10% Happier with Dan Harris

This Quick Practice Will Make You Feel Lighter | Jay Michaelson

February 8, 2026

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  • The episode features a free, guided loving-kindness meditation from Jay Michaelson that utilizes visualization (a warm, golden light) instead of traditional verbal phrases to avoid getting stuck in one's head. 
  • Dan Harris promotes his app, "10% with Dan Harris," which hosts guided meditations from teachers like Jay Michaelson, Joseph Goldstein, and Seven A. Selassie, and offers live Q&A sessions. 
  • The visualization practice, taught by Jay Michaelson and originating from Venerable Ayakima, emphasizes that the light of loving-kindness is limitless and grows stronger the more it is spread, even to difficult people. 

Segments

Episode Introduction and App Promotion
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(00:00:04)
  • Key Takeaway: A free visualization-based loving-kindness meditation from Jay Michaelson is offered outside the usual app subscription.
  • Summary: Dan Harris introduces the episode as a guided meditation from Jay Michaelson, the Teacher of the Month for February on the “10% with Dan Harris” app. This specific loving-kindness practice uses visualization instead of standard phrases. Listeners are encouraged to try it, even if skeptical, with the host noting that it still works.
Sponsor Segment: BetterHelp
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(00:01:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Therapy via BetterHelp can assist individuals in navigating romantic life pressures, especially around February, by helping determine desires and reducing self-imposed pressure.
  • Summary: BetterHelp offers therapy to help people figure out their love lives, whether married, dating, or single. Therapy can clarify what an individual wants and alleviate pressure, which is particularly relevant during February. BetterHelp provides licensed therapists, uses a questionnaire for matching, and allows switching therapists if needed, offering 10% off with a specific URL.
Sponsor Segment: Wayfair
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(00:02:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Wayfair offers a wide array of home goods, from decor to storage, simplifying the process of elevating at-home routines and spaces.
  • Summary: Wayfair is presented as a one-stop shop for elevating home decor and routines, offering items like bedding, mattresses, and storage solutions. The site is described as easy to navigate with a wide selection, making it simple to find items for various rooms, including home studies.
Visualization Meditation Instruction
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(00:04:08)
  • Key Takeaway: This visualization-based loving-kindness practice focuses on somatic experience using a warm, golden light in the heart center, bypassing the ‘heady’ nature of verbal phrases.
  • Summary: The meditation is a variation on loving-kindness that removes verbal phrases to avoid getting caught in stories or intellectualizing happiness. The practice involves grounding in the body and focusing attention on the heart center, imagining an inexhaustible, warm, golden glow of light already present there. Listeners are encouraged to visualize this light filling the body and extending outward, even if they need to ‘fake it’ initially.
Expanding the Light to Others
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(00:07:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The warm light of loving-kindness should first be extended to easy recipients, then expanded to neutral acquaintances, and finally to those with whom one has difficult relationships, without judgment.
  • Summary: The practice instructs the meditator to first direct the light toward someone for whom feeling kindness is easy, such as a friend or family member, noting the light increases as it is shared. The circle expands to include teachers/benefactors, then neutral people encountered daily, and eventually, people with whom there is friction. Extending this light is an act of well-wishing for their happiness and safety, separate from judgment or forgiveness regarding their actions.
Finalizing the Meditation and Closing
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(00:12:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The final stage involves expanding the light field to encompass the entire surrounding environment and then recognizing that the self is contained within this universal field of kindness.
  • Summary: The warm light is radiated outward to include the immediate surroundings—the block, building, or city—and then expanded further to include all beings, people never met, and animals. The practice concludes by recognizing that the meditator is also contained within this expansive field of light, receiving the kindness they generate. Dan Harris thanks Jay Michaelson and reminds listeners about the app and its free trial.
Sponsor Segment: PC Richard and Son
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(00:15:54)
  • Key Takeaway: PC Richard and Son uses a four-step fitting process for mattresses and offers President’s Day savings, including up to $800 off adjustable sets.
  • Summary: PC Richard and Son emphasizes expert fitting for mattresses, not just sales, during their President’s Day event. Customers can save up to $800 on adjustable mattress sets and receive up to $300 credit for other store items. The company promotes its commitment to service, price, and free delivery on mattresses $399 and up (excluding Manhattan).
Sponsor Segment: Key Largo Tourism
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(00:16:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Key Largo serves as the gateway to the Florida Keys and the Everglades, offering activities like snorkeling coral reefs and fly fishing.
  • Summary: Key Largo is described as a destination offering both the wonders of the Keys and access to the untamed Florida Everglades. Visitors can engage in activities ranging from snorkeling the living coral reef to fly fishing in the backcountry. More information about Key Largo is available via a specific website address.