Day 21

Sara Flitner wraps up the challenge with one of our favorite connection practices, Just Like Me. This practice reminds us just how linked we are to one another, that deep-down, human connections are stronger than we might realize.

Day 20

Consider how you would act toward someone you care about who is suffering -- a friend, family member, a colleague. Now consider the difficulties in your own life and give yourself the same comfort and care you would offer a loved one. This may not be an easy exercise for those of us who are too hard on ourselves, but this 9-minute self-compassion practice from Amy Lane shows us how.

Day 19

During this connection practice, with an emphasis on compassion, Vanessa Sulzer guides us to send kind thoughts and compassionate attention to people near and far.

Day 18

Laura Callari’s connection practice is a bite-sized opportunity to cultivate a warm-hearted orientation to the world around us. Sometimes you won’t feel particularly warm-hearted during a connection practice. That’s okay! Just notice what comes up, without judgement, as much as you can.

Day 17

The connection practice is structured around the silent repetition of certain loving, supportive phrases. These phrases are your anchor, the place where you will rest your attention. As you will discover over time, this type of practice helps deepen your connections with others. We are grateful to Samuel Singer for today’s connection practice!

Day 16

Box breathing is popular with everyone from school-age kids to Navy SEALs, perhaps because it is exceedingly concrete and simple. Laura Callari will guide us to sync the breath with a count of four, but you may prefer to use a four-syllable phrase such as “I feel so calm.”

Day 15

Vanessa Sulzer's 8-minute open awareness practice directs our attention to the nature of awareness itself. We begin with a connection to the feeling of breath in the body, gradually move that awareness outside of ourselves, and return again to the breath.

Day 14

This practice is Amy Lane's adaptation of one by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer of Western mindfulness. Storms and sunshine, seasons and clouds, come and go. But the mountain remains grounded to the earth, simply observing the changing weather patterns, unwavering.

Day 13

Much like yesterday’s practice, Vanessa Sulzer uses sound as a vehicle for expanding awareness into the surrounding environment. As always, when our mind wanders off, we make a gentle mental note and escort ourselves back.

Day 12

During this practice Kirsten Corbett asks, “What are the sounds of this moment?” Let’s find out, by cultivating an awareness of the sounds around us. Just listen. That’s all.

Day 11

The name of this 8-minute body scan from Kirsten Corbett — “Three Breaths to Let Go” — captures the restful, comforting qualities of this practice.

Day 10

Amy Lane’s guided 10-minute practice helps us cultivate an "allowing," an authentic acceptance that what's happening is actually happening, without needing to fix or change it. Our job is to just investigate, be curious, and notice.

Day 9

This 9-minute practice from Vanessa Sulzer is a combo of sorts — focused attention and body scan. It’s a beautifully detailed exploration of the breath as it moves through the body.

Day 8

Deidre Norman’s take on the body scan helps us name the many different sensations that may arise as we move attention around different parts of the body. She reminds us to be curious about each sensation and then let it go.

Day 7

Vanessa Sulzer offers another variation on the body scan, calling attention to different parts of the body than in the previous two days — shins, ribs, eyes, forehead. But no matter where we place our attention, our job is simply to notice and then accept all sensations that arise.

Day 6

This practice from Laura Callari encourages us to bring attention to the sensations that are present, in this moment, in the specific region of the body where you are focusing your attention.

Day 5

With the body scan, we don’t use the breath as the focus of attention. Instead, we move our awareness around the body. Our job remains to simply notice what comes up, using sensations in the body to cultivate awareness of what we’re experiencing. Samuel Singer’s guided body scan is a great introduction to this type of practice.

Day 4

Vanessa Sulzer’s 5-minute focused attention practice encourages us to pay attention to detailed sensory aspects of the breath — temperature of the air, movement in the chest and abdomen, sound, feeling of air moving through the nose, and much more.

Day 3

Learning to focus our attention on the breath is foundational to any mindfulness practice. That is why we’re spending the first several days of this challenge exploring our breath. Thank you, Deidre Norman, for today’s installment!