Mindfulness means deliberately paying attention to what is going on in your own experience in the present moment without judging or reacting to what you observe, and is something you can learn to do at any time. Practising
mindfulness meditation is a bit like doing weight training at the gym, except that meditation strengthens the mind rather than the body. But there are some important differences between mindfulness and weight training! As you listen
to
the guided meditations on this page, don't try too hard!. Just follow along with the instructions as best you can, and go easy on yourself. You are not trying to get your mind into any special state or become a "meditation
expert", but just to gently observe what is going on in your mind.
Body and Breath Meditation (9 mins)
A meditation on body and breath based on a meditation of the same name by Mark Williams in his book Mindfulness: a Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Just relax and follow along with the instructions.
3-Minute Breathing Space Meditation (3 mins)
A short
meditation inspired by similar meditations from various teachers. This meditation is intended to
be used at times during the day when you feel stressed or troubled. Notice how the meditation is
structured. Step 1: Become aware of any thoughts, feelings, or sensations you are
experiencing right now. Step 2: Focus your attention on the breath. Step 3: Expand
your awareness to include the whole body. That's it! After listening to this meditation for a
few times, you should be able to make up a similar meditation for yourself whenever you need it.
Body Scan Meditation (13 mins)
A body scan meditation
inspired by a meditation of the same name by Mark Williams. This meditation will help you learn
how to sustain your attention and to deliberately change the focus of your awareness as you
redirect attention to various parts of the body. This meditation will also help you become more
aware of sensations within your own body. Just follow along with the instructions as best you
can, noticing everything that is going on in your mind as you do so. When your mind wanders
(which it almost certainly will) simply return your attention to the instructions.
Sounds and Thoughts Meditation (15 mins)
A meditation
inspired by similar meditations from Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale. Most of
us experience an inner voice in our heads that seems to give us a running commentary on our
lives. But we cannot always believe everything our inner voice is telling us. Thoughts are not
facts! This meditation will help you to relate differently to your inner voice so that you do
not have to react to everything it says, but can start to make new choices that are more aligned
with what is most important to you.
Effortless Meditation (18 mins)
A gentle meditation that
emphasises the effortless nature of meditation. You will learn to observe the effortless way in
which all sensations, sounds, thoughts, and feelings enter the mind during meditation, and then
to return your attention to the breath in the same effortless way. During this meditation you
will be invited to place your hands on your abdomen and feel it rising and falling as you
breathe. You will also be invited to use your imagination to visualise yourself as a butterfly,
and as a mountain! Just relax, go with the flow, and follow along with the instructions. You may
enjoy these visualisations or you may decide they are not for you. Either way, it's fine. We are
all different.
Exploring Difficulty Meditation (15 mins)
A meditation
in which you will learn to work with difficult thoughts and feelings. In this meditation you
will start to learn how to redirect your attention away from thinking and the stories generated
by the inner voice and toward bodily feelings and sensations. Suspending judgement and turning
inward to explore what is really going on in your body and mind will help you to deal with
difficult situation with a greater sense of calm and clarity.
Sending Out Kindness Meditation (14 mins)
A meditation
in which you will send out feelings of kindness, first to yourself, then to a friend, a
stranger, someone you find difficult, and finally to everyone. Some people may find this
meditation a little unnatural or uncomfortable at first, but meditations such as this can have a
profound effect on the way you relate to other people and to yourself. Practising any meditation
regularly can actually change the connections in your brain in measurable ways (or so I have
read!)
Lake Meditation (15 mins)
A meditation in which you will visualise a lake, loosely based on a meditation of the same name by Jon Kabat-Zinn. You will be asked to use your imagination to build an image of a lake in your mind. The more sights, sounds, smells, and
feelings you can bring into the visualisation, the better. As usual, just follow along with the instructions as best you can without trying too hard. As far as you can, just allow yourself to relax and enjoy the experience. The goal is not to
get your mind into any particular special state, just to witness what happens in your mind as you use your imagination.
Silent Meditation Timers
The following audio recordings
are provided as timers for your own silent, unguided meditations. Each recording consists of
five periods of silence with a bell marking the start of each of the five period and four bells
at the end of the final period.
20 Minute Timer
30 Minute Timer
45 Minute Timer
To download an audio file, in some browsers you may be able to right-click on any of the players above and select Download audio as ... or Save link as ....