12 Minute Meditation

Our guest this week is Thaddaeus Washington, Mindful's featured Teacher of the Month for October. 
He brings a new experience to our meditation lineup: a music-based meditation entitled "Vapour," where sound is the anchor for our attention. In this guided practice, you're invited to simply rest, bring your whole self, and allow the music to unwind the worries of the day. 
Thaddaeus Washington is a musician, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mind Music—a company dedicated to making mindfulness accessible through music and immersive experiences. Thaddaeus has generously shared music from his Common Ground albums with us, which will be available as a full playlist inside the app starting in early November.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Thaddaeus Washington here.
Go Deeper
Music has long been a part of mindfulness tradition. From singing, dancing, and chanting to simply allowing ourselves to be caught up in wonder and beauty, music has a unique ability to work in us as whole human beings, body, mind, and heart. To learn more about the benefits of incorporating music into your mindfulness practices, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 
Where Music and Meditation Meet 

How Empathy Changes the Way We Process Music 

Why Music Strikes a Chord 

For a different take on a music-based practice, sample the new Desert Pulse playlist on Mindful's YouTube Channel (now available inside the app, as well). 

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.

Our guest this week is teacher Jörg Sprave. 
He leads a guided meditation called "I Am Nature." Designed to be done outdoors, this meditation is based on the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, also known as "forest bathing." In this session, you'll:  
Learn a bit about the ancient practice forest bathing

Consider your intimate connection to the natural world

Experience the deep calm, rest, and awe of meditating in nature

Jörg Sprave is the founder of and lead instructor at Treeming.org, an international forest therapy education organization based in Zurich. He believes in the transformative power of nature to heal, inspire and unite, and works with his colleagues to build a worldwide community rooted in harmony with the Earth.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Jörg Sprave here.
Go Deeper
Most of us live our daily lives in environments that are disconnected from nature. We are surrounded by steel, concrete, screens, and the endless noise of modern life. But our minds and bodies long for the rest and awe that can only come from connection with wild, natural spaces—even if those spaces are small, simple, and undramatic. To learn more about the benefits of being outdoors and how to extend your practice to include time in nature, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 
3 Simple Ways to Reconnect With Nature (Even If You Live in the City) 

Nature-Based Mindfulness Practices for Families 

What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature 

What Green Spaces Can Do For Your Body, Your Mind & Your Practice

7 Reasons to Go Outside (According to Science) 

For another nature-based practice, try: A Guided Meditation to Awaken the Flow of Gratitude in Nature 
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.

Our guest this week is teacher Caverly Morgan. 
She offers a sturdy, grounded place to come home to when we're struggling with feelings of failure, inadequacy, or insecurity. This meditation:
Offers a steadier alternative to bypassing difficult emotions with positive mantras

Gives us a more expansive perspective on our value

Allows us to be with what's painful, and still return to a place of unconditional love

Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher, author, and visionary who founded Peace in Schools, a nonprofit that created the nation's first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. She is also the founder of Presence Collective, a community of cross-cultural contemplatives committed to personal and collective transformation.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Caverly Morgan here.
Go Deeper
When we're wrestling with experiences that challenge our identities or our confidence, it can be tempting to reach for positive self-talk that pushes back against the difficult feelings we might be having. Unconditional self-love is different. To learn more about how to build this skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 
Building Self-Compassion for Failure in the Creative Process 

Radical Love for Troubled Times 

Field Notes on Radical Self Compassion 

It's Selfish, It's Hokey, and I'll Lose My Edge: 3 Half-Truths About Self-Compassion 

This Is What Fierce Self-Compassion Looks Like 

For more practice working with unconditional self-acceptance, try: Self-Compassion for Nervous System Reset 
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.

Our guest this week is teacher Shamash Alidina. 
He shares a simple technique for opening and strengthening your awareness and curiosity about everyday things. This walking meditation is designed to help you: 
Practice seeing the world with a "beginner's mind" 

Get outside, move, breathe, and give your churning mind a break

Notice things in a new way through your senses

Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998 and runs his own successful training organisation. He is the author of Mindfulness For Dummies and the forthcoming Breathing Exercises for Dummies. He frequently pops up in newspapers, magazines and on radio shows. Based in London, he runs online trainings and speaks at conferences all over the world. He's been teaching mindfulness full-time since 2010.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here.
Go Deeper
Nurturing a beginner's mind doesn't mean we pretend we don't know stuff. It just means we get more intentional about pausing to ask if our assumptions about people and the world are always correct. To learn more about building this mindful skill, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 
Beginner's Mind Q&A With Anu Gupta 

Navigating the Path to Fulfillment: Embrace Psychological Flexibility with ACT for Beginners 

Don't Be So Sure 

Want in-person practice with cultivating a more open mind? Here's a retreat you can attend in Garrison, NY, this October 28-31. Skymind: Resting in Our Natural State

For a different approach to meditating with beginner's mind, try:  A 12-Minute Meditation to Approach the World With a "Don't-Know Mind"
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.

Our guest this week is teacher Vinny Ferraro. 
 
He shares a beginner's metta or loving-kindness meditation that offers practice for the most common first step of metta: giving compassion to ourselves. This meditation is designed to help you: 
Meet yourself with care, whatever you're experiencing 

Practice being with your own imperfection without slipping into shame or harsh self-criticism

Notice where there is room to learn and develop wisdom

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.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Vinny Ferraro here.
Go Deeper
We are often our own worst critics, treating ourselves and speaking to ourselves with a level of cruelty that we'd never bring to others. Self-compassion isn't indulgence. It's learning to treat yourself the way you would anyone you love. To learn more about how to build this skill and the benefits it holds, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 
How Practicing Loving-Kindness Helped Me Find My Place in the World 

The Gift of Loving-Kindness 

Loving-Kindness Meditation May Protect Your Genes and Slow Aging 

Why Loving-Kindness Takes Time: Sharon Salzberg 

18 Science-Based Reasons to Try Loving-Kindness Meditation 

For more practice working with loving-kindness meditation, try: Loving-Kindness Meditation with Sharon Salzberg 
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.