Mindful Meditations with Dr. Rick Hanson

To help ease and release anxiety, we can focus on feeling undisturbed, undefended, and uncontracted in the moment — which is what this guided meditation will help you to do.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-how-to-prevent-and-release-needless-anxiety/

In this meditation, we rest in the simple miracle of breathing — feeling supported by the body, the air, and the many forces that sustain life. As awareness moves through the belly, diaphragm, and heart, we open to steadiness, peace, and compassion. Gradually, this presence expands into the whole body — and into a felt sense of our own basic goodness and higher purpose. A gentle practice for returning home to yourself, one breath at a time.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-shift-your-thoughts-and-feelings-about-others/

In today’s world, our minds race ahead while our bodies strain under stress, anxiety, and worry. This meditation is about coming home—finding relief from rumination, softening defendedness in the body, and resting in the deep reassurance that, right now, you are basically all right. Even with pain, sadness, or uncertainty, you can return to a simple, peaceful sense of being—your true home in the present.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-finding-whats-reassuringly-reliable-in-an-unreliable-world/

In this meditation, I guide you to settle into awareness of the body and breath, nurturing spaciousness and warm-hearted presence as a foundation for later exploring what to do when feeling triggered. I also encourage you to let go of tension and striving, so you can rest in the present moment and develop qualities that will support you when challenges arise.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-what-to-do-when-you-get-triggered/

This meditation will help you steady the mind like a candle in a windless place—calm, present, and undisturbed.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-just-do-the-right-thing/

Find a calm center within. In this guided meditation, explore peace, vastness, and stillness—not as ideas, but as living qualities you can rest in.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-face-challenges-without-suffering/

So often we meditate to “get” somewhere — to reach a better state of mind. But in this guided meditation, you’ll simply rest in what’s already here: your natural, undisturbed well-being.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-why-we-suffer-and-how-to-stop-adding-to-the-pain/

When life feels scattered or tense, it’s powerful to return to simple grounding and heartfelt presence. In this meditation, you’ll settle into your body, release unnecessary anxiety, and open to calm strength and a sense of being safe in the here and now. From this steady foundation, you’ll soften into feelings of warmth, caring, and being cared for—allowing them to ripple through you and sink in deeply.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-feel-lived-by-love/

When your mind is racing or your body feels tense, it’s a sign your nervous system needs a reset. In this meditation, we’ll explore how simple awareness and gentle letting go can ease stress, calm your body, and help you return to a more balanced, peaceful state.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-compassion-kindness-joy-and-equanimity/

When life feels uncertain and your body is holding onto tension, it’s easy to get swept up in worry and lose touch with any real sense of calm. In this meditation, I’ll guide you toward settling into your body, easing out of unnecessary anxiety, and finding a deep, reassuring sense that—at least in this moment—you’re basically all right.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these meditations — free for everyone — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to explore the talk that followed this meditation, you can listen to it here: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-find-peace-in-impermanence/