People commonly have a sense of a core of their being--a central energy channel related to the idea of chakras. This handout offers some background on this, along with suggestions for further reading and exploration. There are also 4 practices that you can try ranging from 10 to 30 minutes. 

This is a meditative exploration of the idea that we each have a "still point" around which our energy and all of life flows. The idea of a still point originated with the poet T. S. Eliot, and this practice is drawn from the work of Cynthia Wilcox, Ph.D. It is offered as a tribute to an amazing teacher who left us all too soon. 23 minutes.

This is a gentle practice that offers different ways to center yourself in your own compassionate refuge. I am grateful to the Mindful Self-Compassion teachers Tina Gibson and David Teitelman, from whom this practice is adapted. 24 min.

Equanimity is about having a sense of balance around our reactivity to life's experiences. Kind of a spacious non-reactivity. This meditation offers various ways to cultivate this valuable heart quality. (That never seems to be around when you need it!) For more info on equanimity, you can check out this handout in addition to the meditation at the above link. 25 min.

The RAIN practice is an invaluable way to work difficult emotions so you can learn from them rather than fight them. This handout reviews RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture), and has 3 recordings of various lengths so you can see for yourself how it works. The longest practice is designed to be a very deep dive into the layers of an emotion. 

This video explores the reasons why we forget that we can be kind to ourselves, and then looks at the consequences of that as far as how we live our lives. This may help you understand why it is so crucial to take the time to relearn how to be kind to ourselves if we want to act in this world with wisdom and compassion. 10 min.

This practice is a journey from the largest to the smallest aspects of existence. It is a way to build perspective around our experience, perhaps getting a sense that we are part of something much larger than our thinking minds realize. Deep gratitude to Stan Eisenstein who taught me this type of practice. 30 min.

This practice invites a sense of ease as well as offering a way to offer a sense of healing and support for physical difficulties. It is adapted from some of the wonderful offerings at Inner Health Studio. 25 min.

This meditation allows you to explore gratitude from different perspectives, ultimately moving towards unconditional gratitude and the sense of interconnectedness to be found in that quality of the heart. 26 min.

This practice offers a host of ways to resource yourself, ranging from feeling grounded to appreciating your heart's deepest values. It is offered as a way to explore building the ability to be with what is difficult. 32 min.

This meditation allows you to try different anchors in one practice. The breath doesn't always work for folks, and this gives you a chance to practice with other objects of focus. And also see what heart qualities, like gratitude and compassion, that can be found in any anchor. 26 min.

This is based on a practice offered by one of my fave teachers, Jeff Warren. If you are not familiar with him, please immediately click on that link--you will be glad you did. Anyway, this explores the value of having an anchor in our practice, and ways to work with whatever anchor you choose. 15 minutes.

This is a fave practice from Mindful Self-Compassion. It is a loving kindness practice that harnesses the mind's tendency to wander all over the place, so you can offer kindness and compassion to whatever and whoever arises in your mind. 18 min.

This is a foundational practice from the Mindful Self-Compassion program around remembering to support ourselves as we support those around us. It is offered as an extended practice, but it is really designed to be used right in the middle of challenging caregiving situations once you have practiced it. (Or for any difficult situation for that matter.) The link is to a handout on the practice so you have more background--there are audio links on the handout.

This body scan recognizes that sometimes our bodies can be difficult to be with. So it invites in plenty of compassion and kindness for whatever arises as you bring awareness to various parts of the body. 38 min.

Awe awakens us to the truth that we are part of something larger than ourselves. Research suggests that cultivating qualities like awe, amazement and wonder can enhance well-being and expand our perspective. This handout reviews awe and has a link to a recording of a practice to cultivate it. 

These are brief practices that let you know when 1 minute, 5 minutes and 10 minutes have passed. You can use them as a springboard if you have little time--you can just do a minute, but stay longer if you wish. They focus on different aspects of experience, and there is even one for those times when you don't want to meditate (but still think it would be a good idea)!

There is a lot going on in any given moment. This practice explores the many things within our awareness with curiosity and a chance to release unhelpful judgements. 23 min.

The mountain guided visualization is a classic practice that builds a sense of your inner strength and equanimity. Or it can just be a cool way to chill out with some soothing mental imagery. 22 min.

A guided imagery practice from the Mindful Self-Compassion course that invites a visit from a wise being. 15 min.

A concentration practice builds the skill of focusing on that which you consider important. And also builds the skill of gently releasing that which you decide is unimportant. This practice takes a deep look at the experience of the breath as an anchor to build those skills. 25 min.

This goes on a journey that starts with a practice focused on an anchor of your choosing, with the emphasis being more about how you work with the thoughts that inevitably arise. And then we settle on an exploration of what emotions may be here, and meeting that with kindness regardless of what is here. 30 min.