Zen for Everyday Life with Matt Valentine: Mindfulness | Guided Meditation | Finding Peace in the Pr

This week is Rise with the Sun week on the ZfEL podcast and this weeks guided meditation is a guided morning meditation self-titled after this weeks theme thats all about getting started on the right foot.When you first wake up, do you rush up from bed, scrounge together your things, and race out the door? Do you take a second to stop and read whats going on inside of you? Rise with the Sun is about taking inventory before the day gets started so that youre on solid ground and can handle the challenges of your day with more poise and clarity.Also, dont forget to check out this weeks talk episode, episode #38, How to Craft a Powerful Morning Ritual. This is a subject I havent much talked about yet on the podcast and so Im excited to be talking about it with you now.2 Ways to Support the Podcast:1. Go to ThisMomentBook.com to buy my new book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment.2. Go to Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog by giving a recurring or one-time donation.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources and Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness.

This week is Zen week on the ZfEL podcast and this weeks guided meditation is the traditional Zen meditation practice of Zazen (literally meaning sitting/seated meditation in Japanese).I covered this meditation practice in a previous episode, however, I felt it could have been better and didnt express the nuances of the practice as well as it could have as compared to secular mindfulness or Vipassana mindfulness meditation practice, so Ive decided to do a new (and much better) version.Also, dont forget to check out this weeks second episode, episode #36, How to Live with the Spirit of Zen in Your Everyday Life. This is a subject I havent much talked about yet on the podcast and so Im excited to be talking about it with you now.2 Ways to Support the Podcast:1. Go to ThisMomentBook.com to buy my new book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment.2. Go to Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog by giving a recurring or one-time donation.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources and Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness.

This weeks guided meditation is another unique practice- mindful smiling. A smile is a power symbol of joy and happiness. However, most dont know that smiling more than just a symbol (or the result of something), its a powerful tool which can be used intentionally to make us happier and more at peace.This weeks guided meditation is all about using the power of intention and the natural effect of smiling with mindfulness.Also, dont forget to check out this weeks second episode, episode #34, which is a special guided meditation episode (yes, two this week!) to accompany my new Meditation for Everyday Life video series which was just released this week on how to create and stick to a strong and consistent daily meditation practice amid the chaos and busyness of everyday life. This guided meditation is a preview of my full Meditation for Everyday Life course program.Sign up at meditationforeverydaylife.com to get access to the first video in the series.Thank you for listening and let me know what you think. :)2 Ways to Support the Podcast:1. Go to ThisMomentBook.com to buy my new book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment.2. Go to Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog by giving a recurring or one-time donation.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources and Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness.

This weeks talk episode is replaced by a special guided meditation episode to accompany my new Meditation for Everyday Life video series, which was just released this week, on how to create and stick to a strong and consistent daily meditation practice amid the chaos and busyness of everyday life. This guided meditation is a preview of my full Meditation for Everyday Life course program.Sign up at meditationforeverydaylife.com to get access to the first video in the series.Also, make sure to listen to this weeks guided meditation, ZfEL #35: Guided Meditation - Mindful Smiling.Thank you for listening and let me know what you think. :)2 Ways to Support the Podcast:1. Go to ThisMomentBook.com to buy my new book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment.2. Go to Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog by giving a recurring or one-time donation.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources and Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness.

This weeks guided meditation is the everyday informal practice of mindful walking. Weve covered the formal practice of walking meditation before, where you walk back and forth or in a circle typically in your room or wherever you meditate (anywhere really) and generally at a very slow pace. Practicing mindful walking in daily life is similar, but still very different in important ways.In this guided meditation, Ill take you through a practice you can do walking about in your daily life, from your car to work, work to your car, around the office, down the street, in a grocery store, and even out for a short walk to check your mail or take out the trash. The opportunities to use this practice are limitless and thats why its a personal favorite.Also, dont forget to check out this weeks talk, episode #30: 11 Things to Know When Youre Having a Bad Day.Thank you for listening and let me know what you think. :)2 Ways to Support the Podcast:1. Go to ThisMomentBook.com to buy my new book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment.2. Go to Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog by giving a recurring or one-time donation.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources and Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness.

This week Im giving a little preview of one of the 4 major principles from my upcoming book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment. Today I talk about living naturally, within that specifically the principle of friction, or resistance. Its the understanding that our resistance to what goes on in our life causes friction. And its this friction which causes much of our suffering.I open up about my own life to give a clear example of the principle at work, plus I do a reading of a previous article that perfectly fits the theme, which I also chose to include in the book.Also make sure to listen to this weeks guided meditation, which is ZfEL #15: Healing Through Understanding, a very active meditation (or contemplation or sorts) which has a remarkable ability at healing internal wounds caused by conflicts with others. Thank you for listening and let me know what you think. :)For show notes, visit: buddhaimonia.com/podcast/zfel14.Go to ThisMomentBook.com to get the latest updates for my upcoming book, This Moment: How to Live Fully and Freely in the Present Moment, coming February 2016.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources, Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness, and Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog.

This is Modern Living week on the ZfEL podcast. Today I talk about how to how to live more mindfully in the busyness, fast-pace and complexity of the modern world. I cover 10 keys to reducing distractions, combatting busyness and finding ways to live more fully present in the chaos of everyday life.To go along with episode #12, episode #13 and this weeks guided meditation is Just Being and its a guided meditation to help you take everything in despite the chaos and craziness of everyday life and just be with it fully in this moment- no matter what that is.For show notes, visit: buddhaimonia.com/podcast/zen-for-everyday-life/zfel-ep-12-live-more-mindfully-in-the-modern-world/.Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources, Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness, and Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog.

This is fresh start week on the ZfEL podcast. I hope this week has helped you start your New Year, your week, or any day of your life off with a renewed spirit. Todays guided meditation is Mindful Refresh and its intended to help you let go of what youre holding onto, create space with mindfulness practice, and start fresh whether thats this year, this week, or simply today and in this moment.Also, dont forget to check out this weeks episode #11: How to Start Fresh in Every Moment with Mindfulness which this guided meditation serves as an accompaniment to. For show notes, see: buddhaimonia.com/podcast/zen-for-everyday-life/zfel-ep-11-guided-meditation-mindful-refresh. Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources, Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness, and Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog.

This is fresh start week on the Buddhaimonia blog and ZfEL podcast. Today I cover how to let go of what holds us back and start fresh with mindfulness practice. Mindfulness gives us the ability to start each new moment off fresh, free from the chains of the past and the weight of our conditioning. Whether youre looking to start the new year, this month, week, or just today off fresh this episode will help show you how to do it with mindfulness practice.To go along with episode #10, episode #11 and this weeks guided meditation is called Mindful Refresh and its a simple guided meditation for letting go of what holds us down and experiencing the freshness of this moment. For show notes, visit: buddhaimonia.com/podcast/zen-for-everyday-life/zfel-ep-10-how-to-start-fresh-with-mindfulness-practice. Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to read my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources, Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness, and Buddhaimonia.com/support if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog.

This is meditation week on the ZfEL podcast. Ive really enjoyed recording both this weeks full episode and guided meditation episode and I hope you get a lot out of them. Today Im covering zazen, the Zen practice of sitting meditation. This is the basic meditation form I typically write about on the blog being that I essentially grew up in Zen. At its heart, its just a simple mindfulness of breath meditation. If youre new to meditation, know that zazen is a great beginner practice for this very reason. Its what I practice each and every day. Also, dont forget to check out this weeks episode #8: How to Create a Home Meditation Practice which this guided meditation serves as an accompaniment to. For show notes, see: buddhaimonia.com/podcast/zen-for-everyday-life/zfel-ep-9-guided-meditation-zazen-zen-sitting-meditation. Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to check out my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources, Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness, and Buddhaimonia.com/donate if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog.

Today is the start of a brand new weekly segment to the podcast where Ill be covering one new guided meditation each week. Todays guided meditation is the mindful breathing practice of Going Home creating by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Going Home is a simple mindful breathing practice thats one of the simplest and at the same time most powerful of all mindfulness practices. I use it daily. I start the episode off by explaining a little bit about this second format and cap off the episode with an explanation on how you can best make use of this simple but powerful mindfulness practice. Thank you for listening. Go to Buddhaimonia.com to check out my weekly blog as well as guides, books, and other resources, Buddhaimonia.com/newsletter to sign up to the weekly newsletter and get my free eBook The Little Book of Mindfulness, and Buddhaimonia.com/donate if youd like to become a supporting member of the podcast and blog.