I can honestly say that Jeff has helped me survive these last few years. His short and very real and honest meditations on the Daily Trip gave me an anchor and a way to cope with very difficult things happening in my life. Thank you
I also wanted to mention same as some others that my very active mind, has a hard time focusing on just one home base at a time. When Jeff says: “ It could be your breath, or the sound of a fan, or the tingling in your fingers....” , I end up kinda focusing on all 3. Or I switch during a meditation . And then my mind wonders if I’m failing the meditation... ha it’s a conundrum 🙈
Hey Simone! You seem to have a brain like mine. There’s a few ways of working with the situation. One is to send yourself tons of love, no matter what’s happening anyway, because that’s a great practice. Another is to do your best to commit to one home base, knowing that others will be distracting you in the background, and you just come back. You come back again and again. Some people have a more naturally wide attentional field as a default, they have a harder time getting one pointed. In that case you can do a kind of noticing of everything: sound, feeling, site. My old teacher Shinzen has a great practice called see here, feel that’s about that. And you can also let yourself wander. I’m gonna have a meditation about this soon. It’s kind of designed for the ADHD brain (not saying that you have ADHD!) but it tries to make wandering. OK. Certain kinds of brains like to wander, it’s good for them. So we work with that.
Hope some of that helps! Thanks so much for being part of the community, this is so fun. Although I don’t really know how many times I’m gonna be able to respond to comments cause there’s probably gonna be lots of them with questions about meditation! It’s a good thing Lilli is in here too.
Thank you so much Jeff. Your response does help and it gives me a tool to try to get some focus. You mentioned that I have a brain like yours and you mentioned ADHD. I’ve never been diagnosed but believe I do have it, because my brain is ALWAYS firing in all directions. I look forward to hearing the meditation on this when it comes out. Thanks again 💕
I so relate to this, Simone. Personally, I have chosen the rise of my belly as my home base because I can't always notice my breath anywhere else. Quite often I think "ooh, X could make a good homebase" and flit around for a bit but usually am able to come back to the belly. If I try to choose another homebase I can find myself caught up in indecision. But mostly I try to give myself a pat on the back for doing any meditation at all. Jeff's kind and humourous guidance on Calm has been game changing.
Thanks for your insights, Jeff. Attention is something we all have trouble with in this culture. Especially with social media and the 24-hour news cycle, we’re all functionally suffering from ADHD, and have trouble focusing.
I’ve followed you since I did your intro series on the calm app (multiple times, it was that good). You say things in a way that helps me get it. I wonder have you ever been indecisive on your home base? Your comment about judging it and how it doesn’t matter helped during the meditation.
Such a good question Christina! I can say on behalf of Jeff - and nearly every other meditator lol - that yes, he has been indecisive about his home base. That is natural. The key is to notice that indecisiveness, allow it to be there and then pick one anyway! So glad you are a part of this community.
Oh how I missed Jeff’s meditations. I have been religiously listening to him on Calm. But when the sleep stories didn’t put me to sleep anymore and got let go from my job, and got diagnosed with MS, 2021 was not a great year. And I had to cut a lot of costs out of my life. Calm was one of them. So thank you Jeff for including the people who are only on one income. I was so glad to hear your voice again. I’m home again.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Jeff. I’ve struggled with mood regulation due to mental health over the years and with the help of your daily trips on Calm I found meditation. Meditation has helped center me, for lack of a better phrase, and has allowed me the space to say that being myself is okay. It’s been three or so years since then and my life has grown so much as I’ve practiced. New challenges have made the seas rough at times, but your work has helped equip me with my little meditation dinghy where I can ride the waves in peace. I wouldn’t be where I am today without your work. I’m not always sure if I’m implementing it right (is petting my dog and feeling her fur really a home base?), but I figure a little flexibility goes a long way 🤷♂️. Thanks for all you do and I’m excited to be a part of the community and to see where this journey goes.
Kevin, you are doing it right because there is truly no way to do it wrong! Flexibility is another way to talk about equanimity, which is simply a beautiful way of caring for yourself. So good job friend- and thank you for your practice. ☺️
Hey guys, I am grateful for what you give to all those that have found you. I've listened to you Jeff for years on Calm and I'm glad there is now another platform. I wake with both these now and my day starts in a good place because of it. I teach yoga and meditation and a few sessions a week are working with a mental heath charity and often I have quoted you, and a home base is one technique they all manage to grasp, if only for a few moments. Thank you for the Inspiration and hope you share in this tough old world.
Thank you for starting this, Jeff! I’ve been a (very present, in the moment) fan for several years! This basic home base meditation reminded me of the original images I had when I first started meditating with you. The image was of the big throw switch from the Frankenstein movies. When I’m in the moment, focusing on my home base, the switch is down and I’m very profoundly relaxed. When an intrusive thought comes, the switch is thrown upwards and the lightning starts between the antennas. The job is then to lower the switch. It’s funny how this meditation brought those old images right back to me.
Thanks Jeff and hello Lilli! I'm so excited about this new way of connecting. I really needed this right now and more Jeff is always better. Peace everyone!
Thanks Linda! Nice to see you in here. For anyone in the DC area with little kids, Linda‘s Peace in Mind mindfulness curriculum is amazing. She’s been doing this for like 20 years or something?
Thanks for your question Helen. If focussing on a homebase feel stressful then I would say don’t bother with a homebase. Or or actually, let me backtrack for a second. It might be worth exploring a few different homebase options, sometimes we find one that for whatever reason is easy to be with. It doesn’t cause any strain. For example, quite a few people find the breath a bit stressful. But then they shift to sound or to another body sensation and that seems to work.
On the other hand, it’s pretty common to want to wander. Mike created a whole mini meditation series on Calm, called ADHD support series that had this as a big theme, how to wander in meditation and it be fine. That may be what you need. To give yourself permission to drift and come back. Not focussing on any one object in awareness, more on the sense of the whole field is a single flexing space. Or more just the general sense of being present - of Being. There are so many ways to meditate, so many kinds of home bases. Sitting and meditating on a sense of care for yourself and the people in your life. That’s a homebase.
This stack will be a good hang out for you, because I’ll be sharing very different kinds of meditations. Just pay attention to which one seem to click for you. And then you can hang out with those.
I am very grateful for this space and it will be great to try different meditations
I would love to find a home base that works for me.
Funny, after writing to you I had an idea to try seeing the feeling as fear, and that was easier to be with than labelling it stress. But still pretty intense.
It will be good to see how the wandering meditations are, and I’ll look at the calm series, thanks for the tip 🙏🏻😊
It’s been over a year since embarking on this journey with you and it’s been transformative! Thank you very much for always keeping things simple, relative and honest. Your consist reminders on equanimity and the power of a home base have really been the cornerstone of building my meditation practice. It’s a work-in-progress every day, yet the power of home-base gives us some ease and comfort that we can infuse into so many things we do! Mitzue ( Sarasota, Fl)
I can honestly say that Jeff has helped me survive these last few years. His short and very real and honest meditations on the Daily Trip gave me an anchor and a way to cope with very difficult things happening in my life. Thank you
I also wanted to mention same as some others that my very active mind, has a hard time focusing on just one home base at a time. When Jeff says: “ It could be your breath, or the sound of a fan, or the tingling in your fingers....” , I end up kinda focusing on all 3. Or I switch during a meditation . And then my mind wonders if I’m failing the meditation... ha it’s a conundrum 🙈
Hey Simone! You seem to have a brain like mine. There’s a few ways of working with the situation. One is to send yourself tons of love, no matter what’s happening anyway, because that’s a great practice. Another is to do your best to commit to one home base, knowing that others will be distracting you in the background, and you just come back. You come back again and again. Some people have a more naturally wide attentional field as a default, they have a harder time getting one pointed. In that case you can do a kind of noticing of everything: sound, feeling, site. My old teacher Shinzen has a great practice called see here, feel that’s about that. And you can also let yourself wander. I’m gonna have a meditation about this soon. It’s kind of designed for the ADHD brain (not saying that you have ADHD!) but it tries to make wandering. OK. Certain kinds of brains like to wander, it’s good for them. So we work with that.
Hope some of that helps! Thanks so much for being part of the community, this is so fun. Although I don’t really know how many times I’m gonna be able to respond to comments cause there’s probably gonna be lots of them with questions about meditation! It’s a good thing Lilli is in here too.
Thank you so much Jeff. Your response does help and it gives me a tool to try to get some focus. You mentioned that I have a brain like yours and you mentioned ADHD. I’ve never been diagnosed but believe I do have it, because my brain is ALWAYS firing in all directions. I look forward to hearing the meditation on this when it comes out. Thanks again 💕
I so relate to this, Simone. Personally, I have chosen the rise of my belly as my home base because I can't always notice my breath anywhere else. Quite often I think "ooh, X could make a good homebase" and flit around for a bit but usually am able to come back to the belly. If I try to choose another homebase I can find myself caught up in indecision. But mostly I try to give myself a pat on the back for doing any meditation at all. Jeff's kind and humourous guidance on Calm has been game changing.
Thank you Jeff and team. 🥰
Thanks for your insights, Jeff. Attention is something we all have trouble with in this culture. Especially with social media and the 24-hour news cycle, we’re all functionally suffering from ADHD, and have trouble focusing.
You are not alone Simone! It's really not a conundrum, I promise. It just is. You are kicking ass. : ) So glad you're here!!
Thank you for the welcome, your comment and all your hard work in getting this support out there. Much appreciated 💕
I’ve followed you since I did your intro series on the calm app (multiple times, it was that good). You say things in a way that helps me get it. I wonder have you ever been indecisive on your home base? Your comment about judging it and how it doesn’t matter helped during the meditation.
Such a good question Christina! I can say on behalf of Jeff - and nearly every other meditator lol - that yes, he has been indecisive about his home base. That is natural. The key is to notice that indecisiveness, allow it to be there and then pick one anyway! So glad you are a part of this community.
Oh how I missed Jeff’s meditations. I have been religiously listening to him on Calm. But when the sleep stories didn’t put me to sleep anymore and got let go from my job, and got diagnosed with MS, 2021 was not a great year. And I had to cut a lot of costs out of my life. Calm was one of them. So thank you Jeff for including the people who are only on one income. I was so glad to hear your voice again. I’m home again.
We’re thrilled you are here, Jenny
Fab. Thanks Jeff. I chose noise for my homebase. Interesting to really pay attention to the kitchen sounds, my tummy rumbling and the storm outside.
Such a nice share Becky. I always forget about using noises! Welcome to the community. : )
Thank you! I signed up to Substack after Jeff sent the email a few days ago. I’m a fan girl!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Jeff. I’ve struggled with mood regulation due to mental health over the years and with the help of your daily trips on Calm I found meditation. Meditation has helped center me, for lack of a better phrase, and has allowed me the space to say that being myself is okay. It’s been three or so years since then and my life has grown so much as I’ve practiced. New challenges have made the seas rough at times, but your work has helped equip me with my little meditation dinghy where I can ride the waves in peace. I wouldn’t be where I am today without your work. I’m not always sure if I’m implementing it right (is petting my dog and feeling her fur really a home base?), but I figure a little flexibility goes a long way 🤷♂️. Thanks for all you do and I’m excited to be a part of the community and to see where this journey goes.
Rough seas for the meditation dinghy! I’ve been there brother. I’m glad you’re here. Dog fur is a superb homebase. Bi-directional love!
Kevin, you are doing it right because there is truly no way to do it wrong! Flexibility is another way to talk about equanimity, which is simply a beautiful way of caring for yourself. So good job friend- and thank you for your practice. ☺️
Ha. Guess who? Welcome the water is warm.
Welcome!!
Hey guys, I am grateful for what you give to all those that have found you. I've listened to you Jeff for years on Calm and I'm glad there is now another platform. I wake with both these now and my day starts in a good place because of it. I teach yoga and meditation and a few sessions a week are working with a mental heath charity and often I have quoted you, and a home base is one technique they all manage to grasp, if only for a few moments. Thank you for the Inspiration and hope you share in this tough old world.
Love it
rock on! this is so great. thank you, Jeff & Lilli & all you rad humans supporting this ❤️
So happy to see you here Brooke!
Thank you Jeff! Simple and it works! I ‘met’ you via 10% happier. Love Dan and everything on that app(you, Joseph, Sharon,)
Thank you for starting this, Jeff! I’ve been a (very present, in the moment) fan for several years! This basic home base meditation reminded me of the original images I had when I first started meditating with you. The image was of the big throw switch from the Frankenstein movies. When I’m in the moment, focusing on my home base, the switch is down and I’m very profoundly relaxed. When an intrusive thought comes, the switch is thrown upwards and the lightning starts between the antennas. The job is then to lower the switch. It’s funny how this meditation brought those old images right back to me.
Thanks Jeff and hello Lilli! I'm so excited about this new way of connecting. I really needed this right now and more Jeff is always better. Peace everyone!
Thanks Linda! Nice to see you in here. For anyone in the DC area with little kids, Linda‘s Peace in Mind mindfulness curriculum is amazing. She’s been doing this for like 20 years or something?
Thanks Jeff! And it’s not just for DC - Peace of Mind is national. ☺️
Linda!!! Lovely to see your name here. Please let me know if there are other great Substacks you think Jeff would like. I hope you're well!
Thank you so much for all the many ways that you make your support available - they are lifelines.
I have a question - what if focusing on a home base actually causes stress?
When my mind wanders the stress goes away.
When I remember to focus on my home base, the stress comes back.
Any insights would be appreciated, thank you.
Thanks for your question Helen. If focussing on a homebase feel stressful then I would say don’t bother with a homebase. Or or actually, let me backtrack for a second. It might be worth exploring a few different homebase options, sometimes we find one that for whatever reason is easy to be with. It doesn’t cause any strain. For example, quite a few people find the breath a bit stressful. But then they shift to sound or to another body sensation and that seems to work.
On the other hand, it’s pretty common to want to wander. Mike created a whole mini meditation series on Calm, called ADHD support series that had this as a big theme, how to wander in meditation and it be fine. That may be what you need. To give yourself permission to drift and come back. Not focussing on any one object in awareness, more on the sense of the whole field is a single flexing space. Or more just the general sense of being present - of Being. There are so many ways to meditate, so many kinds of home bases. Sitting and meditating on a sense of care for yourself and the people in your life. That’s a homebase.
This stack will be a good hang out for you, because I’ll be sharing very different kinds of meditations. Just pay attention to which one seem to click for you. And then you can hang out with those.
Whoops, dictating this, some typos. Sorry! By “Mike” I mean “I”
Thanks Jeff for taking time to reply
I am very grateful for this space and it will be great to try different meditations
I would love to find a home base that works for me.
Funny, after writing to you I had an idea to try seeing the feeling as fear, and that was easier to be with than labelling it stress. But still pretty intense.
It will be good to see how the wandering meditations are, and I’ll look at the calm series, thanks for the tip 🙏🏻😊
Oh, right, I was going to look for Mike!
Thank you for this meditation! Sat with my son, he rarely sits for long but always responds well to Jeff’s voice!
Great to be here ...it’s like coming home 🙏🏼
It’s been over a year since embarking on this journey with you and it’s been transformative! Thank you very much for always keeping things simple, relative and honest. Your consist reminders on equanimity and the power of a home base have really been the cornerstone of building my meditation practice. It’s a work-in-progress every day, yet the power of home-base gives us some ease and comfort that we can infuse into so many things we do! Mitzue ( Sarasota, Fl)
Do good to connect with you here. I loved your meditations on ten percent and look forward to new ones here. Thank you for all you have done for me.🙏
Duh , typo. Should have said “so good to connect”
Welcome Chris! We are thrilled you are here too.