Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - High-Fiving the Inner Critic | Bonus Meditation with La Sarmiento

Episode Date: September 10, 2021

Today’s meditation is animated by two profound insights. The first is that we don’t just tend to listen to our inner critic–we tend to believe it. And the second is that the path forward requires us to treat our inner critic with compassion and kindness. About La Sarmiento: La Sarmiento is a meditation teacher and board president at the Insight Community of Washington, and the guiding teacher of its People of Color and LGBTQ communities. They are also a mentor in the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it even mean to live a good life? Is it about happiness, purpose, love, health, or wealth? What really matters in the pursuit of a life well lived? These are the questions award-winning author, founder, and interviewer Jonathan Fields asks his guests on the Top Ranked Good Life Project podcast. Every week, Jonathan sits down with world renowned thinkers and doers, people like Glenn and Doyle, Adam Grant,

Young Pueblo, Jonathan Height, and hundreds more. Start listening right now. Look for the Good Life Project on your favorite podcast app. From ABC, this is the 10% happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey gang, it's Friday time for a bonus. And this is a good one. Many of you have probably noticed that when you start to meditate, you may not take long before you realize that many of your thoughts are internally directed

daggers, the voice of the inner critic. But if you wanna develop a new relationship with this inner critic so you're not taking it so seriously or not so yanked around by it, not so damaged by it, it takes a lot more than just noticing that it exists. That's where today's meditation, from a great teacher by the name of Loss, or Miento comes in.

This meditation is animated by two, really quite profound insights. The first is that we don't just tend to listen to our inner critic, we tend to believe the voice of that critic. And the second is that the path forward requires us to do some gooey internal jujitsu to treat our inner critic with some kindness to give it a hug, to high five our dysfunction. The aforementioned last

Armyanto was on this show earlier this week. Definitely recommend checking out that episode if you missed it, lies a meditation teacher and board president at the insight community of Washington and the guiding teacher of the people of color and LGBTQ communities at the insight community of Washington. Law is also the lead teacher of our TED Lasso Challenge, which is happening right now over on the 10% happier app. Speaking of the app, I do have one piece of exciting news to share. First, a little bit of context.

Earlier this year, we ran a survey with all of our listeners. Thousands of you answered a whole series of questions about your experiences listening to the show. Thank you, by the way, for that. And we, in turn, listen to you. And it turns out one of the things you cannot stand about this show is the ads. We'll be right in the middle of talking about some deep Dharma subject or about the pernicious impacts of mass media or the importance of self

compassion or how to achieve a blissful state of focus and then some jarring voice elbows its way in trying to convince you to watch a boxing match or try a new diet or whatever. So we heard you and we're trying something new. This show, the 10% Happier Podcast is now available at free inside of our companion meditation app, which is also called 10% happier, as you probably know. So you can listen to all the episodes, sans advertisements in the app when you subscribe. Relatable wisdom with no distractions. To get started, download the 10% happier app wherever you get your apps, and then open up the app and tap on the podcasts tab at the bottom of your screen. And good news as promised, this is now available on both iOS and Android.

Okay, let's start meditating now with La Sarmiento. Hi, this is La. One thing we human beings do really well is to be hard on ourselves. How often does our inner critic berate our appearance, our abilities, or our choices without us even asking for input? The kicker is that we tend to believe just about everything the inner critic says, and these stories of guilt or shame may become a habitual response to stress. This meditation will explore how to listen to our inner critic with compassion and understanding,

so we can begin to balance it out. Let's begin. Find a posture that your body would most appreciate right now. Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze. Remember this saying, be curious, not judgmental. Being aware with kindness and without judgment is crucial in transforming our relationship with the inner critic, and it takes practice. Let's pay closer attention to what happens when the inner critic dominates our minds. What are the go-to stories your inner critic tells you. It may be a story like, you're not enough,

not smart or successful enough. You're too much, too needy, always seeking attention, or you don't belong to different or unacceptable. Repeat them to yourself a few times. Can you notice without judgment what sensations, emotions or images arise when you're believing this story. When we take time to really listen to our inner critic, it can feel hard and painful. some support, maybe a breath or a gentle stretch. Now, let's notice what it's like to offer yourself some phrases of kindness. Repeat the following phrases to yourself silently or out loud, whatever feels best, and notice I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it.

I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. I'm not going to be able to do it. May I cultivate patience with myself.

If you find it hard to offer them to yourself, imagine receiving these phrases from someone who deeply loves and cares for you. Bring them to mind as they say these phrases. May you be kind and gentle with yourself. May you trust that you're doing your best. May you find patience with yourself. Take some time to notice how those phrases of self-compassion feel for you. If it feels totally easy, unfamiliar, or even very awkward, it's all welcome. Whatever is present is totally okay. These stories of the inner critic have created deep grooves in our minds, and it takes practice

to create new ways of being with ourselves, with compassion rather than judgment or blame. Gently open your eyes if they have been closed. Take a moment to notice the space you're in, perhaps taking a comfortable stretch. Thank you for your efforts in cultivating radical kindness. Take care. Big thank you to La and we will be back here on Monday with a brand new episode from And we will be back here on Monday with a brand new episode from Sublica Jawad, a fantastic writer who has gone through an enormous amount in her young life. And we're going to talk about what she calls the wellness industrial complex. Among other things. Hey, hey, prime members. You can listen to 10% happier early and ad free on Amazon Music.

Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Before you go, do us a solid and tell us all about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. Life is short and it's full of a lot of interesting questions. What does happiness really mean? How do I get the most out of my time here on Earth? And what really is the best cereal?

These are the questions I seek to resolve on my weekly podcast, Life is Short with Justin Long. If you're looking for the answer to deep philosophical questions, like, what is the meaning of life? I can't really help you. But I do believe that we really enrich our experience here by learning from others. And that's why in each episode, I like to talk with actors,

musicians, artists, scientists, and many more types of people about how they get the most out of life. We explore how they felt during the highs and sometimes more importantly, the lows of their careers. We discuss how they've been able to stay happy during some of the harder times. But if I'm being honest, it's mostly just fun chats between friends about the important stuff. Like, if you had a sandwich named after you, what would be on it?

Follow life is short wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen to Add Free on the Amazon Music or Wondry App. Raising kids can be one of the greatest rewards of a parent's life. But come on, someday, parenting is unbearable. I love my kid,

but is a new parenting podcast from Wondry that shares a refreshingly honest and insightful take on parenting. Hosted by myself, Megan Galey, Chris Garcia, and Kurt Brownauer, we will be your resident not-so-expert experts. Each week we'll share a parenting story that'll have you laughing, nodding, and thinking. Oh yeah, I have absolutely been there. We'll talk about what went right and wrong.

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