Everyone's experiences with meditation and mindfulness is unique. We can learn by sharing our personal experiences, we can learn more about what works, what apps are helpful, what specific techniques people are using, and this can help inform the beginning of your personal practice. 

I chose to ask the following five people because they all practice different types of meditation and mindfulness, they all incorporate it in their everyday routine. I will also share my own personal experiences with meditation and mindfulness, and I hope it helps you feel that you too can make it a part of your daily routine.

Hello, my name is Susan,

1) What app or apps do you use for mindfulness/meditation? 

I listen to Dharma talks and guided meditations on dharmaseed.org. That is a website but you can get the app too. I have used Insight Timer for body scans, especially through Mindfulness Northwest.  Insight Timer also has bell sounds to time the length of meditations. 

Sometimes you can find special talks that are only available on apps.  For instance, SIMS co-guiding teacher Tuere Sala just finished a podcast on 10% Happier.

I have also used apps as a teacher, such as Mind Yeti: https://www.youtube.com/c/MindYeti

Or, Cosmic Kids Zen Den: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEmYvbCx8Q8&list=PL8snGkhBF7ngDp1oJtx5VcjwatxZn8xLK

In general though, I don’t use apps. I have a personal practice where I sit quietly. I sit for at least 30 minutes a day on a cushion on my bed or in a chair. I first allow myself to be present with the body. I can spend quite a bit of time here to be aware of the felt sense of the body. To be totally present and know that I am present. I can listen to sound. I can be aware of sensations of the body. I start with being aware of the breath and I use it as an anchor and keep returning to it. A thought may arise. My thoughts may be in the past or the future. I allow whatever is arising and watch it change. I can watch thoughts and sensations pass away. I don’t have to be involved in the content of the thoughts. It is very much like watching clouds passing the sky. I am not involved in the content or controlling what is happening. I am more of an observer of the overall sky.  Is the sky disturbed because there are clouds, rain or sunshine?  No.  Like the sky, the mind can learn to not be disturbed by the “weather,” of the mind.

2) Why do you use them? Do you use different apps for different purposes? See #1

3) What kind of mindfulness techniques do you use?

I focus on the felt sense of an experience or a thought in the body.  It’s a practice of being aware and open to whatever is happening in the present moment.  This could be awareness of sensations in the body or mind that are pleasant or unpleasant. I can be be aware of emotions such as anger, joy, sadness, calm. I can say to myself, “Calm is present” Or, “This is what calm feels like.”  Or, “This is what anger feels like in the body.”  This is called noting. We can identify what is happening in the present moment and bring mindfulness to it in the moment it is happening. We start by being grounded in the body, standing, or sitting and feel the contact with the floor, chair and note the felt experience of pressure, heaviness, hardness, etc. We can also do this with what we call the feeling tones of pleasant and unpleasant. Is what is happening in my mind or body, pleasant or unpleasant?  We learn to move away from the content of the story and just feel the felt sense, or tone of the experience. This can be especially useful when their is discomfort in the body.  I don’t have to get into a whole story about my hip flexor aching. That I didn’t strength it and now I am going to have to change positions.  I can just note the felt experience. Throbbing, shooting, hot, jabbing, or whatever the felt sense is.  I can stay with the sensation and it does change. This is an amazing experience to witness.

4) What are some of your breathing techniques?

Wherever the breath feels the most prominent, I can be aware of the breath. Maybe it is the contraction and expansion in the chest, or the coolness of the inhale at the nose, and the warmth of the exhale, or the movement of the breath in the body.  I start with being aware of breathing in and breathing out in the belly. On the inhale, I say to myself, “Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.  On the exhale, I say to myself, breathing out, I know I am breathing out." With the same repetition, I can move to awareness of all types of breathing, long and deep, shallow and short, fast or slow. Being aware of the quality of each breath. It is simple but very difficult. I like to do whole body breathing when I just simply feel the spaciousness of the breath breathing in and out of the whole body.  One of my favorite instructions is from Vietnamese Zen Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. He uses a mantra. Breathing in, “I am arriving.” Breathing out “I am home.” Breathing in, “In the here.” Breathing out, “In the now.”

5) Do you have any recommendations for teens/young adults? 

Just know, it is the nature of the mind to think, judge, compare, fix and have strong views.  We do not have to listen to our thoughts.  Have you noticed it has an opinion about everything? We can wear our thoughts and our identities and opinions about others, more loosely.  Life is not personal. Our minds make it personal. There are experiences that make us happy and experiences that make us sad. We can learn to be friendly to our mind’s tendencies and question them. Talk to your mind in a kind way. “Really? Is that so?  Maybe. Or, It’s okay.  I here you. I’ll take care of you.”  The mind acts out of self preservation and fear.  When we get still through meditation, the heart starts to feel stronger and we fear less and have more confidence and care for ourselves and others. 

In the Buddhist tradition, there are six senses.  The mind is the sixth sense. When we practice with viewing the mind this way, it takes its power and prominence away. We can just simply be aware, “thinking.” We can drop the story and the anxiety that usually comes with it. We can sense into freedom and spaciousness that is underneath the noise of our thinking. There is more access to ease and joy. 

Any place, anytime is an opportunity to practice mindfulness. Anytime and anywhere you can bring attention to the present moment’s experience.  What does waiting feel like in the body?  What does impatience feel like?  If you are listening to someone who irritates you, you can simply be aware “this is unpleasant.” Or if you are enjoying eating a cookie, you can simply be aware, “this is pleasant.” When you are walking, note walking, walking. Or when looking at something, seeing, seeing. When brushing teeth, note brushing. We do all of these activities already. The point it to be aware of the “doing” when you are “doing.”

Hello, my name is Raleigh,

1) What app do you use for mindfulness/meditation? 

Calm - is my go-to app for guided mediation. 

I’ve found it to be an invaluable resource for learning how to meditate and why it’s important.

I’d highly recommend: How to Meditate by Jeff Warren

Its a 30-day program designed for everyone. It can be found in the section for beginners. 

2) Tips for Teens and Young Adults

Start small.  (2min / day)

Keep it simple. 

Stay consistent. 

Be patient. 

And trust that overtime this will truly make a positive impact in the quality of your life.

Remember that your mindfulness practice will evolve and grow as you do.

3) What kind of mindfulness techniques are good to use?

Mindful eating/drinking: eat one meal per day mindfully. Take the time to really taste each bit. Taste the flavors, notice the textures, make general observations about how you feel before, during and after your meal.  

*This is all about building an art of noticing.*

Try this gratitude thought exercise during a meal: 

Consider all of the various people who’s effort provides the food on your plate

(The gardeners that planted, watered and harvested the veggies on your plate. The bakers that woke up early and baked the bread for your sandwich. The truckers that transported the food to the grocery store. The grocery store employees who stock the shelves with fresh food daily.)

Do one thing at a time: When eating, just eat. When doing any activity whether it’s school related or something that you enjoy doing, trying being fully present. 

(You’ll experience distractions, everybody does. Simply notice that you’re distracted and non-judgementally bring your focus back to the activity. Be patient.)

Notice your sense: What are two things that you can touch, taste, smell, hear, right now?

Mindfulness is all about cultivating your awareness. It’s the art of noticing.

Deep listening: Have one conversation each day where you intentionally listen completely. And contemplate your response. 

4) What are some of your breathing techniques?

Think breathing: breath in for 3 secs. hold for 3 secs. and exhale for 7 secs. 

Place all of your focus on the feeling of the air as it enters and exits your nose.

*Calm app will walk you through this process.

5) What is Mindfulness important?

Our mind is our greatest asset.

Mindfulness is a proactive approach to increasing one’s awareness. 

It empowers you to be more present, less distracted and better connected to what matters most to you.

Hello, my name is Master Diep

1. We use the following apps and channels:

- Brain Recharge: https://www.brainrecharge.com/

- 1 Minute Exercises: http://1minchange.changeyourenergy.com/

-  We have five Youtube Channels and they are ALL Free to Subscribe so subscribe, Kaia for I know how much you will love all of it! ^^

+ Brain Education TV: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoqtKR3DyzMoSaMxqSyrdig

+ Body & Brain TV: https://www.youtube.com/bodynbrain

+ Brain Masterz: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ALGUkY0WZfn-GI40rcJaA

+ Ilchi Lee: https://www.youtube.com/user/IlchiLee

+ Earth Citizen Organization: https://www.youtube.com/user/goearthcitizens

2. We use them to help educate people about Brain Education and support them in self-help and self-healing. And yes, different apps are for different purposes as their names suggest.

3. Mindfulness techniques that we use are simple things such as breathing and feeling your body and feeling your energy and move your body as you desire, in order to improve flexibility, mobility, balance, mind-body coordination, concentration and relaxation, peace of mind. 

4. Chest breathing, abdominal breathing, energy breathing through the energy centers (internal and external) that run throughout your whole body.

5. Teens and young adults have a lot of physical energy and emotional energy. Yet, you can easily get moody due to the fact that you are not physically active enough because of your busy school and life in general AND lots of emotions and stress from the lack of space and time and wisdom to process your own feelings and emotions and be the master of them, instead of being controlled by them. My advice for teens would be get your body more worked out and brave to talk about your emotions and your feelings honestly and responsibly with a sense of ownership and a self-loving, self-improving mindset.

Visit Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi in Seattle! Check out their website HERE.

1) What Apps do you use for mindfulness/meditation?: Calm.

2) Why do you like (that/those) apps?: It gives you a daily check in so I can see how I am doing 

3) Mindfulness Techniques you use: 3 c’s, writing in my journal, drawing with my headphones on while listening to music, playing with my robots, walking, doing drawing outside. 

4) Breathing Techniques you use: In for 3, hold for 3, out for 7.

5) What are the benefits of meditation for you?: It helps me focus and helps lessen anxiety and stress. I also use it for golf.

6) Recommendations for teens / Young Adults: Start of in small time chunks and work your way to getting longer. It takes a bit of time to get used to it and after that bit your going to feel much better, so don’t give up!

1. Mindfulness Techniques you use:

I think of mindfulness as focusing my attention on whatever is happening in the present moment. We can be mindful anytime anywhere. For me, it is the practice of quieting my mind and thoughts and even putting them on an imaginary ‘silent mode’ while I take in any moment through my senses. For me, this means paying attention to my body and feeling and sensing (smelling, tasting, seeing, touching, hearing) the world rather than thinking about them or labeling, naming, or narrating them. I almost play a game to see if and for how long I can put my thoughts and mind on pause, mute, or silent mode, and then I try to take in the world just for a moment (or 2-3, etc.) without using language.

In the moment, I use different tools to anchor or keep me in the present. I use my breath the most because it is always and only happening in the present moment, and just following its dynamic flow helps ground me to right here right now. I use any part of my body or a short body scan, where I tune into any body part and just notice how it feels without putting words to the feeling. I use any sense to draw me into the present moment by asking ‘What do I smell/see/taste/hear/touch in this moment?’ and then I try to just feel (not think about) the sensations. I also use music, dance, and any creative outlet to help me be present.

2. Breathing Techniques you use:

Most of the time, all I do is notice my breathing in and breathing out. I use my breath all the time throughout the day to bring into one moment, multiple, or countless moments.

3. What are the benefits of meditation for you?:

I haven’t been very successful with seated or long meditations. I have a lot of anxiety and quieting my mind for extended periods is often very challenging. I have found however that mindfulness is accessible to me in every and any moment, and just breathing and noticing how I feel, what I sense, and my surroundings at any time is beneficial. For me, it helps me to feel alive, to relax, and to free myself momentarily from an overactive and anxious mind.

4. Recommendations for Teens / Young People:

I think it is so awesome many more people are learning mindfulness now. It is a really valuable skill to have in that it increases our quality of life, our well-being, and how alive we feel if we practice it regularly. I recommend checking out apps for mindfulness—one of my absolute favorites is “My Life” that opens with a quick check in, lists of emotion words, and recommended short activities of 2, 5, and 7 mins. long based on how you respond. It is free and super easy to use. I also love Shine, Breethe, Calm, and others that charge small fees if you decide to subscribe. Finding one app you like and using it 10 minutes/day would be an incredible start!

As you can tell from reading the experiences above, everybody practices meditation and mindfulness differently. Take a few minutes and share your personal experiences below: