Before we get started with today's episode, let me talk about habits for a minute, as you know, we're in the middle of this big series about their health and fitness, but d, getting your shit together on this front can be really aren't, even if you ve found good people to listen to like how to act. we operationalized the advice. How do you form the necessary habits? It's because habit formation is so hard that we brought together, stanford psychologist kelly, mcgonigal and meditation teacher alexis santos to create a seven day, meditation challenge to help you change your habits. The healthy habits challenge kicks off over on the ten percent happier app on Monday, jus nineteenth to join just download the wherever you get your apps or by visiting ten percent doc. All one word spelled out of europe:

the app and you want to do the challenge just to open up the app and follow the instructions to join and if you're, not already a subscriber, you can join us by starting a free trial that will give you access to this challenge. The healthy habits challenge and everything else on the app all right now on with the show. This is the ten percent happier podcast dan harris happy friday. Everybody. If you ve, been listening to the podcast this week. You ve probably heard that were in the midst of a three week. Series on health and fitness were calling it get fit sanely to state the obvious one of the hardest part of getting fit is making and breaking habits

So in conjunction with the series were running here on the pot cast, we're doing something cool over on the ten percent happier app we're bringing back our healthy habits challenge, which has seven day course that pairs, the amazing behavior change, expert kelly mechanical and the meditation teacher alexis Santos everyday use Yet a short conversation between me and doktor mechanical about how to actually change your habits without kicking your own ass, followed by a meditation from alexis that helps you bring mindfulness to the whole endeavour. If you are an app subscriber already, you can check out the course any time, but what we think is really helpful is to do it with other people. So you can Do that as part of the challenge which kicks off over on the app on Monday, you nineteenth to join the healthy habits, challenge just download the ten percent happier app wherever you get your apps by visiting ten percent dot com

that's all one word spelled out, if you already have the app just open it up and follow the instructions to join and if you're not already a ten percent happier subscriber you can join us by starting a free trial that gives you act. So the challenge, along with everything else, on the up and for today's bonus meditate and we're in a share one of the meditations that Alexis contributed to the challenge. It'll help you get in the right frame of mind to start making small effective changes, in your life and will be sharing more of these meditations from alexis over the next couple of weeks. Here on the pot cast a little bit about alexis, he has practised and taught insight meditation in both the east and west. Since two thousand one he's completed the spear rock, I m S. Teacher training programme, any teaches retreats all over the planet. And he currently lives in the great state of main. Here we go now with alexis setters hi. This is alexis and welcome to this worse on building healthy habits. Most of us have probably tried

Some form of a new year's resolution, hoping through sheer resolve to turn over a new leaf, our intent. may be great, but we often set ourselves up for disappointment Course is meant to bring more joyful and realistic understanding of how to form new healthier habits with these oftentime, Unruly minds of ours and mindfulness is the found. Asian of this meaningful, yet light hearted approach to habit formation in this opening session will do a basic mindfulness overview. Let's get started Allow yourself to find a comfortable posture, any posture that brow a sense of ease, also some alertness. If sitting on a chair or on a cushion. This might mean allowing the body to settle down. Even as there is a

gentle sense of sitting up right, you can also stand or lie down as well, whatever feel comfortable. As you settle into your posture, you might allow your eyes to close if you like, or you can keep them gently open and let's begin by taking a few deeper brass breathing in through the nose Then letting the breath go on the opera and again breathing in the money the breath go. And, as you settle in. Simply allowing the breath to be natural

flowing in and out. My point practice isn't about creating or controlling experience. It's an operative, need to be aware to wake up out of being on autopilot. and to recognise what is happening in each moment. Just as it is.

As you continue settling in you might pay particular attention, any sensations are able to feel in your body. For example, he might feel the weight of the body. Noticing the pressure or hardness from the contact of the ground Her chair below you are simply feeling the whole posture city our standing or lying down. Noticing any sensations of tingling or vibration, heat or coolness.

Simply knowing whatever it is, that is predominant or feels easy to notice. And as you settle into the experience of the body, you might also be. Aware of the body breathing.

feeling the sensations the breath as it comes in and goes out,. And, as you continue settling into the experience of the body, so open your awareness to include the field of hearing being aware of hearing

As a different sounds in the room, or of my voice come and go. You don't need to label every sound or follow your comments about what your hearing. You can simply notice that your hearing as the south continue to come and go.

Practice with this on your own forbid. As you continue to allow yourself to know, whatever experiences become most predominant, whether it the sensations in the physical body, Changing sensations of breathing.

or using the very sounds that are coming and going began to notice well. Your general state of mind. Getting a general sense of how you're feeling Is one of the ways we can now our minds, Background mood or emotion, that's present, you feel relaxed at ease. Anxious? Maybe there's a low mood or you're feeling content whatever it is. Our practice of my place is to know, what's present To recognise it as it is. to, rather than changing our mood or judging it to be good or bad.

Were simply knowing what's present in a sense stepping back in being mindful of it take a moment to do this now. Our habits are often driven by various emotions that go unnoticed or feel in the body that hijack our intentions, pushing us Make unwise choices take a few more.

and now to be with whatever is happening in an open way, noticing whatever becomes predominant moment by moment meeting experience in a relaxed and receptive way. As we begin to close out, consider one healthier habit that you would like to call today. And consider the possibility of getting interested in the journey towards this change. It's a journey. And mindfulness in a joyful interest can be our

companions along the way whenever you feel ready at your own pace, you might take another deeper breath, allow your eyes to open if they had been closed great to be with you and I look for to supporting you in this course on healthy habits. Thank you, too, will excess. You can find more meditations like this one over on the ten percent happier act just download the app wherever you get your ass to get started and check out the healthy habits challenge when you're there will see right back here on Monday for a brand new episode as are get fit. Sanely, syria rolls on where to be talking about,

movement next week and we're gonna started off with the kelly and juliet star at who have lots of interesting nuggets of wisdom to drop about how to keep your body durable for as long as possible. A prime members, you, listen to ten percent happier early and ad free on amazon music down though the amazon music app today or you can listen early and ad free with one re plus in apple podcasts before you go, do us a solid and tell us all about yourself by completing a short survey at wonder: ea, dot com, slash survey.