The mega-round isn't going anywhere, as startups wait longer to raise outside capital and investors stockpile funds for backing the most mature companies.

Headspace, a startup that makes an app for guided meditation, is one of the latest beneficiaries of the capital blitz. The company that waited five years to raise its first significant round of financing in 2015 has just closed on $93 million in new funding. The Series C round is only a few million dollars short of being a mega-round, the term du jour for the industry, which describes a financing event where a company pulls in at least $100 million.

The cash injection will allow the Southern California startup to pour gasoline on its newer enterprise business, which sells app subscriptions to corporations as an employee benefit. Headspace for Work has doubled revenue two years in a row, according to a company statement.

The deal's size isn't unusual. Last year, the tech industry recorded 257 mega-rounds, an increase of almost 12% from 2018, according to PitchBook data.

However, the Headspace round is remarkable in the details.

Rich Pierson, cofounder and chief executive officer of Headspace, said the company fielded "lots of term sheets" from investors. The interest meant that the two founders could craft the conditions of the round to their liking.

They structured the deal in a way that it would not dilute shares of the company more than was necessary. And they selected a lead investor that offered terms that put the company's best interests ahead of their own, according to Pierson.

His advice for founders: "I wouldn't be forced to take some of the checks and terms that people are offering in this kind of cycle," Pierson told Business Insider.

The new funding has an almost even mix of equity and debt financing, which the company will have to pay back with interest. It includes $40 million of debt financing from Pacific Western Bank.

The main reason a startup would want to raise debt financing is because it doesn't create new chunks of ownership. That means the value of the equity held by existing shareholders remains the same.

Typically, a startup takes on debt when it expects to make enough money to settle up. Headspace's consumer business, which sells subscriptions to the app, is profitable, according to the company.

That wasn't always the case. Headspace began in 2010 as a meditation events company backed by a family-and-friends round of financing. The business model was "terrible," Pierson said, and two years later, the startup reinvented itself as an app with a business model baked in. The app requires a subscription to access that costs $12.99 a month or $70 for the year.

The latest round also includes $53 million in venture capital, which Headspace can spend to grow the parts of the business that are less predictable, like Headspace for Work. Pierson said hiring a larger staff is among the startup's biggest expenses.

Headspace could also use the capital to provide funding for clinical trials that study the effects of its app on a number of health conditions. If it gets approval from the Federal Drug Administration, the app could be prescribed by a doctor and paid for a health insurer. Healthcare opens a huge market opportunity for Headspace.

But the success of its healthcare business relies on an approval it doesn't have yet.

"We are at the mercy of the research results that come back," Pierson said.

The founders could have their pick of investors if the round was as competitive as Pierson said. They went with a mix of sector-specific funds and lesser-known firms that invest at the growth stage.

The round includes several venture capital firms that were founded by media moguls, including Shari Redstone's Advancit Capital and Peter Chernin's fund.Times Bridge, an investment vehicle affiliated with the largest media conglomerate in India, also participated.

Pierson said he and his cofounder, Andy Puddicombe, got to know their investors before signing term sheets to make sure they shared their values around "selfless drive," personal growth, and courage.

"The thing that sometimes people forget is that when you take an investment, it's harder to get out of than a marriage. You are in that thing," Pierson said.

As part of the process, they learned that Rishi Jaitly, the chief executive of Times Bridge, lost his brother to depression and addiction. He felt compelled to invest because of the benefits of meditation.

For a lead investor, the founders picked Blisce, a venture capital firm that writes checks into late-stage startups. They first got to know Alexandre Mars, one of the firm's partners, in a conversation about his foundation, Epic. It raises donations for a portfolio of organizations fighting social injustices experienced by children.

"They were people we wanted to spend time with," Pierson said of the two Blisce partners. The firm also gives 20% of its returns back to the foundation, according to its website.

The firm also stood out because of an offer it made: Blisce would surrender a board seat so the company could add a director who brings operating experience in the healthcare sector. A board seat is the typical remittance for an investment in a company of this stage, which made the firm's offer even more meaningful.

"That tells you a thing about them," Pierson said.

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Tech's favorite meditation app just raised another $93 million. The CEO reveals his unusual strategy for crafting the new funding round. - Business...

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Mindfulness Meditation Apps market is forecasted to register a CAGR growth of XX% over the forecast period 2019 to 2029 - News Times

Few things in life are more frustrating than lying awake at night, unable to sleep. Dragging yourself out of bed after a long night of tossing and turning can be demoralizing, to say the least, and nights like this can leave you exhausted.

If you've been spending the night staring at your ceiling instead of snoozing, one potential remedy could be meditation.

But how does it work?

We turned to two meditation specialists, Dr. Darshan Mehta, Medical Director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, and Andy Puddicombe, CEO of the meditation app Headspace, for their insight.

"Top-line, [meditation] is a way of looking after and caring for the mind," says Puddicombe. It isn't about turning off your thoughts entirely, but observing the thoughts you have. You don't have to achieve any particular state of mind to be meditating correctly.

"Our job is to show up and witness the mind as it is, knowing that what we are looking for is already here," says Puddicombe, "not that we need to try and somehow intellectually create that idea of peace in our mind."

Keep in mind that there are lots of different ways to meditate and one doesn't necessarily trump the others.

"Culturally speaking, it has origins in many, many different religious and spiritual traditions around the world," says Mehta. Popular forms of meditation include mindfulness or calming meditation, insight meditation or Vipassana meditation, and transcendental meditation. Mindfulness meditation is intended to create a quieter, more peaceful mind while insight meditation aims to develop particular qualities like wisdom or compassion. Transcendental meditation is a popular branch of meditation founded on the techniques of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

"Weve learned many of these practices do have health benefits associated with them from improving symptoms of anxiety and depression to reducing blood pressure and having better control of other metabolic parameters," Mehta says of the scientifically proven side effects of meditation.

Science has yet to pinpoint which types of meditation can help with which specific issues patients are facing, but Mehta believes this knowledge will be the next frontier in clinical meditation studies.

"In the next five years, we should be able to 'prescribe' the form or type of meditation that might be best served for that individual, for that symptom," he explains.

When we feel stressed, our bodies go into a physiological response called "fight or flight." In this state of hypervigilance, the body makes you stay awake because it fears danger. If you can release stress in your life and practice a calm mind, you'll find yourself falling asleep much easier.

"A lot of people I know get very anxious and fearful around sleep," says Puddicombe. "All that thinking does is make us feel more stressed and less likely to go to sleep."

Both experts agree meditation can help with sleep, but maybe not in the way you'd imagine it's not like turning on some quiet music or white noise before you tuck yourself in.

"Most people assume mindfulness meditation will be done immediately before sleep," says Puddicombe. In actuality, he notes, "Most of the mindfulness research gets people to meditate first thing in the morning."

Meditation benefits our ability to sleep by setting up a calmer mind, decreasing the stress response, regulating circadian rhythms and allowing us to approach sleep differently.

While traditional meditation should help, Mehta also recommends yoga nidra, or yoga for sleep, as a popular form of meditation for people who struggle to get rest at night.

"It is a series of practices that permit sleep," Mehta explains of the guided practice. "Most of it is intentional relaxation of the muscle groups and ultimately finding a space of equanimity."

Unlike other meditative practices, Mehta advises it's best to practice yoga nidra when you're trying to go to bed: "The best way to describe it is a body scan. You are sort of scanning different parts of the body, but you are really going into intentional relaxation from one point of the body to another."

Early research suggests yoga nidra can help to reduce one's feelings of stress and anxiety and that it may help improve the quality of sleep in those suffering from insomnia.

The Headspace app also has an entire channel dedicated to sleep that includes guided meditation exercises and more immediate sleep aids like calming music.

Long story short, all of the health benefits you receive from meditation will play into your body's ability to get a better night of rest.

"Start small," says Puddicombe, "Its more about frequency than it is duration."

Puddicombe recommends meditating for 10 minutes a day to receive the maximum benefits from the activity, although he says it's best to work your way up to that amount of time. If you are new to meditation, even 3 to 5 minutes a day will make a difference.

In the beginning, Puddicombe suggests connecting meditation to something you do every day.

"Let's say you shower every morning or you have a cup of coffee every morning, tie it to one of those things," says Puddicombe. "Once you tie meditation to it, you are more likely to remember to do it."

Mehta also recommends asking for professional advice if you're having trouble getting started.

"The biggest reason people come to see us is for sleep," he says. "Having some guidance is important and then it can be self-sustainable. You need to talk to your health care provider about this, having open conversations."

For more on meditation, check out:

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Forget the melatonin meditation might be the trick to sleeping better - Yahoo News

Ever considered sleep meditation? Bedtime can be nothing short of a nightmare if you have little ones who just don't want to go to sleep, no matter how tired you know they are. Or maybe you have kids who sleep well, but could benefit from a little mindfulness and help to develop healthy sleep habits. Either way, research suggests that children and adults, alike, could benefit from a little downtime before bed in order to aid sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

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So, why meditation? Well, researchers suggest that meditation can help decrease heart rate and slow breathing, which is really important for helping children unwind after a long day at school, extra-curricular clubs or whatever else they have been up to.

After all, it makes complete sense that we need a little time to still our minds before we can even think about the benefits of a good night's sleep.

And if you don't know where to get started with kids' sleep meditation, no need to fear. Headspace offer specialised programmes targeted at helping kids unwind and enjoy the benefits of meditation, with options for children aged five and under, six to eight, and nine to 12.

Once you've connected your account to your smart speaker, simply say 'Alexa, open Headspace' and enjoy some quality time with your kids learning how to unwind and become more mindful. Who knows, you may even reap some of the benefits yourself...

For more advice, read our guide to how to sleep well.

Link:

Try this kids' sleep meditation if your little one is struggling to wind down - Real Homes

As you start your days off ready to take on the world, remember that every athlete knows that rest is part of performance and even Olympians take a break.

Although you want to tackle everything at lightning speed, its important to take calculated breaks as part of this approach, before this approach starts to tackle you.

Although it seems paradoxical, unstoppable leaders know that stopping at tactical moments is a massive part of the success equation. They include rest, restoration and celebration as part of that equation.

This is not about steeling yourself until you can get to a holiday. Daily rest and recharging is a lifestyle, and just a few minutes of being mindful and present can make a world of difference. Studies show that just ten minutes of mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety, improve your memory, and offer a plethora of other benefits.

Start a habit to unplug from the digital world and plug into your conscious thinking. I know that might sound terrifying or impossible but stay with me for a moment. Unplug to observe what you are thinking. Are you in the past or the future?

So pause, take a breath and focus on the now. Notice what distracts you. And why? Is thinking about the past of the future merely a habit?

Prioritizing making being present a daily practice allows us to become aware of our thoughts and where they come from and if they are beneficial or not. Then, we can change them. Our thoughts inform our decisions and actions, which ultimately determines our success.

Conscious rest during the day can have a dramatic impact on your success and feelings of fulfillment.

Ten minutes of meditation, or anything other than work or caring for your family, may seem like a lot to you. Fair enough. With the onslaught of a thousand things that need your attention, I get it. But daily presence work is an absolute necessity for unstoppable conscious leaders. So heres my challenge for you: Are you willing to practice training your mind to be present for one minute a day to start?

Pick a word you hold sacred and love to meditate on. Set your timer for one minute.

Get comfortable. Start. Close your eyes and meditate on your word.

As Gautama Buddha said, Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

If your mind wanders notice if you are in the past or the future. Then bring yourself back to present by refocusing on your sacred word.

As you relax into this and become more confident you can increase your practice for three minutes. And once you start to notice the benefits, it will become easier to chunk out time and make this an integral part of your lifestyle.

_____________

Looking for more information on how to be mindful and improve your leadership? Work with me directly in The StillPoint Experience.

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This Ten-Minute Habit Will Improve Your Life, According To Science - Thrive Global

LOS ANGELES (HOODLINE) From an album release show to a yoga and meditation practice, theres plenty to enjoy in Los Angeles this week. Read on for a rundown of ideas for how to fill your calendar.

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

From the event description:

Lodge Room [and] Desert Daze present The Undercover Dream Lovers Album Release Show with special guests Video Age [and] Scott Gilmore.

When:Friday, Feb. 28, 8-11 p.m. Where:Lodge Room, 104 N. Ave. 56th Admission:$16 $44.5 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

Come out and join us for a night of good vibes, great entertainment and a chance to have a meet [and] greet with Royce Lovett.

When:Friday, Feb. 28, 9 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 29, 11 p.m. Where:Oeno Vino Underground Winery, 3111 Glendale Blvd. Admission:$20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

We are pleased to announce the Los Angeles debut of the talented Kyle Kinch. This is going to be an incredible night of groovy house music.

When:Friday, Feb. 28, 9 p.m.- Saturday, Feb. 29, 2 a.m. Where:Madame Siam, 1723 N. Hudson Ave. Admission:Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

Games for Change is hosting a game jam [that] challenges students to create social impact games all in one day!

When:Saturday, Feb. 29, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Where:Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch Library, 694 S. Oxford Ave. Admission:Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

From the event description:

Join us for a 45-minute all-levels vinyasa flow yoga class followed by a 30-minute sound bath experience, led by Kelsey Cook [and] Natalie Valle.The physical practice of yoga helps you to bridge the gap between your mind, body [and] spirit, while the synergistic sound meditation techniques used during the sound bath teach you to enter a state of deep meditation, relaxation [and] rejuvenation.

When:Saturday, Feb. 29, 2:30-4 p.m. Where:Hallowed Ground, 114 Washington Blvd., Suite B Admission:$33 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets

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Heres What To Do In Los Angeles This Week - CBS Los Angeles

MONT ALTO, Pa. A Buddhist monk will make his annual visit to Penn State Mont Alto to show people how daily life can be a powerful form of meditation.

The Venerable Bhante Sujatha will speak from 10:10 to 11 a.m. Friday, March 6, to the English 196 class in room 206 of the General Studies Building. From 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., he will address the Honors 297 class in room 305 of the same building. Both free sessions are open to the public and the entire campus community.

Sujatha has visited Mont Alto every year since 2010 as one of many culturally enriching opportunities offered at Penn State Mont Alto. A native of Sri Lanka, he began the monastic life at age 11. The rigorous training he underwent, he said, taught him how to get along with people anywhere in the world and how it is easier to handle peoples issues and personalities when you can get a grasp on your own.

In 1993, he left Sri Lanka for Brisbane, Australia, where he taught meditation and Buddhism. Four years later, he accepted the invitation of one of his former teachers to join him in the United States. He relocated to the Midwest, where he helped establish the Great Lakes Buddhist Vihara in Southfield, Michigan.

The next stop on his lifes journey was Illinois, where he pursued a degree in psychology at McHenry County College and started a meditation class at a Unitarian church in Woodstock, Illinois. There, the Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center was established. Sujatha said he believes his job is not only leading meditation, but teaching people how to be happy. He said he aims to show how work can be a spiritual practice, allowing individuals to enjoy whatever they are doing in the moment, instead of worrying about the future or past.

For more information about the spiritual leader of the Blue Lotus Temple, visit bluelotustemple.org/bhante-sujatha.

Last Updated February 25, 2020

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The Venerable Bhante Sujatha will once again be visiting Penn State Mont Alto - Penn State News

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Stress is a modern epidemic 40 per cent of us Brits experience stress and burn-out EVERY day. Could gratitude meditation help? We explain how, along with other tips for combatting burnout.

From workload pressure to juggling family demands, stress-related sickness costs the UK economy more than 5 billion a year

But there are ways to beat our 24/7 culture. Its all about managing our life force, the Qi energy in our body, says Qi Energy practitioner Master Oh.

Stress levels and Qi energy levels are intrinsically linked. With high levels of stress come low levels of Qi energy, and with low levels of energy come higher levels of stress.

Most people think stress is due to external influences, but it really comes from within us, says Oh. It is our inability to manage the thoughts and emotions that are causing our stress levels to soar.

Over time, this lack of energy flow creates chronic pain and fatigue in the body which is essentially burnout, Oh explains. There is no quick fix, however Master Oh has five tips to help encourage positive energy and start the re-energising process.

Gratitude is the emotion with the highest vibration. When we appreciate what we have and feel deep gratitude, our mind is positive and our heart is open.

Try this meditation:

Sit in a comfortable position, either sitting on the floor or in a chair with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.

Close your eyes and start by taking in deep breaths, bringing the air down to your abdomen. Feel your abdomen expand with every breath in and contract with every breath out.

Slowly bring your mind to someone or something that you are grateful for. No matter what, there is always something in our life that we can feel grateful for.

Focus on the deep feeling of gratitude, notice how it makes you feel, stay with this feeling. Allow the feeling of gratitude to grow inside you with every breath.

Feel how your heart responds, wanting to give something back. Let this feeling of love permeate your whole body.Try the Master Oh stress test to see who high your levels are.

Youll get a personalised recommendation on more steps to combat stress and re-energise your life.

* According to the Health & Safety Executive.

Living beings have three vital ingredients: mind, body and spirit. If you support your spirit by practising a positive, happy and loving mind, you will feel better. Thats because a positive mind enables your energy system to remain open, so Qi can flow freely, allowing you to better deal with stress.

Introduce a daily form of exercise to oxygenate your body, improve your circulation and bring down your heart rate. This also eleases endorphins which are happy hormones. Dont have much time? Try these 15 minute workouts.

Studies have shown that vitamin C is a highly effective stress buster, so treat yourself to a daily lemon, grapefruit or kiwi. Omega 3 can help with stress because it supports your nervous system. Avocado, linseed and olive oil are good sources.

READ MORE: Whats the difference between good fats and bad fats? The popular diet terms decoded

Use moments alone to reflect on what you need to change in your life. These may be deep patterns or lifestyle choices that are unsustainable. This can seem daunting in the beginning, but by recognising what needs to be changed, you will be putting your health first.

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How to practice gratitude meditation and four other tips to combat stress and burnout - goodtoknow

Gratitude journals are incredibly effective, but theyre not the only way to instill a sense of appreciation to your day. Whether you prefer a different creative outlet or simply find keeping up with a consistent writing exercise more stressful than rewarding, there are other small ways to practice gratitude on a regular basis. Researchers have found that the benefits of a tiny expression of appreciation like writing and delivering a thank you letter can last for an entire month. Gratitude has even been found to lower levels of stress and depression, and improve sleep.

We asked our Thrive community to share the small ways they incorporate gratitude into their daily lives. Which of these will you try today?

Set a gratitude alarm

About four years ago, I was introduced to Shawn Achors TED Talk, The happy secret to better work. His talk inspired me to set a gratitude alarm on my phone for 9:00 pm each night. When it goes off, I recite three things Im grateful for from the past 24 hours. Whoever is around me at the time participates too, and I always find that its really fun when the alarm goes off in large groups.

Blair Kaplan Venables, entrepreneur and marketing professional, Pemberton, B.C., Canada

Send handwritten thank you cards

I write notes each week to express my appreciation to at least three people. I prefer to write them by hand, so I carry thank you cards in my travel bag along with stamps. Its made me a better observer as well.

Sue Hawkes, CEO of YESS!, Minneapolis, MN

End the day with a family bedtime recap

We do a brief recap before bedtime with our kids to appreciate different things and events from our day. Bringing our kids into this practice allows us to connect with their feelings and thoughts, and helps guide them on whats really important.

Giancarlo Molero, happiness innovator, Miami, FL

Visualize the people youre grateful for

There is something special and powerful about keeping a gratitude journal, but I find it hard to maintain. Instead, I lean on the power of visualization to incorporate gratitude into my daily life. The first moment I see my wife and son when I wake up, I smile with gratitude. Before I go to sleep, I do the same. And during the day, whenever I think of them, I use this visual memory to spark my gratitude until the next time I see them. It works every time.

Joe Kwon, executive coach, Oakland, NJ

Start each morning with a tech-free breakfast

Most mornings, my husband and I wake up at sunrise, go for an 8 k.m. walk, and then return home to what we call our candlelight breakfast ritual. We light a candle at our little dining table and sit down to eat breakfast together. During this time, we put our phones aside, set our intentions for the day, and share what were grateful for. We first started this practice during our ongoing fertility struggles, and we have kept at it for two years now. Its a great way to begin the day feeling grounded in gratitude, conscious of the many blessings we have, and supported by one another.

Jodi Sky Rogers, author and fertility support coach, Johannesburg, South Africa

Help someone else

I have incorporated gratitude into my life by helping others, especially on days when I am struggling. In a world that is so busy and sometimes cold, others feel lost in the shuffle, and I have found that asking, How are you? or Can I do anything to help you? can be life-changing. For the recipient, youre acknowledging them, and helping them feel seen. And for myself, I feel a sense of compassion and healing. It helps on the days I need a gratitude boost.

Shelby Sudnick, coordinator at Tribe Relations, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Express appreciation for the little things

Throughout each day, whenever I see people who have said or done something that I appreciate, I make a point to let them know that Im grateful for the specific ways theyve recently made a positive impact on me. Ongoing conversations like these can help start a cycle of gratitude.

Whitney Hopler, communications director, Fairfax, VA

Think of three good things

I started a three good things journal a couple of years ago, and it had such a huge impact on my mental health. I started to sleep better because I was going to bed focused on something positive rather than ruminating on my perceived failures from the day. It also encouraged me to look for more positives and be genuinely grateful for what I have, which impacted my mood and overall happiness.

Sophie Carefull, photographer, Bristol, UK

Shift from I have to to I get to

We often show gratitude for big things but neglect to give thanks for small, daily gifts. I find that one way to incorporate gratitude into your life is to remind yourself that you get to do things, instead of feeling like you have to do them. For example, be grateful you get to drive your kids to school, or make them dinner. When you do the laundry, be grateful that you have clothes to wash, have a washing machine, and feel healthy enough to do your own laundry.

Jill Liberman, author and motivational speaker, Palm Beach, FL

Say hello to strangers

When the day feels especially challenging, I make an effort to smile at strangers on my morning commute. Its my way of acknowledging them without saying anything. Then, when I enter the lobby and see the security sitting at the front desk of the building, I always make a conscious effort of saying good morning to him or her. I think its those simple gestures that allow me to express gratitude for others in the world around me, and they always enhance my day by smiling back or saying hello.

Cecilia Grey, client liaison and content creator, Santa Barbara, CA

Bookend your day with meditation

I do my daily meditations as a bookend to my day. As soon as I open my eyes in the morning, I close them again and meditate on all my blessings. In the evening when I close my eyes, I take the time to reassess the blessings that I received and gave that day. Then, again, I contemplate which blessings I will receive the next day and bring to others. This cycle of acknowledging all the good that surrounds me gives me inspiration and a clear path to what I want to accomplish.

Shahrnaz Nancy Southwick, producer and writer, Los Angeles, CA

Send a gratitude text

Find an accountability partner and text three things youre grateful for every evening. This is a wonderful way to get to know someone better as well!

Arlene Van Oss, community relations, San Castle, Florida

Use your shower time to reflect

For me, gratitude is being able to appreciate every experience: every touch, every word, and every thought that helps to create my lifes mosaic. I usually speak my gratitude messages out loud in the shower. Theres something about water that moves me. The shower water refreshes me. Gratitude helps me appreciate that I can live my dreams and help others do the same.

Gail Hayes, executive leadership coach and author, Mebane, NC

Think about a future gift

Right before my morning meditation, I think of five things Im grateful for, like the fresh blueberries in my morning oatmeal, or feeling thankful for my husband. Then, I list five things Im grateful for that I dont yet have. When I feel grateful for future gifts, it helps raise my vibration so I can attract more good things into my life. I always feel grounded and clear on my days purpose after this daily practice.

Katie Wolf, mindset coach at The Centered Creative, Nashville, TN

Take a moment for self-examination

Ive learned that authentic gratitude requires self-examination. With self-examination comes understanding and self-compassion. This leads to compassion for others wrapped in a spirit of gratefulness for ourselves and our fellow man. We can then look at strangers and send them waves of gratitude because we see them as ourselves, no gratitude gimmicks needed! Just earnestly examine yourself.

Demetria Bridges, voice and film actor, Boston, MA

Say thank you in advance

I like to say thank you before Ive actually received something. While writing an article the other day, I was struggling to find the right words. I stopped, took a deep breath, and thought to myself, Thank you for bringing the right words to me. After taking a break, I came back, and the words flowed through me. This practice reminds me that I always have everything I need whether I can see it yet or not.

Alissa Jablonske, blogger, Orange County, CA

Pause and reframe

I have a trick I use when I encounter something that might inspire annoyance. I repeat the phrase, Stop. Reframe. Gratitude. For example, rather than letting a pair of size-13 shoes absent-mindedly left in a trip-inducing position in a shared household set off a grumpy feeling, I remind myself that those shoes are a welcome sign that someone I love, with giant feet, is here, sharing this home with me, and I am quite happy that we are together messy shoe habits or not.

C.B., retiree, WA

Do you have a go-to exercise for incorporating gratitude into your daily life? Share it with us in the comments!

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How to Bring Gratitude Into Your Everyday Life - Thrive Global

This is a guidebook to the many different styles of meditation, the various benefits of each practice, plus free guided audio practices that help you learn how to meditate.

How do you learn to meditate? In mindfulness meditation, were learning how to pay attention to the breath as it goes in and out, and notice when the mind wanders from this task. This practice of returning to the breath builds the muscles of attention and mindfulness.

When we pay attention to our breath, we are learning how to return to, and remain in, the present momentto anchor ourselves in the here and now on purpose, without judgement.

In mindfulness practice, we are learning how to return to, and remain in, the present momentto anchor ourselves in the here and now on purpose, without judgement.

The idea behind mindfulness seems simplethe practice takes patience. Indeed, renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg recounts that her first experience with meditation showed her how quickly the mind gets caught up in other tasks. I thought, okay, what will it be, like, 800 breaths before my mind starts to wander? And to my absolute amazement, it was one breath, and Id be gone, says Salzberg.

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While meditation isnt a cure-all, it can certainly provide some much-needed space in your life. Sometimes, thats all we need to make better choices for ourselves, our families, and our communities. And the most important tools you can bring with you to your meditation practice are a little patience, some kindness for yourself, and a comfortable place to sit.

The first thing to clarify: What were doing here is aiming for mindfulness, not some process that magically wipes your mind clear of the countless and endless thoughts that erupt and ping constantly in our brains. Were just practicing bringing our attention to our breath, and then back to the breath when we notice our attention has wandered.

Welcome back. What happened? How long was it before your mind wandered away from your breath? Did notice how busy your mind was even without your consciously directing it to think about anything in particular? Did you notice yourself getting caught up in thoughts before you came back to reading this? We often have little narratives running in our minds that we didnt choose to put there, like: Why DOES my boss want to meet with me tomorrow? I should have gone to the gym yesterday. Ive got to pay some bills or (the classic) I dont have time to sit still, Ive got stuff to do.

We practice mindfulness so we can learn how to recognize when our minds are doing their normal everyday acrobatics, and maybe take a pause from that for just a little while so we can choose what wed like to focus on.

If you experienced these sorts of distractions (and we all do), youve made an important discovery: simply put, thats the opposite of mindfulness. Its when we live in our heads, on automatic pilot, letting our thoughts go here and there, exploring, say, the future or the past, and essentially, not being present in the moment. But thats where most of us live most of the timeand pretty uncomfortably, if were being honest, right? But it doesnt have to be that way.

We practice mindfulness so we can learn how to recognize when our minds are doing their normal everyday acrobatics, and maybe take a pause from that for just a little while so we can choose what wed like to focus on. In a nutshell, meditation helps us have a much healthier relationship with ourselves (and, by extension, with others).

When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives. And bonus: you dont need any extra gear or an expensive membership.

Here are five reasons to meditate:

1: Understand your pain 2: Lower your stress 3: Connect better 4: Improve focus 5: Reduce brain chatter

Meditation is simpler (and harder) than most people think. Read these steps, make sure youre somewhere where you can relax into this process, set a timer, and give it a shot:

Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.

If youre just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as five or 10 minutes.

You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, you can kneelall are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.

Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes in and as it goes out.

Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing that your mind has wanderedin a few seconds, a minute, five minutessimply return your attention to the breath.

Dont judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.

When youre ready, gently lift your gaze(if your eyes are closed, open them). Take a moment and notice any sounds in the environment. Notice how your body feels right now. Notice your thoughts and emotions.

Thats it! Thats the practice. You go away, you come back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible.

Try this 3-part guided audio series from Barry Boyce:

How long would you like to meditate? Sometimes we only have time for a quick check-in, sometimes we can dip in a little longer. Meditating every helps build awareness, fosters resilience, and lower stress. Try to make meditation a habit by practicing with these short meditations from our Editor-in-Chief Barry Boyce. Find time to site once a day for one month and see what you notice.

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Weve gone over the basic breath meditation so far, but there are other mindfulness techniques that use different focal points than the breath to anchor our attentionexternal objects like a sound in the room, or something broader, such as noticing spontaneous things that come into your awareness during an aimless wandering practice. But all of these practices have one thing in common: We notice that our minds ARE running the show a lot of the time. Its true. We think thoughts, typically, and then we act. But here are some helpful strategies to change that up:

Its estimated that 95%of our behavior runs on autopilot. Thats because neural networks underlie all of our habits, reducing our millions of sensory inputs per second into manageable shortcuts so we can function in this crazy world. These default brain signals are so efficient that they often cause us to relapse into old behaviors before we remember what we meant to do instead.

Mindfulness is the exact opposite of these default processes. Its executive control rather than autopilot, and enables intentional actions, willpower, and decisions. But that takespractice. The more we activate the intentional brain, the stronger it gets. Every time we do something deliberate and new, we stimulate neuroplasticity, activating our grey matter, which is full of newly sprouted neurons that have not yet been groomed for autopilot brain.

But heres the problem. While our intentional brain knows what is best for us, our autopilot brain causes us to shortcut our way through life. So how can we trigger ourselves to be mindful when we need it most? This is where the notion of behavior design comes in. Its a way to put your intentional brain in the drivers seat. There are two ways to do thatfirst, slowing down the autopilot brain by putting obstacles in its way, and second, removing obstacles in the path of the intentional brain, so it can gain control.

Shifting the balance to give your intentional brain more power takes some work, though. Here are some ways to get started.

Once you have explored a basic seated meditation practice, you might want to consider other forms of meditation including walking and lying down. Whereas the previous meditations used the breath as a focal point for practice, these meditations below focus on different parts of the body.

Try this: feel your feet on the ground right now. In your shoes or without, it doesnt matter. Then track or scan over your whole body, bit by bitslowlyall the way up to the crown of your head. The point of this practice is to check in with your whole body: Fingertips to shoulders, butt to big toe. Only rules are: No judging, no wondering, no worrying (all activities your mind may want to do); just check in with the physical feeling of being in your body. Aches and pains are fine. You dont have to do anything about anything here. Youre just noticing.

Begin to focus your attention on different parts of your body. You can spotlight one particular area or go through a sequence like this: toes, feet (sole, heel, top of foot), through the legs, pelvis, abdomen, lower back, upper back, chest shoulders, arms down to the fingers, shoulders, neck, different parts of the face, and head. For each part of the body, linger for a few moments and notice the different sensations as you focus.

The moment you notice that your mind has wandered, return your attention to the part of the body you last remember.

If you fall asleep during this body-scan practice, thats okay. When you realize youve been nodding off, take a deep breath to help you reawaken and perhaps reposition your body (which will also help wake it up). When youre ready, return your attention to the part of the body you last remember focusing on.

Fact: Most of us live pretty sedentary lives, leaving us to build extra-curricular physical activity into our days to counteract all that. Point is: Mindfulness doesnt have to feel like another thing on your to-do list. It can be injected into some of the activities youre already doing. Heres how to integrate a mindful walking practice into your day.

As you begin, walk at a natural pace. Place your hands wherever comfortable: on your belly, behind your back, or at your sides.

You cannot will yourself into particular feelings toward yourself or anyone else. Rather, you can practice reminding yourself that you deserve happiness and ease and that the same goes for your child, your family, your friends, your neighbors, and everyone else in the world.

This loving-kindness practice involves silently repeating phrases that offer good qualities to oneself and to others.

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When youre new to meditation, its natural for questions to pop up often. These answers may ease your mind.

1) If I have an itch, can I scratch it? Yeshowever, first try scratching it with your mind before using your fingers.

2) Should I breathe fast or slow or in between? Only worry if youve stopped breathing. Otherwise, youre doing fine. Breath in whatever way feels comfortable to you.

3) Should my eyes be open or closed? No hard-and-fast rules. Try both. If open, not too wide, and with a soft, slightly downward gaze, not focusing on anything in particular. If closed, not too hard, and not imagining anything in particular in your minds eye.

4) Is it possible Im someone who just CANNOT meditate? When you find yourself asking that question, your meditation has officially begun. Everyone wonders that. Notice it. Escort your attention back to your object of focus (the breath). When youre lost and questioning again, come back to the breathe again. Thats the practice. Theres no limit to the number of times you can be distracted and come back to the breath. Meditating is not a race to perfectionIts returning again and again to the breath.

5) Is it better to practice in a group or by myself? Both are great! Its enormously supportive to meditate with others. And, practicing on your own builds discipline.

6) Whats the best time of day to meditate? Whatever works. Consider your circumstances: children, pets, work. Experiment. But watch out. If you always choose the most convenient time, it will usually be tomorrow.

7) What if I get sexually (and physically) aroused by thoughts in my head? No big deal. Meditation stokes the imagination. In time, every thought and sensation will pop up (so to speak). And come back. Same old story. Release the thought, bring awareness and receptivity to body sensations, bring attention back to your chosen object (the breath, in this case). Repeat.

8) Do you have any tips on integrating pets into meditation practice? While meditating, we dont have to fight off distractions like a knight slaying dragons. If your dog or cat comes into the room and barks and meows and brushes up against you or settles down on a part of your cushion, no big deal. Let it be. What works less well is to interrupt your session to relate to them. If thats whats going to happen, try to find a way to avoid their interrupting your practice.

Meditation is no more complicated than what weve described above. It is that simple and that challenging. Its also powerful and worth it. The key is to commit to sit every day, even if its for five minutes. Meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg says: One of my meditation teachers said that the most important moment in your meditation practice is the moment you sit down to do it. Because right then youre saying to yourself that you believe in change, you believe in caring for yourself, and youre making it real. Youre not just holding some value like mindfulness or compassion in the abstract, but really making it real.

Mindful has many resources to help you live a more mindful life and tap into the best of who you are:

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Most of us associate looking in the mirror with narcissism or feelings of inadequacy, but learning how to see yourself in your own reflection can increase self-compassion, aid stress-management, and improve relationships and emotional resilience. Read More

Explore these simple practices to connect, focus, and be in the moment. Read More

Weve rounded up our most popular guided meditations from the past year to help deepen your practice and provide support for every aspect of your life. Read More

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How to Meditate - Mindful