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When we treat ourselves with kindness and gratitude, research shows we feel more motivated and less self-critical. Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield leads in a practice where we gently turn inward.

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin the practice. Focus on taking deep breaths, relaxing your body.
2. As you recognize the different sensations in your body, consciously envelope yourself in kindness. Thank your body for providing and caring for you.
3. Redirect your loving kindness towards your heart and the varied emotions it carries.Thank your heart for all it does for you. Then, focus your kindness towards your mind and all the thoughts and worries it holds. Thank it for all that it does.
4. Next, turn towards your consciousness as a whole – your emotions, body, thoughts. Rest in a state of comfortable, loving-kindness.
5. When you’re ready, gently open your eyes and reconnect with the world around you.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Jack Kornfield is a meditation teacher and author who is one of the leading voices to share Buddhist teachings with a Western audiences.

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More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Take Our Self-Compassion Quiz:

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You:

The Five Myths of Self-Compassion:

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain:

Is Gratitude Good for Your Health?

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of gratitude and self-compassion. 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.

Transcript to come.