Happiness Break: Find Calm When You Can't Clear Your Mind, With Lama Rod Owens

Take a break from ruminating with Lama Rod Owens as he leads you in a meditation to cultivate a sky-like mind.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5fn7sw7t

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin this practice.

2. Turn your attention to the rise and fall of your thoughts and feelings within your mind.

3. Imagine that your mind is a vast open sky and that your thoughts are like clouds passing through.

4. Recognize that these thoughts are just experiences that come and go, and that they do not constitute the whole sky or your whole being. Allow yourself to trust the bright openness of your mind, without worrying about it becoming stormy.

5. When you are ready, reground yourself in the present moment by noticing how your body, and how it is held by your seat.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist teacher, author and activist passionate about creating engaging and inclusive healing spaces.

Learn about Lama Rod Owens’ work: https://tinyurl.com/wd2huac5

Read Lama Rod Owens’ latest book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors: https://tinyurl.com/4pj8wb7x

Follow Lama Rod Owens on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/527378v9

Follow Lama Rod Owens on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/mwa2vwrh

Follow Lama Rod Owens on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/h33pyjye

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Ways to Calm Your Mind in Stressful Times: https://tinyurl.com/6apdf52p

How to Gain Freedom from Your Thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/hp8s5wv6

How to Focus a Wandering Mind: https://tinyurl.com/y7jhkewv

How to Enjoy Being Alone with Your Thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/3ej6acx6

We love hearing from you! Have you tried quieting your mind? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

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We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.