Mindfulness resources for a world off balance
Hi friends,
A girlfriend recently asked me for some resources to support emotional well-being during this challenging global experience. I pulled together this resource of some of my favorite guided meditations, videos, and books. Most of them are in the realm of mindfulness, learning to accept life as it is, and finding an empowered, easeful path through difficulty.
May these resources support you and your loved ones. Spread widely, use as needed!
Big love,
Laura
Guided Audio Meditations:
Tara Brach: (All of hers are great, here are a few I love)
Tara Brach: A Sky-Like Mind (I love this one for anxiety -- it's about imagining a much bigger perspective, a "sky-like mind," and I find it allows me to diffuse intense emotions.)
Tara Brach: A Witnessing, Kind Presence (This one I find useful for when my thoughts are mean towards myself. It's about welcoming a loving presence to offer us some love, and it's helpful for cultivating self love and worthiness.)
Tara Brach: Calling on Loving Presence (This one is about finding a resource in a being greater than us, so if that might not resonate, I'd skip it. A little similar to the one above. There's something valuable for me in having a different "being" loving me, and supporting me. Not necessarily religious.)
Tara Brach: The RAIN of Self-Compassion (This one is an actual tool and acronym to work through that's very practical; it's useful for intense situations or emotions, and how we can care for ourselves. The acronym she walks through is Recognize, Accept, Investigate, and Nourish with compassion.)
Jack Kornfield is another teacher I love. I haven't listened to many of these "Dharma Talks," so I don't know which ones to recommend, but here's the page if you want to have a look.
Mindfulness/Meditation Apps:
Headspace: I love the Headspace mediation app. They have so many options for guided meditations, for people/kids of all ages. Unfortunately it's a subscription, but there are 10 basic mediations for free. They also have great videos, which I'll link below.
I personally haven't tried Calm, but I know a lot of people like it as a meditation app. I'm guessing there's part of it you can try for free, and the rest is subscription.
Videos:
Headspace on Youtube - I love their "basic animations"
An animated Brene Brown video on empathy
This is a podcast rather than a video, but Tim Ferriss recently interviewed meditation teacher Jack Kornfield, and it's such a soothing episode. Fairly long, but Jack offers practices throughout.
Elizabeth Gilbert's first TED talk is about creativity, but the lesson she shares is one I find helpful in the rest of my life -- that we don't need to take our work (or "who we think we are") personally.
Michael Stone is another meditation teacher I love. He has a lot of videos, though some of them a fairly dense and Buddhist. Some of my favorites:
He also has a great TED talk about building a deeper relationship with our material world
For younger kids, the book Sitting Still Like a Frog has a 5-minute video mediation for kiddos.
Books: (These might not be as valuable, but just in case!)
For younger kids, I love the book Sitting Still Like a Frog.
Byron Katie's Loving What Is - This was the first book I read that was sorta "mediation" (not stated specifically, nor about mediation practices, but very much a similar philosophy), and it totally changed how I saw and perceived my relationships. One tool she discusses in it is "That's not your business." As a people-pleasure, this philosophy was a game-changer for me. Her primary tool is called "The Work" and can be found on her website. It's a written approach to changing your relationship with what's happening in your life.
Tara Brach's Radical Acceptance - This book goes more in depth (and it's longer) and is more mediation focused, though she has many applications for real life. She also has a new book out call Radical Compassion that is about the practice of RAIN, listed in the guided audio meditations above.
Somewhat similar to Tara's book is Jack Kornfield's The Wise Heart -- It's his version of "tell the story of where I've been, the challenges I've faced, and the tools that helped me get here." He and Tara are both psychologists. I love the perspective they bring, and their approaches to relationships (with the self and others) informed by both psychology and mindfulness.
My book, The Magic of Well-Being: A Modern Guide to Lasting Happiness! The goal of my book was to make something that was easy to read, versatile for many ages, digestible, and something that could be picked up and put down as needed.