of strength contribute to finding pleasure in pain. Learn how pain plays a vital role in our brain's dopamine balance and why skillfully choosing pain in service of what matters to us can lead to a more fulfilling life. Diana introduces six strategies to expand our flexibility in the face of discomfort, such as embracing the power of choice, turning up the meaning dial, and staying present in the moment. She guides us to physicalize our discomfort, expand our perspective, and transcend our self-centered mindset to cultivate compassion and interconnection. Don't miss this captivating episode that will challenge your understanding of pain, meaning, and the transformative possibilities that arise when we wholeheartedly embrace our full range of experiences.    Show notes Find more from Diana Hill, PhD here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.  

Join us this week as Rose Felix Cratsley shares powerful affirmations that nurture self-compassion, encourage personal growth, and bring about healing through hope. With a firm belief in the importance of mindfulness as a fundamental human right, Rose reminds us that we enter this world with openness and curiosity, yet often find ourselves burdened by self-judgment, criticism, fear, and anxiety. Rose is the visionary founder and president of Ivy Child International, a remarkable non-profit organization dedicated to creating global mental health initiatives for children, families, and communities. Through their impactful work, Ivy Child International strives to improve the well-being of individuals worldwide. Tune in to discover affirmations that will empower you to embrace self-compassion, foster growth, and find solace in the transformative power of hope. Rose's wisdom and experience will guide you on a journey of healing, as you navigate the challenges of life with renewed strength and resilience.   Show notes: Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

Join expert Cara Bradley for a transformative mindful movement practice, synchronizing mind and body through breath and spinal movement. This practice integrates mindfulness into movement, unlocking the power of the mind-body connection. Experience increased calmness, clarity, relaxation, and alertness. Cara Bradley, renowned in mindful movement, guides you through spinal alignment with breath, followed by seated observation. Explore subtle sensations and body boundaries in the first half. In the second half, sit and notice thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Cara Bradley's practice offers a holistic approach, enhancing physical alignment, flexibility, body awareness, and mental resilience. Embark on this journey, guided by Cara Bradley, and embrace the profound benefits of mindful movement in just one session. Harmonize mind and body, transforming your well-being. Show notes: Find more from Cara Bradley here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

As this week’s meditation teacher Mark Coleman says, "We know being in nature is good for us, but how do we put this into practice in a way that will really serve and nurture us?" This is a question we address in our course, Nature Meditations. And with Spring blossoming around us, it seems like the right time to get outside and appreciate what the natural world offers. Show Notes: Find more from Mark Coleman here:   And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing .

Delicious means enjoyable, delightful, and pleasant—and we can bring that perspective into the kitchen as we cook. This week, mindful eating expert Lynn Rossy offers four ways to savor the dance of cooking. Lynn says Delicious is the term used to describe the type of food she hopes to eat, but also the way in which she moves.  For this practice, find a quiet spot to listen and visualize with Lynn’s guidance, or, bring this podcast with you into the kitchen when you go to cook your next meal. When Lynn’s instructions end, you can continue to meditate, journal, or cook, reflecting on Lynn’s offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell. Show notes Find more from Lynn Rossy here: And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

This week we're offering something a little different. Elaine Smookler guides a laughter yoga practice. The amazing thing about laughter is you don’t even have to really have something funny to laugh at. We can actually induce laughter as an experience and the body will still release the same endorphins. This gentle movement exercise is Elaine’s foolproof way to induce laughter. It is based on the Hawaiian word “Aloha,” a nice vowel-y word that opens the mouth and throat just by saying it. You can practice alongside Elaine, then, when the laughter yoga ends, find a comfortable position where you can continue to meditate or journal, reflecting on Elaine’s offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell. Show notes Find more from Elaine Smookler here: And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

This week, Patricia Rockman offers a practice to explore your habitual reactions. This meditation is about working with habits. In particular, our habitual reactions to difficult situations that commonly arise. These could be anger at being stuck in traffic, sadness at not getting what we want, or frustration when dealing with companies that keep us on hold for what feels like eternity. Whatever it may be, mindfulness practices can help us deal with our habitual reactivity in more skillful ways. Show notes Find more from Patricia Rockman here: And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.

Wisdom arises out of our mind’s capacity to be aware—which is not the same as thinking. Meditation teacher Kimberly Brown says, wisdom is a moment-to-moment awareness of what’s arising internally and externally. So, this week, Brown offers a practice to train our awareness. It begins with developing concentration, which allows us to let go of our thoughts and our plans and be in this moment. Show Notes Find more from Kimberly Brown here: And more from Mindful here: Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.