My Favorite Meditation YouTube Channels - Guided Meditations, Mindfulness, Talks, and More
YouTube is a fantastic resource for meditation and mindfulness-related content. There are countless channels dedicated to these practices, and even more videos worth watching. Below I’ve compiled a list of a few of my favorite meditation-oriented channels.
I separated them out into three sections. Lay Buddhism contains channels that are Buddhist in nature, led by laypeople. Monastic Buddhism contains channels from monasteries. And the Secular Buddhism section has some non-Buddhist-oriented mindfulness programs.
For more meditation-related media, check out my favorite mindfulness books and my favorite meditation podcasts.
Lay Buddhism
One Mind Dharma
I’m going to start with One Mind Dharma. It’s a bit of a shameless self-plug here, but does shame serve us anyway? This is my channel with One Mind Dharma since 2013. I cover a variety of topics on the channel. We have guided meditations, talks, some interviews, and of course the 30 Day Meditation Challenge.
To get started with the channel, I recommend checking out the Mindfulness for Beginners playlist, the Mindfulness for Couples playlist, or my collection of Dharma Talks. You can also find playlists of guided meditations, 5 minute meditations, and 10 minute meditations.
Insight Meditation Center
Guided by Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella, Insight Meditation Center is a community-based meditation center in Redwood City, California. As far as insight meditation goes, this is my go-to YouTube channel and podcast. I find their teachers (Gil Fronsdal, Andrea Fella, and Diana Clark) to offer interesting perspectives on common Buddhist themes.
The channel updates mostly through its tab of live videos, where you can join for guided meditations, dharma talks, or shorter dharmettes. They update quite a bit, so they have a ton of content on nearly every topic you could imagine.
Tara Brach
Dr. Tara Brach’s channel is another one I listen to regularly. Tara has both a deep understanding of Buddhist teachings and modern psychology. I find her talks and content to be fantastic for the times I need a little bit of loving grounding in my life, especially toward myself.
The channel has plenty of guided meditations (many in the 20 minute range), and recorded live talks from Tara’s teachings around the world. If you’re not familiar with Tara Brach, I recommend also reading her book Radical Acceptance.
Dave Smith Dharma
Dave Smith is an author and teacher who I find to be super relatable and pragmatic. I used to sit with Dave back in the 2010’s with Against the Stream, and he’s continued his work with Dave Smith Dharma. He covers a variety of topics related to Buddhism and insight meditation in a way that is approachable and interesting.
London Insight Meditation
London Insight is an important voice in the insight meditation community. They produce an amazing amount of talks and meditations, ranging from visiting monastics to their lay teachers. Any topic related to insight meditation is covered here.
You’ll find plenty of dharma talks, guided meditations, qigong practices, and more. I think this channel stands out not just because of the content, but because of the organization. You can go to their playlists and find various talks and videos on an impressive number of different themes.
Spirit Rock
I can’t make any list of online meditation content without including Spirit Rock. Located in Woodacre, California, Spirit Rock was my first introduction to meditation and where I received my training and empowerment to teach. Although names like Jack Kornfield, James Baraz, Sylvia Boorstein, Anna Douglas, and Howard Cohn founded the center back in the 1980’s, it has grown to a huge community of amazing teachers.
You will find plenty of talks and meditations on their channel, including in the live section. You can join the stream of the Monday Night Dharma Talks freely, and find plenty of playlists from both lay teachers and monastics.
Spring Washam
Spring Washam offers a unique perspective on meditation. A lot of her work centers on an intersection between Buddhist meditation and plant medicine, most notably ayahuasca. Her teachings are often focused on mindfulness and love, and bring in other teachings from indigenous communities in South America. I really love Spring’s voice and authenticity. Every time I listen, I seem to hear something new I haven’t heard elsewhere.
Monastic Buddhism
Buddhist Society of Western Australia
The Buddhist Society of Western Australia has a YouTube channel with plenty of meditation videos. Teachers like Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Brahmali, Ajahn Canda, and Ajahn Sunyo offer deep talks about Buddhist principles and perspectives. Ajahn Brahm was the first Theravada monk to fully ordain female nuns after their lineage died out, and I consider him an important figure in the community.
Deer Park
Deer Park Monastery is a monastery founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, and another spiritual home of mine. Coming from an Engaged Zen tradition in Vietnam, Deer Park’s YouTube channel shares Buddhism with a touch of joy and appreciation that I find to be contagious.
They have many wonderful talks and meditations, as well as multiple playlists. They also have some videos for kids and teens. If you’re in the area every, I highly recommend stopping by for on of their Days of Mindfulness.
Abhyagiri
Abhayagiri is a monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition. These are relatively deep dharma talks and meditations, but offer voices and clarity in English when it comes to dharma that is hard to find elsewhere. I especially enjoy talks by Ajahn Nyaniko and Ajahn Pasanno.
Secular Mindfulness
10% Happier
10% Happier is the podcast and YouTube channel from ABC News host Dan Harris. After having a panic attack on television, Dan turned toward the practices of mindfulness to support his wellbeing. Since then, he has built an incredible offering of interviews, meditations, and conversations about mindfulness, self-care, and wellbeing. He dives a bit into the science behind mindfulness, offers pragmatic tips, and interviews famous and interesting people.
Being Well
The Being Well show is hosted on the Forrest Hanson YouTube channel. Together with his father, Dr. Rick Hanson, Forrest looks at various topics such as conflict resolution, attachment, emotional regulation, and more through the lens of mindfulness. It is often science-heavy, diving into how mindfulness actually works. I find it to be approachable, fun, and interesting, and my partner Elizabeth listens frequently.
To stay connected, join the free WhatsApp group. The group is a place to ask questions, discuss mindfulness, find meditations, and get links and topics to the weekly sitting group. You can join the group for free at OneMindDharma.com/chat.
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Matthew Sockolov is a Buddhist meditation teacher who trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Completing the Dharma Leader training program in 2017, Matthew was given power to teach in the Insight Meditation tradition by Jack Kornfield, Kittisaro, Thanissara, and others. You can learn more about Matthew here.