12 Minute Meditation – Details, episodes & analysis

In this week’s guided meditation, teacher and author Melli O’Brien offers a practice that uses gentle, steady awareness to help you find your calm center again when you’re feeling wound up with stress or anxiety.

Melli is a mindfulness educator and mental health coach with over two decades of experience. She is also cofounder of Mindfulness.com and the Mindfulness Summit—the world’s largest mindfulness conference. Melli has distilled and synthesized her knowledge on resilience, stress management, peak performance psychology, positive neuroplasticity training, and mindfulness into The Deep Resilience Method, released as her book Deep Resilience in February 2025. 

Starting July 15th, Melli is hosting The Deep Resilience Experience, a 30-day online course that will help you build unshakeable inner strength in 15 minutes a day. 

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

Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter:  mindful.org/signup

Show Notes

Find more from Melli O’Brien here.

To learn more about Melli’s upcoming Deep Resilience Experience (and how you can get $350 in bonus gifts when you sign up before July 15th), click here. 

Go Deeper

Want to understand more about the connection between practicing mindfulness and easing anxiety? These three articles are a great place to start:

• Unwinding Your Anxiety Habit Loop 
• Most Habit-Change Tools Fail With Anxiety—Here’s One that Works
• Why Does My Anxiety Keep Coming Back?
  

For more practice, here are 5 Guided Meditations for Panic and Anxiety that you can try when you need support.

And more from Mindful here:

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

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

Sometimes the best gift we can give ourselves is just a moment set aside for quiet, breath, and reminding ourselves of who we really are. 

In this gentle guided practice, Kimberly Brown uses simple repeated phrases to ground attention and offer a place to rest and reset. 

Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.     

Kimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and author. She leads classes and retreats that emphasize the power of compassion and kindness meditation to reconnect us to ourselves and others. She studies in both the Tibetan and Insight schools of Buddhism and is a certified mindfulness instructor. Her book Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends, is published with Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website, www.meditationwithheart.com.

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

Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter:  mindful.org/signup

Show Notes

Find more from Kimberly Brown here and read her recent (and timely) article on Mindful.org.

Go Deeper

Want to learn more about how taking intentional breaks can make your days better? These two articles are a great place to start:

• Break Up Your Work Day with Purposeful Pauses
• How to Get Good Pause

For more practice, try this 12-Minute Meditation to Cultivate Calm and Clarity that you can turn to when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed and need a break.

And more from Mindful here:

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

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

Many modern Western cultures don’t have a deep understanding of land as a source of collective identity, story, or purpose. There is a sense that, yes, land can be lovely—but it is mainly seen as a source of recreation or extraction, not necessarily as an integral part of what shapes us and future generations.  

In this guided practice, Indigenous scholar and teacher Yuria Celidwen introduces a fresh way to consider our connection to the natural spaces around us. This is a practice that invites reverence, gratitude, and belonging, where our experience of the earth moves from being strictly transactional to being interconnected and relational. 

This meditation is part of our Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement series, where we're sharing guided practices from the women featured in our 2025 special edition of Mindful magazine.  

If you’d like the transcription of this guided meditation, it will be online on Mindful.org next week. 

Curious about the many benefits of being a member? Learn about our subscription tiers and join Mindful here.

Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter, where we share compelling insights and actionable ideas to enrich your everyday life. Connect with us at mindful.org/signup.

Show Notes

Find more from Yuria Celidwen here.

You can learn more about Yuria’s story and how her work is fostering an “ethics of belonging”  on Mindful.org, where we interviewed her for our 2025 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement feature.

And more from Mindful here:

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

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

Join us for a transformative meditation led by Jessica Morey, as we explore the power of connecting with our own goodness. By anchoring ourselves in feelings of love and gratitude, we can cultivate a sense of loving-kindness and compassion that extends beyond ourselves and into the world.

In this practice, Jessica guides us through various steps to deepen our connection with ourselves and others. Starting with listening to our bodies and surrendering to gravity, we embrace the support and kindness within and around us. Placing a hand on our body, we offer soothing and supportive gestures throughout the practice.

Through breath and intention, we wish ourselves well and explore phrases of loving-kindness and self-compassion. We allow these well wishes to permeate our being, bathing every cell of our body in happiness and ease.

With our hearts overflowing with love and gratitude, we shift our focus to someone in our lives who effortlessly inspires love. We extend our well wishes to them, hoping for their well-being, happiness, and ease.

As we conclude this meditative journey, we carry the warmth of loving-kindness and compassion with us, ready to face the world with open hearts and open minds.

Tune in to this episode and embrace the transformative power of connecting with your own goodness.

Find more from Jessica Morey here:
jessicamorey.org

www.mindful.org/author/jessica-morey/

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

Join clinical psychologist Diana Hill as she takes us on a journey to uncover the profound meaning that can arise from our greatest pains.

Drawing from her extensive experience straddling the realms of pain and meaning, Diana guides us through a thought-provoking experiment. Through a series of activities, we explore the discomfort we feel and the significance these activities hold in our lives. From saying no when overwhelmed to engaging with opposing political views, Diana skillfully highlights the inherent connection between pain and meaning.

Discover how a meaningful life is not devoid of pain but rather intertwined with it. Engaging in purposeful activities often brings discomfort, yet this discomfort can serve as a source of pleasure and growth. Diana shares insights from experts, revealing how contrast, self-reflection breaks, and the signaling of strength contribute to finding pleasure in pain.

Learn how pain plays a vital role in our brain's dopamine balance and why skillfully choosing pain in service of what matters to us can lead to a more fulfilling life. Diana introduces six strategies to expand our flexibility in the face of discomfort, such as embracing the power of choice, turning up the meaning dial, and staying present in the moment. She guides us to physicalize our discomfort, expand our perspective, and transcend our self-centered mindset to cultivate compassion and interconnection.

Don't miss this captivating episode that will challenge your understanding of pain, meaning, and the transformative possibilities that arise when we wholeheartedly embrace our full range of experiences. 

Show notes

Find more from Diana Hill, PhD here:

Drdianahill.com

http://yourlifeinprocess.com/

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

Join us this week as Rose Felix Cratsley shares powerful affirmations that nurture self-compassion, encourage personal growth, and bring about healing through hope. With a firm belief in the importance of mindfulness as a fundamental human right, Rose reminds us that we enter this world with openness and curiosity, yet often find ourselves burdened by self-judgment, criticism, fear, and anxiety.

Rose is the visionary founder and president of Ivy Child International, a remarkable non-profit organization dedicated to creating global mental health initiatives for children, families, and communities. Through their impactful work, Ivy Child International strives to improve the well-being of individuals worldwide.

Tune in to discover affirmations that will empower you to embrace self-compassion, foster growth, and find solace in the transformative power of hope. Rose's wisdom and experience will guide you on a journey of healing, as you navigate the challenges of life with renewed strength and resilience.

Show notes:

Find more from Rose Felix Cratsley here:

Ivy Child International

https://www.mindful.org/author/rosefelixcratsley/

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

Join expert Cara Bradley for a transformative mindful movement practice, synchronizing mind and body through breath and spinal movement. This practice integrates mindfulness into movement, unlocking the power of the mind-body connection. Experience increased calmness, clarity, relaxation, and alertness.

Cara Bradley, renowned in mindful movement, guides you through spinal alignment with breath, followed by seated observation. Explore subtle sensations and body boundaries in the first half. In the second half, sit and notice thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment.

Cara Bradley's practice offers a holistic approach, enhancing physical alignment, flexibility, body awareness, and mental resilience. Embark on this journey, guided by Cara Bradley, and embrace the profound benefits of mindful movement in just one session. Harmonize mind and body, transforming your well-being.

Show notes:

Find more from Cara Bradley here:

https://www.carabradley.net/

https://www.mindful.org/author/cara-bradley/

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

As this week’s meditation teacher Mark Coleman says, "We know being in nature is good for us, but how do we put this into practice in a way that will really serve and nurture us?" This is a question we address in our course, Nature Meditations. And with Spring blossoming around us, it seems like the right time to get outside and appreciate what the natural world offers.

Show Notes:

Find more from Mark Coleman here:

markcoleman.org 

Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery

Make Peace With Your Mind

From Suffering to Peace

And more from Mindful here:

Nature Meditations course

More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation

The Real Mindful Podcast

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

Delicious means enjoyable, delightful, and pleasant—and we can bring that perspective into the kitchen as we cook. This week, mindful eating expert Lynn Rossy offers four ways to savor the dance of cooking. Lynn says Delicious is the term used to describe the type of food she hopes to eat, but also the way in which she moves. 

For this practice, find a quiet spot to listen and visualize with Lynn’s guidance, or, bring this podcast with you into the kitchen when you go to cook your next meal. When Lynn’s instructions end, you can continue to meditate, journal, or cook, reflecting on Lynn’s offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell.

Show notes

Find more from Lynn Rossy here: 

lynnrossy.com

mindful.org/author/lynn-rossy

And more from Mindful here:

The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue

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

This week we're offering something a little different. Elaine Smookler guides a laughter yoga practice. The amazing thing about laughter is you don’t even have to really have something funny to laugh at. We can actually induce laughter as an experience and the body will still release the same endorphins. This gentle movement exercise is Elaine’s foolproof way to induce laughter. It is based on the Hawaiian word “Aloha,” a nice vowel-y word that opens the mouth and throat just by saying it. You can practice alongside Elaine, then, when the laughter yoga ends, find a comfortable position where you can continue to meditate or journal, reflecting on Elaine’s offering, until you hear the sound of the final bell.

Show notes

Find more from Elaine Smookler here:

Elainesmookler.com

mindful.org/author/elaine-smookler

And more from Mindful here:

The April 2023 issue of Mindful magazine: The Joyful Movement Issue

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