You’re Doing Better Than You Think | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie - 10% Happier with Dan Harris

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: "You’re Doing Better Than You Think | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie"

Podcast Information:

Title: 10% Happier with Dan Harris
Host/Author: Ten Percent Happier
Description: Self-help for smart people. World-class insights and practices from experts in modern science and ancient wisdom. Hosted by veteran journalist and best-selling author Dan Harris.
Episode: You’re Doing Better Than You Think | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie
Release Date: February 9, 2025

Introduction

In the episode titled "You’re Doing Better Than You Think | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie," host Dan Harris introduces listeners to a special guided meditation session led by Sebene Selassie. This episode emphasizes the importance of approaching meditation with self-compassion rather than self-criticism, aiming to help listeners cultivate a kinder relationship with themselves through mindfulness practices.

Dan Harris begins the episode with an introduction:

"This meditation is about meditation. For a lot of us, when we get started meditating, we use it as another way to beat ourselves up. To tell ourselves a story about here's another thing that we suck at." [00:00]

He introduces Sebene Selassie, highlighting her extensive background as a meditation teacher, integral coach, and indigenous-focused therapy practitioner, underscoring her expertise in guiding individuals through complex emotional landscapes.

Guided Meditation with Sebene Selassie

Sebene Selassie leads the meditation session with a focus on transforming the common negative self-talk associated with meditation practice into an opportunity for self-kindness and curiosity.

Key Themes and Instructions:

Loosening the Tendency to Self-Critique: Sebene emphasizes the importance of not viewing meditation as a measure of one’s worth or abilities.

"This meditation is an opportunity to loosen the tendency to make meditation another thing for us to get wrong and beat ourselves up about." [01:09]
Cultivating Curiosity and Kindness: The practice encourages meeting thoughts and emotions with a sense of curiosity and kindness rather than judgment.

"This practice is about meeting whatever is happening, even difficult thoughts or emotions, with curiosity and kindness." [01:09]
Establishing a Comfortable Posture: Participants are guided to find a comfortable position, allowing them to either close their eyes or keep them open based on their preference.

"Find a comfortable posture. Your eyes can be closed or open, and just take a few moments to settle into your body." [01:09]
Noticing Physical Sensations: The meditation begins with an invitation to observe bodily sensations without judgment.

"Now I invite you to simply notice what's happening in the body. Notice sensations wherever and however they're most prominent, and welcome whatever is here." [01:09]
Embracing Peace in Every Moment: Drawing inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., Sebene stresses that peace is not a distant goal but a present state.

"Remember, meditation is an opportunity to cultivate a more easeful relationship to any moment. We're not trying to get somewhere called peace. We're inviting peace to every moment." [01:09]
Integrating a Gentle Smile: She guides listeners to bring a subtle smile to their faces, explaining its physiological benefits in promoting relaxation and reducing stress.

"Try bringing the slightest smile to your mouth. Smiling releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin into your bloodstream, relaxing your body, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure." [01:09]
Welcoming the Present Moment: Participants are encouraged to mentally welcome the present moment, fostering a sense of acceptance.

"You can even imagine that you're welcoming this moment. If you'd like, you can silently say welcome or yes to whatever is here." [01:09]
Listening to Surrounding Sounds: The meditation includes a segment of mindful listening, where listeners attentively observe the sounds around them without trying to alter or judge them.

"Now begin to listen to the play of sounds around you. Those that are loud, soft, far, near. Just listen. You don't need to do anything to hear the sounds. Just rest in spacious awareness of listening." [01:09]
Ending with Gratitude: The session concludes by returning awareness to the body and fostering a sense of gratitude, reinforcing the idea of self-compassion.

"We'll end this meditation by coming back to the body with a sense of gratitude." [01:09] "Most of us have learned to be hard on ourselves for not measuring up to our expectations of life. Meditation is one of the best places to unlearn this tendency. Great job." [01:09]
Reconnecting to the Physical Environment: Sebene gently guides listeners to open their eyes and reconnect with their surroundings, completing the meditation practice.

"You can open your eyes now and begin to move your hands and feet. Let yourself reconnect to your surroundings as we end this meditation." [01:09]

Insights and Reflections

Throughout the meditation, Sebene reinforces the notion that meditation should be an act of self-kindness rather than a platform for self-judgment. By fostering an environment of curiosity and acceptance, listeners are encouraged to approach their inner experiences with gentleness, facilitating a more harmonious relationship with themselves and their lives.

Notable Quote Reflecting the Episode's Core Message:

"Most of us have learned to be hard on ourselves for not measuring up to our expectations of life. Meditation is one of the best places to unlearn this tendency." [01:09]

This encapsulates the essence of the episode, highlighting meditation as a practice for self-compassion and personal growth rather than achievement.

Conclusion

The episode "You’re Doing Better Than You Think | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie" serves as a gentle reminder to listeners that their efforts in mindfulness and meditation are valuable, regardless of perceived proficiency. Through Sebene Selassie's guided meditation, Dan Harris provides an accessible tool for cultivating self-kindness and reducing the harsh self-criticism that often accompanies personal growth practices.

For those interested in deepening their meditation practice, additional resources such as retreats and specialized meditation apps are mentioned, although they fall outside the primary content of this summary.

Note: This summary focuses solely on the content delivered by Sebene Selassie during the meditation session, adhering to the user's request to exclude advertisements, introductions, and outros that do not contribute to the core message of the episode.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:01]
Dan Harris
Wondery subscribers can listen to 10% happier early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. It's the 10% Happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey. Hey everybody. Time for a bonus meditation and this is a meditation about meditation For a lot of us, when we get started meditating, we use it as another way to beat ourselves up. To tell ourselves a story about here's another thing that we suck at. Our teacher du jour, my great friend Seben A. Selassie, knows how this feels and she wants you to know that you're actually doing way better than you probably think a little bit more about Seb before we get started. She's trained as a meditation teacher, an integral coach and indigenous Focusing oriented Therapy for Complex trauma practitioner, and she's a New York State Licensed hiking guide. Here we go now with Sebenay Selassie.
[01:09]
Seben A. Selassie
Hi, this is Sabine. This meditation is an opportunity to loosen the tendency to make meditation another thing for us to get wrong and beat ourselves up about. This practice is about meeting whatever is happening, even difficult thoughts or emotions, with curiosity and kindness. Then we'll be better at meeting life and ourselves with more ease too. Let's give it a try. Find a comfortable posture. Your eyes can be closed or open, and just take a few moments to settle into your body. Now I invite you to simply notice what's happening in the body. Notice sensations wherever and however they're most prominent, and welcome whatever is here. Remember, meditation is an opportunity to cultivate a more easeful relationship to any moment. We're not trying to get somewhere called peace. We're inviting peace to every moment. Or like Martin Luther King Jr. Said, Peace is not the destination. Peace is the way. Try bringing the slightest smile to your mouth. Smiling releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin into your bloodstream, relaxing your body, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. Right there. You're countering that tendency to be in contention with this moment. You can even imagine that you're welcoming this moment. If you'd like, you can silently say welcome or yes to whatever is here. Try this on your own for a bit, continuing to smile. Now begin to listen to the play of sounds around you. Those that are loud, soft, far, near. Just listen. You don't need to do anything to hear the sounds. Just rest in spacious awareness of listening. And we'll end this meditation by coming back to the body with a sense of gratitude. Most of us have learned to be hard on ourselves for not measuring up to our expectations of life. Meditation is one of the best places to unlearn this tendency. Great job. You can open your eyes now and begin to move your hands and feet. Let yourself reconnect to your surroundings as we end this meditation. Thank you for your practice. See you next time.
[06:08]
Dan Harris
Thank you to Seb if you'd like to spend a weekend practicing with me and Seben a and our friend Jeff Warren, come to our next meditation party retreat at the Omega Institute in New York. Visit eomega.org for more information. I'll put a link in the show notes and you can find more meditation meditations like this one on the Happier Meditation app. Just download the app to get started. If you like 10% happier and I hope you do, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com survey.