Meditate With Zachary Phillips

In this session we practice ' Metta Loving Kindness Meditation', a practice of opening the heart and offering love and compassion to the self, others, and the world.

Metta is offered as a balm/soothing after deep mindfulness practice. Some believe it acts as a prayer and others that it is simply a self-healing practice. I will leave that for you to decide.

Hold a person in your heart and offer them love.

Say the words (or the intention behind the words) "May you be free of ill will. May you be free of suffering. May you be full of loving kindness. May you be happy."

Begin with someone who is easy to offer love, then extend to yourself, strangers, the world, someone who has wronged you, and all living beings.

Extend this practice to a person who has wronged you (it can help to imagine them as a baby).

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon).

You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

This session introduces the practice of The Flame & The Void. Initially introduced through Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, this is a simple alternative approach to mindfulness that offers beginners immediate calm and focus.

Visualise a flame (object of meditation).

Feed it all emotions, thought, and sensation.

When there is nothing left, release the flame.

Embrace the void (present moment/mindfulness/self) that remains.

If needed, begin again.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon).

You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

This session offers a summary of the principles that underpin all of the meditation practices I teach, including mindfulness, insight, breathwork, intuitive guidance, and shadow/parts work.

Drawing from psychology, spirituality, and the Self, it explores the mind-body connection, the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of health, and the skills-based nature of meditation practice.

All of these ideas are framed through 'awareness, acceptance, action' lens of self-improvement, while emphasizing a practical approach to growth that values functionality over perfection, and the journey itself over any final destination.

Listen next:

Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon).

You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

There are countless approaches to healing, drawing from science, spirituality, and lived experience. But what if we stepped back and explored the core principles shared across them all?

This talk offers a framework for approaching all healing and growth. It will help you contextualize and apply the countless techniques, perspectives, and pieces of advice you may have encountered.

Awareness
Become aware of what is happening internally and externally.

Acceptance
Accept reality as it is for what it is, right now. We don’t need to like, agree, or approve of it.

Action
Take small, value-aligned steps toward healing, growth, and meaningful change.

Our actions change the situation, thus we need to become aware of, and accept our new reality and perhaps take further action.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon).

You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

The present moment is the best antidote to intense feelings. If you are struggling with anxiety, panic, depression, or overwhelm, focus on the moment. Right now, you are okay. Right now, you are safe. In this moment, you can find peace.

Slow down the breath and bring your hand to your heart. Feel the warmth.

Say the words (internally or out loud) "I am here, now".

Focus on what you can hear. These are the sounds of the present moment.

Focus on what you can see. These are the sights of the present moment.

Focus on what you can feel. These are the feelings of the present moment.

Focus on the sensations of the breath at the nose. These are the breaths of the present moment.

Drop it all and just be in the moment. Say the words (internally or out loud) "I am here, now and right now I am safe”.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon). You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

This session will help kids regulate, play it for your little one when they are overwhelmed, stressed, or having a melt-down. It begins with slow calm breathing, followed by a progressive muscle relaxation, a check in for their needs, a 5,4,3,2,1 grounding. It ends with some positive self talk and affirmations.

Slow sighing nose breath.

Checking into their bodies needs.

Squeezing and relaxing each muscle in the body.

What can they feel, see, hear, taste, smell.

Positive self talk

Have a conversation with your child about how to regulate - discuss with them what you have noticed helps them and ask what they internally have noticed helping them.

When they do get overwhelmed, play this track and do it together - this will both act as a stop break, calming intervention, and help give them the skills necessary for self awareness and regulation in life.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon). You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

This session guides you through a full Heart Space Expansion practice.

It blends tantra, breathwork, mindfulness, mantra, visualization, and Internal Family Systems-style inner connection to support healing and integration.

We begin with a gentle hand-to-heart warmth practice, then add a visualization of a light or flame growing in the heart space. We also introduce the mantra “Ham Sa” (or “Love / Trust”).

From there, we move the flame through the body in rhythm with the breath, letting heart-space energy connect with every part of you, including the places where the past is still holding on.

We close with a full heart-space expansion, visualizing the flame extending to surround your entire body, and ending with the words: ‘May I always find refuge in my heart, may I always be self-led, may I always remember I can heal and regulate myself.

Place a hand on the heart.

With the breath, visualize the heart space as a flame, light, or energy growing stronger and brighter.

Entrain (add) a mantra of your choice and connect the movement of the flame to the breath

Send this energy to each part of the body and to a part of the past that is holding on.

Expand this energy to the entirety of your being

Add the intention behind the words, ‘May I always find refuge in my heart, may I always be self-led, may I always remember I can heal and regulate myself.

During this practice visualizations, images, connections, insights and other inner awareness and physical sensations may arise. Explore and accept them all with compassionate curiosity and calm confidence.

Whatever arises, offer it loving connection with the suability, delicacy, and persistence of the breath.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon). You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

Mindfulness Meditation is the act of purposefully paying non-judgmental attention to the present moment.

Mindfulness both focuses the mind and increases our chances of catching ourselves when distracted by thoughts, emotions, and sensations.

Daily mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety, improve performance, reduce addiction, and lead to all kinds of health benefits.

Description:
This session guides you through a basic mindfulness meditation practice. You’ll adopt a comfortable meditation posture, choose an anchor (the breath at the nose), and rest your attention there. When you notice your mind has wandered, gently and lovingly return it to your anchor. Repeat daily.

Goal:
To build awareness of the nature of the mind and train focus.

Summary:
Sit in a comfortable meditation posture

Use the breath at the nose as your anchor (point of focus)

Notice the sensations of breathing (air moving in and out)

When you notice the mind has wandered, gently return to the breath

Repeat for the length of the session, then practice daily

Progression:

Addition: Posture
Sit upright in chair or on floor. Relax shoulders, soften face. Choose position that feels sustainable, not forced. One that is pain free.

Addition: Labeling
When you notice you’ve drifted, silently label it, “thinking,” “planning,” “remembering,” “hearing,” “feeling”, then return to the breath. If you cannot name a specific thing, label it as “cloud”.

Addition: Counting
When breathing in, silently repeat “in”. When breathing out, silently repeat “out”. Alternatively, count with each breath up to ten, then begin again at zero. This process can increase focus.

Addition: Mantra
Similar to the counting above you can add a mantra that is pegged to the breath, said internally. Eg: “Ham Sa” or “Love/Trust” or any other word or phrase of your choosing. This process can increase focus.

Listen next:
Explore more foundational healing practices (or via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon). You can also find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

This guided session takes you through the practice of box (square) breathing: a simple process that helps to reduce anxiety. From there, it adds a visualization to further occupy and focus the mind. This session finishes with the introduction of a finger counting method that will give you the ability to take your box breathing practice wherever you go.

Breathe in for four seconds

Hold for four seconds

Breathe out for four seconds

Hold for four seconds

Repeat for 5 minutes or until calm.

Addition: Visualization

In your minds eye picture a square.

Starting with the in breath at the bottom left corner, visualize yourself (or a ball of energy) moving up. As you hold the breath, visualize it moving to the right, then as you hold visualize it moving down, and as you breathe out visualize it moving back to the start point.

Addition: The 'Yogic' Breath

All breathwork that aims to calm the nervous system can be summarized as: 'Nose, Low, and Slow' - but for a more comprehensive instruction, we explore the 'yogic' breath:

Inhale slowly through your nose, letting the breath fill your belly first, then rise into your chest, and finally lift toward your neck/collarbones.

Exhale slowly in reverse, releasing from the neck/collarbones, softening the chest, and emptying the belly last. Keep the flow smooth and unforced.

Addition: Finger Counting

Connect the thumb and pointer finger together for one set of box breathing, then connect the thumb and middle finger for another set of box breathing (repeating for ring and pinky finger).

Place attention upon the sensations of the fingers touching.
One ‘hand’ is for cycles of 16 seconds, thus approximately one minute of meditation.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon).

You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.

This track will guide you to sleep.

It features a calm, reassuring voice, peaceful background music, the slowing down of the breath, relaxation of the body, and gentle encouragement to put it all down, let it all go, and allow sleep to come.

Set up your sleep space: lights off, notifications off, comfortable position.

Slow down the breath and close the eyes.

Relax the body.

Let go of any commitments, thoughts and distractions - you can pick them up if you like in the morning.

Fall asleep.

Establish good sleep hygiene by setting a sleep and wake time, monitor screen time late at night (stopping 2hr+ before bed), reduce caffeine intake, particularly after midday.

Listen next:
Explore more guided meditations (also available via  iTunes, Spotify, & Amazon).

You can find 100’s more tracks, talks, and full courses on the Insight Timer app, and in The Art Of Self-Connection community.

Want To Go Deeper?

Grab a copy of my book, Mindfulness, A Guidebook For The Present Moment.