Our Guided Meditation Recordings

Below are recordings from the monthly Guided Meditation Sessions facilitated by the Mindfulness Working Group. We encourage people to use them in your personal practice, and feel free to share the link to this page with others. These recordings do not include anything participants shared during the calls, as the intention is to create a safe space for people to practice together in confidence and privacy. We trust these sessions will contribute to your own practice, your own well-being, and the well-being of others through you. Simply click on the arrow on the left side of recording you would like to access…

Cultivating Balance and Healing Within and Without

by Hayat Bain | 12th century Sufi mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi said, “Life is a balance between holding on and letting go.” As we work with the Sufi Elemental Healing Breaths there is a balance between holding on and letting go in the rhythm of the breath. The purpose of this guided meditation is to bring balance and healing to the elements of our being and those of the being that is Gaia, taking in what serves that purpose and letting go of what doesn't. The breath practice is interwoven with an embodied practice of tuning into and working with the energy centers of the body. When we become balanced and healthy, we can be more loving and compassionate with ourselves and others, and we can BE the LOVE that we ARE as we do our racial and other healing work in the world.

And Still I Rise

by Fran Sutton-Williams | How do we keep going when the systems we depend on are falling apart, when we've fought hard for so long that we're exhausted, when we've given until our cups are empty? This meditation focuses on how we return to center and rise again. (inspired by Maya Angelou's poem)

Finding Equanimity in Challenging Times

by Hayat Bain | The heart of this guided meditation experience is inspired by Buddhis meditation teacher and author, Ruth King, who writes, "Imagine the power of this inner resource [equanimity] as we engage with the messy world in which we live." May you find the inner peace you seek among the "intentions of equanimity" offered as a practice, as well as the offerings of readings, a breath practice, a releasing of tension from the body....and concluding with a short song about breathing in peace and breathing out love.

Rest

by Fran Sutton-Williams | Warriors in the anti-racism struggle take a needed break in a pool of scented water in a forest clearing...

Meditations of the Heart

by Ann Reeves | Based on the words, work, and life of Dr. Howard Thurman, spiritual friend and advisor to Dr. King and spiritual advisor to the Civil Rights Movement

A Brief Inner Exploration of Resilience, Resistance & Transformation

by Hayat Bain | Usual definitions of "resilience" suggest a springing back to the way we were. What if we don't want everything to return to "normal" within ourselves and our world? What does your reimagined self and world look like and what resistance or other obstacles do you need to become aware of and let go of in order to experience real transformation in the direction of your dreams?

Compassion for suffering from racial injustice

by Tom DeWolf | with a focus on our bodies, our hearts, and our breath as mindfulness tools. (with gratitude to, and inspiration from, Ruth King, Susal Stebbins Collins, Jason McGrice, and others*)

Loving Kindness

by Lynda Davis | for descendants of people who were enslaved and people who were enslavers

Self-Compassion

by Lucia King | Allowing pain to become a presence and a light; a door into a deeper part of your authentic self

Strong Back, Soft Front

by Angela Dickey | This meditation is based on “Strong Back, Soft Front,” pp 14-16 in Being with Dying by Joan Halifax**

Heart Light

by Fran Sutton-Williams | A meditation on the truth that we are all Beings of Light and the affect this has on the world

Compassion For All Beings

by Jennifer Stanley | A guided meditation that helps us hold the suffering in the world with compassion. Adapted from Zenju Earthlyn Manuel’s For all Beings

Kaleidoscope Meditation

by Fran Sutton-Williams | Like the shifting patterns in a kaleidoscope, times of chaos can be viewed as times of transition to a new pattern of being

Colors of the Rainbow

by Angela Dickey | A meditation using the colors associated with the chakra energy points of the body. Adapted from "Meditations for Tranquility" by Suzanne Marbrook.***

Mindful Body Scan

by Fran Sutton-Williams | The body is always in the present moment so being aware of the arising, changing, and fading away of sensations in the body can be a helpful aid to anchor our minds in the present moment. The body scan helps us to establish a relaxed and alert embodied awareness so we can train ourselves to be more mindful both while practicing sitting meditation, and very importantly, in daily life. Meditation practice such as this helps us to train our minds to stay in the present moment, discover our mental habits, cultivate skillful and wholesome mind states, and ultimately liberate ourselves from unskillful conditioning— e.g. oppression in it’s many forms—racism, white privilege, etc.

Compassionate Friend Meditation

by Helen Farrar | A self-compassion practice to bring kindness to our own hearts in responding to suffering. Adapted from Paul Gilbert

Compassion Fatigue, Frustration and Anger: Coming Home to Ourselves in the Way of Thich Nhat Hanh

by Ann Reeves | At a time when events are unfolding so fast, the growing polarization, continued injustices on all front, increased suffering from weather crises, the closing down of human rights, COVID growing and more, many of us may be experiencing compassion fatigue and/or anger that things are not moving fast enough in the direction we want. Through the lens of mindfulness, two questions are raised: Is our passion for justice and the outcomes we seek a kind of attachment, and what are some ways to neutralize these powerful feelings in order to enable us to be more effective in our quest for justice?

Turning Awareness into Action

by Venetia Bailey | This guided meditation focuses on strengthening our ability to be self-aware, self-actualized, and self -determined as we co-create our emerging new reality and world together. Adapted from “Meditation Practice for Wise Action” by Michelle Maldonado.

Antidotes to Ill Will And Cruelty

by Jennifer Stanley | Kabir, the 15th-century Indian saint and mystical poet said, "Lift the veil that obscures the heart, and there you will find what you are looking for.” Ill will and cruelty are veils that obstruct our view of reality. When we use mindfulness and meditation to increase our ability to see what is happening in the world, we begin to lift these veils and open our hearts to real freedom. This guided meditation emphasizes two practices that are considered antidotes to ill will and cruelty: good will and compassion. These practices include accountability for historical harms while also making it harder for future harms to occur.

Sensing our Values

by Angela Dickey | In this meditation we practice sensing what it feels like when we are bringing our values to the moment at hand.

Running the RACE for Racial Justice and Equity

by Lynda Davis | In this meditation we use acronyms as portable mindfulness meditation practices, two of which come from Rhonda V. Magee's book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness. We will also be doing an “embodied racial awareness practice” from Magee’s book. It is my hope that this mindfulness meditation will illustrate how these practices can help us stay in and win the RACE for racial justice and equity.

The Radiance Within

by Lucia King | In our polarized and divided world, it is easy to disconnect from the Refuge of love and compassion inherent in who we are. This meditation explores the radiance of light, the boundless spectrum of loving and compassionate energy uniquely, and yet, universally available within each of us.

Practice & Meditation for Emotional Regulation & Contacting Inner Strength

by Jennifer Stanley | If we are to work for racial justice and healing, we have to take care of ourselves so that we are strong enough for the struggles we encounter. Tending our emotional health is essential. Emotions and moods are information about our inner state. They can help us answer the question,“What do I need?” During challenging times it can be especially important to recognize the emotions we are feeling. By paying attention to our moods and emotions, we can learn about our tendencies and develop skillful ways to respond no matter the context.

Butterflies and Bees

by Lynda Davis | These practices come from Resmaa Menakem’s book My Grandmother's Hands: How to Heal Racialized Trauma in our Minds and our Bodies (pages 53, 143, 146). I hope they remind you of the inner wisdom that you have you to float like a butterfly (to settle your body when you need to) and to sting like a bee (activate your body when you need to). NOTE: content warning: If you have a negative association with bees, in particular hornets, this meditation might not be for you.

The Door of Our Bodies

by Lucia King | This meditation guides us to become aware of the body, the deep groundedness and openness we can experience when we breathe into and rest in the support of the stillness of our bodies. It helps us to experience our bodies as a place of Refuge.

Love is a verb.

by Fran Sutton-Williams | This meditation is intended to awaken awareness of loving yourself and loving others, what that means to you and how love works in your life.

Compassion and Gratitude

by Lucia King | In this CTTT meditation practice we rest in stillness, silence and spaciousness and focus on the compassion and gratitude available to us when we rest in the spaciousness of an open heart.

RAIN and the STAR Healing Journey

by Lynda Davis | This meditation guides people through the RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Not-Identify, and Nurture) exercise and shows how it parallels the three parts of the STAR healing journey: breaking free, acknowledgement, and reconnection.

Relating to the many expressions of energy

by Jennifer Stanley | In this guided meditation we focus on the vital energies in the body and heart-mind. Tuning into our energy can be both relaxing, and when done with mindful investigation, energizing. Particularly for those involved in racial justice and healing, it’s important to be aware of energy levels and needs so that we can balance our energies and care for ourselves in a wholesome way.

*With gratitude to, and inspiration from, Ruth King, Susal Stebbins Collins, Jason McGrice, and others.

**Based on “Strong Back, Soft Front,” pp 14-16 in Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, by Joan Halifax (Shambala, 2008).

***Adapted from “Seven Color Spectrum Visual Aid” in Meditations for Tranquility: A Practical Guide to Spiritual First Aid by Suzanne Marbrook (facilitated by Angela Dickey)