Sitting at the intersection of trends, service, and evidence-based journalism, Well+Good works to inform, empower, and educate communities and individuals on the many ways day-to-day choices impact their ability to live well.
Its editorial team believes that wellness and health should be attainable for all and works to challenge the systems and barriers that prevent this from becoming a reality for many.
That’s why I’m sharing the 10 best Well+Good articles on meditation, along with my favorite quotes.
1. “How to Enjoy Meditation, According to an Instructor”
I always thought the purpose of meditation was to completely clear the mind, but [meditation teacher Kirra] Michel explains you’re not a bad meditator if you’re thinking—in fact, your mind will never go completely blank to the point where you have no thoughts. Your mind is designed to think, plot, and problem solve, according to Michel.
Click here to read the article “How to Enjoy Meditation, According to an Instructor | Well+Good”.
2. “6 Grounding Techniques From a Meditation Practitioner”
To understand why feeling grounded is important, just consider what it’s like to feel ungrounded. Think about when you just feel like your attention is being pulled in a million directions, and like you can’t focus. “It’s feeling unsettled in your body and mind,” [meditation teacher Susan] Chen says.
To be sure, it’s totally normal to feel excited or revved up in response to the things going on in your day-to-day life, but if you start to feel unmoored often or even most of the time, it gets tough to come back down. Grounding practices are a means of infusing some calm into your life.
Click here to read the article “6 Grounding Techniques From a Meditation Practitioner”.
3. “What To Do When Meditiation Doesn’t Work for You”
Is it possible that some people just can’t “do” [meditation]? Curious, I reached out to some of the top experts to find out if I was alone—and to hear their advice.
Click here to read the article “What To Do When Meditiation Doesn’t Work for You | Well+Good”.
4. “What Is Micro-Meditation? How to Do Short Mindfulness for Stress”
Micro-meditations are basically just shorter meditation sequences. They range in type and can include breathwork, visual meditations, or any mindfulness practice you enjoy—just fun-size. In general, micro-meditations range from about one-to-five-minutes long, and they’re a great way to get better acquainted with meditation, especially if you haven’t found a method that works best for you yet.
Click here to read the article “What Is Micro-Meditation? How to Do Short Mindfulness for Stress”.
5. “Meditation for anxiety doesn’t always work—so here are tips”
I practice mindfulness meditation, and something about being tuned in to my breath made me even more aware of my anxious thoughts. Perhaps least bearable was the fact that my practice actually highlighted some of the physical anxiety symptoms I was experiencing, like a racing heart and a clenched, too-tight stomach.
Upon googling the phenomenon, a number of message boards made clear that I’m in good company. While I found a bit of solace in having my struggle shared by others, that still didn’t arm me with strategies to quell my anxiety. So to learn more about why this happens—and what to do about it—I turned to experts.
Click here to read the article “Meditation for anxiety doesn’t always work—so here are tips | Well+Good”.
6. “Why You Keep Falling Asleep During Meditation and How To Stop”
You know how it goes: One second your eyes are softly closed, and you’re breathing deeply and listening to the soothing voice of an instructor on your go-to meditation app. And then 30 minutes later, you find yourself waking up with a puddle of drool on your yoga mat. If your meditation sessions tend to lead to an accidental power nap, you’re not alone.
Click here to read the article “Why You Keep Falling Asleep During Meditation and How To Stop”.
7. “Movement Meditation Can Quiet The Chatter More Quickly”
You know that meditation comes with a whole host of physical and mental benefits. But every time you sit down to do it, you’re immediately desperate to get back up. It’d be easy to assume meditation just isn’t for you. But not so fast! Contrary to the popular stereotype, physical stillness isn’t a prerequisite to entering a restful, meditative state. In fact, moving your body can help calm your mind.
Click here to read the article “Movement Meditation Can Quiet The Chatter More Quickly | Well+Good”.
8. “The 5-Minute Meditations To Help You Let Go of Something”
For meditation teacher Josephine Atluri, centering herself in these troubling times requires just minutes of out of each day. “My ‘Letting Go’ meditation is a quick five-minute practice that helps me move from the sympathetic nervous system response of ‘fight or flight’ into the parasympathetic nervous system response of ‘rest and digest’” says Atluri. “This activation in the nervous system is triggered by slow and deep breathing. Not only does the concentrated breathing move me from stress to relaxation, but it also helps me tune into the present moment.”
Click here to read the article “The 5-Minute Meditations To Help You Let Go of Something | Well+Good”.
9. “Meditation for Sleep: An Expert Guide to Mindfulness Before Bed”
When you can’t sleep, you might try counting sheep or popping a tab of melatonin. If nothing seems to be working, it’s easy to spiral into anxiety over the fact that you can’t fall asleep, which, ironically, only makes it harder to drift off. It’s a common occurrence; in a 2020 survey, nearly 15 percent of adults in the US reported having trouble sleeping, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hands up if you’re an unintentional night owl!) What can you do to break the cycle? Well, there’s a good chance meditation for sleep could be your key to sweet dreams.
Click here to read the article “Meditation for Sleep: An Expert Guide to Mindfulness Before Bed”.
10. “15 Free Meditation Apps That Can Help You De-Stress”
What free meditation apps are worth the download? We asked the experts for their recommendations and did some of our own research to see what some of the best free meditation apps are available today.
Click here to read the article “15 Free Meditation Apps That Can Help You De-Stress”.
Complement this list of best meditation articles from Well and Good with Buddhist Meditation: Tranquility, Imagination, and Insight by Kamalashila and then revisit Well and Good articles on mindfulness and why you should read Mindful America by Jeff Wilson.
I’m a freelance writer and mindfulness advocate behind this blog. What you see here is the combination of my three favorite things: reading, writing, and mindfulness. While you’re here, subscribe to my blog updates and gain access to free mindfulness resources for stress relief.
