12 Minute Meditation – Details, episodes & analysis

Forgiveness is almost never a one-and-done action. Whether what we're forgiving is big or small, our own error or someone else's—most often, there are residual feelings of anger, hurt, or resentment to contend with. 

In this guided practice, Mark Bertin addresses this tendency to compound our suffering when we hang onto these difficult emotions. He offers a way to gently surrender this extra emotional baggage so that we can fully experience the healing that forgiveness offers.

Mark Bertin, MD, is a pediatrician, author, professor, and mindfulness teacher specializing in neurodevelopmental behavioral pediatrics. He's a regular contributor to Mindful.org and Psychology Today. He is the author of How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids (Sounds True, 2018). Dr. Bertin resides in Pleasantville, New York. For more, visit developmentaldoctor.com.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. 

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Show Notes

Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin here.

Go Deeper

Forgiveness is one of the most challenging mindful qualities to develop. Understandably, we want to feel seen and heard in our pain, and we don't want to feel like we're being walked over or making excuses for harmful behavior. From a mindfulness perspective, forgiveness holds all of these experiences in a kind of loving tension, allowing the complexities to surface. To learn more about what forgiveness is (and isn't) and how to nurture it in your daily life, check out these resources from the website:

• New Research on Mindfulness and Forgiveness 

• The Work It Takes to Forgive 

• How to Let Go of an Old Regret 

• Let It Go: How to Practice Forgiveness 

If you're at the very beginning of the process and want help getting started on your forgiveness journey, try this practice: A Guided Meditation to Welcome Forgiveness. 

And more from Mindful here:

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Having chronic pain often feels incredibly lonely. You might not know anybody else who has the same condition. In addition, most people you're close to, even though they might be well-intentioned, might not understand what you're going through. 

But the fact is that probably thousands and thousands of people all over the world know exactly what you're feeling. In this meditation, Christiane Wolf offers a guided practice to meet your own body in pain and relieve that sense of isolation by internally connecting with others who understand your experience. 

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is passionate about translating ancient wisdom teachings into accessible and applicable modern-day language. She is the author of Outsmart Your Pain – Mindfulness and Self-Compassion to Help You Leave Chronic Pain Behind and the co-author of the classic training manual for mindfulness teachers, A Clinician's Guide To Teaching Mindfulness. Christiane is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA's (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training and a senior teacher at InsightLA. She is the mom of three amazing humans and can usually be found in the Los Angeles area training for ultramarathons and triathlons.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. 

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Show Notes

Find more from Christiane Wolf here.

Go Deeper

Living with chronic conditions is one of the most difficult challenges to face—the effects are never just physical. While mindfulness is never a cure-all for pain or illness, it can offer relief in sometimes-surprising ways. To learn more about how mindful practices can ease suffering in mind and body, check out these articles from the archive:

• Let Your Pain Be a River: Vidyamala Burch on Living and Teaching With Chronic Pain 

• The Science of Chronic Stress, Inflammation, and Mindfulness 

• How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness 

• How Mindfulness Provides Relief from Chronic Pain 

For more practice using meditation to be with your body, even when it's in pain, here is a meditation from pain expert Vidyamala Burch: Filling the Body With Light: 12 Minute Meditation. 

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We often think about gratitude as happening in response to "good" things—but what about moments that aren't grand or overtly happy, but are small and emotionally neutral? This week, Kim Armstrong leads a guided visualization practice to help you notice, take in, and consciously appreciate even the basic things we do every single day.

Kimberly Armstrong is a cofounder and facilitator at Space Between. She practices mindfulness in order to know, see, and feel what is really important in life. Kim has a masters in Child and Adolescent Psychology from the University of Washington and is a certified meditation teacher and 500 hour yoga teacher. Kim's superpower is deep listening with full presence. When she isn't managing operational details, she can be found strumming chords on her guitar.

The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week. 

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Show Notes

Find more from Kin Armstrong here.

Go Deeper

If you want to learn more about how starting or growing a robust, regular gratitude practice can improve markers of physical and emotional well-being, check out these articles:

• How to Practice Gratitude 

• Gratitude for the Lousy Ingrate 

• The Power of Gratitude (with a Healthy Dose of Cynicism) 

• The Science of Gratitude 

For support in establishing a daily practice, we also have a beautiful Gratitude Journal, and a deck of flexible, versatile Gratitude Affirmation cards. 

For more practice, here's another meditation to try: A Guided Meditation to Awaken the Flow of Gratitude in Nature 

And more from Mindful here:

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Today, Barry Boyce guides you through the latest episode of our Focused Attention Series,.building on last week's session, where we explored meta-awareness and focused the mind using the breath as an anchor.. Mindfulness, as Barry emphasizes, is about noticing thoughts without judgment and fostering a natural awareness beyond mental chatter. In this episode, Barry introduces the practice of tuning into the present moment—a powerful experience of simply being.

Show Notes

Find more from Barry Boyce here:

Barry Boyce on Mindful.org

Shambhala Publications

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The Real Mindful Podcast

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Today, Barry Boyce guides you to focus the mind using the breath as an anchor. Mindfulness involves noticing thoughts without judgment, fostering a natural awareness beyond the constant stream of mental chatter. In this particular practice, Barry introduces you to the power of "meta-awareness"—the moment you notice a thought—and how you can gently return your focus to the breath. Remember, in meditation, failure is part of the journey; each session is a learning experience. Take a moment to ground yourself, tune into your natural awareness, and explore the depths of mindfulness with Barry's guidance.

Show Notes

Find more from Barry Boyce here:

Barry Boyce on Mindful.org

Shambhala Publications

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The Real Mindful Podcast

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Today, Diana Winston guides us through a loving-kindness meditation by encouraging us to focus on someone who brings joy—be it a relative, friend, or beloved pet. As you extend well-wishes for their safety, happiness, health, and ease, notice the calm and contentment you feel. And as you practice this meditation over time, you might be pleasantly surprised by how your thoughts, feelings, and responses begin to shift. 

Show Notes

Find more from Diana Winston here:

Diana Winston

Diana Winston on Mindful.org

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This week, meditation teacher Ed Halliwell guides you through "A Guided Meditation for Resting in the Flow," inviting you to envision the human experience as a flowing river—comprised of countless moving droplets forming a dynamic stream. Just as a river undergoes continuous change while maintaining a sense of continuity through well-worn grooves, our lives follow established patterns set by past events. By becoming attuned to the flow and the grooves, we can relax into the journey, gaining clarity that empowers us to skillfully navigate the current. Ed introduces the practice of resting in the flow, offering a meditation that aligns with the metaphor of the river, encouraging a deeper connection with the ever-changing currents of our existence.

Show Notes

Find more from Ed Halliwell here:

Mindfulness with Ed Halliwell

Ed Halliwell on Mindful.org

Ed Halliwell Youtube

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This week, meditation teacher Jay Vidyarthi leads us through a practice that helps release racing thoughts and immerse us in the present moment. In a world where self-care can feel like an added task, Jay offers a new approach. Rather than pushing for change, this practice encourages you to simply be. The aim is not to do, but to exist, letting things be as they are.

Show Notes

Find more from Jay Vidyarthi here:

https://www.jayvidyarthi.com/

https://hminnovations.org/people/jay-vidyarthi

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This week, meditation teacher Vinny Ferraro leads us in a practice that helps us direct compassion to ourselves. We often strive for perfection and can become our harshest critics as we try to hide our flaws and mistakes. This meditation guides us to embrace self-compassion, a shift that allows us to grow more comfortable with our imperfections and human difficulties. We set the intention to meet ourselves with warmth and affection, fostering a friendship with ourselves. 

Show Notes

Find more from Vinny Ferraro here:

https://www.mindful.org/author/vinny-ferraro/

https://vinnyferraro.org/

https://www.bigheartcity.org/teachers

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This week, meditation teacher Holly Rogers leads us in a guided meditation for moving on. Life often presents us with challenges and discomfort. This practice is a gentle guide to navigating those moments with grace and clarity. 

Acceptance, as Holly reminds us, is not about liking or agreeing with what's happening; it's about acknowledging the truth of the present moment. By learning to embrace each moment as it is, without layering on resistance or judgments, we can ease the suffering that often accompanies adversity.

Show Notes

Find more from Holly Rogers here:

The Mindful Twenty-Something

Mindfulness for the Next Generation

https://mindfulnessinstituteforemergingadults.com/

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Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.