Gratitude is a great practice to cultivate in life. The more we pause to appreciate the good things in life, the more good things we tend to find.

Let’s practice gratitude today in our mindful moment.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to these mindful moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

Audio Transcript

Welcome to your mindful moment.

For today's meditation, we're going to practice gratitude.

Practicing gratitude is a great way to focus your mind on the good things in life.

And the more we practice looking for and finding and acknowledging all the good things that we have and that we love in our life, the more good things, the more things to love, we tend to find in general.

So this is a chance for you to connect to your breath.

Find presence right here in this moment and connect to your life with gratitude.

So go ahead and get comfortable.

Start to focus on your breath, noticing how it feels to have air moving in and out of your body, noticing what it feels like to breathe today.

And to start our gratitude practice, can you feel grateful for your breath?

Can you find appreciation and enjoyment right here in this moment as you experience your body breathing?

And now as you continue to focus on your breath, go ahead and let your mind show you all the beautiful moments in your day-to-day life.

What's enjoyable in your day?

What do you love in your life?

If it helps, you can even think the phrase, “I love…” and then fill in the blank with all the things, all the creatures, all the people that you love, all the moments from lattes to laughing with friends.

What do you love?

What do you feel grateful for today?

Just let your mind play with that idea play and express gratitude in your mind in whatever way works for you best today.

Big things, small things, love up on all of it

And now I'm going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but please feel free to remain in mindful meditation, practicing gratitude, expressing love and appreciation for anything and everything that you want for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

This one goes out to all my actor pals. 🎭

But even if you’re not an actor, this video still applies to you. 🤗

I read a Martha Graham quote that at its heart speaks to the unique self expression that we were each born into this world to fulfill.

And if you’re curious what the heck “Self Tape May” is, it is a free challenge created by Audrey Moore, host of the podcast Audrey Helps Actors. Each May, actors attempt to complete 16 mock self tape auditions as a way to practice their audition skills.

Video Transcript

Okay, so I'm not doing Self Tape May.

But I admire every actor that is doing Self Tape May. You are all awesome, and you are crushing it, and I'm so proud of you.

And also, I just admire and love actors in general because what we do is not easy.

The acting part isn't easy. There's a lot of skill that goes into that.

And then the dealing with the roller coaster of being an actor is really hard.

And so if you've chosen this crazy-making profession, you are brave and you are awesome and you are amazing. And what I would like to offer you is a Martha Graham quote.

This is my offering for Self Tape May and I love you.

I love you actors.

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action.

And because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique.

And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.

The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions.

It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly.

To keep the channel open.

You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.

You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you.

Keep the channel open.

No artist is pleased.

There is no satisfaction whatever at any time.

There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction.

A blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.

Happy Self Tape May!

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

When you distill mindfulness down to its most basic elements, it’s just breathing and noticing.

Noticing the breath, noticing the mind, noticing the body, noticing whatever is happening around you.

Noticing your present moment experience.

That’s what we’re doing in our mindful moment today. Enjoy!

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to these mindful moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

Audio Transcript

Welcome to your mindful moment.

This is a chance for you to practice connecting to your breath, finding stillness in your body, bringing awareness to whatever is happening within you and around you.

Just practicing general mindful meditation.

So I invite you now to just find a comfortable position for your body.

Start to tune into the sensation of your breath.

Notice what it feels like to take air into your body and then to release air out of your body.

Just notice what breathing feels like for you right now in this present moment.

You may notice that your breath deepens as you focus on it.

You may notice that each breath is unique.

Some breaths are more shallow.

Some breaths are longer and deeper.

Each breath is like a snowflake.

And so you can bring your mindful curiosity to this act of breathing as you observe what it feels like to be in your body breathing.

And then as you focus on your breathing and notice each breath, there are other things present in this moment.

You may hear sounds.

You may notice activity in the mind.

There may be thoughts that are trying to get your attention.

And all of that is fine.

All of that is just part of your present moment experience.

And so to practice mindfulness, you can just notice those things.

You can notice the thoughts without pushing them away, without attaching to them and following them where they want to go.

You can just notice, “Ah, thinking. Lots of thinking is happening.

Or, “Hmm, sounds. Sounds are happening around me. I acknowledge those things as part of my present moment experience, and I choose to bring my attention and my focus back to the experience of breathing.”

So in mindful meditation, we're just observing our present moment experience and choosing as our anchor to keep our focus on our breath.

So maybe we can think to ourselves, “As I breathe in, I notice activity in my mind.”

“As I breathe, I notice the sounds of cars going by.”

Just noticing and breathing.

Breathing and noticing.

So now I'm going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but as always, feel free to continue your mindful meditation, breathing and noticing for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

As you know, mindfulness is my jam. (I especially love it on toast! Ba dum bum. 🤣)

Anyway, this video presents a fun twist on a mindful walk. I’ve been walking like this a lot lately and I’m finding it very calming and relaxing.

If you’re looking for more calming ideas to help you manage the stressful world we live in, check out Accessing Calm. It’s my collection of super simple, fun mindfulness life hacks I use every day to calm down quickly when stress is high.

These are the tools that help me release tension from my body and keep my mind from spinning out of control with worry and frustration. 😭 ➡️ ☺️

Click the button below to find out more and use the promo code “calm” to get the full collection for just $11.

Video Transcript

Okay, I have an idea for you.

Take a dog walk.

And I don't mean put your dog on a leash and take it out for a walk while you listen to a podcast.

I mean you be the dog.

Now, maybe don't peer poop on anything, but interact with the world through your senses.

So dogs primarily are scent-driven. And humans, less so.

But still, smell things.

Look at things.

Listen to things.

But without these, get rid of these. [pointing to headphones]

Just interact with the world with wonder and curiosity.

Like a dog.

They don't need podcasts.

There are no doggy podcasts, that I know of.

And my dog is the happiest little clam when he knows we're going out on a walk. And it's not because he needs to pee or poop, really.

It's because he likes to be in the world and observe it and enjoy it.

Take yourself on a dog walk.

Just try it!

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

As I say at the top of this recording, this meditation is intended for your evening practice. It’s a bit of a follow up to last week’s session where I guided you to set an intention for your day.

In this practice we are letting go of the day and setting an intention for a restful night sleep.

Enjoy!

Transcript

Welcome to your Monday Mindful Moment.

Today's meditation is intended as an offering for your evening.

It's a chance for you to connect with your breath, find presence right here in this moment, release the day that has just passed, and set an intention for a restful night's sleep.

So go ahead and find a comfortable position for your body.

Perhaps you're already in bed settling in for sleep, or perhaps you're using this meditation just as a start to your evening wind down routine.

But either way, go ahead and bring your attention to your breath, focusing on the sensations that you feel as your breath travels in and out of your body, the feeling of air coming in and out, the feeling of your body moving as it breathes.

And now as you continue to focus on your breath, intend for your mind to gently release its attachment to everything that happened today.

Let all of the experiences of the day just fade away, focusing all your attention on your breath, just as you're experiencing it in this present moment.

And as you release and let go of your day, allow your breath to relax your body more and more and more.

Allow your body and your mind to become more and more present to the quiet and stillness of your evening, becoming more and more prepared for a restful and easeful and restorative night's sleep.

Your breath has an amazing power to calm both your body and your mind, and so let your breath work its magic as you prepare for your evening of sleep.

I'm now going to bring this mindful moment to a close.

But of course, feel free to remain in mindful meditation, connecting with your breath and the calm and stillness it can provide for as long as you like.

Have a wonderful, restful, and restorative evening.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Today’s MMM was a request from a participant in my weekly mindfulness group. I am always open to suggestions for meditation themes or topics you wish me to explore in another way on Substack. Just let me know!

Enjoy!

Transcript

Welcome to your Monday Mindful Moment.

This is a chance for you to practice connecting to your breath, practice finding presence right here in this present moment, and it’s also a chance for you to set an intention for the day ahead.

So go ahead and find a comfortable position for your body.

Allow yourself to sink fully into the support of whatever surface is beneath you today, and begin to bring your focus to your breath.

Noticing the inhales, noticing the exhales.

Mindfully observing all the sensations associated with being in your body breathing.

And now as you continue to focus on your breath, begin to allow an intention for your day to emerge in your mind.

How do you want today to unfold for you?

As you breathe in this present moment, what do you want to experience today?

How do you want to experience your life today?

Just connect with your breath, and allow an intention for the day to form and crystalize in your mind.

Focus your mind on this intention, and continue to breathe, noticing the sensations of your breath.

Go ahead and breathe your intention into existence, let it expand with in you, and let it flow forth with you as part of your day.

And now I’m going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but feel free to remain mindful meditation, musing on your intention for the day for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Transcript

Okay, so this is a video for anybody who's in the midst of some kind of creative process and wants to f*****g tear their hair out.

I am in that place.

I am creating something and I feel like the whole thing is s**t.

Everybody's gonna hate it.

Nobody's gonna like it.

It's not even gonna work.

It's just garbage and all my thoughts are garbage.

Everything about it is garbage.

It’s unclear and I don't know what I'm doing and it feels

JUST

AWFUL.

And here's what I know, having been through this type of process before with other things that I've created:

This stage is totally normal.

This is something that my brain just does as I'm creating something where it tries to convince me that it's a piece of s**t.

And so, if you're in that place right now and need a witness…

Hi, I see you. You're doing awesome. You're doing the work. If it feels like crap right now, that's okay. You're not alone. We can do this!

The creative process can be really f*****g messy and I want you to keep going and you can keep going.

We can keep going.

One of the best tricks that I've ever figured out in terms of getting that process to stop feeling as messy and uncomfortable is to stop focusing on “This is s**t. Everything's s**t. This process is awful. This is horrible.”

You acknowledge that. You're like, "Oh God, this is where I am and it's hard and I know that this will pass."

But then you start focusing on why are you doing this? What is it that you want out of this creation? Why do you want to tell this story? Why do you want to put this piece of music out into the world? Why do you want to create this thing and share it?

When you focus on “the why” that usually takes the focus off of you and it puts it on the audience, somebody else, the people that you're going to share it with and what it will mean to them.

And what it could mean to them, because we don't necessarily know what it's going to mean to them, but what it could do for them because that's usually why we're offering our art, our creativity, whatever it is that we're offering into the world.

Think about the other people that will benefit.

Think about why it is that you want to share this thing and put this thing out into the world and that might help.

But again, I see you.

I know it's hard.

We can do this.

Yay!

If you need help with any kind of a creative process, I’m probably the coach for you. As a professional actress, I know the ups and downs of living life as a creative person. We can explore your goals and get you focused on them in a way that excites you AND allows for a lot of self-compassion as you navigate the labor pains of creativity. I’ll hold you gently and playfully accountable so that you can keep sharing your gifts and talents with the world.

Find out more about me as a coach and use my Google form to get set up with a totally free, no pressure, full 60-minute coaching session. Honestly, it might be all you need. And it’s free, so what have you got to lose? 🥳

Quick side note: My kid was sick the day I recorded this, so you may hear him coughing in the background. You may also hear the occasional airplane flyover. I invite you to just be present with an extra sounds and observe them as part of your present moment.

Transcript

(00:00:01):

Welcome to your Monday Mindful Moment.

We're going to do something a little different today.

We're going to connect with our breath, as always.

And then we're going to practice loving kindness, flowing loving kindness out to the world and to ourselves.

So go ahead and find a comfortable position for your body.

Begin to focus on your breath and the sensations that you feel as your breath moves in and out of your body.

And allow your body to relax more and more into the surface that's supporting you today.

Focus on the connection that you have with your breath.

Noticing what it feels like to take an inhale.

Noticing how your body moves as you breathe in, how your belly and chest rise.

And then noticing the sensations you feel as you exhale, releasing air back out of your body, allowing your belly and chest to fall again.

And now bring to mind a person or creature that you love, and allow the experience of holding this person or creature in your mind to fill you up with pure loving kindness.

And now begin to flow intentions to them.

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

May you live with ease.

And now expand your loving kindness and flow it to everyone in the world, even people you find challenging and perhaps wish to find less challenging.

And flow the same intentions to them.

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you be happy.

May you live with ease.

And finally, include yourself in this flow of loving kindness.

May we all be safe.

May we all be healthy.

May we all be happy.

May we all live with ease.

I'm going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but feel free to remain in loving kindness meditation, connecting with your breath and anyone and everyone you wish to flow loving kindness to today, including yourself.

Feel free to remain here for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Quick side note: My kid was sick the day I recorded this, so you may hear him coughing in the background. You may also hear the occasional airplane flyover. I invite you to just be present with an extra sounds and observe them as part of your present moment.

Transcript

Welcome to your Monday mindful moment.

This is a chance for you to connect with your breath find presence right here in this present moment and perhaps set an intention to be more mindful this coming week so go ahead and get comfortable.

Relax your body into the surface that's supporting you.

And find your breath, however it's flowing right here, right now.

Notice your inhales and your exhales.

Notice how it feels as air moves into your body, fills up your lungs, and then moves back out of your body.

Just mindfully notice the sensations of that cycle.

And notice also how your body moves as you breathe.

Feel as your belly and chest rise and fall with each breath cycle.

And feel as your body relaxes more and more with each breath.

And as you're focusing on your breath, if you notice that your mind wanders away from the experience of breathing, you notice thoughts or moods emerging in the mind, you can just gently acknowledge those.

Let them be.

They too are a part of your present moment experience.

So you can witness them and then choose to return your focus to your breath.

Choose to return your focus to your experience of breathing.

Noticing how each inhale and exhale is unique.

Each one is a little different from the last one.

Just staying present with your experience of the breath and your experience of this present moment.

And now I'm going to bring this mindful moment to a close, but feel free to remain in meditation, connecting with your breath for as long as you like.

Have a great day.

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!

Today we’re back meditating with our good friend the breath to see if it has something to tell us.

Just observing and being in conversation with your breath in this moment.

Get comfortable, press play, and enjoy!

Join me for weekly mindfulness!

In addition to Monday Mindful Moments, I also host a mindfulness group called Mindful Creators every Wednesday on Zoom. The practices are recorded and emailed out the same day, so even if you can’t make it live, you can still enjoy some guided mindfulness.

I’m Amy Schloerb, The Aligned Actor 👋

I’m a life coach and mindfulness practitioner helping people align with their true selves and take inspired action to create a life they love. With my background in acting, I bring presence, connection, and playfulness to transformation.

Let’s align, create, and make amazing things happen—together!