Practicing mindfulness has been shown to have numerous positive effects on well-being. Decades of research supports what has been known for thousands of years by cultures that practice mindfulness. Engaging in a practice even for just a few minutes a day can lower stress and anxiety, relieve feelings of depression and pain, and boost the immune system. Cultivating mindfulness helps us become more aware of our thoughts and feelings, which promotes emotional balance and self-awareness.

Here are some great online resources for guided meditations.  They’re a great place to start if you want to try out meditation for the first time, or if you’re an experienced practitioner and enjoy guided meditations.

• Meditations from UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
• The Chopra Center guided meditations http://www.chopra.com/articles/guided-meditations
• Milwaukee Mindfulness Center’s meditation downloads http://www.milwaukeemindfulness.com/meditation-downloads
• The Mindful Muscle, YouTube guided meditations http://www.mindfulmuscle.com/5-top-guided-meditations
• Tara Brach’s guided meditations https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditations
• The Mindful Way through Anxiety http://mindfulwaythroughanxiety.com/exercises
• The Art of Living, guided meditations http://www.artofliving.org/us-en/online-guided-meditation

Feel the feeling, but don’t become the emotion.  Witness it.  Allow it.  Release it.

-Buddhist quote, Anonymous