12 Minute Meditation

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.
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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 
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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  
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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. 
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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].

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