
Advertise on podcast: 12 Minute Meditation
Rating
4.1from
This podcast has
354 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Mindful.orgExplicit
No
Date created
2015/12/15
Latest episode
2026/04/17
Average duration
17 min.
Release period
7 days
Description
The latest scientific research reveals that 12 minutes of meditation a day yields benefits like increased attention, focus, creativity, calm, resilience and compassion. Start your 12-minute sit with guided meditations from today's leading mindfulness experts, brought to you by Mindful. With a new mindfulness meditation each week, 12 Minute Meditation invites you to bring the benefits of mindfulness to daily life.
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A Meditation to Meet Yourself Where You Are—No Matter What
2026/04/17
Mindfulness meditation involves a willingness to be with ourselves as we are. It offers a way of learning to work with ourselves, and not on ourselves, especially if we are healing from perfectionism.
Mindfulness reminds us that not everything has to be "fixed"—and very often, our movement back to wellness starts when we stop trying to change ourselves and simply accept where we are with care and attention.
Cheryl Jones is a mindfulness teacher, health and wellness coach, and author of two books, Thriving When Your Cosmic Egg Is Cracked: A Mindful Journey and Mindful Exercise: A Bridge Between Yoga and Exercise. She was the recipient of the Chairman's Leadership Award and the Norman Vincent Peale Award for Positive Thinking for integrating mindfulness into corporate culture at Aetna. You can find her at www.linkedin.com/in/cherylljones/.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Cheryl Jones here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O'Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Healing from perfectionism isn't easy. It takes time and practice. Here are some additional Mindful.org resources to help you build a stronger sense of self-acceptance:
Awareness in Action: Rethinking ADHD Through Mindfulness
What Swimming Taught Me About Self-Compassion and Letting Go
It's Selfish, It's Hokey, and I'll Lose My Edge: 3 Half-Truths About Self-Compassion
How Self-Compassion Can Improve Teen Mental Health
This Is What Fierce Self-Compassion Looks Like
Want to try more practices that foster self-compassion? Start here: A 12-Minute Meditation to Embrace All Your Parts
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to Create Inner Balance in the Face of Change
2026/04/10
Change of any kind—whether it's small, momentous, expected or unexpected—can make us feel so vulnerable and unsteady.
This week, Susan Bauer-Wu offers a guided meditation to invite and nourish inner strength in the face of change.
Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, is a registered nurse and nursing educator, as well as a mindfulness teacher and researcher. She is president of the Mind & Life Institute and author of Leaves Falling Gently: Living Fully with Serious & Life-Limiting Illness through Mindfulness, Compassion & Connectedness.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Susan Bauer-Wu here.
FREE course! If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build essential skills to meet a changing and uncertain world with a core of inner strength, join Melli O'Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Want to learn more about how you can train to stay steady, even when everything around you feels uncertain and evolving? Check out these resources from Mindful.org:
New Life, Who's This? Rediscovering Who You Are When Everything Has Changed
Embracing Change: What Nanalan' Teaches Us About Saying Goodbye
The Only Constant Is Change
Navigating Change is Hard. Here's How it Makes Us Better Leaders
Rethinking Equanimity: Margaret Cullen on Equanimity and Quiet Strength
To get more practice dealing with the reality of change, try A Meditation to Help You Let Go and Accept Change.
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to Approach the World With a "Don't-Know Mind"
2026/04/03
Our culture prizes certainty and tends to regard not-knowing as weakness or failure.
But research has shown that uncertainty is a quality that we're meant to engage, not reject. Not only does it spark curiosity and help us learn, but it also strengthens confidence and resilience.
This week, Dr. Sará King offers a practice to help us build comfort with our "don't-know mind" so that we can stay courageous and open to the world around us.
Dr. Sará King is a mother, a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, medical anthropologist, social entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and meditation instructor. Dr. King specializes in researching and teaching about the relationship between mindfulness, community alternative medicine, and social justice with an emphasis on examining the relationship between individual and collective awareness as it relates to well-being.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Sará King here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build these essential skills of resilience, join Melli O'Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
Looking for ways to engage your beginner's mind? Check out these resources from Mindful.org:
Why Uncertainty Is Good for Us
How Embracing Uncertainty Leads To Fulfillment
Feeling Like a Fraud in Your Own Mindfulness Practice
Don't Be So Sure
To get more practice meeting uncertainty, try A Guided Walking Meditation to Meet Uncertainty with Compassion
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 [email protected] do women love reading The Pipeline? It's data with perspective. Get free, thoughtful takes on navigating our messy world. Subscribe today.
A Meditation to Allow Genuine Happiness, Even In Hard Times
2026/03/27
When we are going through a difficult season personally, or we are bearing witness to the pain of others, our relationship to genuine joy or happiness can get complicated and confusing. Happiness can feel out of reach, or it can feel like a betrayal, like it's something we don't "deserve" in hard times.
But strengthening our ability to notice and soak in moments of beauty, tenderness, connection, and gratitude can actually have a fortifying effect on us. It can help us build resilience and fill our empty emotional tanks—which can foster our own healing and make it possible for us to show up in healing ways for others.
This week, teacher Wendy O'Leary shares a guided practice to tune our attention to the reality that shimmers right alongside our genuine seasons of struggle.
Wendy O'Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children's books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate with expertise in teaching emotional resilience to children and adults. Her next publication is a card deck for children titled "Let's Grow Happiness," created in collaboration with her colleague Helen Maffini. It is scheduled for release on April 21, 2026 and can be preordered at www.wendyoleary.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Wendy O'Leary here.
If you are looking for an in-depth resource to help build these essential skills of resilience, join Melli O'Brien and a host of other teachers for The Seven Strengths, a FREE 7-day online course happening this May 13-19. Learn more and register at www.mindfulness.com/the-seven-strengths.
Go Deeper
To explore more about how happiness is not just something we get when things are going well, but an essential human experience, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
What We Know (Or Think We Know) About Happiness
Three Emerging Pathways to Happiness
Find Happiness by Embracing All of Your Emotions
Searching for Happiness and Finding Yard Work
Why Happiness Isn't Always Comfortable
To get more practice noticing and connecting with happiness, try 3 Guided Meditations to Open Up to Happiness.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute MeditationLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing [email protected].
A Meditation to Settle Mind & Body for Sleep
2026/03/20
There are so many reasons why we might be struggling to get to sleep and stay asleep. Work or relationship stress, health concerns, hormonal changes, the state of the world—there's plenty to keep us awake at night.
This week, Mark Bertin offers a soothing sleep practice to help settle our restlessness, using the breath as a calming anchor to gently coax our busy minds and tense bodies into rest.
Because this is a sleep meditation, there won't be the usual recorded outro, so you can just drift off in silence.
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 and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Dr. Mark Bertin here.
Go Deeper
For help understanding how mindfulness can make sleep better and more restorative, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
The Ultimate Guide to Mindfulness for Sleep
Why We Wake Up At Night and How Mindfulness Helps Us Sleep Again
The Science of Deep Sleep
8 Tips for Better Sleep at Night
Mindful has a wonderful collection of sleep meditations. If you want to try another version of a body scan, A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Letting Go of Stress and Falling Asleep is a great place to start.
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to (Gently) Interrupt Habitual Reactions
2026/03/13
Daily life is full of irritations: moments of inconvenience, situations where we don't get what we were hoping for, delays, disappointments, prickly interactions that can leave us confused and exasperated.
If we're honest, we can probably admit that sometimes our reactions in those moments tend to be reflexive rather than intentional. We feel our anger or annoyance rise, and we react almost as though we're reading a script.
Can we explore these habitual reactions in a way that gives us enough space to respond differently? In today's practice, teacher Patricia Rockman guides us through a meditation to help us meet whatever is arising, so that we have more agency when the next moment arises.
Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the senior director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto. Rockman is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Family Medicine, cross appointed to Psychiatry. She has extensive experience practicing individual psychotherapy, leading therapy groups, and training healthcare providers in mindfulness-based interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and change management for stress reduction. She is a freelance writer, yoga teacher, and meditation practitioner.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Patricia Rockman here.
Go Deeper
For more resources to explore reactivity and choice, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
The "About To" Moment: Teaching and Modeling Response vs. Reaction
Emotional Rescue: Using Mindfulness to Reset Your Reactions
You Can Investigate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them
Tame Reactive Emotions by Naming Them
For more practice with compassionately looking at and interrupting unconscious reactivity, try The S.T.O.P. Practice: Creating Space Around Automatic Reactions.
And more from Mindful here:
More episodes of 12 Minute MeditationLet us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing [email protected].
Self Compassion for Nervous System Reset
2026/03/06
It's not always an instinctual go-to for us, but self-compassion is one of the most powerful forms of healing and restoration for our mental and physical well-being.
In this meditation, mindfulness teacher Shamash Alidina offers three ways to show compassion for yourself when you're stressed and need a reset.
Shamash Alidina has been practising mindfulness since 1998 and runs his own successful training organisation. He is the author of Mindfulness For Dummies and most recently, The Mindful Way Through Stress. He frequently pops up in newspapers, magazines and on radio shows. Based in London, he runs online trainings and speaks at conferences all over the world. He's been teaching mindfulness full-time since 2010.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Shamash Alidina here.
Go Deeper
For more resources to help meet stress, balance your nervous system, and tap into resilience, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
Deep Resilience: The Wisdom of Making Friends with Your Mind
Swimming, Walking, Running—Why Mindful Movement Can Boost Resilience
Why Your Outbreath is Connected to Your Well-Being
You Don't Have to Shut Down or Burn Out When You Care This Much. Do This Instead.
For more practice tending to your nervous system with self-compassion, try A 12-Minute Body Scan Meditation for Self-Compassion and Presence.
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to Nourish an Undefended Heart
2026/02/27
There's a paradox inside mindfulness practice: When we want to heal something, we move toward what hurts, not away from it. It's not easy to keep our hearts soft or open, and a mindful practice doesn't change the inherent risks in being a human in a world of other humans.
This week, as part of his mini-course Opening Ourselves Up to Compassion, Vinny Ferraro shares a practice to meet our pain and uncertainty, to recognize our inherent connection, and to summon the courage to lower our defenses.
Vinny Ferraro has been a practitioner of insight meditation (vipassanā) since the early 1990s. He is a co-Founder of the Dharma Punx and co-Guiding Teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He is also a nationally recognized leader in designing and implementing interventions for at-risk adolescents and is currently Senior Trainer for Mindful Schools.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Vinny Ferraro here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on wise boundaries and how to stay open when you want to shut down, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
How Writing Three Lines of Poetry Can Open Your Heart
Why We're Hardwired to Armor Our Hearts
Fearless Open-Hearted Awareness with Frank Ostaseski (a mini-course)
How to Show Up With Your Whole Heart
Compassionate Boundaries: How to Say No with Heart
To try another meditation to help lower defenses and break down armor, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Cultivate an Open Heart.
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to Help You Let Go and Accept Change
2026/02/20
Everything is impermanent. It's always changing, coming together and falling apart. This, of course, includes small daily things and massive, disruptive, and life-shattering things.
It's frustrating to not be able to control these movements and outcomes. But paradoxically, when we can accept that everything is not up to us, and we stop trying to control what we can't change or trying to predict what we can't predict, then we can feel a lot more at ease and more open to the moment-to-moment unfolding of our lives.
This week, Kimberly Brown shares a practice to loosen our grip and be at peace, even when the change isn't one we'd choose.
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 latest book, Happy Relationships: 25 Buddhist Practices to Transform Your Connection with Your Partner, Family, and Friends, was recently released by Prometheus Books. You can learn more about Kimberly on her website, www.meditationwithheart.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Kimberly Brown here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on navigating the unsteady waters of change, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
New Life, Who's This? Rediscovering Who You Are When Everything Has Changed
Embracing Change: What Nanalan' Teaches Us About Saying Goodbye
Navigating Menopause: A Mindful Approach to Managing Symptoms and Embracing Change
The Only Constant Is Change
To try another meditation about accepting life on life's terms, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Create Inner Balance in the Face of Change.
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to Return to Ourselves When Practicing Feels Impossible
2026/02/13
Many of us are bearing witness daily to suffering all over the planet. We care about others, and we want desperately to be of use—and seeing the horrors in images and videos and stories every day can be deeply dysregulating to our nervous systems.
When we get overwhelmed by this vicarious trauma, we tend to shut down. We disconnect from ourselves and each other. We're so spun out in our anxiety, anger, or overwhelm that it can feel impossible to engage in any kind of mindfulness or meditation practice.
This week, Shalini Bahl offers tender and practical guidance for how to pause, reconnect, and return to ourselves—and our essential practice—in times of intense internal and external upheaval.
Shalini Bahl, PhD, is the award-winning author of Return to Mindfulness and founder of Sama Life, where she offers daily live micro-practices for real-world engagement. A certified MBSR and Search Inside Yourself teacher with pioneering research in mindfulness and consumer well-being recognized by the American Marketing Association, she brings contemplative practice into complex real-world contexts—from Town Council chambers to corporate boardrooms.
Through her teaching, writing, and TEDx talks, she focuses on building practical mindfulness skills that disrupt default patterns and restore clarity, integrity, and care. Her guided meditations have reached over 80,000 listeners worldwide.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Shalini Bahl here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on regulating your nervous system in times of crisis, check out these resources from Mindful.org:
Why Your Outbreath is Connected to Your Well-Being
How Tuning Into Your Body Can Make You More Resilient
Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present
The Science and Practice of Staying Present Through Difficult Times
To try another meditation focused on pausing for clarity, try these 3 Guided Meditations to Find Balance During Moments of Panic.
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 [email protected].
A Meditation to Tap Into Your Agency When Things Are Chaotic & Uncertain
2026/02/06
We often treat experiences like restlessness, uncertainty, or the overwhelm of difficult emotions as a problem to be solved. And of course, it's normal to want relief.
Today, teacher Cherl Vigder Brause leads a guided practice that's centered around meeting ourselves exactly where we are. In that pause, where we encounter ourselves without trying to fix anything, even if just for a moment, we actually create a space where we can get clarity on how to respond to ourselves, others, and the world.
Cheryl Vigder Brause is a nationally recognized mindfulness and meditation teacher, writer and speaker, specializing in leading corporate clients, schools, and individuals across the country in programs and meditations on stress management, boosting happiness, and living their best lives. She is the Co-Founder of Pause to be Present, a mindfulness and meditation studio. To learn more about Pause to be Present's programs, visit www.pausetobepresent.com.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Cheryl Vigder Brause here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on tapping into the power of the pause, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
How to Get Good Pause
The Three-Second Pause In the Classroom
Waking Up to Your World: Using the Pause Practice to Break Habitual Patterns
How to Feel Present, and Stay Present
To try another version of a pause practice, join Rhonda Magee for The S.T.O.P. Practice: Creating Space Around Automatic Reactions
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 [email protected].
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A Meditation to Connect With Loving-Kindness (Even When It's Hard)
2026/01/30
Loving-kindness seems like a practice that would feel good—but in times of tension, uncertainty, pain, or anger, it can be one of the most challenging mindfulness tools to apply. How do we love when it is most difficult to love?
This week, renowned teacher Sharon Salzberg offers a guided practice to connect us to the deep heart and transformative courage of metta or loving-kindness meditation.
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974. She is a weekly columnist for On Being, a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and the author of many books including Real Happiness, Lovingkindness, and Real Change.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Sharon Salzberg here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on accessing and practicing loving-kindness, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
How Practicing Loving-Kindness Helped Me Find My Place in the World
12 Minute Meditation: A Loving-Kindness Practice to Anchor in Compassion
The Gift of Loving-Kindness
Why Loving-Kindness Takes Time: Sharon Salzberg
Wise Engagement with the World: What to Do When You Wish Things Were Different
We have dozens of metta or loving-kindness meditations available for free on our site. Here's a good place to start: 3 Guided Meditations to Deepen Into Loving-Kindness
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 [email protected].
The DONUT brings you free daily news without the extra noise—stay informed in under 5 mins, and feel good doing it. Subscribe here.
A Meditation to Skillfully Connect With Your Anger
2026/01/23
As today's teacher Jessica Morey says, "Anger's fundamental role is to protect us and protect what we care about in the world. It lets us know when a limit of ours, or a boundary, has been crossed."
But because of its power and volatility, anger can be a troubling emotion to be with and a difficult one to work with. Today's practice is aimed at gaining insight into our anger so that we can respond skillfully in any given situation.
Jessica Morey is a meditation teacher and coach. She has been practicing meditation for almost three decades. She is also the co-founder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a nonprofit organization bringing in-depth mindfulness and compassion training to youth.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Jessica Morey here.
Go Deeper
For more resources on meeting and working with anger, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
The Real Danger of Suppressing Your Emotions
Why Women Should Embrace Their Anger
Finding Radical Kindness in the Face of Chaos and Danger
Cooling the Raging Fires of Anger
Using the Energy of Anger
And to get more practice understanding powerful emotions like anger, try Guided Meditation: Notice How Sadness, Loneliness, and Anger Show Up in Your Body.
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 [email protected].
The DONUT brings you free daily news without the extra noise—stay informed in under 5 mins, and feel good doing it. Subscribe here.
A Meditation For When Suffering In the World Feels Heavy
2026/01/16
Many of us are carrying the weight of the world's suffering right now. How can we acknowledge the immense suffering around us, and our own—and still tend to our hearts, minds, and bodies in a way that keeps us grounded and able to take compassionate action?
This week, mindfulness teacher and author Wendy O'Leary shares a guided practice that offers refuge and reminds us of our real and loving connection to one another.
Wendy O'Leary, M.Ed., author and health educator, has three children's books and an adult book on self-compassion in families. She is a certified mindfulness teacher, parent educator, and self-compassion advocate. Wendy has expertise in teaching skills for emotional resilience to children and adults. Wendy's next publication, a card deck for children titled "Let's Grow Happiness," is scheduled for release in April 2026.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Wendy O'Leary here.
Go Deeper
For more guidance on how to hold and respond to suffering, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
Where To Start When There Is So Much Suffering
Breaking Generational Patterns of Suffering
Bringing Mindfulness to Students Suffering from Trauma
Addiction, Trauma, and the Problem of Being Present
And to get more practice being with difficult emotions and returning to connection, try An Interbeing Meditation for Connection and Understanding.
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 [email protected].
The DONUT brings you free daily news without the extra noise—stay informed in under 5 mins, and feel good doing it. Subscribe here.
A Meditation for Compassionately Noticing Food Cravings and Triggers
2026/01/09
Our brains learn through a process that has three components: trigger, behavior, reward. Together these behaviors form what is known as a habit loop.
In today's meditation, Dr. Brewer walks us through a practice to notice triggers—when they're happening and how they make us feel. When we pay attention to these triggers, we can respond to ourselves with more compassion and make choices with a lot more clarity.
Jud Brewer, MD, Ph.D. ("Dr. Jud") is a New York Times best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change and the "science of self-mastery," who blends over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large.
Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at Brown University's Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as a professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University. Previously, Dr. Jud held research and teaching positions at Yale University, and the University of Massachusetts' Center for Mindfulness and was a research affiliate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The transcription of this guided meditation will be online and in our app at Mindful.org next week.
Stay curious, stay inspired. Sign up for our free newsletter mindful.org/signup or download the app for free at mindful.org/app.
Show Notes
Find more from Judson Brewer here.
Go Deeper
Being with cravings with the intention of shifting our response, is one of the most challenging parts of mindful living. For more support with understanding craving, addiction, and presence, check out these articles on Mindful.org:
How to Be Mindful With Your Cravings
Rethink Your Food Cravings with the Art of Savoring
When Avoidance Rules Your Life: Understanding Compulsions vs. Addictions
How Mindfulness Can Help Teens With Tech Addiction
Trauma, Addiction, and the Problem of Being Present And to experience another meditation from Dr. Brewer that guides you through how to be with cravings to facilitate habit change, try A 12-Minute Meditation to Get Curious About Your Cravings.
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 [email protected].
Podcast reviews
Read 12 Minute Meditation podcast reviews
themamadoo 2024/08/03
A bit inconsistent
I want to love this podcast. I love the concept. However, 12 minute meditations are usually more like 7 or 8 minute meditations after the intro. Wh...
zero 0ne6 2025/08/26
Powerful and very useful.
Superb ! Excellent mind strengthening! Just the right amount of time because I get overwhelmed with lengthy informative, educational podcast and this ...
JayJayBea 2025/01/16
Good content, not enough meditation
I find that there is way too much talking *about* meditation and not enough *doing* it in this podcast. I find that after the barrage of words, I stil...
bills34 2024/01/21
Some good, some not so much
Really just depends on the week. Some of the experts are better than others, some are just better in an audio-only medium.
KMick202211 2024/06/04
every saturday morning
this is how I built a meditation practice — I know I have 12 minutes on saturday mornings, and this is what I listen to. I have found many different
Laurie …. 2024/02/18
Amazing
I’m so grateful to have found these podcasts! I started listening in bed before sleep and now I’m adding to my morning routine. Whatever my heart and ...
driven2review 2024/01/25
Thank you
This podcast and website is very peaceful and helpful
luvmypuggke 2022/10/22
Love these short meditations
I love how short but satisfying these meditations are. Yes the intro is a bit long but I use that time to practice my 4-7-8 breathing while I get int...
Liz6890 2023/02/21
Rewarding Tool
I tell everyone about this podcast.
Friends, family, guests at my job. It was been very helping in tuning in with my mind & body.
Sukie-Lou 2022/12/24
Gratitude Works 💗
I really enjoy these meditations. Yes, the intros are long, but I’m grateful for the FREE guided, short, meditations. These are perfect for beginners ...
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