Life can feel effortful. Frustrating and effortful at times. The practice of mindfulness is powerful because it can help us learn to ride invisible waves; help us move with the flow of Nature rather than against it. In this episode, Thomas shares a rather shocking story about pig hearts and what that means for living a life of “Doing not Doing.”
This week in the United States we celebrate independence. There are so many beautiful things about independence. And yet, like all things, it can go too far. Too much independence leads to an illusion that we are alone in the world, and have accomplished what we have all on our own. At Mindfulness+ we celebrate Interdependence Day, a Buddhist-inspired practice that invokes a sense of gratitude and humility for all the conditions that sustain and support us.
In traditional Christian practice, congregants pay a tithe–one tenth of their earnings to support the church. How can we put this time-tested practice to work toward waking up? In this episode, Thomas explores the possibility of tithing your attention as a way of honoring the source of your spiritual sustenance. It’s not to be missed!
A continuation of the lessons on the Energy Centers, i.e. Money, Sex, Fame, Power. This week Thomas discusses extreme monetary wealth as an unrecognized form of obesity in modern culture. Learn to recognize in this episode how much awareness you unnecessarily commit to feeling more secure, and reconnect with a profound sense of security at the heart of this very moment.
I take a moment in this episode to reflect on my brothers and sisters who are incarcerated and the inspiring way they’ve practiced since I joined their sangha as a guest teacher back in 2015. In this episode you’re invited to notice the places in your life where you don’t feel free. Don’t settle for anything less than freedom. Mindfulness is a practice of liberation and you were born to be free.
In this episode, Thomas deepens the conversation on Energy Centers by describing the theory behind them as well as pointing them out in a very practical and personal way. You will gain insight during this episode into the areas of your life that call for more awareness and compassion.
This episode opens up a series on how to bring mindful awareness to those areas in our lives that tend to pull us down and compromise our higher values. If we want to grow up, we’ve got to grow down. In order to express our most profound gifts and capacities as human beings, we have to pay special attention to our foundations; get back to the basics.
Continuing the conversation from last episode, Shinzen talks more specifically about what we can each do to achieve not just good results, but dramatic and life-changing results from our mindfulness practice. Visit Shinzen.org and unifiedmindfulness.com to learn more about his highly innovative work.
Join us with special guest, Shinzen Young, to learn from his over 50 years of experience in meditative practice. Shinzen is regarded as one of the great pioneers in bringing the best of Western science and Eastern contemplation into a deeper union. It is hard not to learn 10 new things every time this guy opens his mouth. Visit Shinzen.org and unifiedmindfulness.com to learn more about his work.
It's that time again–a longer, deeper guided meditation to support your ongoing practice. In this episode, Thomas leads a body-mind-spirit yogic "stretch" to help you inhabit ALL OF YOU a little more fully, freely, and joyfully.
Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, famously quotes that "when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." It is a beautiful mantra for our mindfulness practice. We often think about freedom and happiness in terms of escaping from certain conditions. Frankl inspires us not to escape FROM oppressive conditions, but to escape INTO them; to fully meet them, allow them to inform us, and respond from a deeper truth.
Many a well-intentioned meditator has tried to get at the roots of the judging mind to no avail. It seems the more mindful we become, the more we're aware of our petty, judgmental, always-evaluating minds. But do not despair! In this episode, Thomas makes a key distinction for listeners between judging and being judgmental. When we realize that our judgments are never the final truth, we open up to a new space in our awareness that can appreciate life much, much more. We can even appreciate all ...
There is no small amount of anxiety around the impact technology is having on human life. From a mindfulness perspective, many believe that technology is decreasing our attention spans and intensifying the monkey-mind effect we all suffer from to some extent. But what if technology is just a reflection of our inner state–not the cause of our ADHD but merely an effect? Furthermore, what if we used technology to deepen and express our mindful awareness instead? What kind of world would that be? Di...
John Kesler joins us in the studio to share insights into mindfulness, developmental psychology, and the art of living an inspired life. His practice, what he calls Integral Polarity Practice, is an elegant model that deeply integrates the most profound wisdom from both Eastern and Western traditions. Enjoy the beautiful teaching that flows through John without his saying a word, and learn more about his work at theippinstitute.com .
A continuation of last week’s episode, Thomas leads an extended guided meditation on still point practice, pointing out different qualities in awareness the way a chocolate connoisseur would skillfully point out different flavors and notes in an exotic cacao bean. Find a place to settle in and enjoy a tour of the True Self! Also, check out lowerlightsslc.org < http://lowerlightsslc.org/ > for additional resources to support your practice....
Let’s face it–we are all creatures of habit. And although habit creates efficiencies in life and helps us get things done, it can also trap us in patterns of behavior that create suffering for ourselves and others. In this episode, Thomas introduces the practice of finding the “still point.” When we live in the still point, our habits start to soften and give way to greater creativity, spontaneity, and skillful action in the moment. With practice, we can all learn to live as an effortless flow o...
We tend to talk about addiction in our culture as though only some of us are “addicts.” Mindfulness practice reveals to us that we are all, in fact, vulnerable to addiction. In this episode you can learn to understand the underlying dynamics of addiction, made especially clear in the Buddhist tradition, and start living a life of greater freedom and happiness beyond conditions. Now who wouldn’t want that? Also, check out lowerlightsslc.org < http://lowerlightsslc.org/ >,...
This week I talk to Diane Hamilton of Two Arrows Zen Center about her new book, The Zen of You and Me . Diane epitomizes how beautifully a mature mindfulness practice can show up in an elegant, integrated and dynamic human being. Listen in as we talk meditation, adult development, working with pain and difference, and becoming your biggest self. She leads us in a closing meditation that is signature Diane “Musho” Hamilton.
In a mindfulness practice, eventually we realize the importance of opening the heart. Whereas “Mindfulness” stresses making empowering distinctions in awareness, “Heartfulness” implies sensing into the unity that lies beneath all the differences, otherwise known as “Love.” Thomas shares an intriguing piece of scientific research in this podcast and offers a practice to help you start living more fully from your heart today. Also, check out lowerlightsslc.org < http://lowerlightsslc.org/ > ...
Once a month Thomas chooses a particular theme that has come up in discussions and offers a longer guided meditation around it. Enjoy this month’s extended meditation that will help you not just be more present in daily life, but actually have the experience of being Presence.
It’s so easy to go through life believing that we are alone and separate. Listen to this podcast as Thomas relates some touching examples of just how connected we really are. Connection is not without its risks, of course–with true intimacy always comes vulnerability. But we find that vulnerability is a small price to pay for the experience of participating in the great flow of Life.
Sir Ken Robinson, in a stirring and hilarious Ted Talk, jokes that university professors relate to their bodies as though they were simply vehicles for getting their heads around from meeting to meeting. The rest of us are not far off. In this episode you will learn about both the challenge and opportunity of remaining embodied throughout adult life. Thomas offers a simple guided meditation for unsticking awareness from the head and healing this classical body-mind split.
Have you wondered how mindfulness as a practice can transform you? Or what the benefits of practicing in community versus practicing alone are? Join us for our first video broadcast on Mindfulness+ to discuss these questions with three long-time members of the Lower Lights Sangha (Igor and Madison Limansky, and Gloria Pak). Each of them shares in a very personal way what mindfulness practice has meant to them and why the time is NOW for you to really commit to practice.
Once a month, Thomas guides a longer meditation to give you an opportunity to go a little deeper and discover new territory in your mindfulness practice. Find a quiet place for this episode where you can sink in and let go. Thomas gives instruction on the basics of using a mantra (a word or syllable repeated to increase concentration) as well as a taste of expansive flavors of concentration.
Would it surprise you to learn that your brain has evolved over millions of years, only to misrepresent reality? To systematically exaggerate danger and underestimate reward? Neuropsychologist, Rick Hanson, argues exactly this point. Why does it matter? He says that positive experiences slip off our brains like “teflon” and negative experiences grab on like “velcro.” This is good for purposes of survival but bad for quality of life. Start turning the tables on this tilted evolutionary game with ...
Mindfulness can be a challenging practice. All too often we get discouraged and feel like “I’m never going to get to where I need to be.” Listen to Thomas’s words of encouragement in this episode: No matter how challenging the practice or how challenging your life–in any given moment you are just a one degree shift in awareness from freedom.
Mindfulness practice is more popular than ever in Western culture. But how has mindfulness been westernized, not necessarily for the better? In this episode, listen to Thomas as he discusses the medicalization of mindfulness: “Take 10 minutes of body scan 3 times a week and call me in two months.” He stresses the all-important relationship with a skillful teacher combined with finding the right technique to make significant progress on the path.
The holiday season is upon us. While this time of year offers so much connection and time with loved ones, it can also be a very challenging time as the people we love most often push our buttons the most reliably. Learn in this episode how to take challenging relationships and metabolize them like so much savory stuffing and pumpkin pie.
For such a life-changing practice that requires very few resources to become proficient at, I’ve had to ask myself over the years why so many students wash out and stop practicing mindfulness. One reason is that we often lack the skills to work through the nagging voice in our head that tells us we’re doing it wrong. Listen in and whip your inner bully into shape!
We’re one day after the elections here and many of us are needing a stiff dose of Taoism to lift our battered spirits. Is this election good news or bad news for us all? You say, when you tune into Mindfulness+.
