Whether it’s the state of the world or the state of your life that we find challenging, we can turn things around by attending to the state of our minds. Meditations for Tough Times features helpful meditations for dialing down anxiety, fostering resilience and kindness, warming our hearts, and simply not freaking out when things get heavy. This collection of guided practices from renowned meditation teachers and psychologists, will help you find balance in your day and foster the kind of engaged, skillful life that you want.
Welcome to Meditations for Tough Times
Meditations for Tough Times
UNRAVELING ANXIETY • Buddhist teacher JUDY LIEF explains the Buddha’s deep analysis of the roots of anxiety and shows how mindfulness can help us ease the suffering of an anxious mind.
GET CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR ANXIETY • Buddhism and psychoanalysis take the same approach to calming the anxious mind, says DR. PILAR JENNINGS—look with friendly curiosity at your anxiety and what causes it.
HOW IS TOPPED MY PANIC ATTACKS • Stricken with anxiety as a child, Buddhist teacher MINGYUR RINPOCHE learned how to heal his panic with awareness. He teaches us three techniques that helped him.
Open, Awake and Truly Safe
STREAM OF TEARS • Grief offers a unique opportunity, says bereaved mother CECILIA MITRA, but only if we’re not afraid to discover its primal source.
JOLLY RANCHERS FOR BUDDHA • In the wake of divorce, IRA SUKRUNGRUANG needs his Buddha to smile more—and candy makes everyone smile.
BETTER WITH BUTTER • Laid off, GENINE LENTINE finds solace in an exquisitely buttery meditation practice.
MARRIED WITH CHILDREN—AND CANCER • In the face of a terrying diagnosis, SETH GREENLAND learns that the only moment that truly exists is the one he’s currently living.
A DRAGON AT EACH BREAST • BONNIE NADZAM was warned, “When you’re holding that baby, you’re holding the dragon.” Even so, she had no idea how hard it would be.
SMILE AT FEAR • If you can smile at your fear, says PEMA CHÖDRÖN, the things that make you feel anxious and inadequate lose their power over you.
DISCOVER THE JOY OF DOING NOTHING • Zen teacher PAT ENKYO O’HARA teaches us the practice of Shikantaza. Doing nothing but sitting and breathing, we rest in flowing awareness beyond the ups and downs of life.
HEAL IN COMMUNITY • Come together with others, says ARISIKA RAZAK, to grieve, heal, and fight for a better world.
REST IN YOUR BUDDHANATURE • Your true nature is like the sky, says MINGYUR RINPOCHE, its love and wisdom unaffected by the clouds of life. You can access it with this awareness meditation.
PRACTICE SELF-CARING • Caring for yourself isn’t a one-shot deal, says CYNDI LEE. Here’s how you can make it a lifelong practice.
CONQUER ANXIETY WITH KINDNESS • SYLVIA BOORSTEIN on the loving-kindness meditation she uses to care for herself, calm down, and carry on.
MANAGE ANXIETY MINDFULLY • MELVIN ESCOBAR on how the four foundations of mindfulness ease the suffering of anxiety.
overworked & overwhelmed
HOW NOT TO FREAK OUT • It’s so easy these days to despair about the present and fear for the future. If you find all the bad news overwhelming, Buddhist teacher JUDY LIEF has some meditations to help you relieve your political pain.
CONNECT WITH YOUR BREATH • The breath is a powerful reminder of your anxiety-reducing connection with others, says KAMILAH MAJIED.
HOW TO WELCOME THE END OF THE WORLD • What is the best response to difficult and uncertain times? Welcome. JOHN TARRANT, ROSHI offers 10 Zen pointers on the practice of welcoming.
Buddhist Wisdom to Get Us Through • Buddhist teaching and meditations are made for times like these. When we need it most, they help us access the best of...
