Resources To Help You Be More Mindful

Being mindful—fully present in the moment—is something we are all capable of, but that doesn’t make it easy. We have gotten so used to multitasking and thinking about ten different things at once that it is hard to break out of old habits. 

Mindfulness and meditation can be so beneficial for your overall mental health. That is why these and other resources were developed to help you in your journey to a more mindful—fully present—life. 

Websites:

• Palousemindfulness.com – This is totally free 6-week online course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) which has tons of resources from videos, to articles and readings and meditation downloads. What is MBSR?

• mindful.org — This is a great place to start if you need help figuring out where to begin. The site has a lot of how-to’s on mindfulness practice and articles from leaders in the field. 

• freemindfulness.org — This site is a landing space for resources from mindfulness practitioners. There are also a variety of “free resources” of mindfulness practices available for download.

• pocketmindfulness.com — This is another great starting place for people wanting to begin their mindfulness journey. It is easy to use and fun. 

Apps:

• Headspace —A guided meditation app that works with beginners and pros on finding the time and the space to breathe. 

• Insight Timer — This app has nearly 13,000 guided meditations from more than 2,600 instructors on topics like stress, relationships, creativity, and more.

• Stop, Breathe, and Think — This app creates a more individualized experience for users. People are encouraged to check-in with their bodies and rate how they feel. The meditations for the day are based on those responses.

• Calm — It sounds exactly how it intends to make you feel. The moment you open the app you are welcomed with sounds of rain, lake noises, or birds. They have a variety of meditations ranging in time from 3-minutes to 30-minutes. They also have a starter program called 7 Days Of Calm to teach beginners how to cultivate awareness and return to breath when the mind wanders. 

• 10% Happier — This is tagged as “meditation for fidgety skeptics.” It is relatable and no-nonsense, designed to teach mindfulness to beginners.

Books:

• Waking Up— This book talks about how by practicing meditation, we can wake up and actually live our lives, rather than “sputtering along on autopilot.”

• Wherever You Go There You Are — Mindfulness may have originated from Buddhist practice but it is about a lot more than that. This book provides insight into the many different facets of mindfulness—letting go, being present in the moment, releasing judgment, and being kind.

• The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in 10 Minutes A Day — Headspace creator Andy Puddicombe shares his and other stories on how mindfulness can change lives and introduces beginners to the practice. 

• 10% Happier — By the same creators as the app, this book is the story of how author Dan Harris, a non-spiritual guy, began using mindfulness and meditation to change his life. 

**The links above to books are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

YOUTube Channels:

• Tara Brach — Co-founder of the Awareness Training Institute which offers online courses on mindfulness and compassion, as well as the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. She posts two videos a week.

• The Mindful Movement — Guided meditation, visualizations, and hypnosis are just a few of the genres of videos posted here. They are all designed to help users embrace mindfulness and feel better. 

• Meditation Vacation — These meditation videos explain what to do and how you can enter deep relaxation through mindfulness.

• Quiet Mind Cafe — This channel offers video meditation and visualization for health and wellbeing. 

Retreats:

Looking to take your practice a step further and spend a few days in peace and serenity, connecting to yourself. This website offers lists of retreats from all price ranges, all over the world: https://retreat.guru/be/mindfulness

These offerings are just a small snippet of the many resources out there to help you begin (and continue) on your mindfulness journey. Many of them are free and created with one goal — to create more peace and happiness. 

The psychologists at Wellness Psychological Services are uniquely and expertly specialized in helping you learn to understand and apply mindfulness skills to help enhance your well-being. We welcome the chance to discuss an individualized plan to meet your needs. Contact us for an appointment anytime.