12 Minute Meditation

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 mindfulness conference. Melli has distilled and synthesized her knowledge on resilience, stress management, peak performance psychology, positive neuroplasticity training, and mindfulness into The Deep Resilience Method, released as her book Deep Resilience in February 2025. Starting July 15th, Melli is hosting The Deep Resilience Experience, a 30-day online course that will help you build unshakeable inner strength in 15 minutes a day. 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 Melli O’Brien here. To learn more about Melli’s upcoming Deep Resilience Experience (and how you can get $350 in bonus gifts when you sign up before July 15th), click here. Go Deeper Want to understand more about the connection between practicing mindfulness and easing anxiety? These three articles are a great place to start: Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop Most Habit-Change Tools Fail With Anxiety—Here’s One that WorksWhy Does My Anxiety Keep Coming Back? For more practice, here are 5 Guided Meditations for Panic and Anxiety that you can try when you need support. 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.

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 free to pause the recording as you go. Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her book Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends, is published with Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website, www.meditationwithheart.com. 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 Kimberly Brown here and read her recent (and timely) article on Mindful.org. Go Deeper Want to learn more about how taking intentional breaks can make your days better? These two articles are a great place to start: Break Up Your Work Day with Purposeful PausesHow to Get Good Pause For more practice, try this 12-Minute Meditation to Cultivate Calm and Clarity that you can turn to when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed and need a break. 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.

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, so that you can quickly attain deep 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 practice includes long pauses of complete silence to give you time to spend in contemplation. 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 and his company Brightmind here. Go Deeper Want to learn more about training your attention? Here are two articles we think you’ll love: Paying Attention to the Space In Between Reclaiming Our Attention From “Convenience” For more practice, try this 3-Part Focused Attention Meditation Series you can use to strengthen your focus when you feel distracted. 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 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 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 Learn more about Tara Healy 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. Today, meditation teacher and bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn guides us through a silent walking meditation—a great addition to your mindfulness toolkit and a way to enter more deeply into the vitality & sensory richness of what is happening in & around you right now. [link]

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 vitality and sensory richness of what is happening in and around you right now. A walking meditation isn’t about getting anywhere or accomplishing anything. It’s just about being with each step, fully here, where you actually are. There is no arriving, other than continually arriving in the present moment. 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 Learn more about the work and research of Jon Kabat-Zinn 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.

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 guides us through a gentle practice based on Tonglen. This meditation is a space for us to simply experience our struggle, to breathe in any tension or tightness, and to breathe out love, both as a sense of openness and ease, and also as a way of being at peace with ourselves and others. Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. 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 Kimberly Brown here and read her recent (and timely) article on Mindful.org. 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 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 through a meditation we can lean on when things get tough. Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. 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 Ed Halliwell 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.

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.

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 reassurances. In this practice, we’re not just saying the opposite of what we’re feeling, hoping that it will be true. Rather, it’s about anchoring into a deep-down sense of worthiness and compassion that’s always present, regardless of how well things are going for us or how great we feel about ourselves in any given moment. 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 Caverly Morgan here. You can learn more about unconditional reassurances on Mindful.org, where we interviewed Caverly 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.

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 greeting of Sawubona, which carries an intentional willingness to see and to be seen, in our fullness, vulnerability, mutual belonging, and radiance. This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we will be 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 new 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 Shelly Harrell here: The Soulfulness CenterMindful.org 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 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 tender way to be with the many difficult emotions that accompany losses in our lives, while opening the door just a bit to what might lie ahead. Brenda K. Mitchell is a pastor, mindfulness teacher, and advocate for survivors of gun violence. She lost her son Kenneth to gun violence in 2005, when he was just 31 years old. After discovering how mindfulness could help her be with and heal her own grief, she started bringing mindful practices to other people who have experienced trauma and loss as a result of gun violence. This meditation marks the beginning of our Women of Mindfulness series, where we will be 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 new subscription tiers and join Mindful here. Want a chance to WIN a free year of Mindful Premium? Simply visit: https://signups.mindful.org/win-premium/ and enter your email today. 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 Brenda Mitchell here: Read Brenda’s story Learn how Brenda and others are using mindfulness to heal from the trauma of gun violence on Mindful.org 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.