"What if your discomfort was a portal to a rebirth, a remembering, an attunement to your true Self?"   - Tracee StanleyTracee Stanley is the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings inspired by more than 20 years of study in Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters. As a post-lineage teacher, Tracee is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidra, rest, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence. Tracee is gifted in illuminating the magic and power found in liminal space and weaving devotion and practice into daily life. Today, Tracee joins The Mindful Minute to talk about her new book, The Luminous Self, and share some of the profound practices included within.The Luminous Self  is a book that answers the questions on how to inquire into our suffering and past conditioning, empowering ourselves to turn towards truth and power. It begins with the essential question : Who am I? This new book offers practices, rituals, yoga nidra, and self-inquiry to reveal inner wisdom, and inspire us to rest in a place of remembered wholeness and wellness. Tracee shares the practices that have been most potent and transformative in her life, and gives suggestions for how to offer these practices in community.In this conversation, we talk about so many incredible practices, ideas and insights. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can save 30% on all pre-orders of The Luminous Self when you preorder at Shambhala.com with the code LUM30Learn more about Tracee by visiting traceestanley.comSign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

In this series, I named three things that regularly inspire awe for me -BirdsBooksMeditationAll 3 regularly stop me in my tracks, and they make my jaw drop. They make me smile, wonder, and listen. They weave their way into my conversations and my dreams. In short, they inspire awe within me. “Awe experiences are what psychologists call self-transcendent: they shift our attention away from ourselves, make us feel like we are part of something greater than ourselves, change our perception of time, and even make us more generous toward others.” - templeton.orgDacher Keltner - one of the foremost awe researchers - has written about taking ‘awe-walks’. Nature is an easy place to find awe, and he encourages us to go out with the intention of seeking awe. I’ve found that the more I do this, the more easily I experience it. We can also do this in our meditation practice. We can go on an awe-walk through our minds and our hearts. We sit with the intention of being awed by our own minds, or our own internal knowing. We sit with the intention of meandering through the caverns of our mind and the lake of our heart. We don’t rush, we don’t brush things off, or ignore them. We taste. We savor. We experience. There is a reason that all the Sages spoke of our inner being as a universe - one with mountains and lakes, rivers and valleys - it is because they could see that the awe we experience out in the world is the SAME experience we can have within ourselves.Now it is our turn. Join me for today’s talk and guided meditation practice. Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

I adore a good book, and I’ve noticed that often I feel a sense of energy or connection between what I’m reading and my meditation practice. Sometimes it inspires a question, a curiosity or even just a feeling.It isn’t something that can easily be named or explained, which is exactly what this series is about… The unknown, the mystery, the awe of an experience. In meditation, often we want to discuss what happens. We try to explain. But so often it feels incomplete, doesn’t it? You can’t capture the depth, the richness, the aliveness through a word that is in itself limiting.Our practice, like ourselves, is boundless. Limits are useless here. And often so is language.Books have their place. They point us to something.But experience is the only path forward… The only knowing. In this class, we explore books, language, signs and symbols as a way to relate to our practice and to accept its ambiguity. Join me for a brief discussion and 20-minute guided meditation. Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

This year, I have fallen in love with birds. I know, I know - it's an odd entry to a meditation class, but stay with me - We added a few bird feeders and a bird bath to our backyard garden at the start of the year, and the bird population has absolutely exploded. And, since I sit outside to meditate everyday, I have a front row seat to the show.At first, I found the constant birdsong a distraction to my practice, but I QUICKLY found that it became a soundtrack of upliftment and positive feelings. It is only natural then that I began to ask.. Why? Here is where it gets interesting - much like with any aspect of nature, while science can show that it DOES have a positive impact on physical and emotional health, it struggles to show WHY…And so I started to ask myself, could the feeling alone be enough?Could my own internal experience be enough?This appreciation of birds - would it change if I could identify every bird I see? Do I need to know in order to appreciate it? We are so cultured by technology to pull out a phone and identify, to Google, to search, to name the thing. When in fact, I believe our meditation practice is inviting us to step away from that pressing need to know and master everything we encounter.We aren’t here to know nature.We are nature. We are here to experience it.Join me for today’s short talk and guided meditation practice dedicated to the unknown, the ambiguous, and the uncertain.Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

What if emotions weren't a problem? What if you didn’t need to fix or change your emotions? What if they were actually not only helpful but vital to our survival? Today, I am delighted to share a conversation with author and researcher Karla McLaren. M.Ed. Karla is an emotions and empathy expert, and she's recently revised and updated one of her books, The Language of Emotions. In this conversation, Karla and I talk aboutEmotions as a sense rather than a problemAnxiety, panic and how to work with themBoundariesThe danger of spiritual bypassing in yoga & meditation communitiesWhy judgment isn’t a bad thingChildren and big emotions4 keys to emotional geniusThis conversation is rich with helpful tools for embodying and embracing our emotional life. Be sure to listen all the way to the end - Karla shares a practice that is simple and powerfully effective for identifying and establishing boundaries and space. You can learn more about Karla at https://karlamclaren.com/ and https://empathyacademy.org/ And here is the free emotion chart for kids that Karla mentions: https://karlamclaren.com/free-emotions-charts-for-kids/Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

It is an unbelievably beautiful gift to be alive and awake. The world will break our hearts both through its cruelty and its beauty. Our job is not to fix that paradox, but to learn how to live within it with resiliency and reciprocity.We grieve, we give thanks, and we act in some personal way in response to the gift of being alive.This last class in the Resilience & Reciprocity series will ask us to shift from an independent to an intra-dependent point of view of ourselves, others, and the natural world. All 3 ask for our grief, our gratitude and our reciprocal action. And, all 3 are uplifted and clarified through our meditation practice. Emergence Labs writes of intra-dependency - Intra-dependency on the other hand signifies how something is the outcome of another thing. One thing is “of” another. {...} The ‘whole’ is making us (even as we can identify ourselves as separate).The whole is making us. We cannot meditate solely for our own betterment. We cannot meditate solely for others. Or for the natural world. Because, as much as we view these as separate realms, they are threads of a whole.So, our meditation practice isn’t only for sacred halls and silent incense-filled air. It is also for dogs barking and children crying and the many experiences that make up a life.  In short, meditation practice is for you.Join me for today’s discussion on the Self, intra-dependency, and a 20-minute guided meditation.  Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

Do you know the refrain in Amazing Grace?Amazing grace how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like meI once was lost, but now I'm foundWas blind but now I seeThis refrain has been running through my head as I created this month’s meditation series - “but now I see.”Last week, we talked about really ‘seeing’ the earth, and today, we will talk about really ‘seeing’ others, people that are different from ourselves in some way. One of the premises in this series is that comfort equals loneliness. If everyone around me looks like me and thinks like me, well that might feel pretty easy at first. I don’t have to stretch too hard to make anyone feel included. I don’t have to worry that my needs will be overlooked. I don’t have to risk discomfort in conversation, in activity, in food, in anything… But, the more I close off to anyone different, the scarier it is “out there”; the smaller my world becomes “in here”; and suddenly, I am very, very alone. So, let’s remove the blinders as a pathway to healing and wholeness. Let’s explore how meditation strengthens our capacity to see others, to see ourselves, and to see a path forward that is rich in connection and reciprocity. Join me.Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

In this mindfulness series, we are exploring resilience & reciprocity as skills we build when we bring mindfulness to our relationships with the earth, with others, and with ourselves. In today’s class, we bring the lens of mindfulness to our fractured relationship with nature. Diagnosis like plant blindness and nature deficit disorder, not to mention climate crisis, highlight how removed we are from nature. At the same time, there are writers, poets, artists, and scientists all screaming for us to go outside, to remember ourselves in nature. Yet, for the most part, we don’t.We don’t go outside because we are busy, because we don’t know where to go, or because we don’t like being hot, or cold, or the bugs. We don’t go outside because our culture has taught us to value comfort over all else. We don’t go outside because we might be uncomfortable.In the Apache language, the root of the word for land is the same root as the word for mind… an interesting parallel, isn’t it?We don’t like to be uncomfortable - with our thoughts or with the weather. However, what we see over and over again through lived experience is that discomfort allows us to tap into and appreciate joy so much more than staying sheltered, closed off, and “comfortable”.Join me for today’s episode of The Mindful Minute as we revive our connection to nature through resilience and reciprocity.Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl

Hello dear ones. Today, we step into a new series that stems from some of my recent reading. Every spring, I re-read "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and I also just read a new book from the Foxfire organization titled "The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women".While these books are about different peoples, different times, and different landscapes, I see so many threads of similarity carried between the narratives - Threads of hardship, hard work & happiness. Threads of lack and abundance.Threads of fear and grief for a changing landscape.In this new meditation series, I want to follow a few of these threads through our lived experiences, and the ways they show up and can be worked with on the meditation cushion.If I had to choose one word synopses for these two books, I would choose:Resilience & ReciprocitySo, we will begin our series here. Join me as we journey through the plant world, the peopled world, and the inner world of the Self. We will talk, we will meditate, and we will connect. Don’t miss it!Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl

Are you a Sage? A Huntress? A Lover? A Queen?The answer is yes to all of the above, and author Mara Branscombe joins us in today’s episode to explain why with her new book: Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen.Mara Branscombe is a mother, writer, yogi, artist, teacher, mindfulness leader, ceremonialist and spiritual coach. Mara is passionate about weaving the art of mindfulness, self-care, creativity, mind–body practices, and earth-based rituals into her life and work, and she has been leading community ceremony since 2000.This is her second visit to The Mindful Minute, and this conversation does not disappoint! Mara and I chat about:Archetypes: what they are and why they matterThe light and the shadow of our inner experienceThe creative process and the wisdom hidden in creative actsSimple sacred practices to embody each of these archetypesThe archetypes we are resonating with most right nowAnd, Mara shares a short visioning practice to embody our inner Huntress, embracing authenticity and activating creativity. You can learn more about Mara and buy her new book here: https://www.femininearchetypesbook.com/Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

This meditation class was recorded in the aftermath of a mass shooting in my hometown of Atlanta, GA and after a day of supporting a friend through a mental health crisis.I like to think of meditation as a lifestyle; when we treat this practice as a rich and full aspect of daily lives it quickly begins to offer the benefits that are so lauded when one reads about the practice of meditation. However, there are also times when meditation can serve as a band-aid. It can be an SOS practice that immediately helps to calm your nervous system and to settle you back into your body after a stressful situation. In this class, we explore three quick and simple practices that you can do when you are feeling high levels of stress, fear and anxiety. Each of these practices can be done on their own in less than 30-seconds, and each practice has measurable, positive impacts on your nervous system. Join me for today’s talk and 15-minute guided meditation practice on The Mindful Minute podcast. As always, this class assumes that you are currently safe and have all your basic needs met. If you are experiencing extended periods of duress, please consult a mental health professional to support your wellness. Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl

Let me tell you a little secret… I dislike the word manifestation so much. It isn’t because I don’t believe that manifestation is possible, but it is because I find far too often it is over simplified and used as an easy excuse to side-step doing deep work. So, when I met Sara Rae Hoaglund and heard her talk about the contradictions, the work and the mindfulness that is required for manifestation, I knew she was the person to bring this discussion to The Mindful Minute.In this episode, Sara Rae and I chat about:What manifestation is and is notWorking with your energetic blueprintShadow workThe law of attraction, the law of detachment, and the hidden contradiction thereinHow mindfulness and manifestation support each otherThe difference between goal-setting and manifestationWhat happens when you work with a manifestation coachAt the end, Sara Rae guides a short cleansing ritual that you can use as often as you need while setting your own manifestation intentions. Learn more about Sara Rae, her work and her podcast by visiting: https://www.spirituallyinspired.co/Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett         #meditatewithmeryl

Whew y’all. Are you ready to go deep today? Like really deep? Because today, we are jumping into the deep end with Buddhist meditation teacher Andrew Holecek. Andrew is a teacher and author on meditation, lucid dreaming, non-dualism, and preparingto die from a buddhist perspective. And today we are talking about his new book, Reverse Meditation, how to use your pain and most difficult emotions as the doorway to inner freedom. This is a rich conversation, particularly for those of you wanting to go deeper in your meditation practice. Andrew talks us through 3 stages of meditation practice and expounds on the how and the why of working with our discomfort, uncertainty, and pain. Andrew also answers a profound question that comes up so often: Meditation practitioners frequently comment that they feel MORE. They feel their own feelings and the feelings of the world so much more. And the inevitable next question is, “but what do I do with all these feelings?! How do I handle feeling so much more?”Well, friends, Andrew is about to answer that question for us. So, without further ado, let’s jump into today’s conversation on The Mindful Minute podcast. Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett         #meditatewithmeryl

I have wanted to bring this conversation to The Mindful Minute podcast for a long time now, and today I am delighted to share a conversation with Lillian Charles about our clothes, our bodies, and our mindfulness practice.Lillian created STYLE THERAPY in 2011 as a way to help women remove mental, emotional and physical barriers to living fully expressed lives. She combines traditional Personal Styling with Energy Healing, Intuitive Consulting and scientifically backed Life Coaching methods such as EFT, TIME techniques and neurolinguistic programming to achieve optimal results with each client.Lillian has served as a three term lululemon ambassador, has been named one of Atlanta's top wellness influencers and thought leaders by the City of Atlanta, was dubbed one of Atlanta's 2021 Wonder Women by Best Self Magazine and the number one wardrobe specialist by Atlanta Magazine two years in a row. She works virtually with women around the globe and celebrated the ten year anniversary of Style Therapy in 2021. You can find her on 15+ podcast interviews on Spotify.One of the original teachings of mindful living is in regards to the clothes you wear. It isn’t about the type of clothes, the cost or the level of ‘cool’ - it is about how you FEEL. Lillian, a graduate of my meditation teacher training, talks to us about:The energetics of styleHow she weaves mindfulness into her clothes and her relationship with her clientsVision boarding Prepping for date nightWhy she choose meditation teacher training even though she didn’t plan to teach meditationAnd so much more!You can learn more about Lillian by visiting lilliancharles.cominstagram: @lilliangraycharlesAnd, you can learn more about this year’s meditation teacher training at: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-teacher-trainingWe begin August 16, 2023!Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

Combining meditation and the work you do with a therapist can significantly improve your mental health. Today, I am sharing a conversation with one of my meditation teacher training graduates, Robyn Minefee, who combines meditation teaching and her work as a licensed counselor.Robyn Minefee is a licensed professional counselor and yoga instructor in the state of Georgia. In her virtual private practice she considers herself a holistic practitioner meaning she utilizes movement as a big part of therapy - which can include physical movement or moving energy in your body with breath work. She is a registered yoga instructor, certified in EMDR, and Hypnotherapy, as well as a Reiki practitioner. Robyn identifies her greatest achievements as her two adult children, being a grandmother (soon to be of two),  and her four legged fur baby named Zen.Together we talk about:Meditation and Therapy: How Robyn brings meditation to her private clientsRobyn’s biggest hesitation when signing up for meditation teacher trainingNature! Why we love it, how it impacts our mental health, and how to do a walking meditationHow to stock your mental health cabinetYou can learn more about Robyn’s work as a counselor and a coach by visiting: https://www.mindandbodytherapyga.comIG: @mindandbodytherapygaTikTok: @mindandbodytherapygaAnd, you can learn more about this year’s meditation teacher training at: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-teacher-trainingWe begin August 16, 2023!Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

I have been leading meditation teacher trainings since 2017, and as I launch my 2023 training, I thought it would be fun to share a few conversations with graduates about their experiences in MTT.Today, I am delighted to share a behind the scenes chat with a former student, Johanna Olivas. Johanna is a registered yoga teacher, Reiki master, sound healing practitioner, and since 2022, a certified meditation teacher. In this episode, we talk about:Confidence and connection: teaching that first meditationExpanding creative skillsDiscovering authenticity in voice and in space holdingThe secret sauce of journalingTune into The Mindful Minute today to hear about Johanna’s experience with meditation teacher training, and how she is using this knowledge in her business today. To learn more about my 2023 Awakened Heart Meditation Teacher Training, please visit: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-teacher-trainingWe begin August 16!To learn more about Johanna, please visit https://www.lunaserenity.com/Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

I have something a bit different for you today! I was recently interviewed by Sara Rae Hoaglund for her podcast, Spiritually Inspired. I thought you guys might enjoy hearing a bit about my early experiences with meditation, how I defined meditation, and how to deepen your meditation practice when you are ready for more than just 10-minutes a day! This conversation was such a blast. Be sure to check out Sara Rae’s other interviews on Spiritually Inspired and be on the lookout for her interview on The Mindful Minute next month when we talk all about… MANIFESTING.You can find this interview and so much more on Sara Rae’s website: https://www.spirituallyinspired.co/Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett                 #meditatewithmeryl

“I have been meditating for nearly thirty years and practicing asana, the physical practice, for over twenty and I can say without a doubt that the most advanced yoga I have ever done is raising children.” - Sarah EzrinWhen I read this quote from author, yoga teacher, and mama Sarah Ezrin, I knew we would be fast friends because this has absolutely been the truth of my experience as well!In today’s episode of The Mindful Minute, we wrap up our ‘Stress Free Summer’ series with an interview with Sarah Ezrin. Sarah has written a new book, “The Yoga of Parenting” and in it Sarah offers 34 practices to find more presence, patience and acceptance - with your child and with yourself.Together, we share our experiences of being yogis and meditators before children and afterWhat a typical practice looks like during the school year and when the kids are out for summerYoga poses that support our parenting Why patience and presence feature so strongly in what we as parents need for ourselves and our kids.There is a lot of laughter and joy in this conversation; there is a lot of recognition in each other’s stories, and I hope a lot of good takeaways to help you move through your summer with ease, with patience, and with presence. You can learn more about Sarah at https://sarahezrinyoga.com/And if you order Sarah’s new book, “The Yoga of Parenting” at https://www.shambhala.com/the-yoga-of-parenting.html and use code YP30 you can save 30%!Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl

This meditation is both an expression of greeting and of gratitude, and it is a beautiful way to start your day. As we share this practice, remember that the universe outside also exists inside. In so many wisdom traditions, we find writings and teachings that connect the natural world inside of us. When we greet and celebrate the components of the cosmos, we greet and celebrate the components of ourselves.Take a seat outside or near a window if you can. Have one headphone in your ear to hear the recording and one headphone out of your ear so that you can hear the sounds of the natural world surrounding you. Let’s begin.Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl

Here in Georgia, we are stepping into the summer season. The kids will be out of school shortly, and I’m struck with the oh-so-familiar feeling (for me at least) of partial excitement -Yay! It’s summer. No schedule. Going to the pool! Going camping! FunAnd - Ohhhhhh it’s summer. No schedule. No routine or rhythm to anchor our days. Yikes.I thrive on routine and while I appreciate short breaks,  I am also well aware that all too quickly that freedom turns into a source of stress for me. And so, I thought it would be valuable and fun to share a bit of a creative project I’ve been playing with this year.As you know, I almost exclusively meditate outside. My connection to nature deepens my connection to self and stimulates my creativity. It provides a larger rhythm to my days based on when the hyacinth blooms, the hummingbirds return, and the bees swarm that one particular bush that I can never remember the name of… In the next few podcast episodes, I am going to share a few recipes with you - recipes for connecting with nature, with time, and with self. I encourage you to go sit outside if at all possible - on a stoop, porch, park, backyard or even a parking lot staring up at the sky. Have one headphone in and one headphone out so you can hear the sounds of the world around you. Close your eyes and together let’s tap into the rhythms of the natural world as a way to anchor, especially when our daily rhythms aren’t as steady as we would like it to be.Sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dBYEUL to receive free mini meditations each month, creative musings, and more.Make a donation or learn more about my free offerings and live classes by visiting merylarnett.com.IG: @merylarnett #meditatewithmeryl