12 Minute Meditation

By definition, to feel vulnerable is to feel exposed and undefended. It's natural, in moments of emotional risk or tenderness, to feel the urge to pull back from vulnerability, to deny it or dismiss it as weak or needy. But decades of research have also revealed that we can't really form strong bonds with others if we're unwilling to take the risk of being our true selves. 
This week, Dr. Stacee Reichezer guides us through a practice that can help us soften to this oh-so-human experience so that we can truly know healing, connection, and vitality. 
Dr. Stacee L. Reicherzer, PhD, LPC-S is the Chicago-based transgender author of The Healing Otherness Handbook: Overcome the Trauma of Identity-Based Bullying and Find Power in Your Difference. The San Antonio, TX native serves as clinical faculty of counseling at Southern New Hampshire University, where she received the distinguished faculty award in 2018.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Stacee Reicherzer here.
As with any difficult emotion, learning to be with vulnerability is a skill that we can nurture. Here are more resources on this essential skill and how mindfulness can help you build and expand your capacity to be yourself in the world. 
Go Deeper
Gentle Men: The Healing Power of Vulnerability 

The Power of Vulnerability 

Why Vulnerability is Your Superpower 

Feeling Like a Fraud in Your Own Mindfulness Practice 

4 Questions to Foster Your Authentic Self 

For more practice leaning into genuine connection, try A 12-Minute Meditation for Cultivating Connection to Yourself and Beyond.

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This week, Ed Halliwell guides us through a practice to be with the inevitable moment-to-moment uncertainty of life. We can't control what's happening around us, but we can practice letting go of the stories we create about uncertainty that add unnecessary stress and pain. 
Ed Halliwell is a mindfulness teacher and writer, based in Sussex and London, UK. He is author of three books: Into The Heart of Mindfulness, How To Live Well By Paying Attention and (as co-author)The Mindful Manifesto and teaches courses and retreats to public groups, in organizations and to individuals, face-to-face and online via Skype. He is also an advisor to The Mindfulness Initiative, which is supporting the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Ed Halliwell here.
Go Deeper
Learning that our thoughts and feelings are not "us"—meaning, they aren't our whole identity, but rather are part of a fluid experience that comes and goes—is a core element of mindfulness practice. 
This does not mean that our thoughts or feelings don't matter, or that we need to fix or control them; it only means that we can have more freedom when we don't get too attached or mistake a moment or a season for who we are. For more support learning how to work with uncertainty, thoughts, and feelings, start with these resources from Mindful.org:
Why Uncertainty Is Good for Us

Seven Strengths for an Uncertain World 

You Can Investigate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them 

Halting the Spiral: Navigating Repetitive Thought Patterns 

For more practice noticing the temporary nature of thoughts and emotions, try: A Basic Mindfulness Meditation for Labeling Thoughts and Emotions 
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There are times when we're so busy thinking, planning, worrying, stressing that it's really hard to focus on the breath or the body, or whatever particular meditation object we're using.
This practice with Mark Coleman offers an alternative that's helpful when we feel like we're going a million miles an hour. It uses soft, focused attention: relaxed eyes, soft gaze, and just being aware of the visual stimuli—like color, light, form, shape—to settle our focus. 
Mark Coleman is a Dharma teacher at Spirit Rock and has taught Insight Meditation retreats since 1997 worldwide. Mark is passionate about integrating meditation and nature and leads wilderness retreats through his organization Awake in the Wild and runs annual Nature Meditation teacher trainings. Cofounder of the Mindfulness Training Institute, Mark coeads year-long mindfulness teacher trainings in Europe and the US. He is author of Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery and Make Peace With Your Mind and his recent book From Suffering to Peace. He lives in Sausalito, Marin and likes nothing more than hiking, biking, and kayaking in the outdoors. Find out more at markcoleman.org

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Mark Coleman here.
Go Deeper
 For a variety of reasons, not every brain is well-suited to "traditional" meditation techniques. Here are ways to explore other alternative practices: 
Awareness in Action: Rethinking ADHD Through Mindfulness 

Guided Meditations for Working with ADHD and Anxiety 

Trusting Your Senses 

Mindfulness and Autism: Learning to Celebrate Neurodiversity 

Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present 

If you've even had the feeling that traditional meditation isn't for you because of how you're wired, try this neurodivergent-friendly approach:  Dual Anchor: A Neurodiversity-Informed Meditation for Wandering Attention  
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Beyond just feeling good, laughter releases dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, and also works on our heart, our lungs, our muscles, our thoughts, our behaviors. In short: laughter actually is good medicine.
And here's a funny thing: whether we laugh in response to something, or we create a situation that gets laughter going, the body will still release the same endorphins.
Try this quick, goofy yoga exercise to discover a foolproof way to induce laughter. It is based on the Hawaiian word "Aloha," a nice vowel-y word that opens the mouth and throat just by saying it.
Elaine Smookler has been a mindful practitioner for over 20 years and is on the faculty at The Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto. She is a Registered Psychotherapist and teaches mindfulness to corporate clients through eMindful. She's also a comedic writer and performer and is the singing host of Mindful Martinis, a cabaret/mindfulness class mash up.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Elaine Smookler here.
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We tend to see play, joy, and levity as nice-to-haves, something we experience when things are going well. In reality they are all an essential part of building resilience and well-being, even when things aren't going well. To explore more ways to intentionally incorporate the lighter side, even in darker seasons, check out these resources from Mindful.org: 
The Power of Play 

Play, SoulPancake, and Building Your Anti-Depressant Brain 

Join the Nanalympics! 6 Ways to Get Playful with Mindful Movement 

The Science of Wonder 

Find Your Way to Embodied Joy   

For more practice noticing the good (even when things don't go according to plan), try:  A 12-Minute Meditation to Rewire Your Brain for Optimism 
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Joy aids us in waking up to our lives, and savoring is a practice that allows us to slow down, immerse ourselves in experience, and deeply appreciate the moment we're inhabiting. These two together are a powerful antidote to the gravitational pull of negativity, doomscrolling, and despair. 
Jessica Morey is a meditation teacher and coach. She has been practicing meditation for almost 3 decades. She is also the co-founder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to youth.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week. 
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app. 
Show Notes
Find more from Jessica Morey here.
Go Deeper
Understanding our built-in negativity bias is the first step to balancing it with practices that hone our attention and strengthen our genuine appreciation for the good things in life. You can learn more from these resources on Mindful.org: 
Seven Strengths for an Uncertain World 

Halting the Spiral: Navigating Repetitive Thought Patterns 

3 Mindful Ways to Transform Negative Thoughts 

Turn Negative Emotions into Your Greatest Source of Strength 

How Happy Brains Respond to Negative Things 


For another approach to unhooking from negativity, try: Peace Begins With Me: A Meditation for When You Feel Overwhelmed By Negative Thoughts  
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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.