Tara Brach

Discover the superpower of mindful witnessing and its ability to uplift our spirits and respond to life with creativity and care. Learn how to activate the witness and be fully present in the moment. Explore how mindful witnessing promotes self-acceptance and presence. Discover oneself as the watcher and practice pausing and noticing during moments of conflict. Embrace the mystery and become aware of the light behind the witness.

Tara Brach leads a meditation session, exploring sensations and sounds. Resting in witnessing awareness is emphasized, along with self-awareness and mindfulness. The podcast also discusses the practice of witnessing as a form of meditation and the discovery of one's true nature.

Explore the power of conscious prayer in overcoming challenges and doubts. Reflect on the nature of thought and how it shapes our lives. Learn to shift our identity and embrace open-hearted awareness. Discover the evolution of prayer and the significance of aligning with the flow of loving awareness.

This podcast explores the practice of openhearted presence through meditation. It focuses on sensations in the body, tuning into sounds and environment, and relaxing attention to be more receptive. It also emphasizes kindness, clarity, and offering wishes for well-being.

Part 2: Rewiring for Happiness and Freedom - The Buddha said, "I would not be teaching this (a path of awakening) if genuine happiness and freedom were not possible." While this is our potential, we each have deep conditioning to get stuck in feelings of fear, deficiency and separation from others. These talks explore the two interdependent pathways of undoing the conditioning that blocks our potential. In Part I we will look at how we can intentionally arouse states of well-being, and with practice, develop them into ongoing traits that bring presence and joy to our lives. In Part II, we will investigate how to cultivate an unconditional presence, and the radical acceptance and love, that are the grounds of true happiness and inner freedom.

Meditation: Relaxing Back into the Mystery - All true meditation guides us back to presence, and the mystery that is our source. In this guided meditation we awaken the senses, collect with the breath, and when lost in thought, practice relaxing back into the aliveness and awareness that is always here. We close with a beautiful poem from poet Danna Faulds.

Part 1: Rewiring for Happiness and Freedom - The Buddha said, "I would not be teaching this (a path of awakening) if genuine happiness and freedom were not possible." While this is our potential, we each have deep conditioning to get stuck in feelings of fear, deficiency and separation from others. These talks explore the two interdependent pathways of undoing the conditioning that blocks our potential. In Part I we will look at how we can intentionally arouse states of wellbeing, and with practice, develop them into ongoing traits that bring presence and joy to our lives. In Part II, we will investigate how to cultivate an unconditional presence, and the radical acceptance and love, that are the grounds of true happiness and inner freedom.

Meditation: Coming Home with the Breath - Our breath is always available as a pathway back to presence. This simple meditation guides us to relax and awaken in the body, and then establishes the breath as a home base for our attention. Our practice is to notice when the mind becomes distracted, and gently return to our breath and senses. This helps the mind to become increasingly settled, calm and clear. We close with a short heart blessing.

Intimacy with Life (Part 2) - Zen master Dōgen teaches that enlightenment is intimacy with all things. These two talks explore teachings and practices that cultivate intimacy - a liberating experience of relatedness and oneness with our living world.

Guided Meditation: Intimacy with the Flow of Life - The meditation begins with a body scan, filling the body with aliveness. Then we widen attention, becoming aware of the sounds that are happening moment-to-moment, aware of the sensations, feelings, or emotions that are here. Again and again, the invitation is to relax back into presence, intimate with the life living through you. In allowing life to be just as it is, we inhabit pure Beingness, at home in the dynamic and tender awareness that is our shared essence.