This week, Frank Ostaseski guides us through a meditation that invites us to let curiosity lead. Life doesn’t always bring what we desire—instead, it can deliver pain, uncertainty, and even sorrow. While we can’t always change these circumstances or the emotions that arise with them, we can choose to meet them with an open curiosity. When we do, we create space to welcome, or at least acknowledge, whatever comes our way. This openness helps us release the added suffering that often follows tough moments, reminding us that while life’s challenges are inevitable, the suffering we add to them is optional.

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Show Notes

Find more from Frank Ostaseski here:

Frank Ostaseski, Author at Mindful 

Zen Hospice Project 

Metta Institute

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This week, Anu Gupta guides us in simple phrases of compassion and loving-kindness that allow us to remember: Just like me, this person is also human. Just like me, they have their own joys, desires, and struggles. Offering kind wishes to someone difficult is a powerful way to expand our circle of compassion. We don’t have to like them, but we can cultivate compassion for them, softening our resistance and acknowledging their humanity.

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Show Notes

Find more from Anu Gupta here:

Anu Gupta on Mindful.org

Anu Gupta’s Website

Be More with Anu

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This week, Anu Gupta leads us through a detailed body scan, guiding us to shift our energy back to the present moment, coming back from any distracting thoughts and worries that come up. Here and now, we can return to our breath. Take this time to feel wonder and gratitude for every part of your physical body, from head to toe, just the way you are today. With this practice, you’ll cultivate a sense of grounding and openness as you let this energy of relaxation soothe your whole body.

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Show Notes

Find more from Anu Gupta here:

Anu Gupta on Mindful.org

Anu Gupta’s Website

Be More with Anu

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This week, Diana Hill leads a meditation focused on gently letting go of attachment to your thoughts. In this practice, you’ll explore how to allow your thoughts to come and go without feeling the need to hold onto them or push them away. This technique, part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, uses the visualization of clouds to guide you through this process in a soothing and mindful way.

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Show Notes

Find more from Diana Hill here:

Diana Hill on Mindful.org

Diana Hill’s Website

Diana Hill on Youtube

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This week, Will Schneider instructs us in paying attention to the gentle, natural flow of our breath. By becoming more aware of our inhales and exhales, we gradually bring calm to our mind and our nervous system. We’re giving ourselves permission to slow down for a few minutes. As we breathe, we can also witness the active chatter of our mind without being swept away—in thoughts about the past, or worries about the future. Mindfulness practice reveals how our thoughts and emotions are constantly changing, and this simple, relaxing meditation gives us a chance to release expectations and judgments. A state of mindful awareness is strengthened each time we notice the mind wandering, and choose to come back to the sensations of the breath moving in and out of our body. 

Is your mind more like a circus than a sanctuary? If you’re hoping to let go of stress and anxiety, and feel more present and focused throughout your day, check out the upcoming online Meditation Course with Men Talking Mindfulness. This 9-week, fully online course offers weekly sessions in a group atmosphere where two experienced mindfulness experts will lead practices together, answer your questions, and help you build a consistent mindfulness practice. Beginning October 6th, this course welcomes adults of all genders. Visit mentalkingmindfulness.com to learn more and sign up. 

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Show Notes

Find more from Will Schneider here:

Will Schneider on Mindful.org

Men Talking Mindfulness Podcast

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This week, Sue Hutton guides us in a breathing practice to foster awareness of our senses, honoring our neurodiversity while we strengthen our mindfulness practice. We live in a neurodiverse world. We are all wired with unique minds and bodies, and each of us has a unique sensory constitution. For instance, someone who experiences sensory overwhelm when they pay attention to direct sensations inside the body may find a body scan practice overwhelming instead of centering. Similarly, someone who is blind isn't going to use vision as a meditation tool.

It can be useful to explore the breath by engaging with different senses involved in breathing. Breath practice can be an interesting undertaking for many neurodivergent meditators. Some of us find the feelings of the breath rising and falling inside the body a bit nerve-wracking. Some of us feel anxiety increasing as we concentrate on the movement of the lungs, and thoughts of breath keeping us alive become more concerning. Not the calming experience we are looking for in mindfulness practice! 

In this practice, we’ll talk about a variety of ways those of us who are neurodivergent can practice mindful breathing, and foster calm for ourselves. 

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Show Notes

Find more from Sue Hutton here:

Sue Hutton on Mindful.org

Sue Hutton's Website

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This week, Carley Hauck guides us to embrace all parts of ourselves—those qualities we see as our “shadow,” or what isn’t serving us, as well as the light, or what we see as our positive attributes.  Especially as leaders (including any person who shows leadership in their life), working with both our “dark” and “light” parts allows us to shine our full potential out into the world. 

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Show Notes

Find more from Carley Hauck here:

Carley Hauck on Mindful.org

Carley Hauck's Website

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This week, Vidyamala Burch guides us through a calming body scan meditation that focuses on bringing light and ease into the body. This practice invites you to imagine each part of your body filling with a soft, soothing light, helping to ease any tension and cultivate a sense of relaxation. As you move through this meditation, you’ll have the opportunity to release stress and connect deeply with a feeling of inner peace, bringing lightness into both your body and mind

To explore more of Vidyamala’s teachings, check out her 7-day audio course, Finding Inner Peace a ​​https://shop.mindful.org/collections/online-courses/products/finding-inner-peace-course. This self-paced course offers a blend of meditations and body practices designed to help you reduce stress, release negativity, and cultivate a sense of flow and ease. With practical tools to create a more peaceful and balanced inner life, this online course provides a nurturing way to access tranquility whenever you need it.

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Show Notes

Find more from Vidyamala Burch here:

Vidymala Burch’s Website

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This week, Carley Hauck invites us to look within ourselves and affirm what it is that we love most. By connecting with our heart and remembering who and what we love, we also get to connect with our inner caring, protective instinct. This compassionate part of ourselves provides the motivation to choose beneficial actions, not just one time but over the days, weeks, and months of our lives. Join leadership expert Carley Hauck for the Mindful Workshop: Awaken Your Inner Leader on September 10th at 10 AM PDT. In this 75-minute workshop, you’ll learn how to develop leadership skills that bridge differences and foster belonging at work and in the world. Don’t miss this opportunity to create a positive impact through conscious leadership. Sign up now at shop.mindful.org/.

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Show Notes

Find more from Carley Hauck here:

Carley Hauck on Mindful.org

Carley Hauck's Website

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This week, Susan Kaiser-Greenland guides us through a meditation practice focused on one of the oldest and simplest techniques: “Sit and Know You’re Sitting.”

In our busy lives, we often rush through moments without truly being present. This practice invites you to slow down and become aware of the simple act of sitting. By tuning into the sensations in your body and the rhythm of your breath, you can cultivate a deep sense of awareness. It’s not about doing anything special—just noticing what’s already here.

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Show Notes

Find more from Susan Kaiser-Greenland here:

Susan Kaiser Greenland on Mindful.org

Susan Kaiser Greenland Website

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