Breathe and Relax
Learning to breathe and relax can deepen your capacity to stay present to the events of your life. This meditation can provide space for you to notice as feelings and thoughts arise, shift, and fade...
View ArticleFocus, Flow, and Let Go
Some forms of yogic meditation explore three distinct stages of practice: dharana (concentration), dhyana (a blend of will and surrender), and samadhi (surrender). In this meditation, we will...
View ArticleNoticing Space
Many of us get so wrapped up in the things around us that we rarely pay attention to the spaces between things. And yet space is always present. In this episode, we pay attention to the space between...
View ArticleNo Judgments
Awareness of the present moment without judgment is a fundamental aspect of meditation and mindfulness. This approach helps us to separate judgment of experience from the experience itself. In this...
View ArticleA Leisurely Pace
This meditation provides a space to slow the mind and the body. Moving at a leisurely pace can allow us to notice habits that bring us out of the moment. We practice letting go of whatever tries to...
View ArticleJust Being
In this episode, we experiment. We practice clinging to nothing and just being. We don't grab on to sensations and we don't push anything away. This meditation is about resting in stillness and sitting...
View ArticleLake Depth
Meditation can be done outside in natural surroundings. We can also imagine nature or listen to sounds from nature. In this meditation, we sit or lie down and visualize the changing nature of a lake....
View ArticleDifficult Situations
We can't spend our whole lives avoiding stressful situations. Sometimes we know about our unhelpful patterns and we can anticipate difficult situations. In this meditation we help prepare for...
View ArticleSo Hum
Mantra meditation is a technique that can lead to deep meditation states. Mantras can be spoken, sung, whispered, repeated inwardly or just experienced. This meditation explores the simple mantra, So...
View ArticleLet Go of Control
Many of us think our way through the days. We check things off our TODO lists to feel like we are in control. But this is all an illusion. What happens next is absolutely unknown. In this meditation,...
View ArticleBreath by Breath
The breath is a common focus during meditation. Breath meditation can help cultivate mindfulness and the ability to stay present with life. In this meditation we practice paying attention to the...
View ArticleSelf Care Creates Space for You
While I'm not particularly fond of the phrase "self care," I have found that there are places and times when self-care practices can be helpful. Self care includes making sure you are eating enough...
View ArticleRelaxing the Body
Breath control can help us fold our awareness inward. Scanning the body and can help us relax. In this meditation, we pay attention to our breath, physical sensations, and mind, relaxing into the...
View ArticleCaring for the Mind and Body
Every moment is important, and we can practice giving importance to whatever comes up in the mind. It doesn't matter how ugly or unpleasant the thought, we can always end up with beauty. In this...
View ArticleYoga Nidra Body Scan
Yoga nidra is an ancient technique, as old as any yoga, in which the body relaxes completely. It's used by healthcare workers, yoga therapists, the military, and others to help people with a variety of...
View ArticleMay You Be Well
When we practice metta meditation, also known as Loving-kindness meditation, send positive emotions to others as well as to ourselves. In this brief practice, we will purposefully and mindfully offer...
View ArticleCultivating Gratitude
The benefits of gratitude meditation include reduced stress, better sleep, and increased happiness. Gratitude is a skill that can be practiced like any other skill. Sometimes we just need some...
View ArticleAllow Thoughts to Settle
Thoughts are part of the human experience, whether we are working out a plan or sitting in meditation. Meditation is not a place to escape from thinking or push away thoughts. Rather, it's a place to...
View ArticleShine Your Light
Stanley Kubrick once said, "However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light." Given the current state of the world, it can feel like there is a lot of darkness. In this meditation you share...
View ArticleCenter, Relax, and Let Go
This meditation includes a centering exercise, some simple breathing exercises (pranayama), and other practices to help promote relaxation. To leave a comment about this episode, visit...
View ArticlePoints of Contact
In this meditation we bring attention to the points of contact with the body. We explore sensations, such as the feet touching the floor, hands on the lap, and clothing on the skin. These simple bodily...
View ArticleMental Noting
Mental noting is a meditation technique in which we label experiences as they arise, often just using a single word to describe the experience in the current moment, such as "fear," "excitement,"...
View ArticleNoticing the Body
One kind of meditation that has been show to be effective for reducing stress is a form of mindfulness meditation called body scan meditation, in which the practitioner focuses their attention on the...
View ArticleSurrender
In this meditation, we start with focused attention to encourage feelings of calm and relaxation. They we observe the flowing nature of the present moment and allow space to cultivate a sense of...
View ArticleEarth, Water, Fire, Air
In this mindfulness exercises we will examine our bodies as the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. These four elements represent the qualities of solidity, cohesion, temperature, and...
View ArticleHeart of Light
In this practice, you visualize your heart as a warm, glowing source of light. With each in-breath, the light begins to glow a bit more brightly, filling your body, your surroundings, and eventually...
View ArticlePausing for Metta
Sometimes it can be nice to pause during the day, check-in with yourself, and send out some positive energy into the world. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/52....
View ArticleRecognize Connection
In this meditation we explore the connections between our bodies, our breath, and the rest of the world. This calming practice can serve as a reminder that you are not alone and that your life is...
View ArticleCounting the Breath
In this practice, you will count your breath in order to stay anchored in the present moment, aware of what is happening in your body and mind. To leave a comment about this episode, visit...
View ArticleExploring the Senses
Our bodies sense the world all day long, and yet it can be easy to ignore those signals as we move through daily life. In this meditation, pay attention to our senses, including sounds, smells, and...
View ArticleRelaxation Response
The opposite of the stress response is the relaxation response. The relaxation response essentially turns off the fight-or-flight response. Meditation, breathing exercises, tai chi, and related...
View ArticleOpen Awareness
This meditation begins with a body scan to help calm the mind and body. Then we open our awareness to all the senses, and rest in an awareness that reminds us of the ever-changing nature of life. To...
View ArticleFinding Your Purpose
In this meditation you will explore your inner desires and purpose. You will explore the feeling of desire in your body, imagine the your desire has been completely fulfilled, and then go a little bit...
View ArticleEmbracing in the Airport
Sometimes desire can take over our lives. We start to believe that we really, really want something. But no thing can provide us with permanent happiness. In this meditation we explore desire and...
View ArticleCultivate Inner Peace
This episode begins with a breath meditation and then moves to a body scan to notice the effects of the breath meditation. Specifically, the goal of this practice is to notice feelings of inner peace,...
View ArticleThe Flow of Relaxation
In this meditation we begin by placing the body in a balanced, steady, and comfortable position. We allow a sense of relaxation to flow down through the body. We maintain a focus on the physical...
View ArticleThe Gift of a Pause
Would you like a short break in your day? This brief centering practice provides a moment for you to give yourself the gift of a pause. To leave a comment about this episode, visit...
View ArticleRest in the Knowing
In this meditation you will start by noticing how your body fits within the space of your own awareness. Using the physical sensations of the body and the flow of breath, this meditation allows you to...
View ArticleWorking with Distractions
During meditation it is common to hear a sound or experience a feeling that sends the mind off, carried away and caught up in the future or the past. In this meditation we investigate the nature of the...
View ArticleSeeing the Truth
We can't make much progress in meditation if we do not see the world for what it is. In this practice, we pay attention to how the mind draws us away from what is real. We pause, with the intention of...
View ArticlePerfect, Whole, and Complete
Most of the time, our minds are not satisfied, and instead are on the lookout for danger, scattered, or just board. In this meditation we use a mantra to help train the mind to appreciate the present...
View ArticlePeacefulness and Ease
Sometimes loving-kindness meditations focus on categories of people, starting with you, and then moving to someone who is easy to love, then family, friends, acquaintances, people that you do not like,...
View ArticleEarth, Water, Fire, and Air
In this meditation, we examine the body as four elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element. This practice provides a method to go into the body based on...
View ArticleDecentering
Psychologists use the phrase "decentering" to denote the difference between our thoughts and reality. It's a practice the removes you from the center of your thinking. In this meditation we practice a...
View ArticleRays of Light
This guided meditation uses imagery to relax the body. Your mind is represented as blue sky illuminated by rays of light. This practice is intended to bring about feelings of nourishment, protection,...
View ArticleYouer than You
Many of us get so wrapped up in ideas of trying to "become"" or to "get rid of" that we fail to notice the moments in our life. This meditation uses a quote by the wise sage, Dr. Seuss, to help us wake...
View ArticleWell-wishing Meditation
Whether you call it loving-kindness meditation, metta meditation, well-wishing meditation, or something else, this kind of meditation has been shown to increase positive emotions, decrease negative...
View ArticleLetting Go of Doing
Our society conditions us to be "human doings" rather than "human beings." But what might it be like to let go of our TODO lists, our goals, and our compulsion to always be "doing"? In this meditation...
View ArticleJust One Breath: A Simple Practice for a Balanced Life
In any moment, you have an opportunity to pause, reflect, and pay attention from the beginning to the end of one inhalation. Or one exhalation. You don't need to commit to any more. Yoga teaches us...
View ArticlePure Awareness
Connect to the present moment. Explore the depths of your consciousness. Discover the peace and clarity that arises from simply being in pure awareness. To leave a comment about this episode, visit...
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