We often treat experiences like restlessness, uncertainty, or the overwhelm of difficult emotions as a problem to be solved. And of course, it's normal to want relief.

Today, teacher Cherl Vigder Brause leads a guided practice that's centered around meeting ourselves exactly where we are. In that pause, where we encounter ourselves without trying to fix anything, even if just for a moment, we actually create a space where we can get clarity on how to respond to ourselves, others, and the world.

Cheryl Vigder Brause is a nationally recognized mindfulness and meditation teacher, writer and speaker, specializing in leading corporate clients, schools, and individuals across the country in programs and meditations on stress management, boosting happiness, and living their best lives. She is the Co-Founder of Pause to be Present, a mindfulness and meditation studio. To learn more about Pause to be Present's programs, visit www.pausetobepresent.com.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Cheryl Vigder Brause here.

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For more resources on tapping into the power of the pause, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• How to Get Good Pause

• The Three-Second Pause In the Classroom

• Waking Up to Your World: Using the Pause Practice to Break Habitual Patterns

• How to Feel Present, and Stay Present

To try another version of a pause practice, join Rhonda Magee for The S.T.O.P. Practice: Creating Space Around Automatic Reactions

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Loving-kindness seems like a practice that would feel good—but in times of tension, uncertainty, pain, or anger, it can be one of the most challenging mindfulness tools to apply. How do we love when it is most difficult to love?

This week, renowned teacher Sharon Salzberg offers a guided practice to connect us to the deep heart and transformative courage of metta or loving-kindness meditation.

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974. She is a weekly columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and the author of many books including Real Happiness, Lovingkindness, and Real Change.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Sharon Salzberg here.

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For more resources on accessing and practicing loving-kindness, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• How Practicing Loving-Kindness Helped Me Find My Place in the World

• 12 Minute Meditation: A Loving-Kindness Practice to Anchor in Compassion

• The Gift of Loving-Kindness

• Why Loving-Kindness Takes Time: Sharon Salzberg

• Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different

We have dozens of metta or loving-kindness meditations available for free on our site. Here's a good place to start: 3 Guided Meditations to Deepen Into Loving-Kindness

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As today's teacher Jessica Morey says, "Anger's fundamental role is to protect us and protect what we care about in the world. It lets us know when a limit of ours, or a boundary, has been crossed."

But because of its power and volatility, anger can be a troubling emotion to be with and a difficult one to work with. Today's practice is aimed at gaining insight into our anger so that we can respond skillfully in any given situation.

Jessica Morey is a meditation teacher and coach. She has been practicing meditation for almost three decades. She is also the co-founder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to youth.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Jessica Morey here.

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For more resources on meeting and working with anger, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• The Real Danger of Suppressing Your Emotions

• Why Women Should Embrace Their Anger

• Finding Radical Kindness in the Face of Chaos and Danger

• Cooling the Raging Fires of Anger

• Using the Energy of Anger

And to get more practice understanding powerful emotions like anger, try Guided Meditation: Notice How Sadness, Loneliness, and Anger Show Up in Your Body.

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Many of us are carrying the weight of the world's suffering right now. How can we acknowledge the immense suffering around us, and our own—and still tend to our hearts, minds, and bodies in a way that keeps us grounded and able to take compassionate action?

This week, mindfulness teacher and author Wendy O'Leary shares a guided practice that offers refuge and reminds us of our real and loving connection to one another.

Wendy O'Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children's books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate. Wendy has expertise in teaching skills for emotional resilience to children and adults. Wendy's next publication, a card deck for children titled "Let's Grow Happiness," is scheduled for release in April 2026.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Wendy O'Leary here.

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For more guidance on how to hold and respond to suffering, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• Where To Start When There Is So Much Suffering

• Breaking Generational Patterns of Suffering

• Bringing Mindfulness to Students Suffering from Trauma

• Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present

And to get more practice being with difficult emotions and returning to connection, try An Interbeing Meditation for Connection and Understanding.

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Our brains learn through a process that has three components: trigger, behavior, reward. Together these behaviors form what is known as a habit loop.

In today's meditation, Dr. Brewer walks us through a practice to notice triggers—when they're happening and how they make us feel. When we pay attention to these triggers, we can respond to ourselves with more compassion and make choices with a lot more clarity.

Jud Brewer, MD, Ph.D. ("Dr. Jud") is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the "science of self-mastery," who blends over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large.

Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at Brown University's Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as a professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University. Previously, Dr. Jud held research and teaching positions at Yale University, and the University of Massachusetts' Center for Mindfulness and was a research affiliate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Judson Brewer here.

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Being with cravings with the intention of shifting our response, is one of the most challenging parts of mindful living. For more support with understanding craving, addiction, and presence, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• How to Be Mindful With Your Cravings

• Rethink Your Food Cravings with the Art of Savoring

• When Avoidance Rules Your Life: Understanding Compulsions vs. Addictions

• How Mindfulness Can Help Teens With Tech Addiction

• Trauma, Addiction, and the Problem of Being Present

And to experience another meditation from Dr. Brewer that guides you through how to be with cravings to facilitate habit change, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Get Curious About Your Cravings.

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Even if they aren't particularly into making resolutions, for many people the New Year still feels like a fresh start: a time for taking stock, for reviewing what's passed, for turning the page on one chapter and starting another.

In today's meditation, teacher Frank Ostaseski asks: How do you meet endings? We can learn a lot about how we face the new by looking at how we let go of the old, and here Ostaseski offers a practice to surrender with curiosity and gratitude.

Frank Ostaseski is a meditation teacher who cofounded the Zen Hospice Project. In 2004, he went on to create the Metta Institute to provide innovative educational programs and professional training to foster compassionate, mindfulness-based care.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Frank Ostaseski here.

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If you're facing a big change, even if it's completely unrelated to the New Year, mindfulness can help support your well-being as you consider options, make choices, and step into a new season. Check out these articles for more information:

• Embracing Change: What Nanalan' Teaches Us About Saying Goodbye

• Goodbye, Things: Find Peace of Mind By Letting Go of Your Stuff

• Mindfulness for Grief and Loss

• Finding Your Way Forward When the Path Is Not Clear

And to experience another approach to intention-setting, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Find Stability Amid Change.

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If you've grown weary of traditional resolutions, but you still carry a glimmer of hope that positive change is possible for us imperfect humans—then you'll love mindful intention-setting.

In this practice from his mini-course, mindful leadership trainer Rich Fernandez shows us how to vividly envision the "imagine if" possibilities. When we tap into meaning, passion, and a felt sense of welcoming what we long for, it's easier to get clear on the purpose behind our pursuits.

Rich Fernandez is the former CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI). He was previously the director of executive education and people development at Google, where he was also one of the first SIY teachers. Rich previously co-founded Wisdom Labs and has also served in senior roles at eBay, J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Rich Fernandez here.

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There are subtle but crucial differences between making traditional New Year's resolutions and setting intentions for the future—because in mindfulness, everything is anchored in self-acceptance and self-love, rather than a quest for endless self-improvement. To learn more and start practicing a gentler, more sustainable way to change and growth, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• Why Do Resolutions Fail? 5 Ways to Invite Positive and Lasting Change

• Three Ways to Refresh and Renew—No Resolutions Needed

• 3 Science-Backed Strategies to Build Healthy Habits in the New Year

• The Power of Sustainable Self-Care

• The Power and Pleasure of Intention: How to Turn Your Dreams into Daily Reality

You can access all modules of Rich's mini-course on Mindful.org here.

And to experience another approach to intention-setting, try A Guided Meditation to Set Your Intentions for the New Year

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The holiday season can be a time full of commitments, planning, and (pleasant or unpleasant) anticipation.

This extended guided practice with Dr. Christiane Wolf offers a quiet respite that can help you identify what you need, move to care for yourself, and navigate stress that may arise.

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is passionate about translating ancient wisdom teachings into accessible and applicable modern-day language. She is the author of Outsmart Your Pain – Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind and the co-author of the classic training manual for mindfulness teachers, A Clinician's Guide To Teaching Mindfulness. Christiane is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA's (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training and a senior teacher at InsightLA. She is the mom of three amazing humans and can usually be found in the Los Angeles area training for ultramarathons and triathlons.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Christiane Wolf here.

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If the Holidays aren't always merry and bright for you, please know you're not alone. For support, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• Curb Your Inner Critic Over the Holidays with Self-Compassion

• When Grief Hits During the Holidays

• 3 Ways to Find Calm in the Holiday Rush

• 5 Practical Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

• Self-Care Is an Act of Resistance

And for more practices to help you find calm in the chaos, check out: 3 Guided Meditations to Help You Find Balance This Holiday Season

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Savoring is a practice of intentionally slowing way down and paying attention to what's right in front of us—whether that's a conversation, an unexpected moment of connection, or a favorite dessert.

Savoring is also a natural way to balance the frenetic pace of the Holiday season. In this meditation, Elaine Smookler shows us how to pause and tune into our senses as a way to notice and appreciate what's happening in and around us.

Elaine Smookler has been a mindful practitioner for over 20 years and is a mindfulness teacher and registered psychotherapist to individuals and corporate clients.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Elaine Smookler here.

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Savoring is a quality that we can nurture in our whole lives. It makes good moments sweeter, and it helps us through seasons that feel strained or uncertain. For more on how to take time to appreciate each moment more, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• Why the Key to Savoring the Moment is Doing Less

• Four Ways to Savor the Dance of Cooking

• Get Real with Everything: A Savoring Practice

• The Key to Overall Well-Being? Savoring

And for another way to practice what it feels like to savor, try this walking meditation: A Guided Walking Meditation to Savor the Day

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Sometimes seasons of intense suffering show up in our lives—no warning, no easy answers.

This week, mindfulness teacher Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely shares a tender meditation for those in the middle of pain. Based on her own experience with an extended episode of chronic back pain, she offers a moment of reprieve and caring attention to release tension and open to the possibility of joy.

Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely is a California-French educator, writer and mindfulness advocate. As the founder of "Big Belly Breathing," including a podcast and YouTube channel, she offers mindfulness joy resources in English and French for kids and adults alike. Vanessa writes regularly, recently authored the Joy Burst journal, and teaches yoga throughout The City, bringing her passion for well-being to diverse communities. Feel free to connect with her for inquiries or discussions; she's eager to engage with fellow health enthusiasts and life lovers. Find her at www.bigbellybreathing.com.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.

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Show Notes

Find more from Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely here.

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For additional resources on finding moments of calm in the midst of suffering, check out these articles on Mindful.org:

• Let Your Pain Be a River: Vidyamala Burch on Living and Teaching With Chronic Pain

• Where To Start When There Is So Much Suffering

• Breaking Generational Patterns of Suffering

• Study: Mindfulness reduces suffering associated with pain

• How Mindfulness Provides Relief from Chronic Pain

And for another meditation you can use when pain flares, try this practice: Filling the Body With Light: 12 Minute Meditation

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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing [email protected].