Meditation and Mindfulness
Adding calm and clarity to your lifestyle.
A lot of attention has been paid to meditation and mindfulness in the past few years, substantiated by the number of apps, sites, studies and other resources hailing the benefits of these practices in our lives. You can easily use an app on your phone or find a video online to help guide you through meditations but here are a few other options for individual sessions or a series of them if you wish to continue practicing it on a daily or weekly basis. In random order, here are some lectures, workshops, and other resources to move you along on your journey exploring meditation and mindfulness for yourself.
If you aren’t entirely sure meditation is for you, then the links here provide several guided mindfulness exercises to help you decide. Start from short mindfulness of breath exercises or brief mindfulness practices. Other options include body scan meditations, sitting meditations, guided imagery meditations, and self-guided mindfulness exercises of varying durations.
Mindfulnessbox World Meditation Day
To help you start your meditation journey on May 21, which is World Meditation Day, head here for 100 printable guided meditation scripts you can download instantly, and try a new meditation challenge or technique, or join a group meditation or venue where meditation is offered to try different options and find what suits you best.
In audio meditations from Health Journeys, you will find options for guided imagery meditation where you focus on positive images, thoughts, and patterns to feel relaxed and present. From sleep to stress, grief and pain, to anxiety and more, there are a variety of options and durations to choose from.
UCLA Health’s Guided Meditations
These 30-minute sessions offered twice in a week each have a different theme including comments, guidance, and silent practice as well as a new daily life practice for the week. Whether working through difficult emotions, finding strength, cultivating self-compassion, or practicing patience, these sessions date back all the way to 2013 so you can even do daily sessions on your own if you’d like.
This nonprofit meditation center teaches mindfulness practices and offers classes for beginners and professionals, online and in-person, group practice as well as residential and nonresidential retreats to live mindfully, joyfully, and compassionately. Through its Insight in Action program, it also provides mindfulness and meditation training to marginalized communities who otherwise would not have access to these services.
Everyday Seekers Mindfulness Planner
For those of us that still like pen and paper, this printable digital planner nurtures mindful living everyday with comprehensive features such as monthly mindfulness themes, daily mindful prompts, reflective practices, inspirational quotes, and affirmations, and more to guide you through a year-long journey of transformation and growth.
Center for Mindful Self-Compassion
Choose from a variety of self-compassion guided practices and exercises as well as a five-day challenge offered by a pioneer in the field combining the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion for powerful emotional resilience. And if you are inspired to deep dive then the resources page offers recommended reading and other organizations and teachers to consider for your practice.
Though not necessarily a meditation resource in the strict sense of the term, the training here does use meditation as part of its offerings which includes a six-week course to craft the skills for a happier life, a monthly calendar with daily prompts for happy actions or thoughts, the 10 keys online program, expert talks, podcasts, and several other insights to help live a happier life.
