Pretty Good Meditation

Connect to the present moment. Explore the depths of your consciousness. Discover the peace and clarity that arises from simply being in pure awareness. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/75.

In any moment, you have an opportunity to pause, reflect, and pay attention from the beginning to the end of one inhalation. Or one exhalation. You don't need to commit to any more. Yoga teaches us that there is nothing you need to grasp. This episode explores the benefits of one-breath meditation and offers suggestions for how to practice (hint: it's very easy!) and how to remember to pause.

Our society conditions us to be "human doings" rather than "human beings." But what might it be like to let go of our TODO lists, our goals, and our compulsion to always be "doing"? In this meditation we pause to feel the body and attune to our feelings in this moment. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/73. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Whether you call it loving-kindness meditation, metta meditation, well-wishing meditation, or something else, this kind of meditation has been shown to increase positive emotions, decrease negative emotions, increase empathy, and a whole lot more. In this practice we will cultivate feelings of kindness, goodwill, and warmth towards others. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/72. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Many of us get so wrapped up in ideas of trying to "become"" or to "get rid of" that we fail to notice the moments in our life. This meditation uses a quote by the wise sage, Dr. Seuss, to help us wake up to the present moment: "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!" To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/71. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

This guided meditation uses imagery to relax the body. Your mind is represented as blue sky illuminated by rays of light. This practice is intended to bring about feelings of nourishment, protection, and relaxation. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/70. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Psychologists use the phrase "decentering" to denote the difference between our thoughts and reality. It's a practice the removes you from the center of your thinking. In this meditation we practice a variety of decentering techniques designed to help shift from a self-centered perspective to a nature-centered perspective. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/69. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

In this meditation, we examine the body as four elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the air element. This practice provides a method to go into the body based on material conditions. Not the stories the mind tells about the body. Not judgments. The reality of this moment. This practice can help us learn to let go of attachments and judgements about ourselves and other people To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/68. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Sometimes loving-kindness meditations focus on categories of people, starting with you, and then moving to someone who is easy to love, then family, friends, acquaintances, people that you do not like, people you've never met, etc. Other times, loving-kindness meditations take a more geographical approach, such as starting with you, the people you live with, neighbors, people that live in the same city, state, nation, or world, etc. In this meditation, we drop most of those categories and focus on the feeling of loving-kindness. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/67. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Most of the time, our minds are not satisfied, and instead are on the lookout for danger, scattered, or just board. In this meditation we use a mantra to help train the mind to appreciate the present moment: "This moment is perfect, whole, and complete." To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/66. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

We can't make much progress in meditation if we do not see the world for what it is. In this practice, we pay attention to how the mind draws us away from what is real. We pause, with the intention of letting go of those stories and seeing the world as it actually is. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/65. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

During meditation it is common to hear a sound or experience a feeling that sends the mind off, carried away and caught up in the future or the past. In this meditation we investigate the nature of the distractions, practice letting them go, and re-establish connection to the present. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0. Subscribe to my newsletter at matthewtift.com/newsletter.

In this meditation you will start by noticing how your body fits within the space of your own awareness. Using the physical sensations of the body and the flow of breath, this meditation allows you to practice centering your attention, stabilizing your awareness, and rest in the knowing. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/63. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Would you like a short break in your day? This brief centering practice provides a moment for you to give yourself the gift of a pause. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/62. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

In this meditation we begin by placing the body in a balanced, steady, and comfortable position. We allow a sense of relaxation to flow down through the body. We maintain a focus on the physical sensations in the body, training the mind to stay focused on the present moment. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/61. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

This episode begins with a breath meditation and then moves to a body scan to notice the effects of the breath meditation. Specifically, the goal of this practice is to notice feelings of inner peace, interrogate their characteristics, and observe their energy. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/60. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

Sometimes desire can take over our lives. We start to believe that we really, really want something. But no thing can provide us with permanent happiness. In this meditation we explore desire and fulfilling our desire. We set the scene in an airport, at the moment when we are reunited with a dear friend or loved one. We bring to mind not just the happiness that arises from such moments, but also the limits to which those moments can satisfy.

In this meditation you will explore your inner desires and purpose. You will explore the feeling of desire in your body, imagine the your desire has been completely fulfilled, and then go a little bit deeper before considering the actual state of the present moment. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/58. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

This meditation begins with a body scan to help calm the mind and body. Then we open our awareness to all the senses, and rest in an awareness that reminds us of the ever-changing nature of life. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/57. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0.

The opposite of the stress response is the relaxation response. The relaxation response essentially turns off the fight-or-flight response. Meditation, breathing exercises, tai chi, and related practices can all be highly effective in calming the body. In this meditation you will focus on any single point that feels pleasurable. To leave a comment about this episode, visit matthewtift.com/prettygood/56. The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes under CC BY 3.0