In 2020, beginning shortly after the onset of the COVID pandemic, I started an online meditation group at Spirit of the Lake (recordings available here). Those 30-minute meetings ended up being a lot like episodes of Pretty Good Meditation, with me talking to people and not a lot of discussion.
The benefits of gratitude meditation include reduced stress, better sleep, and increased happiness. Gratitude is a skill that can be practiced like any other skill. Sometimes we just need some reminders for all of the reasons to feel grateful. In this meditation we reflect on some reasons to be grateful, including the gift of life, our senses, the people we know and do not know, nature, physical items, and more.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/42. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
Meditation offers a wide variety of benefits, whether you use an app, watch recorded videos, live streams, or practice alone. Meditation with a group can provide a useful support to your practice and amplify the benefits of meditating alone. When you practice in a group, you might feel accountable to other members of the group or less likely to drop your meditation practice when life starts to get chaotic.
When we practice metta meditation, also known as Loving-kindness meditation, send positive emotions to others as well as to ourselves. In this brief practice, we will purposefully and mindfully offer loving-kindness to ourselves and others. There is nothing magical about this practice.
Yoga nidra is an ancient technique, as old as any yoga, in which the body relaxes completely. It's used by healthcare workers, yoga therapists, the military, and others to help people with a variety of conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder. In this practice, we scan and relax the entire body.
To leave a comment about this episode or watch the video version, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/40.
The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes and the background music is "Organic Meditations One" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), both under CC BY 3.0.
Every moment is important, and we can practice giving importance to whatever comes up in the mind. It doesn't matter how ugly or unpleasant the thought, we can always end up with beauty. In this meditation, we smile to everything, to life in all forms, and bring a caring attitude to whatever arises.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/39. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
Breath control can help us fold our awareness inward. Scanning the body and can help us relax. In this meditation, we pay attention to our breath, physical sensations, and mind, relaxing into the present moment and the mystery of life.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/38. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
Most of the public enthusiasm for mindfulness stems from the reputation it has for reducing stress. But scholars and researchers who work on mindfulness, and the Buddhist tradition itself, paint a more complex picture than does the popular media.
While I'm not particularly fond of the phrase "self care," I have found that there are places and times when self-care practices can be helpful. Self care includes making sure you are eating enough food to nourish your body, sleeping enough to allow your body to repair itself, and related practices. It also means checking in with yourself, in a healthy way, to help determine if you are being cared for. In this meditation, we pay attention to the breath, body, and mind, as well as create space for you to tune into your physical and emotional needs to help you show up more fully in your life.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/37. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
The breath is a common focus during meditation. Breath meditation can help cultivate mindfulness and the ability to stay present with life. In this meditation we practice paying attention to the breath, whether we feel it most at the tip of our nose, the chest, or the belly. We do these practices to train the mind to stay present and experience the natural rhythms of life.
To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/36. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.
