Today’s podcast begins with some poetry and thoughts on my recent experience with the practice of joy. The accompanying guided meditation was inspired by psychotherapist Brian Dean Williams. It uses an image of the joy of others to activate this feeling in ourselves.

The following meditation is an exploring of mudita, or sympathetic joy. In this insight practice, we use an image, an intention and phrases, to offer our wish to someone in our life who is doing well. Through this exploration, we may unlock this same emotion in ourselves.

This meditation uses phrases shared by psychotherapist Brian Williams. You can hear his guided meditation at https://soundcloud.com/michaelstoneteaching/guided-meditation-on-mudita.

The following is a visualization practice. As we observe the mind, we become aware of the space between our thoughts and emotions. The formations of our mind come and go, allowing us some freedom to choose what thoughts and emotions to stay with and which to release.

The following is a lovingkindness practice. Lovingkindness uses words, images and feelings to produce an inclination towards kindness and care for ourselves and others. The repeated wish to be seen, to be comforted and to be loved is intended to foster a sense of well-being and compassion.

This week, we continue with our exploration of the breath (https://yourmindfulcoachblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/17/the-power-of-breath/) through a practice called Focus, Flow and Let Go. We connect with the present moment, expanding our awareness and observation through mindfulness.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, please consider my retreats on April 22 and June 16-18. To learn more, visit www.yourmindfulcoach.com.

The following is a brief practice that harnesses the power of breath to calm and regulate the body. Breath can be used to pull us out of our habitual fight or flight response and into the body's natural relaxation state which connects us with our full cognitive capacity to be intuitive, insightful and moral beings. We have our breath with us wherever we go so it is a perfect tool for mindful practice.

Today’s podcast explores generosity. I begin with a story and a discussion of how generosity can drive meaning and purpose. Generosity allows us to experiment with letting go of attachments and expectations. I share some thoughts on generosity of presence and assumption before concluding with some practices you might explore on your own from the Greater Good Science Center.

Today’s podcast explores the power of inquiry through questions. Questions can be a powerful way to reframe and clarify the issues, problems and situations that you face. Questions are an important foundation of mindfulness practice which asks two basic questions, “What is happening?” and “Can I be with it?” After a brief talk, I offer a practice called the five problem solving questions that I invite you to try out with me.

Today’s podcast explores gratitude. I begin by defining and framing gratitude and continue by investigating how we use it change our mindset, what the benefits are and what specific practices we can undertake to cultivate it. Please visit my website, www.yourmindfulcoach.com to practice gratitude yourself by following the Good Things link at the top of the page. You can also send an email to [email protected].

The following is a meditation on gratitude. We begin with the body and allow a feeling of gratitude to arise for the gifts we hold inside of us. The ability to breathe and move, connect and engage with our world.

Gratitude practice is an aspirational practice. We work to incline our mind toward recognizing those things that bring meaning to our lives. This isn’t always easy but intentional practice can be helpful to generating happiness and satisfaction with life while still acknowledging the difficulty and suffering that goes with being human.