Pretty Good Meditation

Many of us think our way through the days. We check things off our TODO lists to feel like we are in control. But this is all an illusion. What happens next is absolutely unknown. In this meditation, we practice staying with whatever arises, both the blissful and the negative. We can use this kind of meditation as practice for the rest of lives and help identify areas where we can let go of the illusion of control.

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Mantra meditation is a technique that can lead to deep meditation states. Mantras can be spoken, sung, whispered, repeated inwardly or just experienced. This meditation explores the simple mantra, So Hum, a Sanskrit phrase usually translated as "I am That."

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We can't spend our whole lives avoiding stressful situations. Sometimes we know about our unhelpful patterns and we can anticipate difficult situations. In this meditation we help prepare for situations that typically create fear, anger, anxiety, and other unhealthy stress. Mindfulness can help us prepare for difficult situations, act with compassion, and cultivate more considered responses.

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Meditation can be done outside in natural surroundings. We can also imagine nature or listen to sounds from nature. In this meditation, we sit or lie down and visualize the changing nature of a lake. We practice tapping into the stillness from the depths of the lake below the ever-changing surface of the lake.

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In this episode, we experiment. We practice clinging to nothing and just being. We don't grab on to sensations and we don't push anything away. This meditation is about resting in stillness and sitting with the experience of life.

In this episode, I accompanied myself on a harmonium. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/31.

This meditation provides a space to slow the mind and the body. Moving at a leisurely pace can allow us to notice habits that bring us out of the moment. We practice letting go of whatever tries to cart us away from the place where life actually happens as well as allow us to be more fully with other people.

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Awareness of the present moment without judgment is a fundamental aspect of meditation and mindfulness. This approach helps us to separate judgment of experience from the experience itself. In this meditation, we will pay attention to the body, to sounds, and to your whole experience of life without opinion.

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/29. To suggest a topic for a future episode or tell me more about yourself and why you are listening, visit matthewtift.com/contact. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Many of us get so wrapped up in the things around us that we rarely pay attention to the spaces between things. And yet space is always present. In this episode, we pay attention to the space between breaths, between our thoughts, in our physical world, and that surrounds sound. Developing a more spacious view of the world helps to open the mind, dissolve boundaries, and let go of the ego.

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/28. To suggest a topic for a future episode or tell me more about yourself and why you are listening, visit matthewtift.com/contact. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Some forms of yogic meditation explore three distinct stages of practice: dharana (concentration), dhyana (a blend of will and surrender), and samadhi (surrender). In this meditation, we will investigate these three phases, which we call focus, flow, and let go. This type of practice can induce a sense of calm or relaxation, and, in some cases, bring about deep states of absorption.

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Learning to breathe and relax can deepen your capacity to stay present to the events of your life. This meditation can provide space for you to notice as feelings and thoughts arise, shift, and fade away. Rather than push away emotions, this practice allows you to tune in to those emotions and learn how to ride the waves of sensations that we each experience throughout our lives.

To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/26. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.