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Insight Timer Live– Live meditation and discussion sessions on the InsightTimer app.
Courses– click here to see course offerings.
Readings– I recite wisdom teachings, etc., from various sources.
To download a meditation below, click on the name. Many meditations are also available on InsightTimer and YouTube.
The Latest
Dhammapada 4- Blossoms (4:50) InsightTimer, Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 5- Fools (4:43) Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 6- The Wise (4:06) Youtube, Rumble
The Resources And Beauty Within (15min) Recorded in front of a live online audience, this meditation encourages the practitioner to identify the potential strength, stability, and beauty within, as a means for remaining whole and independent, as well as developing the capacity for resilience and generosity to benefit the world around us. IT
Clarifying The Present Moment (16min) Gain access to the present though awareness of the breath and body, the momentum and stilling of thoughts, alignment with good will, and the small share of authority we are given to adjust the sails in any given storm. IT
Gather Around This Moment (7min) This is a brief guided meditation that encourages breath and body awareness as a means to understanding what is actually happening right now, and settling comfortably into this moment. Use as a standalone meditation to start your day, as a mid-day reset, or to prompt the beginning of a longer meditation. IT
For Beginners, etc. IT Playlist
1 Minute Meditation, 2 Minute Meditation, 3 Minute Meditation, 4 Minute Meditation …. A series of meditations designed to illustrate how much can be accomplished in a short time with some devotion and attention. The inspired meditator is pointed to the enormity of the smallest instant of time, and the immeasurable speed and scope of the mind. Each successive meditation contains more guidance, but also more silence for practice. Thanks to Reimund Bertrams, Gerd Altmann, TheFunkyPixel, and Rick Brown for the wonderful images for Insight Timer. 1minyoutube 1minInsightTimer, 2minYT 2minIT, 3minYT 3minIT, 4minYT 4minIT
Beginner’s Breath– (7 min.) A brief breath meditation for everyone. IT, YT
Returning to the Breath and Body for Well-being (8:21) A short mindfulness of breath and body meditation, recorded live. This meditation could be useful to initiate a longer silent practice done on your own, or as a quick recharge meditation any time of day to reorient to the intention for well-being, and become grounded in the body. InsightTimer
Cultivating Good Will (For Children and Older) (9:15) I wrote this meditation while thinking about how important it is for people to have a sense of good will for themselves, and that this sense can be instilled or neglected very early in life. By using some techniques I use in my everyday meditation practice, I tried to create a guided meditation that is accessible to any child who is old enough to follow along for about 9 minutes. I hope you and your children find this meditation useful! The background music is an excerpt from “Our Peaceful Ocean,” by Music of Wisdom https://www.musicofwisdom.com/. On youtube, IT
10 Minute Metta– A simple and brief Metta (good will) Meditation for new or experienced practitioners. On youtube, insight timer, LBRY
Cultivating Compassion (For Children, etc) (12 min)- Compassion is an extension of good will which arises when we witness pain in the world and we’d like it to end. The meditation follows a similar pattern to my meditation, “Cultivating Good Will,” but will require a little more attention. I hope you and your children find this meditation useful! The background music is an excerpt from “Deep into Nature,” by Music of Wisdom https://www.musicofwisdom.com/. IT
Body Scan– (~13min) A short body scan, using the breath, and beginning with a brief invocation of good will. IT
15 Minute Mindful Breathing– Improvised mindfulness of breathing, based on how I guide the beginning of my own sittings- gives guidance for posture, breathing, body, and feeling awareness. On IT
Sleep/Rest/De-stress IT Playlist
Resting Well (16 min)- This is a restoration practice, inspired by Yoga Nidra and NSDR, that can be used as an aid to sleep or for rejuvenation any time of day. It is backed by the lovely track “The Inner Calling” by Narek Mirzai. Youtube, IT
Good will (metta) for peace of mind, better rest, and sleep (15:30) I’ve been working on my own rest and sleep practice lately and it has inspired me to bring some of that into my recordings. Pulling from various aspects of meditation practice, like breath meditation, yoga nidra, nsdr, and metta or good will, this meditation encourages a posture of benevolence to pervade the whole being, giving us confidence to truly relax and restore in our practice. The music is Meditation Sounds by RelaxingTime. Image by Bru-nO. YouTube, InsightTimer
Sleep Meditation (IT), Sleep Meditation (No Music) (IT) (~10min.)- These are brief meditations (same script, one without music) to prepare the mind and body for a restful night sleep with a body scan and some inspirational words about the natural condition of sleep.
Meditate to Sleep For Children (& Adults) – (17 min.) Designed with kids in mind, but good for adults too. A body scan and some fun with the imagination, created in collaboration with my son, who enjoys falling to sleep to other guided meditations and visualizations. IT
Meditate to Sleep For Children (& Adults) (No Music)– (12.5 min.) Same as above, music removed.
Extended box breathing (for greater ease or sleep) (6min) This type of breathing (4 second inhale, 4 second hold, 6 second exhale, 2 second hold) is known to help with panic and anxiety, focus, and to get ready for sleep. We begin with a couple deep breaths and then move into a simple guidance on when to inhale, hold, exhale and hold. This can be done on your own of course, but sometimes it’s nice to leave the counting to someone else when the goal is to relax deeply. 4:30 of guidance, then music lingers. Music: A Meditation by Ashot-Danielyan-Composer Image by Kordula Vahle. Youtube, InsightTimer
Deepening Ease with 3 in 6 out breathing (11min) This is a guided breathing meditation emphasizing extended exhalations, which encourages relaxation. We’ll move between this specific in 3 out 6 breathing, and just allowing the breath to move of its own accord. This meditation could encourage calm, getting better rest and sleep, or becoming grounded Music by Piotr Witowski. InsightTimer, YouTube, InsightTimer
Mindfulness/Concentration/Buddhist IT Playlist
Mindfulness of Breathing (~10 min)- This is a short, simple mindfulness of breathing meditation based on the first tetrad of the Anapanasati Sutta (mindfulness of in and out breathing). This teaching instructs the practitioner to begin with awareness of the breath, then become aware of the entire body, and finally to calm “bodily fabrication.” This can be a useful meditation all on its own, or could be a good way to get calm and centered before other practices. I hope you find it useful! youtube, IT
Mindfulness of Breathing 2 (16.40) This continues where my last meditation- “Mindfulness of Breathing”- left off. The first is based on the first tetrad of Anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing), and is focused on calming “bodily fabrications.” This is based on the second tetrad, and culminates with calming “mental fabrications.” Enjoy! youtube, IT
Walking Meditation– (11:24) Walking is one of the time honored postures for meditation practice. When choosing your space for walking, consider what works best for you- it may be on a forest path, or in the seclusion of a home or a backyard. Walking meditation can be seen as an extension of sitting meditation. As we become more conscious of the activities of our mind and body, there is less and less separation between meditation, contemplation, and our daily life. Thanks to Truthseeker08 for the beautiful image! IT
Mindfulness and the Fortress (11 min)- Mindfulness is a fortress gatekeeper- a tricky job. Sometimes it’s obvious what is for the good, but a good con artist can appear beneficial, and a beneficent person might be shy, or strange. Such is our inner world. We can convince ourselves to have thoughts and actions that harm us, neglecting the beneficial ones. Training our mind to stay with objects such as breath and good will, we grow our capacity for concentration and insight. In this way, a good gatekeeper is a benefit to our being. YT, IT
Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati) (11:11)- This meditation is based on one I led in a live session following a talk on the anapanasati sutta- the Buddhist teaching on mindfulness of breathing. The rising and falling breath is maintained as a consistent object to train the attention and develop concentration. This leads to our increasing ability to witness what is occurring within- in body, feelings, mind- giving us greater inner authority. IT
Sympathetic Joy (Mudita) -(13:30)- There is joy in this world, arrived at through skillful means, which does not harm other beings in its acquisition; this is the type of joy which can become limitless, which can be shared without diminishing. This meditation encourages the practitioner to look into the world, and into themselves, to find and share in this joy. on yt, IT
Preparing The Mind For The World (14:36) Continuous access to an onslaught of information from a world that is at times stressful, and even terrifying, can be a strain on the mind and lead to unskillful reactions. How do we cultivate the mind in light of this reality? This meditation encourages the practitioner to come back within as a means of preparing the mind to look outside, to cultivate a peace within to share with the world. Piano Music No.3 by Piotr Witowski https://pixabay.com/music/meditationspiritual-piano-music-no3-168123/ Image by Kevinsphotos https://pixabay.com/photos/owl-camouflage-wildlife-1576572/ InsightTimer
Five Spiritual Faculties (Strengths, Powers) (15 min.)- The five faculties are conviction (faith, confidence), energy, mindfulness, concentration, and discernment. This is not an exhaustive look at the five faculties, but my distillation for the purpose of a guided meditation. I recommend the work of Thanissaro Bhikkhu for further study. youtube, IT
Metta- Good Will is Available (15 min.)-This is a brief meditation and reflection on Metta, or Good Will- one of the four Brahmaviharas, or divine abodes, described in Buddhist scripture. The meditation centers on using the image of a kind benefactor in our life to stimulate the feeling of good will, which can then be cultivated into a limitless state. I close by reciting the Metta Sutta. This is one of a series of meditations I am recording “live” in my living room. yt, IT
Seven Factors of Awakening 15 Minute Version– This is the same script as the 27 minute version with less space in between descriptions. This can be useful if you have less time, or if you are using the guidance just at the beginning of a longer silent meditation. On yt, IT
Noble Duty (17:58)- This guided meditation was inspired by the phrase from the Metta Sutta, “Living lightly, with few duties,” as well as the idea of duty in general in meditation practice. In includes aspects of breath and body focused meditation as well as metta. Thank you to 李磊瑜伽 for the image on InsightTimer. InsightTimer
Body Sensations Meditation– (18 min.) This can be used as a meditation on just neutral or pleasant body sensations, or it can be used to work with pain. It embraces the idea that the more intimate we are with the sensation, whether it is positive, negative, or neutral, the better we are able to understand and work with it in our lives. IT
Mindfulness of In and Out Breathing– (18:32) This guided meditation uses the Anapanasati Sutta (Mindfulness of in and out breathing) as a guideline. It moves through the sutta once slowly, and then recaps the main points to promote a broad guide for concentration practice through awareness of the breath.
Total Wellness Body Scan– (18 min.) This body scan has a foundation in breath meditation and gives some guidance on how one can begin to use intention in their meditation to achieve a feeling of greater wellness in body and mind. On yt, IT
Mindfulness of In and Out Breathing– (18:32) This guided meditation uses the Anapanasati Sutta (Mindfulness of in and out breathing) as a guideline. It moves through the sutta once slowly, and then recaps the main points to promote a broad guide for concentration practice through awareness of the breath. InsightTimer
20 Minute Metta– Same as 10 minute metta with silence inserted to allow for more space. On yt, IT
Breath Meditation With Body Scan– (20 min.) This is an improvised meditation rather than one I read from a script, in an attempt to really draw from my own practice. IT
Seven Factors of Awakening Meditation-(27 min.) There are many great teachers with deeper understanding of this teaching, but this is one way in which it is meaningful to me. I hope you enjoy. IT
Reflection on Gratitude and the Six Sense Spheres– This is a repetitive script which runs through each of the six sense spheres (sense bases, sense media)- sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, mind objects- with a brief reflection designed to elicit gratitude and generosity of spirit for the benefit of all beings. It’s more of a reflection which may be helpful in setting up for a meditation, or just something to give a lift any time of day. Enjoy!
Inspirational/Spiritual/Religious IT Playlist
Seasons Within The Breath (12min)- Inspired by a reading of Ecclesiastes 3, this meditation considers the breath as an analogue for the ebb and flow of the seasons, and that within the vastness of the All, far from the unknowable ends, there are gifts therein which can nourish us. Music by IvyMusic. Image by jplenio. YouTube, InsightTimer
The Weight of Our Attention (13min)- The root of the biblical word for honor comes from the word weight- it also can connote glory, respect, distinction, and importance. Where we place the weight of our attention determines much in navigating our path. Music by RelaxingTime. Image by Kengo Itou. YouTube, InsightTimer
Creativity, Bravery, Fulfillment- a Seat at God’s Table (8min) This meditation promotes the idea of taking ourselves seriously, of our inherent worthiness to take a seat at God’s table in the glory of this creation. Using inspirational imagery and breath meditation, this short sitting is an uplifting script for any time of day or night. IT, YT
Held by the Breath- (8 min) Break down the barriers of your everyday conception of the breath, the body, the mind, and the world that surrounds you, in this brief but powerful, breath-focused meditation. Allow yourself to be refreshed by the simple power of the breath. Thanks to Arek Socha for the image for Insight Timer. IT
Meditation with “On Death,” by Kahlil Gibran (~9min) This meditation is similar to some of my others in that we set up an intentional posture and connect with our breathing, but the intention and reflections are around the idea of death, and in the middle of the meditation, I read Kahlil Gibran’s piece, “On Death,” to aid in our reflection. I hope that it is a source of comfort and strength for you when you need it. IT
Provisions on the Path (~10min)- This meditation was transcribed and edited from an Insight Timer Live session on November 21st, 2021. A dharma talk and meditation combined- in some traditions the dharma talk happens as the practitioners meditate, allowing the talk to guide them when needed, whenever it enters their awareness. In this meditation we consider the inconstant nature of things- despite impermanence we prepare with provisions for the path. This brings to mind another word- provisional. It’s temporary, but what will suffice? What skillful choices can we make in thought and action on a path to happiness instead of misery. IT
Grow Your Goodness Into The World– (10:50) This meditation was transcribed and edited from an Insight Timer Live Session that some people wished to have for continued practice. Sometimes the subject matter and mood during a session just gives power and connectivity to the guided meditation that unfolds, though in many ways it’s very similar to many other guided meditations I lead. I transcribed and edited the talk that preceded it as well, and you can find that here. Listen to the audio on youtube., IT
A Glimpse into Timeless Awareness (12:28) This meditation begins with our typical concentration/mindfulness of breathing practice, and then we use our memory to see how there’s an aspect of awareness that appears to be unchanged by time. Bringing more spaciousness to our mind space can be a useful tool for a more peaceful and fulfilling life. IT
2020.01.21 The Peak of this Moment (12:41)- Some guidance followed by a “meditation poem” for inspiration. Enjoy! IT
Mind, Body, & Spirit (12:53)- This meditation was recorded from a live session, so it’s best for the practictioner who enjoys the feel of being included in a group of meditators, and a more casual, less scripted approach. It includes some attention to the posture, concentration meditation, mindfulness of the breath and body, good will, and the deep nourishment of mind, body, and spirit that can be explored in meditation. Thank you to jplenio for the image! InsightTimer
Cathedral of Awareness (14:00) This practice blends breath meditation and visualization to give the meditator an opportunity to craft their own inner space. The metaphor of a cathedral is used to illustrate the possibility of cultivating great scope and sacredness of that inner space through practice. On yt, IT
A Beautiful Place– (15 min.) A meditation which considers that the heart/mind is like a natural setting, and with wise cultivation, it can be a beautiful place which can be with us always. There are a few separate reflections with some silence in between. On yt, IT
Generating Stability (15:30) This meditation begins with a careful look at the posture, followed by suffusing the body with awareness using breath as a guide. I use the theme of stability to further illustrate the potential of meditation to create a platform for personal power. On yt, IT
Authority of Well-Being (16:38) This is an improvised meditation taken and edited from my “free form meditations”- while I often will write a script based on a concept I want to express, I also like to record some meditations straight from my own present experience and practice. Occasionally I come across one that I think worked well. I hope you like it! On IT, yt, LBRY
Chanting Chakras (with Guitar)– (16:55) We will chant syllables for each of seven chakras. There is a brief instruction before each chant. You can chant along, or just listen. There is a lot of theory on each chakra, but you can think of this as a body scan, where you place your attention on each area with the intention for well-being and integration with your whole body. Try to imagine that when you inhale, you are breathing into that area, and the sound is reverberating there. You can go at your own pace or chant when I chant. Thanks to Vic_B for the beautiful image for insight timer! IT, youtube
Breath- Witness and Shepherd (20min) -This is primarily a mindfulness of breathing meditation, spoken without a script. In the beginning I briefly describe the technique “connected breathing,” which consists of full breaths without pause in between and allowing the exhalation to flow out purely from the relaxation of the diaphragm. As the title suggests, the meditation encourages both witnessing and gently encouraging movement of the breath and awareness, and the merging of all of these elements. At one point I mention Mara- a Buddhist demon; you can simply think of him as the personification of forces that pull you away from becoming awake- he wields the hindrances. yt, IT
The Dhammapada
Dhammapada 1- Pairs (5:33) A reading of the first chapter of the Dhammapada as translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. The Dhammapada is a canonical Buddhist text written in a poetic style. Each chapter bears many listens over time, and is somewhat like the Tao Teh Ching, delivering ancient wisdom and inspiring the contemplative life. Listen at the beginning of your own meditation practice, or any time of day as a source of inspiration. Enjoy! Listen on: InsightTimer, Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 2- Heedfulness (4:08) Listen on InsightTimer, Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 3- The Mind (3:44) Listen on InsightTimer, Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 4- Blossoms (4:50) InsightTimer, Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 5- Fools (4:43) Youtube, Rumble
Dhammapada 6- The Wise (4:06) Youtube, Rumble
Some additional Free form guided meditations
Visit my IT Live page for an archive of some live sessions with guided meditations, talks, and readings.
markzelinsky 