12 Minute Meditation

For the month of December we're rounding up our most popular meditations from this year. This week, Elaine Smookler offers a practice to help savor the moment by tapping into your senses.

One morning in early October, Elaine Smookler glanced at her cell phone and noticed the weather app ominously predicting many days of snow and icy temperatures ahead. Life's challenges were seemingly everywhere. And Elaine was smiling. Cheerful. Grateful. Difficulties were still present, but awareness of her gratitude shifted her view, letting her see that everything was not dark and cold—in fact, many sights and sounds were quite lovely. Cultivate gratitude for life's small delights as you're guided through the senses by Elaine.

Show Notes

Find more from Elaine Smookler here:

elainesmookler.com

Read Elaine's latest Inner Wisdom column in Mindful magazine

More from Elaine on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022

The February 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Healing Burnout Issue

The Gratitude Journal by Mindful

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

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

Sometimes we need to drop into our body to discern what we need in this moment. In this episode of 12 Minute Meditation, author and mindfulness teacher Dr. Christopher Willard offers four prompts to help us self-regulate by attending to what our difficult emotions or physical sensations may be telling us, using the acronym H.A.L.T. H is for asking ourselves: Am I hungry right now? A means checking in to see: Am I angry or anxious, or otherwise dysregulated and activated? L stands for lonely: Am I feeling lonely in this moment? And T stands for: Am I tired?

Show Notes:

Find more from Chris Willard here:

drchristopherwillard.com

Chris on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The Top 10 Guided Meditations of 2022

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

When love feels scarce, we are conditioned to slip into survival mode. We cling to our beliefs about who we are in order to feel safe, to compensate for the belief that we are lacking. But seeing these conditioned habits for what they are can help create pathways for returning, for remembrance, for releasing into our inherent belonging. This mindful journaling practice guides you in bringing any judgments or unmet needs into your conscious awareness, where they can be healed.

Show Notes:

Find more from Caverly Morgan here:

caverlymorgan.org

Caverly Morgan, Author at Mindful

And more from Mindful here:

More episode of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

Win a free copy of The Heart of Who We Are by Caverly Morgan

If you're celebrating Thanksgiving this week, we're sending you warm wishes for a safe and happy holiday. And, in the spirit of season, this week, Steve Hickman offers a gratitude practice for small things.

You'll find this practice featured in our Gratitude Journal, which is a beautiful, lovingly designed collection of essays, articles, and practices, rooted in neuroscience, and featuring writing prompts by Jane Anne Staw, and lots of space for you to draw, write, and reflect on your own relationship with and practice of gratitude.

Show Notes

Find more from Steve Hickman here:

drstevenhickman.com

More from Steven on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue

The Gratitude Journal by Mindful

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

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

Sometimes gratitude can be tough to tap into, so this week, Jessica Morey shares a meditation to help us connect with our own goodness. When we're anchored in feelings of love and gratitude, we can bring loving-kindness and compassion with us out into the world. This practice as a web extra to our guide to gratitude, in the December issue of Mindful. Our guide to gratitude features a variety of practices designed to help you tune into your five senses, shift toward qualities like joy and awe, and more.

Show Notes

Find more from Jessica Morey here:

jessicamorey.org

Jessica on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

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

One of the biggest obstacles to gratitude is resentment, says Barry Boyce, Mindful's founding editor. From time to time, we need to undercut our own perspective and see things from the other side—maybe even from all sides. Here, Barry shares a gratitude practice to help us stop clinging to our ideas of what we want, and to work with the feelings that come up when we feel resistant to the way things are.

Show Notes

Find more from Barry Boyce here:

"Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate"

"The Truth About Parasocial Relationships"

More from Barry on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

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

While moving through nature, we have the opportunity to enter a state of being, be present with all of our sensations, and awaken gratitude for the Earth that is also part of us. So, take this moment to connect with the breath as Georgina Miranda, social entrepreneur, outdoor adventurer, speaker, writer, and mindful leadership expert guides you in a meditation for gratitude in nature. This meditation is a web extra for the December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine, on newsstands now or on mindful.org.

Show Notes

Find more from Georgina Miranda here:

georginamiranda.com

"Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate"

More from Georgina on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

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

When we take a moment to appreciate what's happening in our bodies, with a spirit of curiosity, we honor all that our bodies do for us every day. This week, Elaine Smookler guides us in a moment to bring appreciation to our embodied experience right now.

Show Notes

Find more from Elaine Smookler here:

Elainesmookler.com

Elaine Smookler, Author at Mindful

Mindful course: Get Started with Mindfulness Course

And more from Mindful here:

The December 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Self-Love Issue

The Gratitude Journal by Mindful

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

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

This week, experienced mindfulness practitioner and instructor Gina Rollo White offers a gentle way to connect with each area of your body, while nurturing a felt sense of loving-kindness and gratitude. This somatic (embodied awareness) practice is a bonus that adds on to the "Guide to Gratitude" that you'll find in the December issue of Mindful magazine. There, mindfulness experts share their best tips and guided practices to shift focus toward qualities like joy and awe, and discover new ways to let gratitude come alive.

Show Notes

Find more from Gina Rollo White here:

Mindfuljunkie.com

Mindful course: Learn to De-Stress With Gina Rollo White

And more from Mindful here:

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

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

When we're caught in the throes of an emotion like sadness, loneliness, or anger, shifting our awareness into the body allows us to experience the ever-changing nature of these strong and often unpleasant emotions. This practice will help you get used to the feeling of paying attention to difficult emotions in the body with curiosity and without judgment.

Show Notes

Find more from Sharon Salzberg here:

sharonsalzberg.com

Sharon Salzberg on mindful.org

And more from Mindful here:

The October 2022 issue of Mindful magazine: The Peaceful Mind Issue

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

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