A natural human reaction is to avoid that which is unpleasant, especially anything painful. Like so much of mindfulness practice, the most immediate way in which we can find any sort of freedom is by moving toward it. Beware, though, because jumping into feeling pain without first establishing a foundation could alter your relationship to what you’re feeling but not for the better. This meditation invites you to gently lean into pain so that you can eventually establish a new relationship to it.

Mindfulness can be integrated into anything we do, which allows us never to stray too far from our practice. Even when we don't have time or space to practice regularly for extended periods of time, we can still find countless opportunities throughout the day in which to be mindful. This practice explores eating mindfully. This grants you at least a few opportunities each day to practice! Best to have some food in front of you for this practice, whether it's a small snack or a whole meal.

As humans, we have become really good at avoiding what we don’t want to feel or experience, especially if it's painful or unpleasant, resulting in us (consciously or unconsciously) spending a lot of our time running away from perceived or future pain. What then happens is our past pains start to dictate our future. Although that might be true in many circumstances, we can learn how to cultivate a skillful relationship to pain and discomfort through self-compassion.

Since we can’t control our lives or our surroundings, the next best thing we can do is learn how to navigate whatever comes our way despite the discomfort. Luckily, mindfulness helps us do exactly that.

This 33-minute meditation with proceeding talk was part of the Morning Instructions given at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center retreat Journey Into Refuge.

The meditation explores grounding in the body and eventually opening up to the sense doors. The talk touches on using our practice to transform our bodies into a refuge so that we can be home wherever we are.

Meditation can often be mistaken as a mental or “heady” practice, but really, it is an embodiment practice. Most mindfulness meditation techniques aim to bring the body and mind into the same place—right here, right now. As easy as it sounds, it can be challenging because we are so used to running from one thing to next, planning, strategizing, or worrying. This 5-minute meditation (with ending bell) was designed to help you live in and through the body.

Being mindful of the breath is often the first instruction given to beginners, yet it can be supportive no matter your level of experience. One of the reasons why the breath is a common meditation anchor is that it is always with us, wherever we go. This 5-minute meditation (with ending bell) was written with that in mind—no matter where you are, tuning in to the breath, even if for just one breath, can help shift your perspective in profound ways.

Often times, we may be aware of the breath in a generally broad sense, whether noticing a certain quality of the breath or a part of the body moving with the breath. Although that can be incredibly supportive, we sometimes miss the breath as a full body experience. This 15-minute meditation (with ending bell) guides you to sense both your breath and body, tuning into the energy getting sent to your entire body with each inhale, and how each exhale cleanses your entire body.