What To Do When Your Mind Won't Quit | Bart van Melik

About this episode

<p dir="ltr">Buddhist tools for forgiveness, boredom, worry, and getting out of your head.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meditation teacher Bart van Melik leads a live community Q&A — and the questions that come in are ones most meditators have quietly wrestled with for years.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bart is the guiding teacher at <a href= "https://www.cmc-ny.org/">Community Meditation Center</a> in New York, where he leads weekly sessions grounded in Buddhist tradition. In this episode, he takes on four of the most common sticking points in practice: forgiveness, boredom, disconnection from the body, and the spiral of anxious "what if" thinking.</p> <p dir="ltr">His approach throughout is warm, precise, and grounded — less about achieving a particular state and more about learning to hold whatever arises with curiosity and kindness.</p> <p dir="ltr">Topics covered:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Forgiveness — why forcing it can backfire, what it means to "bypass" difficult emotions, and the reframe that changes everything: forgiveness as giving up all hope for a better past</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Boredom — how to get genuinely curious about it instead of fighting it, and what it can teach you about why you reach for your phone</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Getting into your body — why embodiment looks different for everyone, and how to find the activities (yes, even mindful salsa dancing or vacuuming) that make it easier</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Worry and "what if" thoughts — the Buddhist framing of worry as an obstacle to clear seeing, and a simple breathwork technique from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche — exhale heavy, exhale calm — that works even in the hardest moments</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Community as practice — the Buddha's teaching that friendship and community isn't half the path. It's the whole thing.</p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">About Bart van Melik: <a href= "http://bartvanmelik.com/">Bart van Melik</a> is a meditation teacher and guiding teacher at Community Meditation Center, a global and local community that meets weekly via Zoom. Monthly sessions are donation-based and open to all. Learn more at https://www.cmc-ny.org/.</p> <p dir="ltr"><br /> <br /></p> <p dir="ltr">Get the 10% with Dan Harris app <a href= "https://app.danharris.com/membership">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Sign up for Dan's free newsletter <a href= "http://www.danharris.com/">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Follow Dan on social: <a href= "https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href= "https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Subscribe to our <a href= "https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel<br /> <br /></a></p> <p><em>Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming.</em> <em><span draggable="true"><a href= "https://www.92ny.org/event/dan-harris-with-allison-gilbert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Register here.</a></span></em><br /> <br /> <em>Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026.</em> <em><span draggable="true"><a href= "https://www.eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party#9851" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Register here.</a></span></em><strong><br /></strong></p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr">To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit <a href= "https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris">https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris</a></p> <p> </p>