Mindful Agility Meditations

Understanding our Stories Meditation

We all have stories about ourselves: who we are, what other people think of us, why we do or don't succeed, what's important to us. Sometimes these stories are old and painful and don't serve us anymore. We have changed but our stories about ourselves have remained the same.   In this meditation we'll look at the stories we have about ourselves. And our relationship to them. When we see our stories clearly, we can question and change and update them if necessary. The corresponding discussion is in episode six of the mindful agility podcast, which you can find at https://mindfulagility.com [https://%20In%20today%27s%20meditation%20we%27ll%20use%20the%20practice%20of%20noticing%20and%20labeling%20by%20keeping%20an%20open%20awareness,%20paying%20attention%20to%20what%20is%20happening,%20labeling%20what%20we%20are%20noticing%20and%20then%20letting%20it%20go.%20%20This%20practice%20takes%20us%20out%20of%20the%20autopilot%20mode,%20brings%20our%20attention%20back%20to%20the%20present,%20so%20we%20can%20fully%20experience%20what%20is%20happening%20right%20now.%20%20%20The%20corresponding%20discussion%20is%20in%20episode%20eight%20of%20the%20mindful%20agility%20podcast,%20which%20you%20can%20find@mindfulagility.com/].

Loving-Kindness Meditation

In this meditation, we will practice loving kindness by repeating well-wishing phrases directed towards ourselves and others. Loving kindness practice is not about changing the way we feel,  or forcing ourselves to like everybody, but rather about realizing that we are all interconnected. We all wish for happiness and joy. And that we all suffer from change, failure, and loss.  When we practice loving kindness regularly, we begin to feel less lonely, more connected, and more compassionate and understanding towards ourselves and others. In today's meditation, we will focus on sending loving kindness to ourselves, a dear friend, people who are affected by the war, which is all people, starting with those most effected: people in Ukraine and Russia.  The corresponding discussion is in episode five of the Mindful Agility podcast which can be found at https://mindfulagility.com [https://%20In%20today%27s%20meditation%20we%27ll%20use%20the%20practice%20of%20noticing%20and%20labeling%20by%20keeping%20an%20open%20awareness,%20paying%20attention%20to%20what%20is%20happening,%20labeling%20what%20we%20are%20noticing%20and%20then%20letting%20it%20go.%20%20This%20practice%20takes%20us%20out%20of%20the%20autopilot%20mode,%20brings%20our%20attention%20back%20to%20the%20present,%20so%20we%20can%20fully%20experience%20what%20is%20happening%20right%20now.%20%20%20The%20corresponding%20discussion%20is%20in%20episode%20eight%20of%20the%20mindful%20agility%20podcast,%20which%20you%20can%20find@mindfulagility.com/].

Goals and Reactivity Meditation

How do we cope with anxieties, fears, guilt and depression? We often allow our emotions to take over completely and react rather than respond skillfully  The most effective way to deal with our emotions is to accept them.  In this meditation we will learn how to come back to the present moment, so we can cultivate mindfulness, which helps us   recognize when we are reacting, pause, and choose how we want to respond. The corresponding discussion is in episode three of the Mindful Agility podcast  which can be found at https://mindfulagility.com [https://%20In%20today%27s%20meditation%20we%27ll%20use%20the%20practice%20of%20noticing%20and%20labeling%20by%20keeping%20an%20open%20awareness,%20paying%20attention%20to%20what%20is%20happening,%20labeling%20what%20we%20are%20noticing%20and%20then%20letting%20it%20go.%20%20This%20practice%20takes%20us%20out%20of%20the%20autopilot%20mode,%20brings%20our%20attention%20back%20to%20the%20present,%20so%20we%20can%20fully%20experience%20what%20is%20happening%20right%20now.%20%20%20The%20corresponding%20discussion%20is%20in%20episode%20eight%20of%20the%20mindful%20agility%20podcast,%20which%20you%20can%20find@mindfulagility.com/].

Body Scan Meditation

When we are curious and focus our attention on what is happening, we notice examples of self similarity. When we observe with curiosity we notice things that have probably been there all along, but we have missed because we were too busy thinking.  In this meditation, we will use mindfulness and curiosity to come back to our body and observe for examples of self-similarity around us. This practice can help us see how things are interconnected and gain a new perspective and understanding about the world within and around us.  The corresponding discussion is in episode one of the Mindful Agility podcast,  which you can find at https://mindfulagility.com [https://%20In%20today%27s%20meditation%20we%27ll%20use%20the%20practice%20of%20noticing%20and%20labeling%20by%20keeping%20an%20open%20awareness,%20paying%20attention%20to%20what%20is%20happening,%20labeling%20what%20we%20are%20noticing%20and%20then%20letting%20it%20go.%20%20This%20practice%20takes%20us%20out%20of%20the%20autopilot%20mode,%20brings%20our%20attention%20back%20to%20the%20present,%20so%20we%20can%20fully%20experience%20what%20is%20happening%20right%20now.%20%20%20The%20corresponding%20discussion%20is%20in%20episode%20eight%20of%20the%20mindful%20agility%20podcast,%20which%20you%20can%20find@mindfulagility.com/].

Self-compassion Meditation

In today's meditation, we'll learn how to be more compassionate and kind with ourselves through mindfulness and loving kindness.   Self-compassion allows us to soften and be kind to ourselves so we can clear our minds and open up to learning from our failures and how to be more skillful when we try again.   Failure and mistakes are inevitable and necessary at the same time.  It is through mistakes and failures that we learn and improve. Although we know this to be true, every time we make a mistake or feel like we failed we judge ourselves, feel inadequate, less than perfect, experience low self-worth and self-esteem ,or even feel unworthy of love and respect.  When we practice self-compassion we can decrease the suffering that comes from these feelings, accept reality as it is, and have confidence to try again.  You can find the corresponding discussion on failure and how we deal with it in episode 16 of the Mindful Agility podcast at https://mindfulagility.com [https://%20In%20today%27s%20meditation%20we%27ll%20use%20the%20practice%20of%20noticing%20and%20labeling%20by%20keeping%20an%20open%20awareness,%20paying%20attention%20to%20what%20is%20happening,%20labeling%20what%20we%20are%20noticing%20and%20then%20letting%20it%20go.%20%20This%20practice%20takes%20us%20out%20of%20the%20autopilot%20mode,%20brings%20our%20attention%20back%20to%20the%20present,%20so%20we%20can%20fully%20experience%20what%20is%20happening%20right%20now.%20%20%20The%20corresponding%20discussion%20is%20in%20episode%20eight%20of%20the%20mindful%20agility%20podcast,%20which%20you%20can%20find@mindfulagility.com/].