The Mindfulness Podcast

Welcome to Day 19 of our October mindfulness journey. Today, Pat invites us to take a mindful pause outdoors—or simply by a window. This short practice encourages you to open your senses to the world around you. Whether it's the breeze, the colors of the sky, the sound of birds, or even the stillness of the air, allow yourself to experience it with a sense of wonder and openness. Let nature be your meditation space today.

Welcome to Day 18 of our October mindfulness journey. Today's practice is a gentle reminder to appreciate your body—not for how it looks, but for all it does to support your life. We often spend time in our minds or criticizing our bodies, but this practice invites you to shift into gratitude and non-judgmental awareness. From your breath to your heartbeat, your senses to your movement—your body is a miracle of survival, growth, and connection. End the practice with a mindful stretch and carry this kindness with you throughout your day.

Welcome to Day 17 of our October mindfulness journey. Today's practice with Pat is a short but powerful sound meditation. Whether you choose music, nature sounds, ambient noise, or even silence, this practice invites you to simply listen—without labeling, judging, or reacting. Notice how quickly the mind tries to name or evaluate what it hears, and gently return to the act of listening itself. Let sound be your anchor to the present moment.

Welcome to Day 16 of our mindfulness challenge. Today's practice is a grounding belly breathing exercise that invites you to reconnect with your body and its natural rhythms. By gently guiding your attention from your feet to your belly, you'll tune into the subtle yet powerful movement of your breath. This practice activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you feel more relaxed, centered, and connected to your inner wisdom—your “gut instinct.” Let your breath be your anchor today.

Welcome to Day 15! If you've been practicing daily, you've likely started forming a beautiful habit—a small ritual that brings you back to the present moment. Today's practice is all about the mindful smile. With just a breath and a gentle lift of the corners of your mouth, you can shift your mood, soften your body, and reconnect with gratitude. Smiling mindfully is a simple yet powerful way to embody joy and presence. Let your whole self smile—your face, your heart, even your feet. And carry that smile into your day.

Welcome to Day 14 of our October mindfulness journey. Today's practice is a gentle thought observation exercise that invites you to imagine your mind as an aquarium—full of colorful thoughts, emotions, and distractions swimming by. Rather than getting caught up in each thought, this practice helps you take a step back and simply observe. Like watching fish through glass, you'll learn to notice your thoughts without judgment, allowing them to come and go while staying grounded in your breath and body. This is a powerful way to cultivate presence, especially as we head into the final stretch of our challenge.

Happy Friday and welcome to Day 13! Today's practice is all about mindful stretching—a gentle way to bring awareness to your body, breath, and emotions through movement. Whether you're at your desk, on the bus, or standing in your kitchen, you can stretch with intention. The key is to move slowly, tune into your sensations, and notice how your body feels. This practice is a perfect way to close the week with presence and ease, enjoy!

Welcome to Day 12 of our mindfulness challenge. Today, Pat guides us through a gentle and grounding breath and body awareness practice. This session invites you to tune into the sensations of your body—both external and internal—and to connect with your breath as it naturally flows. By simply noticing what's present, without trying to change anything, we cultivate a deeper sense of presence and curiosity. Let this practice be a moment of stillness in your day, helping you transition into what's next with greater awareness and ease.

Welcome to Day 11 of our Mindfulness Challenge. Today's practice is a gentle visualization exercise that invites you to revisit a place that brings you peace, safety, or inspiration. It could be a cozy room, a quiet forest, or a sunlit beach—anywhere that feels like a sanctuary. Through guided imagery, you'll explore this space with all your senses: noticing colors, textures, sounds, and emotions. This practice helps cultivate calm, presence, and emotional resilience—especially valuable during busy or stressful times. Let this inner journey be a reminder that peace is always accessible, even in the midst of a hectic day.

Today marks a special milestone in our mindfulness journey—Day 10, which coincides with the Mindfulness@IBM Summit. As we gather to celebrate the power of presence and well-being, we invite you to engage in a simple yet profound practice: mindful eating. Whether it's a chip, a peanut, or a slice of fruit, this practice encourages you to slow down and savor each bite with full awareness. Notice the texture, the sound, the smell, and the taste. Reflect on the journey your food has taken to reach you. Let this moment of nourishment be a celebration of mindfulness—just like the summit itself. Let's savor the summit, one bite at a time.

Welcome to Day 9 of the 2025 October Mindfulness Challenge! Today's short and refreshing practice, led by Nieta, is all about making a clean transition — from one moment to the next, from one task to another, or simply from wherever you are now into what comes next. Through a few intentional breaths and a gentle reset of your awareness, this practice helps you: Let go of past distractions Pause before the next thing Step into the present with clarity and calm Perfect for any time of day — whether you're starting your morning, shifting between meetings, or winding down. Take a few minutes to reset and begin again.

Welcome to Day 8 of our October Mindfulness Challenge — and a special acknowledgment of World Mental Health Day. Today's practice is a gentle and grounding Mindful Walking Meditation, designed to help you reconnect with your body, breath, and surroundings through movement. Walking is something we do every day, often without thinking. This practice invites you to slow down, tune in, and walk with intention — transforming a simple activity into a powerful tool for mental clarity and emotional balance.

Welcome to Day 7 of our October Mindfulness Challenge! Today's practice is a gentle and heart-opening Loving Kindness Meditation — also known as Metta. This guided exercise invites you to cultivate feelings of kindness, compassion, and goodwill toward yourself, loved ones, neutral acquaintances, and even those you may find challenging. Through a series of intentional phrases, you'll expand your capacity for empathy and emotional resilience.

Welcome to Day 6 of our October Mindfulness Challenge! Today's practice is a classic and widely used technique: counting the breath. This simple yet powerful exercise helps you anchor your attention, especially during moments of stress or overwhelm. By counting each breath — forward and backward — you create a rhythm that naturally calms the mind and brings clarity to your day.

Welcome to Day 5 of our October Mindfulness Challenge! Today's practice is a classic grounding technique known as 5-4-3-2-1, designed to anchor you in the present moment using your senses. Through this guided exercise, you'll explore: 5 things you can see 4 things you can feel 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste This sensory-based practice is a powerful way to reconnect with your surroundings, calm your mind, and cultivate awareness — anytime, anywhere.

Welcome to Day 4 of our October Mindfulness Challenge! Today's practice invites you to tune into the sounds around you — not just the loud or obvious ones, but the subtle, continuous, and distant sounds that often go unnoticed. Through this guided exercise, you'll explore how sound can anchor you in the present moment and reveal the richness of your environment. You'll also notice how sounds trigger thoughts and associations, offering a deeper layer of mindfulness.

Welcome to Day 3 of our October Mindfulness Challenge! As we wrap up the week, today's practice invites you to take a mindful pause and reflect on moments of gratitude. Through a gentle guided exercise, you'll revisit three meaningful experiences from the past week, allowing yourself to feel the emotions connected to each one. This practice helps shift your focus from what's next to what's already good — cultivating appreciation, presence, and emotional well-being.

Welcome to Day 2 of the October Mindfulness Challenge! Today, we're guided by Nieta through a gentle and grounding body scan — one of the foundational practices in mindfulness. This practice invites you to bring awareness to each part of your body, from your toes to the crown of your head, helping you reconnect with physical sensations and cultivate presence. Whether you're seated at your desk or lying down, this scan can be a standalone practice or a calming lead-in to deeper mindfulness.

Welcome to Day 1 of our 22-day October Mindfulness Challenge! In this opening episode, we begin with one of the most foundational practices in mindfulness: breath awareness. Join us for a short guided exercise that uses counted breathing to anchor your attention, calm your nervous system, and gently ease into a state of presence. Whether you're new to mindfulness or returning to your practice, this is a perfect way to start building a daily habit.

This episode is to introduce the October challenge organized by the Mindfulness@IBM community. Each working day of October one new short practice to do together and so establish one more a regular healthy mindful routine. Enjoy

In this episode of The Mindfulness Podcast, Lele Terenzani sits down with Nieta De Young to explore her transformative journey into Zen practice. From her recent four-day retreat and the ancient Jukai ceremony to the deep connections between Zen and mindfulness, Nieta shares insights on stillness, presence, and why these practices matter in our fast-paced, distracted world. Discover the beauty of Zazen, the paradox of “no goals,” and even a simple walking meditation you can try today.

In this episode, we explore the deep connection between mindfulness and poetry with special guests Aks and Pat, co-authors of the poetry collection Love, Life, Being. Join us as we discuss how poems can enrich mindfulness practice, the creative process behind their book, and the mutual inspiration that brought it to life. You'll also hear two beautiful poems read aloud—perfect for reflection and presence. Whether you're a mindfulness practitioner, a poetry lover, or simply curious about how art and awareness intersect, this conversation will inspire you to slow down, breathe, and connect with the present moment. Find here more information about the book https://shorturl.at/puqp7

In this special live-recorded episode of The Mindfulness Podcast, we explore how mindfulness transforms our work lives. Hosted by Lele, Nieta, and Manjari, this episode features heartfelt stories and reflections from IBMers around the world. From emotional regulation and better planning to grounding techniques and energy management, our community shares how mindfulness helps them work smarter, stay balanced, and connect more deeply with themselves and others. Whether you're new to mindfulness or a seasoned practitioner, this episode offers relatable insights and practical takeaways to bring more presence into your workday.

In this episode of our mindfulness podcast, we delve into the journey of understanding happiness with our special guest, Neha Shamshery. Neha, a certified happiness coach, shares her insights on how mindfulness can lead to a deeper sense of well-being and happiness. We discuss the importance of slowing down, shedding labels, and experiencing happiness in its purest form. Neha also guides us through a practical meditation exercise to help listeners connect with their inherent happiness. Join us for an enlightening conversation that promises to leave you feeling more connected and at peace.

This episode features Lele, Pat, Nieta and Greg Cowtan, the latter being the developer or a wonderful tool called Ergocizer (available only within IBM) that is a stretch reminder, it combines a simple reminder program with over one hundred short animations of simple, ergonomically correct stretches and strengthening exercises. In the podcast we discuss the tool, how it works and how it helps us building resilience by being mindful of one's body and movements. At the end Greg guides us also through two simple exercises that can be done at the desk to promote physical and mental well-being. Thanks for listening and tune in now and start your year mindfully!

The final podcast of the year reflects on the year 2024, encouraging our listeners to appreciate the present moment and find gratitude in their experiences. Pat and Lele this time discuss the concept of change and the importance of mindfulness in accepting each day as an opportunity for growth. The podcast concludes with a nice guided meditation, inviting you to reflect on moments of joy, personal achievement, and helping others, fostering a sense of appreciation and connection. Enjoy a mindful end of the year and a mindful beginning, thanks for being with us in 2024.

Join us for Day 29 of the Mindfulness 30-Day Challenge, led by Pat. Today's practice is a long body scan meditation, designed to help us become more aware of our physical sensations and connect with our bodies. Let's take this journey together and cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness.

Join us for the final day of our 30-day mindfulness challenge! Today's practice is a gratitude practice led by Pat and Lele. But if you stay till the end you will hear also Nieta. They will guide you through a thank you exercise, expressing gratitude to someone who has positively impacted your life. Afterward, they will lead you in expressing gratitude to yourself. This practice will help you cultivate a sense of appreciation and gratitude for your life. Thank you everyone who took part in this challenge, you are wonderful.

Join us for Day 28 of the Mindfulness 30-Day Challenge, led by Lele. Today's practice focuses on the beginnings and ends of our breath, encouraging us to capture the moment when each breath starts and ends. This exercise helps us to be more present and attentive to our experiences.

Join us for Day 27 of the Mindfulness 30-Day Challenge, led by Nieta. Today's practice focuses on Kinhin, a slow meditative walking practice aligned with the breath. Through this practice, you'll learn to transfer weight from one foot to the other and notice the sensations of transferring weight from heel to toe. This practice can be done anywhere with a few meters of walking space and is a great way to cultivate mindfulness and presence.

Join us for Day 26 of the Mindfulness 30-Day Challenge, led by Pat. Today's practice focuses on befriending and kindfulness, exploring how to send warm thoughts and kind wishes to loved ones and ourselves. Through a metapractice, we'll delve into the emotions and sensations that arise when thinking about others and ourselves, and learn to send and receive good wishes with openness and compassion.

Join Lele for a mindfulness practice that connects with the light. We'll explore the flame of a candle, observing its dance and colors, and learn to bring our attention back to the present moment. Take a few moments to pause, breathe, and connect with the gentle glow of the candle.

Join Pat for a mindfulness practice designed to support us in settling, anchoring, and grounding the mind. We'll explore the body, breath, and senses, and learn to cultivate patience and compassion as we navigate the patterns of the mind. Take a few moments to pause, breathe, and connect with the present moment.

In this episode of the mindfulness podcast, we explore the 50-50 keeping the body in mind practice, a technique that helps you maintain awareness throughout your day. This practice involves keeping your body in mind while engaging in daily activities, allowing you to enhance your awareness of the present moment. Join us as we guide you through the process of incorporating this practice into your routine and help you establish a more regular mindfulness practice.

In this episode of the mindfulness podcast, we explore the box breathing technique, a counted breathing exercise used by navy seals and beneficial for stress management and wellness. This practice is also suitable for children and can be modified according to individual needs. Join us as Nieta guides you through the four steps of box breathing and help you achieve a sense of relaxation and control. Enjoy.

Join us for Day 21 of our 30-day Mindfulness Challenge, where we explore Mindful Walking. Today, we're not focusing on a guided practice, but rather encouraging you to engage in a mindful working exercise. Choose a location, whether indoors or outdoors, and simply walk, paying close attention to your body and its movements. Notice the sensation of your feet touching the ground, the muscles moving in your legs, and the overall feeling of your body as you work. Gradually bring your awareness to your senses, noticing what you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Allow your thoughts to arise and observe them without judgment. Continue this practice throughout your workday, and reflect on your experience at the end. Let's embrace mindfulness in our daily activities and enhance our connection with ourselves and our surroundings.

In this episode, Pat guides you through a longer visualization practice centered around the themes of letting go and letting be. Begin by finding a comfortable and wakeful position, then explore connectedness with your body and the environment. Imagine yourself in a forest or jungle, making your way to a tree by a river. Hold a leaf in your hand, observing its details, and practice letting go of thoughts and emotions that arise. Place these thoughts and feelings on the leaf, either choosing to let them be, come back to them later, or explore them further. Finally, make your way out of the forest, reflecting on the practice and its meaning for you. Enjoy this mindful journey of letting go and letting be.

Join Nieta for a special practice on day 19 of the 30-day mindfulness challenge. Today's practice is zazen, or shikantaza, a traditional Zen meditation technique that involves sitting in silence and stillness. Learn how to let go of preconceptions and experience reality as it is, without judgment. Nieta will guide you through the practice, offering tips and tricks to make the most of your sitting time.

Join us on Day 18 for a calming and reflective practice as we explore the "Five Four Three Two One" method. In this episode, we'll guide you through a series of deep breaths, moments of gratitude, kindness, and self-reflection. Let's practice together.

In today's episode, Pat shares six valuable tips to help you maintain your mindfulness practice and make it a sustainable part of your daily routine. From overcoming hesitations and distractions to cultivating curiosity and kindness, these tips will help you deepen your practice and enjoy the journey of mindfulness. Enjoy!

In this episode of the Mindfulness Podcast, we take a departure from traditional meditation practices and explore the power of music to bring us into the present moment. Join us as we invite you to pick your favorite song and immerse yourself in its rhythm, melody, and harmony. Learn how to cultivate awareness and presence while listening to music, and discover the benefits of this unique mindfulness practice.

In this episode, Nieta and Lele lead you through a practice that combines awareness of your senses, including sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. The practice encourages you to notice the present moment, without judgment, and to let go of distractions.

Join Pat on day 14 for a longer breathing space practice, a three-part or three-step breathing space designed to help you gain greater perspective, become more aware of your present moment experience, and practice values or attitudes of more openness and curiosity and care.

Join Lele today on day 13 for a simple yet powerful mindfulness practice that can be done anywhere. Focus your attention on your feet, noticing their sensation, temperature, and connection to the ground. Pay attention to the individual toes, the heels, and the soles, and explore how your feet feel in this moment.

On Day 12 join Nieta for a Metta practice, an ancient visualization practice that cultivates friendliness, kindness, and compassion towards yourself and others. In this episode, Nieta guides you through a series of phrases and visualizations to help you cultivate loving kindness and well-wishing.

In this episode Patrick guides the 10 Finger Appreciation practice. This practice is designed to activate our positive valence system by noticing the small things you could appreciate every day, but normally overlook. It's also an opportunity to incline your mind towards appreciation and savor and enjoy what appreciation feels like, both in the body and in the mind.

Join us on this 10th day of our 30-day mindfulness challenge, where we explore a simple yet profound practice: "Just Breathing" practice with Lele. In this episode, Lele guides us through a meditation on the breath, encouraging us to focus on the sensation of the breath moving in and out of the body. With Lele's gentle guidance, we'll learn to observe the breath without getting caught up in distractions, and discover the beauty and interest of each individual breath.

Join Nieta today on day 9 of our 30 days mindfulness challenge for a mindful movement practice that will help you tune into your body and practice deliberate movement of different areas of your body. This practice is designed to help you cultivate awareness, relaxation, and joy in your physical body. Take a few moments to breathe, move, and connect with your body. Enjoy!

The podcast today, as part of the 30-day mindfulness challenge, explores the practice of "mindful eating," encouraging listeners to pay attention to their sensory experiences while eating a bag of chips or similar small snack. Lele describes the process of visually examining the food, handling it gently, chewing slowly, and savoring the taste, texture, and sound of each chip. By practicing mindful eating, individuals can become more aware of their body's hunger and fullness cues, savour their food, and potentially eat less while enjoying it more. The podcast ends with a reminder to pay attention to one's body's needs and the mindfulness practice throughout the day.

Today, we invite you to approach difficulties with kindness and curiosity, rather than aversion or judgment. Join Patrick as he guides you through a practice that helps you shift your attention to the body, allowing the mind to disengage from sticky thoughts and explore new ways of responding to challenges. **In this episode, we'll explore:** * A guided meditation practice that focuses on approaching difficulties with kindness and curiosity * Techniques for shifting attention to the body and disengaging from ruminating thoughts * The importance of responding with kindness and openness rather than aversion or judgment Enjoy!

Today, on Day 6 of our 30 days challenge we invite you to cultivate loving kindness and compassion towards yourself with Nieta's gentle and insightful practice, "Rewriting History". **In this episode, we'll explore:** * A guided meditation practice that focuses on rewriting past experiences and responses to treat yourself with kindness and compassion * Techniques for recognizing and challenging self-criticism and judgment * The importance of self-compassion and understanding in promoting emotional healing and growth Thanks for practicing and enjoy!