https://meditationfreedom.com/ Where Meditation Meets Daily Life Sat, 01 Mar 2025 02:28:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.5 The Meditation Freedom podcast interviews experienced meditation and mindfulness students and teachers. A meditation and mindfulness practice has many benefits, both for the individual practicing, as well for their wider circles. Experienced practitioners talk about why they took up a meditation practice, and how it has changed their lives. They will be asked to talk about specific ways they integrate their understanding and bring mindfulness into their daily lives. How do you practice in a busy, hectic world with so little time? How do you deal with struggles, grief, kids, etc. How do they find freedom from stress, fears, obligations and the many other things and thoughts and conditioning that shackle us. This and many more interesting questions will be explored in the Meditation Freedom podcast. Web Site: http://meditationfreedom.com Sicco Rood no podcast Where Meditation Meets Daily Life http://meditationfreedom.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg https://meditationfreedom.com/blog/ Anza Borrego Desert Anza Borrego Desert Weekly 8f423261-780a-5c8f-887c-8f2807ec315f Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditateatwork17@hotmail.comSicco Rood https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-gregory-heffron/ Sat, 22 Oct 2016 00:58:02 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1371 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-gregory-heffron/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-gregory-heffron/feed/ 0 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-gregory-heffron/">MF 48 – Mindful Communications with Gregory Heffron</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 56:12 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 48 – Mindful Communications with Gregory Heffron appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post MF 48 – Mindful Communications with Gregory Heffron appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-with-gregory-cheffron/ Sat, 22 Oct 2016 00:32:00 +0000 http://99876ea417ca0bda26ef5e111b042f70 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-with-gregory-cheffron/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-with-gregory-cheffron/feed/ 0 <p>MF 48 – Mindful communications with Gregory Cheffron Gregory Heffron MFA owns and manages Green Zone Conversations Retreats. He is the only certified teacher of Mindful Communication authorized by author and Buddhist teacher Susan Chapman MA. He has …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-48-mindful-communications-with-gregory-cheffron/">MF 48 – Mindful Communications with Gregory Cheffron</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 48 – Mindful communications with Gregory Cheffron Gregory Heffron MFA owns and manages Green Zone Conversations Retreats. He is the only certified teacher of Mindful Communication authorized by author and Buddhist teacher Susan Chapman MA. He has … MF 48 - Mindful communications with Gregory Cheffron<br /> Gregory Heffron MFA owns and manages Green Zone Conversations Retreats. He is the only certified teacher of Mindful Communication authorized by author and Buddhist teacher Susan Chapman MA.<br /> He has ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false 56:12 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-prison-industrial-complex-johnny-perez/ Sat, 16 Jul 2016 19:49:44 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1310 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-prison-industrial-complex-johnny-perez/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-prison-industrial-complex-johnny-perez/feed/ 3 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-prison-industrial-complex-johnny-perez/">MF 47 – Questioning solitary confinement and the Prison Industrial Complex with Johnny Perez</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 1:06:52 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 47 – Questioning solitary confinement and the Prison Industrial Complex with Johnny Perez appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post MF 47 – Questioning solitary confinement and the Prison Industrial Complex with Johnny Perez appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-and-the-prison-industrial-complex-with-johnny-perez/ Sat, 16 Jul 2016 19:36:00 +0000 http://daa9d284ec19ecfbe420962e09b7a1c1 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-and-the-prison-industrial-complex-with-johnny-perez/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-and-the-prison-industrial-complex-with-johnny-perez/feed/ 0 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-47-questioning-solitary-confinement-and-the-prison-industrial-complex-with-johnny-perez/">MF 47 – Questioning solitary confinement and the Prison Industrial Complex with Johnny Perez</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 47 - Contemplating torture in solitary confinement with Johnny Perez<br /> Johnny Perez is a non-attorney advocate at the Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project (MHP), a civil legal services firm that provides legal and social work services to people... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 47 – Questioning solitary confinement and the Prison Industrial Complex with Johnny Perez appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-with-nature-through-eco-therapy-with-laurel-vogel/ Sun, 19 Jun 2016 16:01:00 +0000 e0b0962337bff1fe6bfacc0b940ac72b https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-with-nature-through-eco-therapy-with-laurel-vogel/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-with-nature-through-eco-therapy-with-laurel-vogel/feed/ 0 <p>MF 46 – Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel Laurel Vogel, M.A. received her degree in contemplative ecopsychology (A Psychology of Writing) in 2006, and is an ecotherapist, writer, Zen practitioner, and Nature Immersion grou…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-with-nature-through-eco-therapy-with-laurel-vogel/">MF 46 – Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 46 – Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel Laurel Vogel, M.A. received her degree in contemplative ecopsychology (A Psychology of Writing) in 2006, and is an ecotherapist, writer, Zen practitioner, and Nature Immersion grou… MF 46 - Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel<br /> Laurel Vogel, M.A. received her degree in contemplative ecopsychology (A Psychology of Writing) in 2006, and is an ecotherapist, writer, Zen practitioner, and Nature Immersion grou... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-nature-eco-therapy-laurel-vogel/ Fri, 17 Jun 2016 02:48:18 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1295 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-nature-eco-therapy-laurel-vogel/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-nature-eco-therapy-laurel-vogel/feed/ 0 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-46-reconnecting-nature-eco-therapy-laurel-vogel/">MF 46 – Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 50:59 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 46 – Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post MF 46 – Reconnecting with Nature through Eco-Therapy with Laurel Vogel appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45/ Tue, 24 May 2016 23:52:02 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1246 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45/feed/ 0 <p>MF 45 – Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis Bruce is the author of  The Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of St Francis of Assisi and The Calling of Joy. […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45/">MF 45 – Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 45 – Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis Bruce is the author of  The Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Bruce is the author of  The Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of St Francis of Assisi and The Calling of Joy. His latest book is The Love Letters of St Francis & St Clare.  Bruce is a regular contributor to Huffington Post. A graduate of Saybrook University, Bruce is a spiritual psychologist and teacher of the essence of world religions. He has taught at JFK University in Pleasant Hill, California and many spiritual centers in the United States, Germany, and Switzerland.
In 1975 he wrote the book The Magical Child Within You which was the first book written on trusting and nurturing the inner child.  A couple years later he coauthored another best selling book Hugs & Kisses about loving life, which has been a theme of his work ever since.
While a graduate student, Bruce met and became an apprentice to a remarkable Shaman who had the gift of entering into and teaching people in their dreams.  For four years, Bruce was introduced to many realms and worlds outside normal western thought. These years were to be the beginning of Bruce’s quest to understand the potential of psychology and spirituality.
Since 1983 he has led interfaith spiritual retreats in many parts of Europe, Asia, United States.  Taking people to sacred places like Assisi, Italy, participants discover the sacred place within themselves.  For twelve years Bruce and Ruth lived in Assisi, founding the Assisi Retreat Center where people of all backgrounds are welcome to enjoy the simple peace and spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.  He returned home to California in 2012 and established, Silent Stay. It is Bruce’s wish to provide a sanctuary for everyone who yearns for real peace and quiet towards finding their own inner joy, spirituality, and purpose.
Through the years, Bruce has studied and lived with spiritual teachers in India, Philippines, Germany and Bali, Indonesia.  In 1992 Bruce & Ruth established a free food program for the homeless in San Francisco that continues till this day.  High schoolers from some of America’s wealthiest communities are traveling each weekend, into the poorest neighborhoods, serving food to people living in the streets.  At Silent Stay, Bruce has a great interest in supporting people who have had a Near Death Experience or spiritual awakening. His primary intention is helping others to develop a meaningful spiritual life including a daily life of joy.
Interview with Bruce Davis
(What follows is a summary transcript of the interview.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 51:17 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45-stepping-out-of-the-busy-ness-of-daily-life-into-the-sanctuary-of-our-heart-with-bruce-davis/ Tue, 24 May 2016 23:51:00 +0000 75aac8d78280fd618d7a210bb604cb54 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45-stepping-out-of-the-busy-ness-of-daily-life-into-the-sanctuary-of-our-heart-with-bruce-davis/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45-stepping-out-of-the-busy-ness-of-daily-life-into-the-sanctuary-of-our-heart-with-bruce-davis/feed/ 0 <p>MF 45 – Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis Bruce is the author of The Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-45-stepping-out-of-the-busy-ness-of-daily-life-into-the-sanctuary-of-our-heart-with-bruce-davis/">MF 45 – Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 45 – Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis Bruce is the author of The Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of… MF 45 - Stepping Out of The Busy-ness of Daily Life Into The Sanctuary of Our Heart with Bruce Davis<br /> Bruce is the author of The Heart of Healing, Monastery without Walls ~ Daily Life in the Silence, My Little Flowers, Simple Peace ~ The Inner Life of... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid/ Wed, 17 Feb 2016 04:42:57 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1221 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid/feed/ 0 <p>MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam – Interview with Rose Hamid Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent.  She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 1987.  She grew up in the Catholic tradition […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid/">MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam – Interview with Rose Hamid Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent.  She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent.  She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 1987.  She grew up in the Catholic tradition but chose to follow Islam when she started her family.  She has been married for 33 years, has three children; Suzanne, 28, Omar, 26, Samir 24.
She has been a flight attendant since April 1985.   She is the Co-Founder and President of the Muslim Women of the Carolinas; a local organization whose mission is to bring the diverse Muslim women of Charlotte and the surrounding area together in order to get to know one another and to do good works. She is a frequent speaker about topics such as Islam and the role of women in Islam and is a guest columnist for the Charlotte Observer, writing monthly columns.
After the attacks in Paris, Donald Trump proposed the establishment of a database of all Muslims in the country. Later, Trump called for a “complete shutdown of all Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of religion.
Hamid told CNN before the Trump rally that she only wanted to give Trump fans “an opportunity to meet” a Muslim. “I figured that most Trump supporters probably never met a Muslim so I figured that I’d give them the opportunity to meet one” she said.
Interview with Rose Hamid. How did you get to a spiritual practice?
My mother is from Columbia, South America. And her father is Palestinian. He went to South America in 1938, when his country was in turmoil. And the economic development had a downfall. Where he met Rose’s mom, and they got married.
We grew up in the Catholic religion/tradition. Where she had a lot of questions. I remember asking nuns these questions. My biggest question was this concept of original sin. And when I grew up, this was they way it was taught, or at least the way I absorbed it. I recall that Eve in particular had tempted Adam, and they had eaten the forbidden fruit. And they had sinned against God. And that was the break between God and humanity.
Therefor people couldn’t have a direct connection with god. That’s how I understood it. Therefor I would have to talk to a priest, who would talk to Jesus, who would then talk to God. Because I was not worthy of this connection to God.
So a lot of middlemen, intermediators?
I felt at an early age that that was not fair. So we plotted along, with going to church, until right before confirmation. When she was about 12, or 13. By that time, her father started to learn about his own faith, he was a Muslim, but wasn’t practicing it growing up.
So we started to realize how the church was very different compared to what he was used to growing up in Palestine. Where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived among each other and were all considered people of the book (adherents of Abrahamic religions that predate Islam) from the Muslim perspective.
I don’t think he realized how different the teachings were, until he came to America. And until he really started to learn his own faith. So he was trying to teach us more about Islam, but we really didn’t have much interest in it, at 13 years of age. And he wanted us to wait until we were older to become confirmed.
So I really didn’t practice anything. I believed in a higher power, God. But not much else.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 1:06:05 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-2/ Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:40:00 +0000 dbe2a8b86cceb9015cd40e53ae9b6023 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-2/feed/ 0 <p>MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent. She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 19…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-2/">MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent. She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 19… MF 44 - The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid<br /> Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent. She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 19... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-3/ Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:40:00 +0000 8da597a4bb05628684a51ee299eee9c6 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-3/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-3/feed/ 0 <p>MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent. She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 19…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-44-the-role-of-mindfulness-gratitude-peace-practice-in-islam-with-rose-hamid-3/">MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness Gratitude Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 44 – The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent. She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 19… MF 44 - The Role of Mindfulness, Gratitude, & Peace Practice in Islam with Rose Hamid<br /> Rose Hamid is a Muslim American of Palestinian and Latin descent. She was born in Buffalo NY, grew up in Cleveland OH, and has been living in Charlotte since 19... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg/ Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:15:53 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1196 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg/feed/ 0 <p>MF 43 – Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with OMG I can Meditate! co-founder Lynne Goldberg Lynne was stressed-out, sleep-deprived, type-A businesswoman, and ended up a renowned meditation coach. As she talks about in the interview, when she started meditating, no one would have labeled Lynne Goldberg “a natural”. Lynne had a series […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg/">MF 43 – Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with OMG I can Meditate! co-founder Lynne Goldberg</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 43 – Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with OMG I can Meditate! co-founder Lynne Goldberg Lynne was stressed-out, sleep-deprived, type-A businesswoman, and ended up a renowned meditation coach. Lynne was stressed-out, sleep-deprived, type-A businesswoman, and ended up a renowned meditation coach. As she talks about in the interview, when she started meditating, no one would have labeled Lynne Goldberg “a natural”.
Lynne had a series of devastating life blows, including the loss of twin baby girls, her mother, her marriage, and her job, coupled with years of infertility treatment and multiple failed adoptions, she counted on overworking and wine to help her survive.
But in the quiet moments she was forced to face the fact that, ultimately, she was still alone, unhappy, unfulfilled, and disconnected. Something—in fact, everything—was missing. Dragged kicking and screaming by a friend to a yoga retreat, Lynne reluctantly abided by the meat-free, alcohol-free diet and sat through the meditations simply because there was nowhere else to go.
But as she found her stress and anxiety slowly dissipating, the reluctance transformed into acceptance, and acceptance into appreciation and outright enjoyment. There was no denying the transformative effects this balanced, healthy approach was having on her life. She felt calm, capable, and in control.
Lynne course-corrected her life onto a path to understanding and embraced  a new healthy and balanced lifestyle, studying along the way with Deepak Chopra, Sri Dharma Mittra and Tony Robbins.
Today she is a certified meditation coach, yoga instructor, strategic interventionist, and author of the book “Get Balanced. Get Blissed.”
Her passion and life mission lie in helping others transform their lives and discover true happiness, peace of mind and fulfillment through meditation and personal growth. Her ability to compassionately connect with others, and her accessible, everyday approach to teaching meditation, have led her to copach people from all walks of life, from celebrities, athletes, and business executives to 80-year-old cancer patients and five-year-old children.
Lynne’s meditation programs and curriculum have been implemented in elementary and high schools, special needs schools, and hospitals.
Lynne Goldberg is also co-founder of OMG. I Can Meditate!, a mobile and web meditation app that can teach anybody how to meditate in just 10 minutes a day. Lynne’s simple and clear teaching style has brought the joy of meditation to stressed-out business executives, soccer moms, eighty year olds, kindergarten kids, and everyone in between. She is the author of the book Get Balanced. Get Blissed.
When Lynne is not helping people find their bliss, she is living her own doing the things she loves most: being in nature, hiking or biking, traveling the world, cooking, or enjoying time with her husband and kids.
(What follows is a summary transcript of the interview. Listen to the episode for the full conversation)
(Above: Guided Meditation video by OMG I can Meditate! Lynn Goldberg)
What was your life like before you started a meditation practice?
Lynne was not a natural meditator at all (stresses this point). So many folks are intimidated by meditation, and look at other meditators and think, “oh, I could never do that”. She came to meditation by accident. Her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. At the time when Lynn’s mother went through all her cancer treatments, her doctor recommended she try meditation.
And simultaneously, Lynne was going through infertility treatments. She thought, while her mother was having difficulties with her treatments, if it can help her mother, maybe it can help her as well. And when you’re pregnant, people like to tell you, just relax, and you’ll get pregnant. So she looked at meditation as a way to help her relax, as well as deal with this stuff that was going on as well.
And over time,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 55:34 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg-2/ Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:08:00 +0000 0af5e7f6ecbc7f0a3e57da0e254abeee https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg-2/feed/ 0 <p>MF 43 – OMG I can Meditate! Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with Lynne Goldberg Lynne was stressed-out, sleep-deprived, type-A businesswoman, and ended up a renowned meditation coach. As she talks about in the interview, …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-43-omg-i-can-meditate-guided-meditations-to-help-develop-a-regular-meditation-habit-with-lynne-goldberg-2/">MF 43 – OMG I can Meditate! Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with Lynne Goldberg</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 43 – OMG I can Meditate! Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with Lynne Goldberg Lynne was stressed-out, sleep-deprived, type-A businesswoman, and ended up a renowned meditation coach. As she talks about in the interview, … MF 43 - OMG I can Meditate! Guided Meditations to Help Develop a Regular Meditation Habit with Lynne Goldberg<br /> Lynne was stressed-out, sleep-deprived, type-A businesswoman, and ended up a renowned meditation coach. As she talks about in the interview, ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-life-time-commitment-to-zen-meditation-practice-after-12-steps-with-sandy-haskin/ Sun, 31 Jan 2016 18:21:00 +0000 034a0d9a27fd43d747b6c116f2aed1c9 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-life-time-commitment-to-zen-meditation-practice-after-12-steps-with-sandy-haskin/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-life-time-commitment-to-zen-meditation-practice-after-12-steps-with-sandy-haskin/feed/ 0 <p>MF 42 – A Life Time Commitment to Zen Meditation Practice after 12 Steps with Sandy Haskin Sandy Haskin practices Zen meditation with the Three Treasures Sangha of the Northwest. She currently lives and works in Spokane, Washington. She works as a Nur…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-life-time-commitment-to-zen-meditation-practice-after-12-steps-with-sandy-haskin/">MF 42 – A Life Time Commitment to Zen Meditation Practice after 12 Steps with Sandy Haskin</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 42 – A Life Time Commitment to Zen Meditation Practice after 12 Steps with Sandy Haskin Sandy Haskin practices Zen meditation with the Three Treasures Sangha of the Northwest. She currently lives and works in Spokane, Washington. She works as a Nur… MF 42 - A Life Time Commitment to Zen Meditation Practice after 12 Steps with Sandy Haskin<br /> Sandy Haskin practices Zen meditation with the Three Treasures Sangha of the Northwest. She currently lives and works in Spokane, Washington. She works as a Nur... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-lifelong-zen-meditation-practice-and-perspective-with-sandy-haskin/ Sun, 31 Jan 2016 17:10:08 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1187 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-lifelong-zen-meditation-practice-and-perspective-with-sandy-haskin/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-lifelong-zen-meditation-practice-and-perspective-with-sandy-haskin/feed/ 0 <p>MF 42 – A Lifelong Zen Meditation Practice with Sandy Haskin (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Sandy Haskin practices Zen meditation with the Three Treasures Sangha of the Northwest. She currently lives and works in Spokane, Washington. She works as a Nurse Aide at a home for mentally […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-42-a-lifelong-zen-meditation-practice-and-perspective-with-sandy-haskin/">MF 42 – A Lifelong Zen Meditation Practice and Perspective with Sandy Haskin</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 42 – A Lifelong Zen Meditation Practice with Sandy Haskin (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Sandy Haskin practices Zen meditation with the Three Treasures Sangha of the Northwest. (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation)
Sandy Haskin practices Zen meditation with the Three Treasures Sangha of the Northwest. She currently lives and works in Spokane, Washington. She works as a Nurse Aide at a home for mentally ill adults, and also sells books, DVD’s, CD’s on Amazon with her sister. She has worked at the former for 10 years and the latter for 5 years.
What was your life like before taking on a meditation practice?
Sandy remembers how she began to meditate and when, she had just left the town she grew up in, Spokane, WA. And she moved to Olympia. And found out because of her family history, she could get some help via friends through the 12 step program, so she joined (ACoA) Adult Children of Alcoholics and began to work the 12 steps. This was in 1986. And she thought moving away from her hometown would help her take care of her problems and her dissatisfaction with her life and herself.
What she had done was move to Olympia, and create yet another  dysfunctional relationship, like she had had in Spokane. So she was disappointed that it repeated itself and where her life was headed at that point.
And you mean by relationship, with another?
Yes, with another man. So she was confounded what to do with her life, and how to make her life work. So she read a book called, Women Who Love Too Much, by Robin Norwood. And she said, if there’s any alcoholism in your family, look up a 12 step group. And I said, well, I qualify! (laughing) It was just an afterthought, last chapter in the book. So Sandy went to ACoA, and found her home.
12 steps is all about finding a spiritual answer to your life, to your problems. And it is not an option, that’s the whole basis of the 12 step program. But they don’t tell you what it is going to look like, that is your job to find the answer.
So Sandy began to meditate at home, watching a candle flame. That particular meditation just so happens to be the one she began with. She then ran into a friend, Pamela Lee who invited her to meditate with her in Seattle. So she began sitting with a group, which was fundamental for Sandy. To start a practice, and be connected with a group, a schedule, a teacher, and a community. That was back in late ’86. And she’s been meditating ever since, off for about 5.
Was meditation part of the ACoA, or is it all find it on your own?
I called myself not an alcoholic, but ACoA, I was in 4 different 12 step programs. But yes, the 2nd step is coming to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. And the 11th step is through prayer and meditation seek to improve your conscious contact with God as I understood God to mean. Praying only for knowledge of God’s will, for me to carry that out. So yes, prayer and meditation are very basic, I made them basic to my program. But it is not necessary, but it is part a path you could learn.  Other folks go to church and don’t meditate, and yet others do go to church and meditate. You gotta find your own way, finding your own spiritual path. 
And you were in 4 different 12 step programs?
I was, I was quite the addict! (laughing) In fact I was ordered to go, my best friends were there, it was so much fun. I was going to treatment for my alcoholism, which I love, I love the attention to myself. And the counselor said, when we’re finished with your treatment, you will go to AA. And I said , I will not, I’m already in another 12 step group, I love it, and I’m getting it. So she couldn’t finish her treatment there. She started out in one group and ended up in quite a few others.
So what kind of meditation group did you end up in?]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 35:13 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments-2/ Tue, 19 Jan 2016 06:21:00 +0000 4bd38b892f04db1608fc8b44c816b064 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments-2/feed/ 0 <p>MF 41 – Best Wishes for 2016 and Timeless Moments This is a mini episode, just chatting about the past year and what the next year might look like. Hoping to give you as much value as possible, and get more illuminating interviews lined up. See w…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments-2/">MF 41 – Best Wishes for 2016 and Timeless Moments</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 41 – Best Wishes for 2016 and Timeless Moments This is a mini episode, just chatting about the past year and what the next year might look like. Hoping to give you as much value as possible, and get more illuminating interviews lined up. See w… MF 41 - Best Wishes for 2016 and Timeless Moments<br /> This is a mini episode, just chatting about the past year and what the next year might look like. Hoping to give you as much value as possible, and get more illuminating interviews lined up. <br /> <br /> See w... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments/ Tue, 19 Jan 2016 06:17:18 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1182 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments/feed/ 0 <p>MF 41 – Best Wishes for 2016 and Many Timeless Moments (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Reflection on the past year, and on what next year might bring. Looking to continue to explore meditation and mindfulness topics, and various contemplative practices, and insights that might lead us to a […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-41-best-wishes-for-2016-and-timeless-moments/">MF 41 – Best Wishes for 2016 and Timeless Moments</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 41 – Best Wishes for 2016 and Many Timeless Moments (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Reflection on the past year, and on what next year might bring. Looking to continue to explore meditation and mindful... (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation)
Reflection on the past year, and on what next year might bring. Looking to continue to explore meditation and mindfulness topics, and various contemplative practices, and insights that might lead us to a more mature, wise, and compassionate world.
Hope you had a great year! I just want to wish you a wonderful and alive, conscious 2016.
I finished up the episode with Martin Luther King Jr. Quote, since today is Martin Luther King Jr. day.
With regards to the podcast, I’m happy that it is now 40 episodes, and zero advertising! For this podcast, I’m not influenced by any stakeholders, except you, the listener. That is, if I’m aware of you, either through comments, or if you supported the podcast or connected in other ways.
That said, I’m still trying to figure out what folks like yourselves enjoy listening to, and what you don’t like, fill out the short survey if you can! The last thing I want to do is waste anyone’s time. I want it to be high value content, no fluff or filler type of content.  
To me the podcast in part is like a puzzle. I treat this like a puzzle, putting together pieces, and being able to say, how interesting how that works, and ah, now I understand that piece, etc.
I hope this year will give you more freedom in your mind and life, more peace, more insight and understanding, more wisdom, more compassion and resilience, more stamina, and allow you to more easily charge your batteries. While at the same time enjoy your family, surroundings and being.
Ask once again, please consider submitting a survey responses 
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 22:19 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-40-sound-healing-meditation-resonance-with-mark-and-denise/ Sat, 12 Dec 2015 17:39:00 +0000 132ad2495fc773410354abe72cc686a7 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-40-sound-healing-meditation-resonance-with-mark-and-denise/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-40-sound-healing-meditation-resonance-with-mark-and-denise/feed/ 0 <p>MF 40 – Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Interview was at the home of Mark and Denise, so it started casual. You will be hearing the wind chi…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-40-sound-healing-meditation-resonance-with-mark-and-denise/">MF 40 – Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 40 – Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Interview was at the home of Mark and Denise, so it started casual. You will be hearing the wind chi… MF 40 - Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise<br /> (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation)<br /> Interview was at the home of Mark and Denise, so it started casual. You will be hearing the wind chi... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/sound-healing-meditation-resonance/ Sat, 12 Dec 2015 17:26:30 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1143 https://meditationfreedom.com/sound-healing-meditation-resonance/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/sound-healing-meditation-resonance/feed/ 7 <p>MF 40 – Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Interview was at the home of Mark and Denise, so it started casual. You will be hearing the wind chimes outside in their garden in the background, it was rather windy […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/sound-healing-meditation-resonance/">MF 40 – Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 40 – Sound Healing Meditation & Resonance with Mark and Denise (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Interview was at the home of Mark and Denise, so it started casual. (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation)
Interview was at the home of Mark and Denise, so it started casual. You will be hearing the wind chimes outside in their garden in the background, it was rather windy that evening.
Mark talks about holding a sound meditation and there was all of a sudden someone playing Elvis music in the room next door. “Don’t step on my blue suede shoes!” So he played his meditation sounds with the music, so it was incorporated. He brought their awareness in and outside the room, allowing all sounds to be. This was helpful to hear to the meditators. One of the ladies at the end said she loved the part of the Elvis sounds. Others also were glad that the sound was allowed to be there.
By allowing the sounds to be there, it was OK.
It became an ally..very applicable to daily life. So many of want to cut things out, creating friction with reality. 
Yes, that’s my keyword, is, surrender to what is, just allow it to be. That’s where I found my peace. Ahh..Just to breathe it out.
One of our teachers is Matt Kahn. His teaching is simple, Whatever Arises, Love That.
It’s just really simple, whatever comes up. “Ah…I stubbed my toe!” Find the present in that, where’s the gift in that. Maybe the way I am, not paying attention. Perhaps not conscious where my body is in relation to other fixed objects. Or need to stop thinking about a certain thing, so I stubbed my toe. Could be simple, or very complex reasons for it. Whatever arises, love that.
So how did you get on this path of Sound Healing, sound Meditation? What does it mean to you?
Mark: My experience, about 7 years ago. I was doing guided meditations with different recordings, and listening CD’s. A friend of mine brought to my attention Tibetan singing bowls. I didn’t know what they were at that time.
The first time I heard them, I felt an immediate kinship with the bowls. At that point, I wanted to learn as much as I can about them. How they came about. It physically moved me. That was my primary introduction with meditation with the bowls.
Do you have a more detailed moment where this clicked for you?
Yes, it was the chant, “The end of suffering”. I was moved internally. I could feel this release and ease in my body upon hearing it.  Not something I noticed in previous meditations before. So I started researching Tibetan bowls. And I wanted to see if there was a school that teaches the history, the use, and how to work with them.
I found a school and teacher in Encinitas, California. They have a two year program on how to work with the bowls, to learn how to diagnose in the body, to use them in a healing practice. To learn every nuance.
Denise: For me meditation is an opportunity (I’m very new to meditation, so this is an opportunity to learn the practice. What it is, what it isn’t) I’ve done a lot of reading. And a friend who taught silent meditation, and learned about the benefits. For myself meditation has been an opportunity to see what works for me. And trying things out. In the discovery of meditation, I’ve come to a place to notice that it does take practice to let go of judgement. Whether I feel or not that I”m progressing. Having the opportunity to be with myself, and an opportunity to be with what I feel is the All, the Universe, God, etc, however one chooses to express that.
With the moments where I’ve gone into meditation, I used to think of not being successful. But now I see that any moment to sit and explore in meditation is a success. I’ve had profound moments in my learning and studying meditation, where it will take me to a place where I do fe...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 1:05:07 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-bringing-stillness-and-peace-to-interactions-between-the-police-and-communities/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 03:40:00 +0000 cbf338e125dafc86bf92935d1d46ce87 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-bringing-stillness-and-peace-to-interactions-between-the-police-and-communities/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-bringing-stillness-and-peace-to-interactions-between-the-police-and-communities/feed/ 0 <p>MF 39 – Bringing Stillness and Peace to Interactions between the Police and Communities with Cheri Maples Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Ma…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-bringing-stillness-and-peace-to-interactions-between-the-police-and-communities/">MF 39 – Bringing Stillness and Peace to Interactions between the Police and Communities</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 39 – Bringing Stillness and Peace to Interactions between the Police and Communities with Cheri Maples Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Ma… MF 39 - Bringing Stillness and Peace to Interactions between the Police and Communities with Cheri Maples<br /> Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Ma... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-peace-officers-with-stillness-in-heart/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 03:33:02 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1128 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-peace-officers-with-stillness-in-heart/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-peace-officers-with-stillness-in-heart/feed/ 19 <p>MF 39 – Bringing Stillness and Peace between Police and Community Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, her long-time spiritual teacher. For 25 years Cheri worked in the criminal justice system, as an Assistant […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-39-peace-officers-with-stillness-in-heart/">MF 39 – How to Bring Peace between Police and Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 39 – Bringing Stillness and Peace between Police and Community Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Cheri Maples is a dharma teacher, keynote speaker, and organizational consultant and trainer. In 2008 she was ordained a dharma teacher by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, her long-time spiritual teacher.
For 25 years Cheri worked in the criminal justice system, as an Assistant Attorney General in the Wisconsin Department of Justice, head of Probation and Parole for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and as a police officer with the City of Madison Police Department, earning the rank of Captain of Personnel and Training.
Cheri has been an active community organizer, working in neighborhood centers, deferred prosecution programs, and as the first Director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence. As Past President of the Dane County Timebank, Cheri was instrumental in creating its justice projects – the Youth Court, which is based on a prevention and restorative justice model; and the Prison Project, a prison education and reintegration initiative supported by multiple community groups.
She has incorporated all of these experiences into her mindfulness practice. Cheri’s interest in criminal justice professionals comes from learning that peace in one’s own heart is a prerequisite to providing true justice and compassion to others. Her initial focus was on translating the language and practice of mindfulness into an understandable framework for criminal justice professionals. Cheri’s work has evolved to include other helping professionals – health-care workers, teachers, and employees of social service agencies – who must also manage the emotional effects of their work, while maintaining an open heart and healthy boundaries.
(video above is a sharing or dharma talk by Lay Dharma teacher Cheri Maples during a 21-Day Retreat)
Cheri holds a J.D. and a M.S.S.W. from University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently a licensed attorney and licensed clinical social worker in the state of Wisconsin.
(This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation)
What brought you to a meditation practice?
Either series of coincidences or perhaps miracles. I was certainly open to it. About 7 years into police career, was a street sergeant at the time. Had a back injury, from lifting a moped out of a squad car. Went to chiropractor, and in her waiting room she had the book, Being Peace. This got Cheri interested, started reading her own copy. Then she found a flyer for a retreat in Illinois, in 1991, and decided to go to this week-long retreat.
In those days Thay or (Thich Nhat Hanh), translated as teacher. In those days Thay did everything. Dharma talks by Thay, questions and answers. And they were taught sitting, eating, and walking meditation. It was lovely to stop and she got very interested in the practice. So she started practicing. She didn’t understand Buddhism very much. She had an intuitive understanding of it from practice.
Where there moments during this retreat for you that sort of woke you up?
There were several. For example, during eating meditation the first time she did it. She was such a fast eater, especially as a cop. You try to get food in as fast as you can between the next siren call. Wolf it down as fast as you could before the next call. To actually slow down and taste my food, be with it, and think of where it came from. Was a wonderful experience.
It was sitting and walking meditation.  Of course just watching Thay walking to a room is a dharma talk in and of itself.
Bells, there were beautiful bells, not just the bells that were invited (rang) in our sessions. But this was in a Catholic college campus, so we’d also stop whenever those bells went off. We’d stop and take three breaths when we heard any k...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 50:51 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-remote-meditation-practice-bodhipaksa/ Mon, 16 Nov 2015 05:35:31 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1104 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-remote-meditation-practice-bodhipaksa/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-remote-meditation-practice-bodhipaksa/feed/ 0 <p>MF 38 – Nourishing Meditation Practice Remotely with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa Biography: Bodhipaksa is an accomplished teacher, published author, and founder of the popular Wildmind web site. He recently (Oct 2012) gave a TEDx talk on compassion (“The Surprising Secret of Unlocking Compassion”). He has been meditating and practicing Buddhism since 1982. He was ordained […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-remote-meditation-practice-bodhipaksa/">MF 38 – Nourishing Meditation Practice Remotely with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 38 – Nourishing Meditation Practice Remotely with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa Biography: Bodhipaksa is an accomplished teacher, published author, and founder of the popular Wildmind web site. Biography: Bodhipaksa is an accomplished teacher, published author, and founder of the popular Wildmind web site. He recently (Oct 2012) gave a TEDx talk on compassion (“The Surprising Secret of Unlocking Compassion”).
He has been meditating and practicing Buddhism since 1982. He was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order (former known as the Western Buddhist Order) in 1993. In addition to his work with Wildmind, he leads activities at Aryaloka Buddhist Center in Newmarket, New Hampshire, and for nine years he has taught a summer course to low income teens at the University of New Hampshire.
He was formerly the director of a retreat center in Scotland, and was center director at the Rocky Mountain Buddhist Center in Missoula, Montana. He completed a Master’s degree in Buddhist approaches to business at the university of Montana, and founded Wildmind in 2001.
He has published several books and audiobooks on aspects of meditation and Buddhist practice, and is well-known for his guided meditation recordings. As the director of Wildmind and the father of two young children, Bodhipaksa understands the challenges of balancing a meditation practice with a busy life. His online courses have been running since 2002, and he has received consistent praise for his practical, down-to-earth approach as well as his care for and commitment to each student.
What brought you to a meditation practice?
It was a confluence of things in his life. Bodhipaksa was young and in high school, 17 or 18 years old, when he got interested in finding some kind of religious path, to find meaning and purpose in his life.
He did some exploration of left-wing politics, in an era where the communist party was very strong at the time. It was idealistic, socialism that attracted him. He’d been an atheist since he was eleven years old, the concept of God didn’t make sense at all. He did go back to the New Testament, interested in the ethical teachings of the New Testament.
He did come across references of Buddhism. It was not well known in Scotland at that time. But Buddhism made sense to him. It was rational to him, and didn’t require any belief in a supernatural being, etc.
At that same time, he went through a personal crisis as well. His friends went off to do other things, and left the area. His friends were very important to him, and he experienced a lot suffering. He felt quite lonely, anxiety, and a feeling of not fitting in. He had a hard time getting on with the people remaining.
Bodhipaksa was looking for something that gave his life meaning and purpose.
The idea of meditation as being a way of finding happiness within oneself was attractive to him. Because the outside world didn’t seem at all reliable.
Unfortunately there was no way for him to get to a meditation class. The nearest town was about 30 miles away, and might as well be on the other side of the world, as he didn’t drive. So it wasn’t until Bodhipaksa went to Glasgow, to the university, and he saw posters around campus, until he started going to these classes.
Did your sense of what you were looking for change as you started going to these classes? Anything you wanted to delve more deeply into?
Bodhipaksa had some particular experiences fairly early on. On particular day, he was with some classmates, and they were sitting together in the car to go home. And he was in a terrible mood, he tended to be very irritable in those days. In some ways he was quiet sensitive, and irritation was his defense mechanism in those days. He was listening to this conversation these two girls were having, and getting annoyed at how trivial and trite it seemed. But he caught himself getting really annoyed.
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 49:31 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-building-a-meditation-practice-in-isolated-circumstances-with-wild-mind-teacher-and-founder-bodhipaksa/ Mon, 16 Nov 2015 05:10:00 +0000 9430d4f4209ab11a69f6ea4f3601d2e2 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-building-a-meditation-practice-in-isolated-circumstances-with-wild-mind-teacher-and-founder-bodhipaksa/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-building-a-meditation-practice-in-isolated-circumstances-with-wild-mind-teacher-and-founder-bodhipaksa/feed/ 0 <p>MF 38 – Nourishing a Meditation Practice in Isolated Situations with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa Biography: Bodhipaksa is an accomplished teacher, published author, and founder of the popular Wildmind web site. He recently (Oct 2012) gave…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-38-building-a-meditation-practice-in-isolated-circumstances-with-wild-mind-teacher-and-founder-bodhipaksa/">MF 38 – Building a Meditation Practice in Isolated Circumstances with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 38 – Nourishing a Meditation Practice in Isolated Situations with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa Biography: Bodhipaksa is an accomplished teacher, published author, and founder of the popular Wildmind web site. He recently (Oct 2012) gave… MF 38 - Nourishing a Meditation Practice in Isolated Situations with Wild Mind Teacher and Founder Bodhipaksa<br /> Biography: Bodhipaksa is an accomplished teacher, published author, and founder of the popular Wildmind web site. He recently (Oct 2012) gave... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-awakening-from-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/ Sun, 08 Nov 2015 23:48:17 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1089 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-awakening-from-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-awakening-from-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/feed/ 0 <p>MF 37 – Awakening from the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for the emerging American Buddhism. The Dalai Lama affectionately calls him “The Western […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-awakening-from-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/">MF 37 – Awakening from the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 37 – Awakening from the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for the emerging American Buddhism. The Dalai Lama affectionately calls him “The Western Lama.”
Surya has spent over forty five years studying Zen, vipassana, yoga, and Tibetan Buddhism with the great masters of Asia, including the Dalai Lama’s own teachers, and has twice completed the traditional three year meditation cloistered retreat at his teacher’s Tibetan monastery. He is an authorized lama and lineage holder in the Nyingmapa School of Tibetan Buddhism, and a close personal disciple of the leading grand lamas of that tradition. He is the founder of the Dzogchen Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and its branch centers around the country, including the retreat center Dzogchen Osel Ling outside Austin, Texas, where he conducts long training retreats and Advanced Dzogchen retreats. Over the years, Surya has brought many Tibetan lamas to this country to teach and start centers and retreats. As founder of the Western Buddhist Teachers Network with the Dalai Lama, he regularly helps organize its international Buddhist Teachers Conferences. He is also active in interfaith dialogue and charitable projects in the Third World. In recent years, Lama Surya has turned his efforts and focus towards youth and contemplative education initiatives, what he calls “True higher education and wisdom for life training.”
Lama Surya Das is a sought after speaker and lecturer, teaching and conducting meditation retreats and workshops around the world. He is a published author, translator, chant master (see Chants to Awaken the Buddhist Heart CD, with Stephen Halpern), and a regular blog contributor at The Huffington Post, as well as his own AskTheLama.com blog site where he shares his thoughts and answers questions from the public each week.
Surya Das has been featured in numerous publications and major media, including ABC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, New York Post, Long Island Newsday, Long Island Business Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Free Press, New Age Journal, Tricycle Magazine, Yoga Journal, The Oregonian, Science of Mind, and has been the subject of a seven minute magazine story on CNN. One segment of the ABC-TV sitcom Dharma & Greg was based on his life (“Leonard’s Return”). Surya has appeared on Politically Correct with Bill Maher, and twice on The Colbert Report (see links below).
Surya is the author of thirteen books, the latest: Make Me One With Everything: Buddhist Meditations to Awaken from the Illusion of Separation (May 2015) See the rest of the book titles and links in the Resources section at the bottom of this page.
Lama Surya Das resides in Concord, Massachusetts.
Interview Transcript
(This is a summary transcript, please listen to the episode to enjoy the full conversation)
Maybe you could start us off with a guided mini-meditation? (I usually do a short mini-meditation before all interviews)
Maybe we’ll just keep silent for the whole 45 minutes! (laughing)
Yes, let’s have a little instant meditation, very American. Friends,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 1:09:53 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-seeing-through-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/ Sun, 08 Nov 2015 23:40:00 +0000 8abce049493bcacab54ea84ededdb863 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-seeing-through-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-seeing-through-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/feed/ 0 <p>MF 37 – Seeing through the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-37-seeing-through-the-illusion-of-separation-with-lama-surya-das/">MF 37 – Seeing through the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 37 – Seeing through the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for… MF 37 - Seeing through the Illusion of Separation with Lama Surya Das<br /> Lama Surya Das is one of the foremost Western Buddhist meditation teachers and scholars, one of the main interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, and a leading spokesperson for... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-the-value-of-meditation-retreats-and-community/ Mon, 02 Nov 2015 05:20:00 +0000 c5399a58f028b383c079f32c8f37814d https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-the-value-of-meditation-retreats-and-community/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-the-value-of-meditation-retreats-and-community/feed/ 0 <p>MF 36 – The Value of Meditation Retreats and Community You can find out more https://meditationfreedom.com/36</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-the-value-of-meditation-retreats-and-community/">MF 36 – The Value of Meditation Retreats and Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 36 – The Value of Meditation Retreats and Community You can find out more https://meditationfreedom.com/36 MF 36 - The Value of Meditation Retreats and Community<br /> <br /> You can find out more http://meditationfreedom.com/36 Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-community-and-extended-meditation-retreats/ Mon, 02 Nov 2015 05:19:00 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1080 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-community-and-extended-meditation-retreats/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-community-and-extended-meditation-retreats/feed/ 0 <p>MF 36 – The Value of Community and Extended Meditation Retreats Kristina and myself chat about what it is like to find community and giving yourself the gift of an extended meditation retreat. A summary transcript will appear below for this episode this week.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-36-community-and-extended-meditation-retreats/">MF 36 – The Value of Community and Extended Meditation Retreats</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 36 – The Value of Community and Extended Meditation Retreats Kristina and myself chat about what it is like to find community and giving yourself the gift of an extended meditation retreat. A summary transcript will appear below for this episode thi... Kristina and myself chat about what it is like to find community and giving yourself the gift of an extended meditation retreat.
A summary transcript will appear below for this episode this week.

]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 19:06 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast-2/ Mon, 26 Oct 2015 04:41:00 +0000 4202357588e06524033f474ed74a831b https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast-2/feed/ 0 <p>MF 35 – Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters – with Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast A former marketing director at Showtime Networks Inc., Mark left his six-figure corporate job and is on a mission to bring more authenticity to the wor…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast-2/">MF 35 – Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters – Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 35 – Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters – with Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast A former marketing director at Showtime Networks Inc., Mark left his six-figure corporate job and is on a mission to bring more authenticity to the wor… MF 35 - Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters - with Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast<br /> A former marketing director at Showtime Networks Inc., Mark left his six-figure corporate job and is on a mission to bring more authenticity to the wor... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast/ Mon, 26 Oct 2015 03:52:12 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1057 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast/feed/ 0 <p>MF 35 – Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters – with Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast A former marketing director at Showtime Networks Inc., Mark left his six-figure corporate job and is on a mission to bring more authenticity to the world, with a goal to inspire and empower 100,000+ people to be true to themselves […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-35-why-authenticity-and-getting-real-matters-mark-shapiro-of-the-one-only-podcast/">MF 35 – Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters – Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 35 – Why Authenticity and Getting Real Matters – with Mark Shapiro of the One & Only Podcast A former marketing director at Showtime Networks Inc., Mark left his six-figure corporate job and is on a mission to bring more authenticity to the world, A former marketing director at Showtime Networks Inc., Mark left his six-figure corporate job and is on a mission to bring more authenticity to the world, with a goal to inspire and empower 100,000+ people to be true to themselves and “live an epic life they’re proud of.”  He is the Host of The One & Only Podcast on iTunes, creator of the Be You authenticity workshop, a heralded transformational trainer, coach speaker, and a vocal Alzheimer’s advocate.
(This is a summary transcript, please listen to the episode to enjoy the full conversation)
How did you get on a a path of meditation?
Mark was like many feeling he couldn’t’ meditate. But keep hearing it over and over how great it was to meditate. But he went to transformational workshops where meditation was used, and fell in love with it this meditation practice, and then learned to meditate and start practicing meditation.
He considers himself emotional and flexible and wants to be present for the people around him. Needs to check with himself, so he doesn’t give his power away. Meditation allows him to ground himself and his breath,  who he is, and check in with himself.  To be himself vs to be one with the changing winds.
Was there a particular moment where meditation clicked for you?
Yes, there was. He was doing a sound bath, and went deeply into a meditation state. He felt so light and clear and in touch with himself, his life, and at peace. He was able to see that from a different trajectory. He could watch these thoughts as they were moving down the street.
What is a sound bath for those who don’t know this?
It is different crystals, gongs, and even a little bit of guitar. That brought him into a deeper meditative state, easier then doing sitting himself. He could then tap into that space easier after this sound bath. The sounds help to quell his thoughts.
So the sounds help to mitigate the thoughts. Yes, I’ve also experienced these sound baths here in So Cal, and it is a beautiful experience. 
Yes, it’s easy to surrender to it. I find it healing and soothing. Easy to focus on, light, and to get lost in.
I like the chanting in our Zen retreats. It’s another way to let go of the trance of thoughts, and become part of a bigger body, the body of the group, community. Music is a wonderful way to get introduced to meditation.
What is your meditation practice like now?
Unregimented currently. At least 3-4 days of the week. It’s a priority for Mark though. He sits outside his house on the front deck. Close eyes, for 15-20 minutes. Listening to breath and birds, lawnmower, walking dogs. That’s just part of it. Continue to listen to it. Present to whatever sounds that come his way, he’s practicing being OK with all of that.
For example, in a public space, I also close my eyes and meditate and also drop into a meditative space. I couldn’t have done that a couple of years ago when he started meditating.
Do you also practice mindfulness or sense more presence in the rest of your day to day life?
Yes, usually when feeling anxiety it ‘s a reminder to take a few breaths. To be appreciate and re-ground himself. Whenever he feels anxiety, he’s either in the future or in the past. It’s just a reminder to see what’s around him. What’s around me that I can appreciate?
You also talk about the burning man, how this also helps you to be more and more present. 
Mark loves Burning Man. It’s so incredibly unique and magical. Learned so many lessons, a years’ worth of emotions in one week. So much stimuli, synchronicity. Open to all the possibilities that present themselves. He’s more likely to communicate with people at Burning Man than at a grocer...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 46:43 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-34-benefits-self-discipline-in-cultivating-a-meditation-practice/ Mon, 12 Oct 2015 05:30:22 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1044 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-34-benefits-self-discipline-in-cultivating-a-meditation-practice/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-34-benefits-self-discipline-in-cultivating-a-meditation-practice/feed/ 0 <p>MF 34 – The Benefits (and Challenges!) of Self-Discipline in Cultivating a Meditation Practice (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Kristina and I reflect on what it takes to cultivate self-discipline in our meditation practice. What are some of the challenges we have come across, and what are […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-34-benefits-self-discipline-in-cultivating-a-meditation-practice/">MF 34 – The Benefits of Self-Discipline in Cultivating a Meditation Practice</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 34 – The Benefits (and Challenges!) of Self-Discipline in Cultivating a Meditation Practice (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation) Kristina and I reflect on what it takes to cultivate self-discipline in our m... (This is a summary transcript, listen to the episode for the full conversation)
Kristina and I reflect on what it takes to cultivate self-discipline in our meditation practice. What are some of the challenges we have come across, and what are some of the benefits of doing a regular consistent practice. We start off with some quotes.
“Like a beautiful flower full of color but without fragrance, even so, fruitless are the fair words of one who does not practice them.” Dhammapada
“With sustained effort and sincerity discipline and self-control the wise become like islands which no flood can overwhelm” Dhammapada
This type of effort of course requires commitment, consistency, patience, courage, determination, and enthusiasm.
In, When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron understands sila/discipline to be a “process that supports us in going against the grain of our painful habitual patterns.”
She notes that:
“Discipline provides the support to slow down enough and be present enough so that we can live our lives without making a big mess. It provides the encouragement to step further into groundlessness.
….What we discipline is not our “badness” or our “wrongness.”
What we discipline is any form of potential escape from reality. In other words, discipline allows us to be right here and connect with the richness of the moment. What makes this discipline free from severity is prajna (wisdom).”

Self Discipline, or self-control  has somewhat negative connotation in the west I think. But I wanted to talk about self-chosen discipline instead of externally imposed discipline.
Discipline is often associated with punishment. However, the latin root of the word means learning disciplina teaching, learning, from discipulus pupil. 
Sure, there is a dark side of discipline that is too serious, too restrictive and narrowing. I think too much of that can lead to a separation, where it could move away from intimacy, and turn into too much coldness and detachment from the world, and therefor another type of separation.
That is not what we want to talk about today. Perhaps, calling it cultivation, instead of discipline. For example, the cultivation of moment-to-moment mindfulness sounds nicer than calling it, the discipline of mindfulness. But really what it means to me is simply to practice something regularly and consistently in a structure that I chose on my own volition (or my community), and make it a priority, make time for it.

For example, without discipline, we wouldn’t brush our teeth. But because we don’t like getting drilled, we decide to give some of our time to the discipline of brushing our teeth. (Kristina shares her thoughts) 
For me, when I was a teenager, I wanted the benefits of meditation, such as peace, and equanimity, but I did not have the discipline, or some might say, serious enough intent and humility to practice regularly.
I didn’t realize how serious I would need to take the practice in order to really start transforming my afflictions etc. Now I’m not saying meditation is a serious practice, simply saying that we do need to take our practice seriously, but then enjoy and take joy in the practice. You can have both serious and joy at the same time, recognizing these opposites can co-exist at the same time is part of maturity.
Back then, I’d sit whenever I felt like it, do it with eyes closed, try multiple meditations traditions and practices at once, didn’t seek out a mentor, read a lot, etc. (Kristina shares her thoughts)
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 36:24 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-034-the-benefits-of-self-discipline-in-a-meditation-practice/ Mon, 12 Oct 2015 05:24:00 +0000 7e791abf86fb1573769c49713388dbba https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-034-the-benefits-of-self-discipline-in-a-meditation-practice/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-034-the-benefits-of-self-discipline-in-a-meditation-practice/feed/ 0 <p>The Challenge of a Daily Meditation Practice/Discipline Like a beautiful flower full of color but without fragrance, even so, fruitless are the fair words of one who does not practice them. Dhammapada With sustained effort and sincerity disci…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-034-the-benefits-of-self-discipline-in-a-meditation-practice/">MF 034 – The Benefits of Self-Discipline in a Meditation Practice</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Challenge of a Daily Meditation Practice/Discipline Like a beautiful flower full of color but without fragrance, even so, fruitless are the fair words of one who does not practice them. Dhammapada With sustained effort and sincerity disci… <br /> The Challenge of a Daily Meditation Practice/Discipline <br /> <br /> Like a beautiful flower full of color but without fragrance, even so, fruitless are the fair words of one who does not practice them. Dhammapada <br /> <br /> With sustained effort and sincerity disci... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/reducing-destructive-behaviors-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-in-schools-with-laura-bekosh/ Mon, 05 Oct 2015 03:41:00 +0000 fae2bad920939c0feac732a573c19a3c https://meditationfreedom.com/reducing-destructive-behaviors-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-in-schools-with-laura-bekosh/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/reducing-destructive-behaviors-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-in-schools-with-laura-bekosh/feed/ 0 <p>MF 33 – Reducing Destructive Behaviors Like Bullying by Using Mindfulness in Schools with Laura Bekosh About Laura Bekosh Laura obtained a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and has spent more than five years researching the acad…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/reducing-destructive-behaviors-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-in-schools-with-laura-bekosh/">Reducing Destructive Behaviors Like Bullying by Using Mindfulness in Schools with Laura Bekosh</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 33 – Reducing Destructive Behaviors Like Bullying by Using Mindfulness in Schools with Laura Bekosh About Laura Bekosh Laura obtained a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and has spent more than five years researching the acad… MF 33 - Reducing Destructive Behaviors Like Bullying by Using Mindfulness in Schools with Laura Bekosh<br /> About Laura Bekosh<br /> Laura obtained a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and has spent more than five years researching the acad... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-33-reducing-destructive-behaviors-in-schools-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-with-laura-bakosh/ Mon, 05 Oct 2015 03:11:23 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=1011 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-33-reducing-destructive-behaviors-in-schools-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-with-laura-bakosh/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-33-reducing-destructive-behaviors-in-schools-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-with-laura-bakosh/feed/ 0 <p>MF 33 – Simple and Highly Effective Ways to Reduce Destructive Behaviors like Gun Violence and Bullying in Schools using Mindfulness with Laura Bakosh About Laura Bakosh Laura obtained a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and has spent more than five years researching the academic and behavioral effects of mindful-awareness practices on children […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-33-reducing-destructive-behaviors-in-schools-like-bullying-by-using-mindfulness-with-laura-bakosh/">MF 33 – Simple and Highly Effective Ways to Reduce Destructive Behaviors like Bullying in Schools using Mindfulness with Laura Bakosh</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 33 – Simple and Highly Effective Ways to Reduce Destructive Behaviors like Gun Violence and Bullying in Schools using Mindfulness with Laura Bakosh About Laura Bakosh Laura obtained a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and has s... About Laura Bakosh
Laura obtained a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University and has spent more than five years researching the academic and behavioral effects of mindful-awareness practices on children in k-12 schools. She has a Bachelors Degree in Business fromp Boston College and worked for 20 years in large, multinational companies, including Northern Telecom, EMC and GE. She was trained as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness and co-developed the audio-guided Inner Explorer Programs. She has had a personal mindful awareness practice for more than 21 years.
Laura discovered the benefits of mindful awareness more than 20 years ago when she was trying to manage the stress of travel and long workdays. While working at GE, Laura had the insight to share her mindful awareness practice with hundreds of fellow employees. Upon seeing the many positive results the daily practice had on performance, creativity, and wellbeing, she realized it would be the perfect fit for education.
The practices can help children navigate the ups and downs of life with resilience, alleviating stress and anxiety, and can help them focus, allowing them to be ‘ready to learn’. — all with compassion, openness, and love. She can hardly wait for the first generation of kids going through this program to reach adulthood! Laura received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College and a Doctoral Degree in Psychology from Sofia University. She was trained as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts.
When not working, Laura loves to spend time with family and friends, especially with her husband Rick and son Will. She loves being outside, which is much easier now that she moved from Illinois to Florida, going for a bike ride, running with her dog Scout, kayaking, or playing tennis.
About Inner Explorer
Laura Co-Founded Inner Explorer with Janice L. Houlihan. Inner Explorer’s Vision is to inspire people to develop a daily mindful awareness practice, leading to a more compassionate, joyful, healthful, loving and peaceful world. They accomplish this by providing programs and tools, for children and their families worldwide, that inspire a daily mindful awareness practice. This practice will help lead the children and teens towards their highest potential by bolstering academic performance, creativity, social & emotional aptitude and well-being.
Laura Bakosh Interview Transcript
What follows is a summarized partial transcript. Listen to the audio to get the full conversation.
 
How did you get started with Meditation and Mindfulness?

Laura came to it in 1994 to manage the stress of long hours and travel when working for GE.  She felt stressed out very often, not eating and sleeping well, unraveling and reactive.

She started reading about stress reduction, and one of the books was from John Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are. She found this incredibly eye opening. So then went to a retreat, and became very committed to practicing everyday. Started to notice lots of positive changes. She started feeling better, sleeping better, a lot more calm and level.

She continued to practice, and went to several training classes and retreats. As her colleagues began noticing changes in her, she realized it might help them too. She introduced MBSR to GE in 2001. Lisa Grady, an MBSR instructor created a program called the “Corporate Athlete”. Lisa conducted several retreats for the team and helped them develop a personal practice through audio-guided tape...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 49:48 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-32-mindfulness-and-meditation-in-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/ Mon, 28 Sep 2015 05:07:00 +0000 df406840e2c00201f1f35718fd55e06e https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-32-mindfulness-and-meditation-in-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-32-mindfulness-and-meditation-in-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/feed/ 0 <p>Alan Brown is a Dean at Grace Church School in New York City, where he also leads the 9th-12th grade mindfulness program as well as the parent mindfulness program. Alan has taught in both public and private settings as a humanities instructor, and has…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-32-mindfulness-and-meditation-in-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/">MF 32 – Mindfulness and Meditation in Schools and Education with Alan Brown</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Alan Brown is a Dean at Grace Church School in New York City, where he also leads the 9th-12th grade mindfulness program as well as the parent mindfulness program. Alan has taught in both public and private settings as a humanities instructor, and has… Alan Brown is a Dean at Grace Church School in New York City, where he also leads the 9th-12th grade mindfulness program as well as the parent mindfulness program. Alan has taught in both public and private settings as a humanities instructor, and has... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mindful-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/ Thu, 24 Sep 2015 03:38:03 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=985 https://meditationfreedom.com/mindful-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mindful-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/feed/ 2 <p>Mindfulness in Schools and Education with Alan Brown Alan Brown is a Dean at Grace Church School in New York City, where he also leads the 9th-12th grade mindfulness program as well as the parent mindfulness program.  Alan has taught in both public and private settings as a humanities instructor, and has worked with many […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mindful-schools-and-education-with-alan-brown/">Ep 32 – Mindfulness in Schools and Education with Alan Brown</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Mindfulness in Schools and Education with Alan Brown Alan Brown is a Dean at Grace Church School in New York City, where he also leads the 9th-12th grade mindfulness program as well as the parent mindfulness program.
Mindfulness in Schools and Education with Alan Brown
Alan Brown is a Dean at Grace Church School in New York City, where he also leads the 9th-12th grade mindfulness program as well as the parent mindfulness program.  Alan has taught in both public and private settings as a humanities instructor, and has worked with many other schools andp districts as a trainer for GLSEN (the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network).  In addition to his academic degrees in the humanities from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago and a Fulbright Fellowship to Italy, Alan holds additional certifications in teaching mindfulness, positive psychology, and yoga. He works with schools as well as with families to help bring mindfulness into the lives of youth and their caregivers.

What follows is a summarized transcript. Listen to the audio to get the full conversation.

Interview with Alan Brown
How did you get started with a meditation practice (Mindfulness Schools recommended I talk with you)

Alan got started by way of his Yoga practice and Yoga teacher training, in which he started to get more familiar with meditation through a sitting component. He got more familiar then with the contemplative practice.

At the time he was working in high schools, he was then teaching in a particular high-anxiety, high stress high achieving school population. He realized this makes so much sense, both in terms of how he was feeling, he found himself craving a lot more stillness. And of course with the kids spinning their wheels and going nuts and feeling this would be helpful practice for them too.

It wasn’t really until he wanted to share this practice with his students that he felt he had to learn to deepen his own practice first.

Just out of curiosity, what type of yoga were you practicing?

Vinyasa Yoga (also called flow or “breath-synchronized movement”)

So you were already doing an already more deep type of yoga practice then say power yoga. 

Yes, in his practice although 100% movement based, it was already contemplative, and exploring the inner landscape.

 Were there aha moments, or particular experiences that you had that convinced you what direction to go next with this?

In terms of what he’s doing now, for Alan who loves teaching. With mindful schools he did their yearlong training program. And their yearlong program really emphasizes the teacher’s personal practice as an intervention in the school.

The notion that your presence, your ability to be non-reactive, to find calm, and show up in that way for your colleagues, peers, the people you work with, talking to, is already something of importance already. That was huge for Alan.

So his first Aha moment in his first retreat, they weren’t allowed to talk about the kids. When they came out of silence. The premise was, let’s just talk about our personal practice. As caregivers and educators, they’re really in a rush to talk about how this will work in a classroom, or how you can do this with other people. You can’t poor from an empty cup. 

That was a big moment for him, and continues to resonate as his sort of philosophical alignment to what he’s doing. You bring a calm and steady presence first. Then I can also share our practice with you. But that comes from a place of trying to create a certain energy in my own person, in the room, and work from there.  

Yes, like Ghandi said, you have to “Be that change” first if you want to affect others . 
So then when you got to this meditation practice, how did you end up utilizing “Mindful Schools”?

His interest at the time was with stress specifically.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 51:56 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-31-from-rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-entrepeneur-jason-garner/ Sun, 13 Sep 2015 18:00:00 +0000 5f705c4e57722a1934a269289e55f183 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-31-from-rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-entrepeneur-jason-garner/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-31-from-rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-entrepeneur-jason-garner/feed/ 0 <p>Jason Garner spent the first 37 years of his life, “running through life holding his breath”. Raised by a single mom, moving from house to house, working really hard in school and later in business, he believed, “that to be loved I had to be the best. …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-31-from-rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-entrepeneur-jason-garner/">MF 31 – From Rags to Riches to Opening the Heart with Entrepeneur Jason Garner</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Jason Garner spent the first 37 years of his life, “running through life holding his breath”. Raised by a single mom, moving from house to house, working really hard in school and later in business, he believed, “that to be loved I had to be the best. … Jason Garner spent the first 37 years of his life, "running through life holding his breath". Raised by a single mom, moving from house to house, working really hard in school and later in business, he believed, "that to be loved I had to be the best. ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-jason-garner/ Sun, 13 Sep 2015 02:57:27 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=963 https://meditationfreedom.com/rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-jason-garner/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-jason-garner/feed/ 2 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/rags-to-riches-to-opening-the-heart-with-jason-garner/">Ep 31 – From Rags to Riches to Opening the Heart with Jason Garner</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 45:30 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post Ep 31 – From Rags to Riches to Opening the Heart with Jason Garner appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post Ep 31 – From Rags to Riches to Opening the Heart with Jason Garner appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati/ Tue, 08 Sep 2015 05:40:30 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=952 https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati/feed/ 0 <p>Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-Simplicity Hermitage in Hendersonville, NC. A black, female Buddhist monk ordained in the Theravada and Mahayana traditions with Vajrayana empowerments and transmission from Roshi Bernie Glassman of Zen Peacemakers, she is both contemplative and empowered for compassionate service.  An international teacher, she advocates […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati/">Ep 30 – Liberation from Mental Suffering with Buddhist Female Monk Ven Pannavati</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-Simplicity Hermitage in Hendersonville, NC. A black, female Buddhist monk ordained in the Theravada and Mahayana traditions with Vajrayana empowerments and transmiss... An international teacher, she advocates on behalf of disempowered women and youth globally, and insists on equality and respect in Buddhist life for both female monastics and lay sangha. She was a 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Buddhist Women’s Award. 
In 2009, she received a special commendation from the Princess of Thailand for Humanitarian Acts and she ordained Thai Bhikkhunis, on Thai soil with Thai monks as witnesses. 
In May 2010 she convened a platform of Bhikkhunis to ordain the first 10 Cambodian Samaneris in a Cambodian temple, witnessed by Cambodian abbots including Maha Thera Ven. Dhammathero Sao Khon, President of the Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks of the USA. 
Ven. Pannavati continues to visit Thailand each year, ordaining, training, offering support for the nuns and assisting in their projects.  In 2013 she arranged for 500 books to be sent to both elementary and secondary schools in Rayong.  She is also raising funds to improve security at the compounds, as this is an utmost concern in some areas of Thailand.
Pannavati is a founding circle director of Sisters of Compassionate Wisdom, a 21st century trans-lineage Buddhist Order and Sisterhood formed by Ani Drubgyuma in 2006.  
In 2011, Venerable adopted 10 “untouchable” villages in India, vowing to help them establish an egalitarian community based on Buddhist principles of conduct and livelihood, providing wells, books, teachers and micro-loans for women.  Approximately 30,000 people live in these villages.  She has sent funds to complete their first educational center.
Ven. Pannavati founded My Place, Inc. in Hendersonville, NC, which has housed more than 75 homeless youth between the ages of 17 and 23 over the past 4 years. That effort has evolved into a separate 501(c)(3) which has its own academic platform, jobs training program, residential program and social enterprise, My Gluten Free Bread Company.
She remains committed to advocacy for the homeless, sick and disenfranchised, those who are marginalized, abused, neglected and unloved. She loves the Dhamma, lives the Dhamma and teaches the Dhamma internationally.
Note: Following is a transcript (not word for word) of the podcast interview.
Interview with Ven. Pannavati
What brought you to where you are today?
She’s asked that question a lot since she used to be a Christian pastor. There didn’t used to be much meditation in Christian practice, but now there is some contemplative time in the Christian diaspora. She didn’t have a problem with God or Jesus, but she did have a problem with you.
She found a disconnect between the heart and her mind.
There were modes of being that she wanted to abandon.
The short version is that she began to pray and ask for guidance on what she needed to do. And the answer she got, was that she needed to look outside of Christianity. That there was another way to find or come into a place that she was seeking.
It took her some 15 years, before she found the Dharma. She loved the reading.
She needed to rely on herself  to come into the fullness of who she is. If she did this work, then she could transform and do what she wanted to do. Learning meditation was easy for Pannavati. But she used to sit in silence waiting for an answer from the Lord, but now she could become aware in silence of pure presence.
With presence she found a certain wisdom comes with that. She learned that she could enter into a space where everything becomes clear. There is a settledness and clarity of heart.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 55:34 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati-2/ Tue, 08 Sep 2015 05:33:00 +0000 7f7b3eb7e8f8a7c7cc9d93abe0669f69 https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati-2/feed/ 0 <p>Ep 30 – Liberation from Mental Suffering with Buddhist Female Monk Ven Pannavati This is a summary of the podcast interview, not a full word-for-word transcript. Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-S…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-30-liberation-from-mental-suffering-with-buddhist-female-monk-ven-pannavati-2/">Ep 30 – Liberation from Mental Suffering with Buddhist Female Monk Ven Pannavati</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Ep 30 – Liberation from Mental Suffering with Buddhist Female Monk Ven Pannavati This is a summary of the podcast interview, not a full word-for-word transcript. Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-S… Ep 30 - Liberation from Mental Suffering with Buddhist Female Monk Ven Pannavati<br /> This is a summary of the podcast interview, not a full word-for-word transcript.<br /> Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-S... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-thoughts-and-tips-for-cultivating-gratitude/ Sun, 30 Aug 2015 18:39:05 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=940 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-thoughts-and-tips-for-cultivating-gratitude/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-thoughts-and-tips-for-cultivating-gratitude/feed/ 2 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-thoughts-and-tips-for-cultivating-gratitude/">MF 29 – Thoughts and Tips for Cultivating Gratitude</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 30:54 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 29 – Thoughts and Tips for Cultivating Gratitude appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post MF 29 – Thoughts and Tips for Cultivating Gratitude appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-why-gratitude-mindfulness-practice-with-kristina-and-sicco/ Sun, 30 Aug 2015 18:21:00 +0000 c1ab55461c7677bd18e56d1be0c06695 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-why-gratitude-mindfulness-practice-with-kristina-and-sicco/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-why-gratitude-mindfulness-practice-with-kristina-and-sicco/feed/ 0 <p>Episode 29 – Thoughts and Tips for Cultivating Gratitude. Kristina and myself talk about how we both practice gratitude through the week. For example Kristina looks at the dogs and feels gratitude, and learns from them, from their joyous being, their …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-29-why-gratitude-mindfulness-practice-with-kristina-and-sicco/">MF 29 – Why Gratitude Mindfulness Practice with Kristina and Sicco</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Episode 29 – Thoughts and Tips for Cultivating Gratitude. Kristina and myself talk about how we both practice gratitude through the week. For example Kristina looks at the dogs and feels gratitude, and learns from them, from their joyous being, their … Episode 29 - Thoughts and Tips for Cultivating Gratitude.<br /> Kristina and myself talk about how we both practice gratitude through the week. For example Kristina looks at the dogs and feels gratitude, and learns from them, from their joyous being, their ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/silent-illumination/ Sun, 02 Aug 2015 17:02:40 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=904 https://meditationfreedom.com/silent-illumination/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/silent-illumination/feed/ 0 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/silent-illumination/">EP 28 – Silent Illumination – What is the function of serenity and stillness?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 23:16 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post EP 28 – Silent Illumination – What is the function of serenity and stillness? appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post EP 28 – Silent Illumination – What is the function of serenity and stillness? appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-28-silent-illumination-and-rolling-thunder/ Sun, 02 Aug 2015 16:53:00 +0000 e7a3103b680b337984de976e3bf75447 https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-28-silent-illumination-and-rolling-thunder/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-28-silent-illumination-and-rolling-thunder/feed/ 0 <p>In this episode I talk a little about Silent Illumination and play a segment of Rolling Thunder in the lower Sonoran desert. Read more</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-28-silent-illumination-and-rolling-thunder/">Ep 28 – Silent Illumination and Rolling Thunder</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> In this episode I talk a little about Silent Illumination and play a segment of Rolling Thunder in the lower Sonoran desert. Read more In this episode I talk a little about Silent Illumination and play a segment of Rolling Thunder in the lower Sonoran desert. <br /> <br /> Read more Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-amanda-gilbert-meditation-and-mindfulness-researcher-at-ucsf/ Mon, 13 Jul 2015 04:37:58 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=865 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-amanda-gilbert-meditation-and-mindfulness-researcher-at-ucsf/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-amanda-gilbert-meditation-and-mindfulness-researcher-at-ucsf/feed/ 0 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-amanda-gilbert-meditation-and-mindfulness-researcher-at-ucsf/">MF 27 – Amanda Gilbert – Meditation and Mindfulness Researcher at UCSF</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 34:20 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 27 – Amanda Gilbert – Meditation and Mindfulness Researcher at UCSF appeared first on Meditation Freedom.The post MF 27 – Amanda Gilbert – Meditation and Mindfulness Researcher at UCSF appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-meditation-and-mindfulness-research-with-amanda-gilbert/ Mon, 13 Jul 2015 04:34:00 +0000 9897edb2b93ca4fb11db594c666232e1 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-meditation-and-mindfulness-research-with-amanda-gilbert/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-meditation-and-mindfulness-research-with-amanda-gilbert/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Amanda Gilbert – Meditation and Mindfulness Research Amanda Gilbert is the Executive Director for the Sugar Stress Environment and Weight Center and a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Aging Metabolism and Emotions Center at the Univ…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-27-meditation-and-mindfulness-research-with-amanda-gilbert/">MF 27 – Meditation and Mindfulness Research with Amanda Gilbert</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Amanda Gilbert – Meditation and Mindfulness Research Amanda Gilbert is the Executive Director for the Sugar Stress Environment and Weight Center and a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Aging Metabolism and Emotions Center at the Univ… Interview with Amanda Gilbert - Meditation and Mindfulness Research Amanda Gilbert is the Executive Director for the Sugar Stress Environment and Weight Center and a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Aging Metabolism and Emotions Center at the Univ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-26-how-to-bring-meditation-and-mindfulness-into-the-workplace-without-weirdness/ Mon, 06 Jul 2015 06:00:00 +0000 d6ec0129044a0998084d83b69bdbf29a https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-26-how-to-bring-meditation-and-mindfulness-into-the-workplace-without-weirdness/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-26-how-to-bring-meditation-and-mindfulness-into-the-workplace-without-weirdness/feed/ 0 <p>In this post I would like to share some practical ideas for how you can easily bring meditation into your daily work life. This might be especially helpful if your current workplace does not have a dedicated meditation room, or higher level endorsement…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-26-how-to-bring-meditation-and-mindfulness-into-the-workplace-without-weirdness/">MF 26 – How to Bring Meditation and Mindfulness into the Workplace (Without Weirdness!)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> In this post I would like to share some practical ideas for how you can easily bring meditation into your daily work life. This might be especially helpful if your current workplace does not have a dedicated meditation room, or higher level endorsement… In this post I would like to share some practical ideas for how you can easily bring meditation into your daily work life. This might be especially helpful if your current workplace does not have a dedicated meditation room, or higher level endorsement... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/work-meditation/ Sat, 04 Jul 2015 20:53:42 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=458 https://meditationfreedom.com/work-meditation/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/work-meditation/feed/ 0 <p>In this post I would like to share some practical ideas for how you can easily bring meditation into your daily work life. This might be especially helpful if your current workplace does not have a dedicated meditation room, or higher level endorsement of this beneficial practice. I’ll show you how you can incorporate, “mini”-meditations […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/work-meditation/">MF 26 – How to Easily Bring Meditation into Your Workplace!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> In this post I would like to share some practical ideas for how you can easily bring meditation into your daily work life. This might be especially helpful if your current workplace does not have a dedicated meditation room, I’ll show you how you can incorporate, “mini”-meditations and mindfulness at your place of work, without having to look weird, or needing a, “meditation room”.
This said, having a dedicated meditation room in the workplace would of course be a great asset and high level endorsement of wellness!
I don’t have Time to Meditate at Work!
You may think that you don’t have time to meditate at work! Sure, most of us don’t have dedicated chunks of time during the day to practice formal meditation.
No problem! Lets break down a workday, and see how you can get the benefits from meditation during your workday. Some simple techniques can help you stay fresh throughout the day, and also help you through that afternoon slump.
Most of our jobs involves a lot of sedentary sitting at a computer. But you still get up to go to meetings, or get some water, get your lunch, pick up your mail, go to the restroom, etc. Each of those transitions are opportunities for a quick mini-meditation!
A meditation does not need to be a certain number of minutes or a designated time to be of benefit.
Don’t take my word for it. Try it out and verify with your own experience right now!
Try this Mini-Meditation!

* If you are sitting in an office, straighten your back if possible, with your head and ears in alignment with your shoulders.
* Put your feet flat on the ground and feel the connection of your feet to the ground.
* Lay your hands on your lap, so that your shoulders can totally relax.
* Check your breathing, let the breathing relax as well.
* Now close your eyes, especially if your screen is still on.
* Take just 10 deep and conscious breaths, not hurrying it, or slowing it down on purpose, just 10 relaxed breaths.
* Count on each in breath, so that for each in, and out-breath, it counts as one.  You can count to 5 (each in and out breath counting as one, next in breath and out breath, count as 2, and so on until your count is at 5 or 10, then return back to one).
* Add another 10 if you have another minute!

After you have opened your eyes, tell me you don’t feel just a little bit better!
In all likelihood these 10 breaths took you about a minute of your time. Now imagine doing this multiple times a day, maybe once an hour, and you start to see how this feeling of relaxation and recharging and refreshed clarity might benefit your day at work and into the evening and next day.
Breaking Down a Work Day
So, let’s take a workday and break it down to see where you can squeeze in some mini-meditations.
Going to Work
First going to work. Most of us get into a car, or you get into the subway, or perhaps you are walking or biking to work.
All of these transitions give you an opportunity to meditate if even only for a few breaths.
Car Meditation
In the case of your car, be mindful of getting in the car and sitting down. Why not close your eyes and take 3-10 breaths before cranking the engine? Try it, and you will find yourself more intentional and conscious behind the wheel, which will also keep you safer and more awake on the road.
Now say you’re driving, if you like to listen to the radio, you could once in a while hit the pause button, or take a break from listening to the radio (maybe during a commercial) and again breathe consciously for 5 or 10 breaths at a time (there is more distraction while driving, so 10 breaths will be harder to keep track of at the same time you’re trying to be focused on driving.)
Another opportunity to do this simple breath meditation,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 32:53 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-from-the-daily-zen-talks-about-his-meditation-journey/ Mon, 29 Jun 2015 03:59:07 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=838 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-from-the-daily-zen-talks-about-his-meditation-journey/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-from-the-daily-zen-talks-about-his-meditation-journey/feed/ 0 <p>MF 25 – Charlie Ambler from The Daily Zen Talks about his Meditation Journey Note: This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview. What brought you to a meditation practice? Charlie describes himself growing up as a rather impulsive and anxious. His grandmother (a music historian) interviewed John Cage, the composer at […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-from-the-daily-zen-talks-about-his-meditation-journey/">MF 25 – The Daily Zen Creator Charlie Ambler Talks about his Meditation Journey</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 25 – Charlie Ambler from The Daily Zen Talks about his Meditation Journey Note: This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview. What brought you to a meditation practice? Charlie describes himself growing up as a rather impulsive and anx... Note: This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview.
What brought you to a meditation practice?
Charlie describes himself growing up as a rather impulsive and anxious. His grandmother (a music historian) interviewed John Cage, the composer at one point. He gave her a copy of a book on Zen Buddhism. Charlie ran into the book, as a 13 year old kid, and was curious about it.
He got more and more interested in Buddhism, and started reading more about it online as well. He then started practicing it in his room, the various breathing meditation exercises. He settled on simple and direct method of Zazen Meditation breathing. He’s 22 at the time of this interview, so it’s been about 9 years since he first got interested in Buddhism and meditation.
Charlie finds that if he doesn’t meditate regularly, then he’s more prone to anxiety, destructive ways of thinking and harmful habits. He then feels generally less centered, and less creative.
And what specific practice are you using at this time?
Now he’s doing zazen meditation, or breath counting.
He remembers the old saying,
“Let your thoughts come and go,
but you don’t serve them tea.”
Have you noticed changes in your day to day life?
When he was younger, it was easier to meditate, there was less, a smaller bank of sensory information. Meditation was easier, despite the fact that he was a hyperactive kid. But now with all the reading he’s doing, and responsibilities and things and thoughts that come with adulthood, and the busy life in the big city (New York) he finds it more difficult to practice. But for that reason it is more challenging and rewarding as well. All the more reason why it is so important for him to do it each day.
He practices detaching himself from wanting to get anything out of it. Meditation becomes very difficult when you want to get something out of it.
You get into a chasing mind, which makes it all the harder.  
Yeah you get into thinking about thinking, a circular cycle. Once you allow yourself to step back from  your own thoughts, and get less stressed out. It helps, gives your problems less importance, let them come to pass.
Has your practice changed your outlook on life, you post on your web site how your thinking has changed?
When Charlie started he was reading about meditation he ran into more of a new age corporate way of viewing meditation practice. Like how a meditation practice would allow you to accomplish your goals, do your job really well, etc. But then as he dug deeper into the eastern writing behind meditation, he realized that the Zen school was more talking about divorcing yourself from attachment to expectations and outcomes.
He realized that this was part of this larger concept, well illustrated in Taoist writings, where you step back from something, you have this strange side-effect where you end up achieving it, by stepping back. He then quotes:
By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.
Lao Tzu
Charlie finds that when you practice meditation for a while, you don’t find yourself planning ahead 10 years ahead. He finds himself less trying to achieve things, instead to just do things. The funny contradiction in that is that when you stop caring so much about the results of what you’re doing, you end up doing a ton more. 
Ever since Charlie has really implemented that philosophy, he finds himself far less anxious about starting things. Just throw yourself into things, just do them. The key is to just do things, not care about the results. Learn from them yes. Sometimes the results is just garbage, and sometimes it works out.
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 34:44 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-creator-of-the-daily-zen/ Mon, 29 Jun 2015 04:24:00 +0000 8c92154c9f28286296130164eddd60c7 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-creator-of-the-daily-zen/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-creator-of-the-daily-zen/feed/ 0 <p>MF 25 – Charlie Ambler from The Daily Zen Talks about his Meditation Journey What brought you to a meditation practice? Charlie describes himself as a rather impulsive and anxious person. His grandmother (a music historian) interviewed John Cage, the…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-25-charlie-ambler-creator-of-the-daily-zen/">MF 25 – Charlie Ambler Creator of The Daily Zen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 25 – Charlie Ambler from The Daily Zen Talks about his Meditation Journey What brought you to a meditation practice? Charlie describes himself as a rather impulsive and anxious person. His grandmother (a music historian) interviewed John Cage, the… MF 25 - Charlie Ambler from The Daily Zen Talks about his Meditation Journey<br /> What brought you to a meditation practice?<br /> Charlie describes himself as a rather impulsive and anxious person. His grandmother (a music historian) interviewed John Cage, the... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds/ Mon, 22 Jun 2015 05:05:54 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=831 https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds/feed/ 1 <p>Ep 24 – Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds Kristina used to do diet counseling, and has practiced Zen and TM meditation for a long time. She will be interviewed on this show one of these days, so she can expand on her meditation journey. Please use the comments area below to […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds/">Ep 24 – Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Ep 24 – Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds Kristina used to do diet counseling, and has practiced Zen and TM meditation for a long time. She will be interviewed on this show one of these days, Kristina used to do diet counseling, and has practiced Zen and TM meditation for a long time. She will be interviewed on this show one of these days, so she can expand on her meditation journey. Please use the comments area below to share your thoughts on this meditation.
She would be happy to create another guided meditation, like a specific meditation for dieting if there is interest.
See also below the Youtube version of her ocean meditation.
Resources
 

]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 12:25 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds-2/ Mon, 22 Jun 2015 05:08:00 +0000 43c5dc0fb8734dd39839f66ae53ca4d1 https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds-2/feed/ 0 <p>Ep 24 – Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds Find out more on the show notes here</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/ep-24-guided-meditation-with-kristina-rood-and-ocean-wave-sounds-2/">Ep 24 – Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Ep 24 – Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds Find out more on the show notes here Ep 24 - Guided Meditation with Kristina Rood and Ocean Wave Sounds<br /> <br /> Find out more on the show notes here Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-present-moment-attention-awareness/ Mon, 15 Jun 2015 00:08:01 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=812 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-present-moment-attention-awareness/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-present-moment-attention-awareness/feed/ 2 <p>Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness Cultivation with Sicco This episode deviates from the usual interview episode. Kristina and myself are in a time of transition. We’re moving to another state, hence I thought this would be a bit easier to do than arranging an interview. This is also based on request […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-present-moment-attention-awareness/">MF 23 – Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness Cultivation with Sicco This episode deviates from the usual interview episode. Kristina and myself are in a time of transition. We’re moving to another state, This episode deviates from the usual interview episode.
Kristina and myself are in a time of transition. We’re moving to another state, hence I thought this would be a bit easier to do than arranging an interview. This is also based on request from several listeners. They wanted a guided meditation to listen to from my perspective, so here it is above (click on the link above to download or play directly in the web page).

Please let me know what you think of this episode in the comments below!
Thanks!
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 16:18 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-for-present-moment-to-moment-attention-and-awareness-with-sicco-rood/ Sun, 14 Jun 2015 23:43:00 +0000 e4f6498e38c953ff3c78548c62f637d7 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-for-present-moment-to-moment-attention-and-awareness-with-sicco-rood/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-for-present-moment-to-moment-attention-and-awareness-with-sicco-rood/feed/ 0 <p>Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness with Sicco Rood This deviates from the usual interview episode. However, as Kristina and I were moving to another state, and another house, I thought this would be a bit easier to …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-23-guided-meditation-for-present-moment-to-moment-attention-and-awareness-with-sicco-rood/">MF 23 – Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness with Sicco Rood</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness with Sicco Rood This deviates from the usual interview episode. However, as Kristina and I were moving to another state, and another house, I thought this would be a bit easier to … Guided Meditation for Present Moment to Moment Attention and Awareness with Sicco Rood<br /> This deviates from the usual interview episode. However, as Kristina and I were moving to another state, and another house, I thought this would be a bit easier to ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices/ Sun, 31 May 2015 21:23:43 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=803 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices/feed/ 0 <p>Episode 22 – Solo episode about why I value meditation and mindfulness This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview Good morning, we just had a 4.1 earthquake out here in the Anza-Borrego desert, just as I was towards the end of my half hour meditation session. A reminder that we are […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices/">MF 22 – Solo Episode about Recklessness as a way into Attention, Awareness, and Consciousness Practices</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Episode 22 – Solo episode about why I value meditation and mindfulness This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview Good morning, we just had a 4.1 earthquake out here in the Anza-Borrego desert, This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
Good morning, we just had a 4.1 earthquake out here in the Anza-Borrego desert, just as I was towards the end of my half hour meditation session. A reminder that we are not on solid ground, the ground can be pulled literally underneath us.
Since we’re moving, it is too difficult logistically for me to do interviews, so I will attempt to create a couple of episodes that are different from the usual interview format.
The next week after that, I’ll share an episode with a guided meditation from myself, and one that my wife, Kristina made for Youtube. After that we’ll resume interviews.
I believe there are a number of reasons we start meditating, in this episode I just want to look at one angle. Here is one of the reasons I started meditating, being less reckless.
So one of the things I was thinking to bring up on this episode, is by bringing up something that moved me towards a meditation/mindfulness practice as a teen. I already explored some of the reasons I wanted to learn to meditate in the introduction episode, so for this episode I’ll just explore another piece of this. As you may have noticed by listening to this podcast so far, the reasons people give, why they started a meditation practice are wide ranging, and some will admit that they don’t know for sure, or can pinpoint exactly what or  how it all got started for them.
And for illustrative purposes, and since it will be most accurate if I recount my own experiences, I want to just focus on one of the reasons I likely felt compelled towards a meditation practice.
There were of course positive causes like, why am I here, how can I be a kinder person, but there were also other things that motivated me. While my curiosity for a lot of things is usually beneficial, I can look back and also see how curiosity combined with a tendency for distraction/ self-absorbtion/self-centeredness can also turn into a more destructive force like recklessness, or disregard for others or the environment.
So let’s look a little bit at some of the more destructive reasons that brought me to a mediation path.
I suppose I could be on occasion reckless like most children/teenager growing up. Now I don’t want to paint myself as a little shit, I also was sensitive and didn’t like what we were doing to each other, and animals, and the planet at a young age. I recall not liking it when fellow kids took apart living spiders, and similar things boys primarily seem to be attracted to doing.
I think it is important for me to not just show flattering things, but just to be real, and show that I certainly had good reasons for needing to take a look at my own actions and thoughts.
Some examples of my own recklessness in childhood
I liked adventure, exploring, and had curiosity for a lot of things (which hasn’t changed much by the way). To give you some sense of that, I used to row to this trash heap, and dig through it to find old electronics in particular, and see if I could fix them. And so it happened a couple of times, where I got very intense 220 Volts electrical shocks, because I was taking old defective radios and things apart and then trying to put new plugs in them. This type of curiosity coupled with ignorance and disregard for safety was a form of reckless endangerment to myself.
Another thing I liked was playing with fire literally, whether that was things like lighting an ashtray on fire in the house and running up to my parents upstairs, because I couldn’t completely extinguish it, or lighting trash cans in the park on fire to create interesting effects in the park. Or blowing up an old guitar with fireworks.
One of the things I remember was noticing how I almost always had a cut, or bruise, blister, or something else painful going on,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 24:49 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices-2/ Sun, 31 May 2015 21:24:00 +0000 00fd1851d4e0c506989af51055f6097e https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices-2/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices-2/feed/ 0 <p>Episode 22 – Solo episode about why I value meditation and mindfulness Good morning, we just had a 4.1 earthquake out here in the desert. and I was meditating. A reminder that we are not on solid ground, the ground can be pulled literally undernea…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-22-solo-episode-about-recklessness-as-a-way-into-attention-awareness-and-consciousness-practices-2/">MF 22 – Solo Episode about Recklessness as a Way into Attention Awareness and Consciousness Practices</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Episode 22 – Solo episode about why I value meditation and mindfulness Good morning, we just had a 4.1 earthquake out here in the desert. and I was meditating. A reminder that we are not on solid ground, the ground can be pulled literally undernea… <br /> Episode 22 - Solo episode about why I value meditation and mindfulness<br /> <br /> Good morning, we just had a 4.1 earthquake out here in the desert. and I was meditating. A reminder that we are not on solid ground, the ground can be pulled literally undernea... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-john-martin-zen-student/ Sun, 24 May 2015 17:07:36 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=784 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-john-martin-zen-student/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-john-martin-zen-student/feed/ 0 <p>John Martin Zen Meditation Student John practices in the Zen Buddhist tradition of Robert Aitken (Diamond Sangha) This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview John was attracted to fundamentalist Christianity as a teen for a few years. It did not work for John. He abandoned all religion in his 20’s living […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-john-martin-zen-student/">MF 21 – John Martin Zen Buddhist Student</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> John Martin Zen Meditation Student John practices in the Zen Buddhist tradition of Robert Aitken (Diamond Sangha) This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview John was attracted to fundamentalist Christianity as a teen for a few years. John practices in the Zen Buddhist tradition of Robert Aitken (Diamond Sangha)
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
John was attracted to fundamentalist Christianity as a teen for a few years. It did not work for John. He abandoned all religion in his 20’s living an agnostic/atheist life. He was accepting things that other people were saying, and he decided he was not going to do that again.
He stumbled on a book On Zen by Alan Watts. That caught his attention. Then started to figure out how to meditate, learned a bit from the TM movement.
Did you understand what parts of it?
He did not understand all of it, but he did get non-duality. This was a whole new understanding that opened up for John. He by then had his own meditation practice on and off. Year on, year off kind of practice. He would feel that he would need to get back into it.
Where you attracted to meditation as a way of insight, or as a way to experience something you were looking for?
Maybe more the insight. I got fairly involved in the lead-up to the presidential elections in 2004. When that was all done, and the dust settled, I realized I was full of anger and even hatred towards the chosen political enemies. Then I phoned the Zen Center after finding them online.
Have you found that joining a group is different than meditating alone?
Yes, definitely. Especially the first couple of years, John derived tremendous support from the regular weekly sits, and meditating and support from other people. That whole structure that keeps you on the cushion, and prevents you from a moment of restlessness coming along, and tricking you into jumping up, and doing something else. And the book studies have been very helpful.
So the structure is very helpful too?
Yes, extremely helpful. If you see structure as a means to an end, as a tool, then you wouldn’t see it as limiting or old-fashioned tradition that doesn’t fit the modern era. It’s there to help people.
How has your relationship with those perceived enemies changed at all?
I don’t think my political views have shifted much. My indulging in hatred is way less than it used to be (laughs). So that’s a good thing! The hatred thing, the target is no longer individual people. There are so many facets to a complex society, some not functioning well, sick, very poor design. So a person may get elected to congress.
For example the structure of congress is stacked against you. Very hard to be an awake and honest person, and not get corrupted by the money from the lobbyists and so forth, when you’re in that environment all the time.
So, I guess I’ve shifted from individuals to the system that I perceive as something that is bad.
Do you see that a system can be shifted by individuals or groups, or completely needs to be uprooted or re-designed?
Uprooting is a tempting fantasy, because it is quick. The ultimate expression of that is war. You perceive an enemy, and the best thing is just to eliminate your enemy.
But then you assume of enemy as outside?
Yes, the enemy is all outside, and things good is all in me, and all things bad in someone else.
But to truly have a culture evolving into something healthier, does require the individuals in that culture, become more aware, educated and enlightened.  And developed in a balanced way, where not just our minds, but our hearts are also developed.
Has this way of long-term seeing changed the way you get attached to outcomes?
Perhaps, I understand how to be unattached to outcomes, but more focused on the nature on your actions, is perhaps a more spiritual way to be in the world.
When you practice there is a certain letting go of the desire of certain outcomes, not having strong attachments to certain outcomes, whether in your immediate area,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 31:18 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-zen-student-john-martin-of-the-diamond-sangha-interview/ Sun, 24 May 2015 17:01:00 +0000 20856c1ed769ff5d6d8a66b142e57066 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-zen-student-john-martin-of-the-diamond-sangha-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-zen-student-john-martin-of-the-diamond-sangha-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Zen Buddhist Meditation Student John Martin John practices in the Zen tradtion of Robert Aitken (Diamond Sangha) Was attracted to fundamentalist Christianity as a teen for a few years. It did not work for John. He abandoned all religion in his 20’s …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-21-zen-student-john-martin-of-the-diamond-sangha-interview/">MF 21 Zen Student John Martin of the Diamond Sangha Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Zen Buddhist Meditation Student John Martin John practices in the Zen tradtion of Robert Aitken (Diamond Sangha) Was attracted to fundamentalist Christianity as a teen for a few years. It did not work for John. He abandoned all religion in his 20’s … Zen Buddhist Meditation Student John Martin <br /> John practices in the Zen tradtion of Robert Aitken (Diamond Sangha)<br /> Was attracted to fundamentalist Christianity as a teen for a few years. It did not work for John. He abandoned all religion in his 20's ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-ed-earl-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design/ Sun, 17 May 2015 22:45:12 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=769 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-ed-earl-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-ed-earl-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Ed Earl – Mindfulness and Sustainable Design Ed Earl  is the principal of Priority 1 Projects, a construction project management firm.  Ed has 25 years of construction experience and an MBA from Stanford university.  He is pioneering a new approach to construction project management he terms “collaborative construction” which is based on open communication, […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-ed-earl-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design/">MF 20 – Ed Earl Mindfulness Sustainable Design and Collaborative Construction</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Ed Earl – Mindfulness and Sustainable Design Ed Earl  is the principal of Priority 1 Projects, a construction project management firm.  Ed has 25 years of construction experience and an MBA from Stanford university. Ed Earl  is the principal of Priority 1 Projects, a construction project management firm.  Ed has 25 years of construction experience and an MBA from Stanford university.  He is pioneering a new approach to construction project management he terms “collaborative construction” which is based on open communication, trust and shared objectives – aspects that are often absent in the construction industry.  Ed has been a regular meditator for over 20 years and has been attending meditation retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh since 1997.  Ed is currently the project manager for the construction of a new nunnery complex at Deer Park Monastery in San Diego which incorporates sustainable design and green building techniques including straw bale construction.  
What brought you to a meditation practice?
About 20 years ago in his 30’s Ed went through a period of exploration. He was raised as a catholic. Ed was looking for meaning, and exploring spiritual traditions, in particular Eastern religions. His wife and him spend time in Nepal taking meditation and Yoga classes.
He found a book by Thich Nhat Hanh on walking meditation before his trip to Nepal. Thich Nhat Hanh was having a retreat in Santa Barbara in 1997. That was his first retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, and Ed has since gone on a lot of retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh or in the Plum Village tradition. So most of Ed’s practice is in this tradition/lineage.
Was there anything in this new spiritual practice that you didn’t get from your wisdom tradition that you were brought up in?
He read a book by Thich Nhat Hanh , Living Buddha, Living Christ, which gave him a much deeper understanding of Christianity and Catholicism, that he didn’t get from 12 years of education. Thich Nhat Hanh does a great job of explaining Christ consciousness, putting Christianity and Catholicism in a context that was much more meaningful to Ed.
It’s more about becoming more deeply grounded and connected and strengthened to your root religion or faith.
So at some point in your practice you wanted to apply these mindfulness trainings into your daily life, your career, and this “right livelihood” was a bit of a struggle to integrate right?
Ed took the 5 mindfulness trainings in 1999, they’re guidelines, not commandments that you try to live by. No one can commit to them 100%.
Right livelihood was always a struggle for Ed. He was in construction for 20 years. He was not necessarily in a career that was harmful, or completely out of alignment. Just not necessarily incorporating his mindfulness practices in his profession.
So let that dissonance sit there, and not resolve it as much. It wasn’t until about 2014, where he was asked to help and get involved in a construction project at Deer park monastery in Escondido, a monastery that was created and directed by Thich Nhat Hanh. That was able to show him a way to bring and incorporate right livelihood into his daily life, and his professional career.

Maybe you can explain this a bit more, how you bring mindfulness into your construction job?
One of the mindfulness training is about mindful communications. It’s about deep listening, and loving speech, or mindful communication. And much of construction is not necessarily about deep speech and listening (laughs).
With this project, Ed felt he had the freedom to practice these concepts, since the clients are the monastics who follow the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, so this was a good opportunity for me to practice deep  communications.
Normally, when you have a bid meeting, you meet with each of the candidates privately, and then have them prepare a proposal.
This time they wanted a more collaborative and cooperative...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 44:23 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design-with-ed-earl-interview/ Mon, 18 May 2015 01:02:00 +0000 604969016f8c6cab16d1a137fc71a761 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design-with-ed-earl-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design-with-ed-earl-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Ed Earl – Mindfulness and Sustainable Design Ed Earl is the principal of Priority 1 Projects, a construction project management firm. Ed has 25 years of construction experience and an MBA from Stanford university. He is pioneering a …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-20-mindfulness-and-sustainable-design-with-ed-earl-interview/">MF 20 Mindfulness and Sustainable Design with Ed Earl Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Ed Earl – Mindfulness and Sustainable Design Ed Earl is the principal of Priority 1 Projects, a construction project management firm. Ed has 25 years of construction experience and an MBA from Stanford university. He is pioneering a … Interview with Ed Earl - Mindfulness and Sustainable Design<br /> Ed Earl is the principal of Priority 1 Projects, a construction project management firm. Ed has 25 years of construction experience and an MBA from Stanford university. He is pioneering a ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/ Mon, 11 May 2015 04:51:54 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=750 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Melli O’Brien – Mindfulness Teacher in Australia Melli O’Brien is an internationally-accredited meditation and Satyananda yoga teacher and an MTIA-trained mindfulness teacher. Ms. O’Brien was selected by the Satyananda Mangrove Mountain Ashram (the largest ashram in the southern hemisphere) to teach their mindfulness retreats. She also blogs about mindful living at www.mrsmindfulness.com Below Melli explains what […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/">MF 19 – Melli O’Brien Mindfulness Teacher in Australia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Melli O’Brien – Mindfulness Teacher in Australia Melli O’Brien is an internationally-accredited meditation and Satyananda yoga teacher and an MTIA-trained mindfulness teacher. Ms. O’Brien was selected by the Satyananda Mangrove Mountain ... Melli O’Brien is an internationally-accredited meditation and Satyananda yoga teacher and an MTIA-trained mindfulness teacher. Ms. O’Brien was selected by the Satyananda Mangrove Mountain Ashram (the largest ashram in the southern hemisphere) to teach their mindfulness retreats. She also blogs about mindful living at www.mrsmindfulness.com
Below Melli explains what is mindfulness in her own words on a Youtube video

This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
How did you get started with meditation practice?
Melli looks back and reflects on the pivotal moments in her childhood for forming the beginnings of her interest in meditation. As children we’re good at being in the present moment. She spend a lot of time in alone in nature. Time in nature, contemplating in nature.
When she was about 8 years old, she watched the news, of the Gulf war at that time. And she realized that the adults that she looked up to, that she was going to become like, were really insane, not functioning harmoniously at all. That hit home for her.
Something hit her deeply, it created an existential crisis for her. Coming to terms with her place in the world. It became a slippery slope into depression, and even despair.
As Melli got older, she wondered if it was possible that there are people out there who live in harmony with each other and the planet, who have some wisdom and are not with despair and distress.
She started looking for an answer to see if it was possible to be happy and harmonious. That led her to reading books about comparative religion, self-improvement, to look for answers.
She found answers, and her curiosity was fed.
So you were a teenager at this point right, a few years down the road?
Yes, the depression and despair was getting deeper, and at the same time, I was opening up to the wisdom traditions.
How did that develop into a meditation practice?
She did a course on meditation with her friend in her late teens, and started doing yoga. And she started reading eastern wisdom traditions. She started to get it, that she could investigate her mind, and free herself from the patterns that were causing depression and distress.
Was there a particular meditation practice?
Melli was doing simple breath meditation back then, it has evolved since then, but it is still mostly breath meditation. So it is not so much the technique, but the way that the practice, and the orientation, and attitude of herself, has changed, the ability to simply be. The quality of her practice has evolved a lot, rather than any particular technique.
Did you start noticing the depression de-escalating or dissolving?
It made a huge difference really quickly, because what happened I realized.
That I am not my mind
That was unbelievably liberating.
I am separate from those things that I had been so entangled and so identified with, things that caused her so much suffering.
She was really enthusiastic about utilizing that realization to the best of her ability. She put a lot of effort watching her mind, watching the current of her mind go by, seeing how it worked.
Even simple insights like noticing that when I have bad thoughts, it makes me feel bad. And then choosing to drop it, when I found that it wasn’t serving me.
This was absolutely life-changing, absolutely incredible.
Two things happened there,
1. You have this incredible opportunity for liberation. Seeing the way you get caught up when you’re no longer the witness, you’ve falling in the river of thoughts and emotions. Again and again you can chose to have more and more liberation.
2. The noticing of the fact when I’m not caught up, witnessing, I felt so at home.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 50:29 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-interview-with-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/ Mon, 11 May 2015 03:49:00 +0000 f88566e251fa9d9c1cf680f3966f58a1 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-interview-with-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-interview-with-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/feed/ 0 <p>This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview How did you get started with meditation practice? Melli looks back and reflects on the pivotal moments in her childhood for forming the beginnings of her interest in meditation. As children w…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-19-interview-with-melli-obrien-mindfulness-teacher-in-australia/">MF 19 – Interview with Melli O’Brien – Mindfulness Teacher in Australia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview How did you get started with meditation practice? Melli looks back and reflects on the pivotal moments in her childhood for forming the beginnings of her interest in meditation. As children w… This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview<br /> How did you get started with meditation practice?<br /> Melli looks back and reflects on the pivotal moments in her childhood for forming the beginnings of her interest in meditation. As children w... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-anxious-lawyer-turned-mindful-laywer/ Sun, 03 May 2015 23:45:48 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=736 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-anxious-lawyer-turned-mindful-laywer/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-anxious-lawyer-turned-mindful-laywer/feed/ 0 <p>Jeena Cho of the Resilient Lawyer Jeena Cho is co-founder of JC Law Group PC, a bankruptcy law firm in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the upcoming American Bar Association book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law Practice Using Meditation. She offers training programs on using mindfulness and meditation […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-anxious-lawyer-turned-mindful-laywer/">MF 18 – Jeena Cho – The Anxious Lawyer turns Mindful Laywer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Jeena Cho of the Resilient Lawyer Jeena Cho is co-founder of JC Law Group PC, a bankruptcy law firm in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the upcoming American Bar Association book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Jeena Cho is co-founder of JC Law Group PC, a bankruptcy law firm in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the upcoming American Bar Association book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law Practice Using Meditation. She offers training programs on using mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress while increasing focus and productivity. She’s the co-host of the Resilient Lawyer podcast. You can reach her at smile@theanxiouslawyer.com or on Twitter at @jeena_cho.
How did you get started with a meditation/mindfulness practice?
I started out in the Himalayan institute in 2003, and then fell out of the practice for a couple of years. But the seed was planted in terms of cultivating a meditation practice.
But then about 6 years ago, she did notice she had social anxiety (headaches, backaches, stomach aches, etc). Jeena self-medicated.
She was starting to loose hair when she was getting closer to her wedding. The doctor said there was nothing wrong, all in her head. Same with the psychiatrist. The diagnosed her with social anxiety. Again they prescribed more drugs and anti-depressant. But Jeena didn’t want to go down that path again.
It’s just medication, it’s not a cure, its’ a symptom blocker at best.
She had a friend who told her to go to a treatment program at Stanford.
She had two options:

* Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
* Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction MBSR

She didn’t think CBT would work for, and it did work effectively. She recommends this treatment if you suffer from anxiety.
She signed up for an MBSR course as well, and it was life changing for her. Hard to describe. She’s been a daily meditator since.
What is social anxiety?
Jeena had it in small groups, like self-introductions would cause cold sweats, even talking on the phone. They have you list all the things that cause anxiety. For example with phone anxiety, the therapist does role-play with you on the phone.
As a lawyer don’t you also have to do public speaking type of things? Did being in court cause anxiety?
No, not as much in the court. There is always some anxiety though. Anxiety isn’t all bad. But it can be interpreted in a positive way as well. If you just notice the physical sensation, and being with what is.
So Jeena used it as a front, as a way to sharpen your attention, instead of letting it debilitate you.
Explain MBSR Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction a bit more, what is it like?
Was started by John Kabat-Zinn, who is a researcher at U-Mass. He was noticing that people had a terminal or chronic pain condition. He found the treatment options limited (like pain killers). So he brought this program from Eastern culture, and secularized it, and started using it with patients, who changed their relationship with pain, and coming to terms with the knowledge that you’re going to die. Of course we all have to come to terms with that. So mindfulness can be used as a tool to accept and learn to enjoy more of the days and moments you have left.
With MBSR, Jeena says you’ll learn:

* Mindful eating
* Self compassion
* Being in the present moment, accepting it as it is
* Weekly homework exercise
* Following breath
* Noticing body sensations,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 33:48 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-mindful-and-resilient-lawyer/ Mon, 04 May 2015 02:55:00 +0000 0eaaed0939bf16d7f72bad05d928d633 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-mindful-and-resilient-lawyer/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-mindful-and-resilient-lawyer/feed/ 0 <p>Jeena Cho of the Resilient Lawyer Jeena Cho is co-founder of JC Law Group PC, a bankruptcy law firm in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the upcoming American Bar Association book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-18-jeena-cho-the-mindful-and-resilient-lawyer/">MF-18 – Jeena Cho -The Mindful and Resilient Lawyer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Jeena Cho of the Resilient Lawyer Jeena Cho is co-founder of JC Law Group PC, a bankruptcy law firm in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the upcoming American Bar Association book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law… Jeena Cho of the Resilient Lawyer<br /> Jeena Cho is co-founder of JC Law Group PC, a bankruptcy law firm in San Francisco, CA. She is also the author of the upcoming American Bar Association book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-017-tania-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/ Sun, 26 Apr 2015 23:18:00 +0000 3e321d4abdf7648616753db4ec4be6a0 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-017-tania-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-017-tania-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/feed/ 0 <p>Tania de Jong Tania de Jong AM is a leading Australian soprano, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, spiritual journeywoman and creative innovation catalyst. She founded Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Music Theatre Australia, Pot-Pour…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-017-tania-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/">MF 017 Tania de Jong – Australian Soprano – social entrepreneur, business woman and motivational speaker</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Tania de Jong Tania de Jong AM is a leading Australian soprano, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, spiritual journeywoman and creative innovation catalyst. She founded Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Music Theatre Australia, Pot-Pour… Tania de Jong<br /> Tania de Jong AM is a leading Australian soprano, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, spiritual journeywoman and creative innovation catalyst. She founded Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Music Theatre Australia, Pot-Pour... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-17-tania-karen-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/ Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:10:49 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=711 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-17-tania-karen-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-17-tania-karen-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/feed/ 0 <p>Tania de Jong Tania de Jong AM is a leading Australian soprano, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, spiritual journeywoman and creative innovation catalyst. She founded Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Music Theatre Australia, Pot-Pourri and The Song Room and works with diverse communities through the ‘With One Voice’ choir social inclusion programs. Tania sings around the world […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-17-tania-karen-de-jong-australian-soprano-social-entrepreneur-business-woman-and-motivational-speaker/">MF 17 – Tania de Jong Australian soprano, social entrepreneur, business woman and motivational speaker</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Tania de Jong Tania de Jong AM is a leading Australian soprano, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, spiritual journeywoman and creative innovation catalyst. She founded Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Music Theatre Australia, Tania de Jong AM is a leading Australian soprano, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, spiritual journeywoman and creative innovation catalyst. She founded Creative Universe, Creativity Australia, Music Theatre Australia, Pot-Pourri and The Song Room and works with diverse communities through the ‘With One Voice’ choir social inclusion programs. Tania sings around the world as a soloist and with her group Pot-Pourri releasing 7 CDs. She is Founder and Executive Producer of Creative Innovation Global.
Tania’s TED Talk How Singing Together Changes The Brain has sparked international interest (see Youtube video embedded below). Tania has recently released her solo CD Heaven on Earth.
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview


How did you get started with a meditation practice?
Tania: Yeah, I started with TM, wasn’t very disciplined at it. For me, singing became my meditation.
Singing is an active form of meditation.
When you sing you have no choice but to be totally in the moment.
You have to be conscious of your breath, and you can’t be thinking about anything else. Your body is an instrument. To actually sing sustained sound, you have to keep your breath going. Its’ similar to meditation, having an even exhalation breath, that’s what the sounds sits on.
If you practice hissing, you get a sense of what happens. You need to keep the air flow going.
Did meditation help you with singing?
Tania: Yoga helped as a more active form of meditation. Its hard to sit and meditate.
Sicco: Chanting is a kind of singing meditation in my Zen meditation. Letting my breath sink, use your whole body as an instrument, instead of just the top.
Tania: Yes, changing and singing correctly engages your whole body right. Through mother earth you bring the sound of the earth. Tania feels like she’s breathing all the way from her feet and up. She feels this incredible energy sphere around her body.
Many have trouble unlocking the full potential of their voice. Many folks think of their voice as just above their neck and up. My voice is my voice box. When you do that, You fail to engage the resonating cavities that are in their bodies. Your body is like a resonating instrument. There’s resonators in your chest cavities. Resonate right through your head. Their upper amplifiers.
A lot of people have a very tight jaw, which is another issue that keeps you from from using the full capability of your voice. When you chant or sing, in that passioned way, you start to relax your jaw as well, which allows you to access those resonators more.
You mentioned clenched jaw, there’s psychological boundaries to get through as well.
Yes, it’s all about letting go. The root of your tongue can get hard too. There are certain exercises you can do to gradually release the jaw, let the jaw relax at night.
It’s also about letting go of control. When we’re holding on to issues, wanting control. Instead of Practicing acceptance, we get tight with our jaw, or when we’re afraid. Relaxing that jaw hinge is extremely important. The TMJ (“Temporomandibular Joint”).
Are there other parts of the boy that need to relax as well in order to fully express your voice?
Yes, some folks lift their shoulders up, only breathing in the upper part of their chest cavity. Heave of their chest, you have to learn to breathe at the base of your ribs. I liken it to blowing up a balloon inside your stomach. You blow it up and it is all the way around 360 degrees. When you breathe in your upper part of your chest, that is a stress response, its a fear and panic response.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 46:36 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-ashtanga-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/ Mon, 13 Apr 2015 00:02:51 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=697 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-ashtanga-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-ashtanga-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/feed/ 0 <p>Tom Richter Yoga Instructor and Meditator Tom is a dedicated long-time Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation practitioner. He is a passionate Yoga teacher, inspiring Yoga business & life coach, and whole-food & healthy-living enthusiast, based in Germany. As a Yoga teacher, Tom believes in the benefits of learning yoga through the Mysore style self-practice classes. […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-ashtanga-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/">MF 16 – Tom Richter Ashtanga Yoga Instructor and Meditator</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Tom Richter Yoga Instructor and Meditator Tom is a dedicated long-time Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation practitioner. He is a passionate Yoga teacher, inspiring Yoga business & life coach, and whole-food & healthy-living enthusiast, Tom is a dedicated long-time Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation practitioner. He is a passionate Yoga teacher, inspiring Yoga business & life coach, and whole-food & healthy-living enthusiast, based in Germany.
As a Yoga teacher, Tom believes in the benefits of learning yoga through the Mysore style self-practice classes. He encourages students to develop their personal practice rooted in the Mysore tradition yet incorporating their individual needs.p
Tom studied with many senior Ashtanga Yoga teachers and is grateful for the guidance by his primary teacher Paul Dallaghan, who also initiated him in Pranayama practices in the lineage of the Kaivalyadhama Institute.
He mainly leads a traditional Mysore program and Ashtanga Intensives at GaiaYoga School & Shala in Croatia as well as at phoenixarising, a school for Yoga and consciousness practices in Dresden, Germany, and together with his partner Sandra teaches yoga retreats in India.
As a coach, through applying the principles of Yoga, as well as his experience in business and management, Tom supports and inspires Yoga teachers to become aware of their unique gifts and how to share them successfully with the world. In workshops, online programs and one-on-one-coaching sessions, he offers tools and techniques to aspiring Yoga teachers and practitioners to help them get started and/or stay focused in walking their yoga path while supporting the growth of others through their teachings.
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
How did you end up on a path of Yoga Meditation?
Tom’s brothers both did Yoga, so he got into Yoga based on his brother’s interest of Ashtangha Vinyasa Yoga, and he also broke up with his girlfriend.  He was inspired by David Swensen, a well known Yoga teacher.
He started doing this every day. Because of the emphasis on deep breathing, it makes you go deeper into the practice. He got more into it by reading books about it and started practicing it deeper.
In Ashtangha Vineyasa Yoga (breath aligned yoga) Every movement is aligned to your in-breath and exhalation. There’s never a movement without breath happening.
When you follow those 3 techniques, Ujjayi, Trishti, Bandha, that creates a kind of moving meditation.
For many people starting with sitting meditation is hard. With Ashtangha you go more steps before that. Maybe it is easy to connect, but it is easier to use the body, so by moving the body, you have something to do.
If you keep those 3 things in mind, you don’t have more capacity to think. And that creates this moving meditation.
Additionally you always have the same sequence of postures. You just do the same sequence ideally 6 days a week. This Yoga practice creates kind of a mirror every day where you can see the changes over time. Some days are easy, some days not, some days focused, never the same. But a good reflection that everything is changing, and you just have to accept that.
What changes have you notice over the years from your practice?
Tom got a lot more:

* Calmer
* More aware what he’s doing from waking to going to bed
* More in tune how he feels , what is beneficial and what is not so beneficial, due to this mirror of practice. For example, if you fold yourself in a pretzel position, you will feel it if you had something unwholesome to eat the night before.

If you do constantly something else, like different asana sequences, or different sports, you always have something to distract yourself.
If you always practice the same sequence, you really start to appreciate more detail. You start to feel, because it is always the same, you can see where your resistances or emotional distractions are. You can then relate that to your life, like an argument with your friend, or boss.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 50:00 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/ Sun, 12 Apr 2015 23:28:00 +0000 8ad44c184722e0ad426b6b6e1b371be7 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/feed/ 0 <p>Tom Richter Yoga Instructor and Meditator Tom is a dedicated long-time Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation practitioner. He is a passionate Yoga teacher, inspiring Yoga business & life coach, and whole-food & healthy-living enthusiast, bas…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-16-tom-richter-yoga-instructor-and-meditator/">MF 16 – Tom Richter Yoga Instructor and Meditator</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Tom Richter Yoga Instructor and Meditator Tom is a dedicated long-time Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation practitioner. He is a passionate Yoga teacher, inspiring Yoga business & life coach, and whole-food & healthy-living enthusiast, bas… Tom Richter Yoga Instructor and Meditator<br /> Tom is a dedicated long-time Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation practitioner. He is a passionate Yoga teacher, inspiring Yoga business & life coach, and whole-food & healthy-living enthusiast, bas... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-interview-with-michel-dion-headspace-meditation-practitioner-and-leadership-expert/ Mon, 06 Apr 2015 04:26:10 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=677 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-interview-with-michel-dion-headspace-meditation-practitioner-and-leadership-expert/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-interview-with-michel-dion-headspace-meditation-practitioner-and-leadership-expert/feed/ 2 <p>Michel Dion is a CPA and PMP who spent his life in the business world.  He has developed a website on project management, called Project-Aria.  The name of the website is a mix between his interest for music and project management.  He likes to live life fully and passionately.  Yet, someone he discovered meditation and […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-interview-with-michel-dion-headspace-meditation-practitioner-and-leadership-expert/">MF 15 – Interview with Michel Dion – Headspace Meditation Practitioner and Leadership Expert</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Michel Dion is a CPA and PMP who spent his life in the business world.  He has developed a website on project management, called Project-Aria.  The name of the website is a mix between his interest for music and project management. Michel Dion is a CPA and PMP who spent his life in the business world.  He has developed a website on project management, called Project-Aria.  The name of the website is a mix between his interest for music and project management.  He likes to live life fully and passionately.  Yet, someone he discovered meditation and the power of the discipline in all dimensions of his life.

Michel also recently published a book called Leadership Toolbox for Project Managers.  In the book, he has included the importance of self-awareness and development of the leader as a person as part of leadership skills.

This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
In this podcast we have a conversation about how Michel Dion:

* Got started meditating because of too many thoughts and not sleeping much anymore at night.
* Michel became an “accidental meditator“.
* He is great at solving problems, but it started affecting his family life. He started seeing his friends get burned out by overwork, as well as develop depression. Now in his early 40’s, he couldn’t bounce back from the lack of sleep as much as when he was young.
* He was attracted to start meditating after watching a BBC documentary, Michael Mosley’s Horizon: The Truth About Personality (BBC Two) in which  Mosley tries mindfulness meditation based on scientific findings about our personalities. And see if he could influence his more pessimistic and insomnia prone personality. He wanted to see if he could change his brain less anxious. They found that the right side of his brain was more active than the left side, which also created an imbalance. A combination of cognitive training and mindfulness training was used to help him change his brain. See, “Can Science Explain Why I’m a Pessimist?“
* Michel was inspired by these findings, and also wanted to learn this meditation, so he got the Headspace app by Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk.
* He needed to start with guided meditation. Very useful, otherwise he would have felt lost. He doesn’t consider himself spiritual.
* He also noticed more and more projects as he grew in his career, and he was never in the moment any longer. He’d be at work, as well as with his wife, and always thinking either about work or other things. He couldn’t be present any longer. Starting to lose focus.

As a result of a regular meditation practice:

* He found that the meditation helped him be more productive at work.
* Better and more real connection with his wife and kids.
* He found this important enough, that he mentioned meditation, requirement for self-awareness as a leader in the beginning of his book on Business, Project Management, and Leadership, rather than an afterthought. Taking care of yourself.

At the time of this interview..
He still practices regularly using head-space, listens to podcasts (this one, and Tara Brach’s Podcast), and reads about meditation.

* Michel is learning how to meditate without the assistance of guided meditation, or apps. He plans on adding unguided meditation to his practice.
* Michel had to unlearn some preconceived notions and pressures about what meditation is supposed to be like. Typical misconceptions propagated:

* “You can stop all thoughts!”
* “Real meditators are always 100% peaceful and happy!]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 53:23 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-michel-dion-business-executive-headspace-meditation-practitioner-interview/ Mon, 06 Apr 2015 03:29:00 +0000 64462a30f31d6634463d1794a50cdc73 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-michel-dion-business-executive-headspace-meditation-practitioner-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-michel-dion-business-executive-headspace-meditation-practitioner-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Michel Dion is a CPA and PMP who spent his life in the business world. He has developed a website on project management, called Project-Aria. The name of the website is a mix between his interest for music and project management. He …</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-15-michel-dion-business-executive-headspace-meditation-practitioner-interview/">MF 15 – Michel Dion – Business Executive Headspace Meditation Practitioner Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Michel Dion is a CPA and PMP who spent his life in the business world. He has developed a website on project management, called Project-Aria. The name of the website is a mix between his interest for music and project management. He … <br /> [powerpress]<br /> Michel Dion is a CPA and PMP who spent his life in the business world. He has developed a website on project management, called Project-Aria. The name of the website is a mix between his interest for music and project management. He ... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-deer-park-buddhist-mindfulness-community/ Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:55:50 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=646 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-deer-park-buddhist-mindfulness-community/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-deer-park-buddhist-mindfulness-community/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Kenley Neufeld of the Deer Park Buddhist Mindfulness Community. Kenley was ordained in 2005 by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay-practitioner in the Order of Interbeing with the dharma name, True Recollection of Joy. Kenley received the Lamp of Wisdom, permission to teach, from Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012. This is a summary (not a […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-deer-park-buddhist-mindfulness-community/">MF 14 – Kenley Neufeld – Deer Park Buddhist Mindfulness Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Kenley Neufeld of the Deer Park Buddhist Mindfulness Community. Kenley was ordained in 2005 by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay-practitioner in the Order of Interbeing with the dharma name, True Recollection of Joy. Order of Interbeing with the dharma name, True Recollection of Joy. Kenley received the Lamp of Wisdom, permission to teach, from Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012.
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
What brought you to a meditation practice?
How did you get started with meditation?
Kenley took a world religion class in the late 80’s. Then in the 90’s he’d been participating in 12-step recovery process in San Francisco where he lived at the time. The program had a meditation portion. He then went to a Zen Center, and didn’t get into it. But after picking up a book, and sitting by himself worked better initially.
So it blossomed out of the 12 step recovery experience. He wanted to try meditation to get in touch with the spiritual side of his life.
Is the meditation offered as part of the 12-step?
Yes, some it’s part of the spiritual practice and some of the groups do it. To deepen our spiritual practice, and being able to sit still and be able to reflect on this thing called life, and the directions we want to go.
He just wanted to do a little more than was offered. It was an easy segway to explore for himself. He”s always been on a spiritual journey for most of his life.
Where there any particular struggles at the time?
It was more of a general spiritual search. He was taking his recovery very seriously at the time. And one of the steps is to explore meditation. So he was trying to explore meditation. Coupled with his experience with the world religion. His wife also gave him a book, “Peace is every Step” which also influenced Kenley.
As you practiced over the years, did you see other good reasons to practice, like finding it helpful to pay attention for example? Was there an aha moment?
It didn’t really come until years later. 1995-2001 he did meditation regularly, he like the way it helped him to stop and become aware of his body. It was still very rooted in the recovery program, it was part of the puzzle of being clean and sober.
But something happened that pushed him unto the high speed conveyor belt, moving forward on a path of mindfulness and meditation and transformed his being in a much more significant way, then all those years he did it on his own.
Yeah there is a big difference, between doing it on your own and with a community or group?
Yes, what happened is September 11, 2001 (the terrorist attacks for those unfamiliar). Kenley was quite traumatized on different levels. Some experienced the horror of the towers coming down, but also our response to that. That is what pushed him to see clearly how important community was.
He was drawn to, and needed to draw himself in to others who felt like they could bring peace, and be peace in the world. And he couldn’t do this by himself, or through the recovery program.
He needed to find a spiritual community that embodied that concept of being peace in this world.
So he  went to the Deer Park Buddhist monastery in Escondido, California, and learned about being in community with people. And he went home to Fresno, CA where he was living, and started a Sangha (community).
And that completely changed everything for him, just sitting and being in a community and practicing with people. Allowed him to walk through this very dark time in American history. We struggled as a nation.
Being in a Sangha helped him to navigate that, and not let anger be the primary feeling in his life.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 43:24 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-dharma-meditation-teacher-thich-nhat-hanh-student-interview/ Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:00 +0000 0d430cfca40f8e7a6e7551b6a7911d35 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-dharma-meditation-teacher-thich-nhat-hanh-student-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-dharma-meditation-teacher-thich-nhat-hanh-student-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Kenley Neufeld of the Deer Park Buddhist Mindfulness Community. Kenley was ordained in 2005 by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay-practitioner in the Order of Interbeing with the dharma name, True Recollection of Joy. Kenley received the Lamp of W…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-14-kenley-neufeld-dharma-meditation-teacher-thich-nhat-hanh-student-interview/">MF 14 – Kenley Neufeld Dharma Meditation Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh Student Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Kenley Neufeld of the Deer Park Buddhist Mindfulness Community. Kenley was ordained in 2005 by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay-practitioner in the Order of Interbeing with the dharma name, True Recollection of Joy. Kenley received the Lamp of W… Interview with Kenley Neufeld of the Deer Park Buddhist Mindfulness Community. Kenley was ordained in 2005 by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay-practitioner in the Order of Interbeing with the dharma name, True Recollection of Joy. Kenley received the Lamp of W... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-of-the-conscious-runner-running-as-meditation-practice/ Mon, 23 Mar 2015 04:19:54 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=598 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-of-the-conscious-runner-running-as-meditation-practice/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-of-the-conscious-runner-running-as-meditation-practice/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Lisa Hamilton of the “Conscious Runner”. “Running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice.” Lisa Hamilton  What brought you to a meditation practice? Trying to eliminate chaos in her life, and also in her mind, and connect to peace in a nutshell. You mention a natural disaster, hurricane Hugo in your book, […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-of-the-conscious-runner-running-as-meditation-practice/">MF 13 – Lisa Hamilton of the Conscious Runner – Running as Meditation Practice</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Lisa Hamilton of the “Conscious Runner”. “Running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice.” Lisa Hamilton  What brought you to a meditation practice? Trying to eliminate chaos in her life, and also in her mind, “Running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice.” Lisa Hamilton
 What brought you to a meditation practice?
Trying to eliminate chaos in her life, and also in her mind, and connect to peace in a nutshell.
You mention a natural disaster, hurricane Hugo in your book, what is the role of that major (traumatic) event in your life?
Lisa says that it did transform her, and she was traumatized by that experience. She still finds herself shivering and having other symptoms when there is  a storm. it can leave remnants. It still to this day has somewhat of an effect. She doesn’t necessarily think it changed the way she views things. She’s always known that there’s more to life than money, cars, etc. Just a knowing that there was more to life..
She wasn’t brought up that way, it was a painful upbringing. In part to escape that pain, she had to believe that there was something more to life.
What problem where you perhaps trying to solve with your meditation?
She didn’t approach it as a specific problem, like working on forgiveness, progress, or self-esteem. I wanted to solve the problem of chaos and unhappiness. Once I could connect to source into the present moment, that all of those other things would disappear. Going for the root than dealing with the limbs and for the branches. 
I don’t look too much for the branches. She always knew that there was something even larger than that. That if she just addressed the root cause (her chaos and unhappiness), then the rest would just fall away by itself.
You mentioned you had to love yourself, imperfections and all. Did that chaos disconnect you from being connected. 
Yes, some of that came from the Oprah show. She love Oprah like a mother. Back in the 90’s, Gary Zuchov was one of her favorite spiritual teachers. The world wasn’t ready for that at the time, she was crucified for it. But Lisa knew there was value for her in those interviews. She resonated with those interview. She played those over and over again, and learn more and more from it.
She said Gary was lighting the path for her, she decided to stick with it. Because this was the way she was going to “get it”. After this things became more clear to Lisa, that she had to love herself, imperfections and all. She is a great soul, that every place is a holy place, not just in the confines of a church. It can be anywhere.
Did those teachings turn you towards a meditation practice?
She turned towards running as a meditation practice, not sitting meditation. She could not resonate with that practice. She learned that meditation is anything that you can use that brings you into the present moment. Meditation is just a tool or a technique. There are many meditators sitting in cross legged positions who are not really meditating. They just look like they are.
So running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice.
Did you just discovered it?
Yes, she discovered it, she just knew it.  That was her form of being able to connect with source, and the present moment. And to experience her mind and body the way that she wanted to. Her running is more directed inwardly from the kind of feeling that she wants to have, and those are the tools to help her get that.
So you didn’t have a teacher or way to know how to know to get out of your own way?
Yes, any time your minds are in the way, it prevents us from getting into the now, the present moment. Whether we’re focused on the past or the future. She did go to a class in meditation and she found that sitting meditation did not work for her. Sitting meditation does work for her in a sauna, because of the heat. Which helps her with her thoughts.
Tell me more about how the thoughts when running,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 38:15 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-conscious-runner-meditation-in-motion-interview/ Mon, 23 Mar 2015 04:21:00 +0000 26806348fff9bf94e031d9e322178d1a https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-conscious-runner-meditation-in-motion-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-conscious-runner-meditation-in-motion-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Lisa Hamilton of the “Conscious Runner”. “Running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice.” Lisa Hamilton What brought you to a meditation practice? Trying to eliminate chaos in her life, and also in her mind, and connect to…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-13-lisa-hamilton-conscious-runner-meditation-in-motion-interview/">MF 13 – Lisa Hamilton Conscious Runner Meditation in Motion Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Lisa Hamilton of the “Conscious Runner”. “Running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice.” Lisa Hamilton What brought you to a meditation practice? Trying to eliminate chaos in her life, and also in her mind, and connect to… Interview with Lisa Hamilton of the "Conscious Runner".<br /> "Running is my form of meditation, my meditation practice." Lisa Hamilton<br /> What brought you to a meditation practice?<br /> Trying to eliminate chaos in her life, and also in her mind, and connect to... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor-javier-perez-karam/ Mon, 16 Mar 2015 02:55:10 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=572 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor-javier-perez-karam/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor-javier-perez-karam/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Javier Perez-Karam Javier Perez-Karam grew up in Venezuela, and relocated to New York in 2002 to pursue a film-making career. In the process he discovered Meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, and as he started incorporating the practice into his life, he has gained a new purpose with his film career as well as […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor-javier-perez-karam/">MF 12 – Film Maker and Meditation Instructor Javier Perez-Karam</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Javier Perez-Karam Javier Perez-Karam grew up in Venezuela, and relocated to New York in 2002 to pursue a film-making career. In the process he discovered Meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, Javier Perez-Karam grew up in Venezuela, and relocated to New York in 2002 to pursue a film-making career. In the process he discovered Meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, and as he started incorporating the practice into his life, he has gained a new purpose with his film career as well as his recent found drive to teach and share his experience with Meditation within the framework of Buddhist Philosophy and it’s applications to the modern life.
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
 What brought you to a meditation practice?
His relationship started “non-spectacular”, he was “chasing a lady!” That’s how it started. He liked this woman, and she invited him to a Buddhist meditation class. He couldn’t say no, so he went. It was Geshe Michael Roach, from the Tibetan Gelugpa tradition. He’s a very polarizing person. He became his first teacher, put the seeds of meditation into his brain. Learning about karma, mindfulness. and emptiness. He had already grasped these concepts before from his own experience, but didn’t have a framework for understanding.
Meditation can lead them to the best version of yourself. He liked the promises of what meditation leads up to. His parents were going through a divorce, and he had broken up with his girlfriend, so that further encouraged him. His fiancee calls him an “experience junkie”, so he gave it a try about 8 years ago. It took some time to make it part of his daily life. But it radically changed his way of seeing his reality. But also has a new view of Buddhism.
How did meditation help you with sad events? 
It helped him accept sadness, it’s ok what is going on right now. So it is not so strong of an emotion later. He can now accept it. Through the practice of meditation and off the cushion through mindfulness and in living. He could now better identify what he was feeling and how it made him react to the world.
When his parents divorced, it hurt him very much. He felt physical pain in his chest, he’d never felt physical pain from sadness before. He could better understand it, and now allow that pain to become part of everything else. He did notice how this pain from broken relationships in his family affected how he started seeing others. He noticed he was objectifying women and rejecting love, but it was coming so much from his own relationships, but from seeing the broken relationships in his life like his parents. And by objectifying, he was protecting himself through this objectification.
Through meditation he was able to realize how he was putting on that barrier, and he was able to break it down. After that he started seeing clinging to possessions, and other afflictions in himself. So he could now find the problems in his life, and observe, and re-frame, and then it was not a problem anymore, but an opportunity.
Were there any particular practices that you found particularly helpful with particular struggles?
He read this book by Lama Christie (see link below), about a death meditation. About through visualizations, you try to simulate what it means what it is like to die and see how your possession and loved ones are left behind. It plays with the idea of uncertainty in the time of death. That was a wake up thing. He always liked to think death was far away, so you don’t pay attention. We like to think it won’t happen to us, we don’t pay much attention to our own death.
He started doing this death meditation over and over again. And he could now start to appreciate the shortness of human life, and appreciate the moment, so precious. And the fact that he was experiencing was mind-blowing. It is his choice whether to love or objectify a woman, cheat or not, etc. It’s all based on the choices you make now.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 37:59 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-javier-perez-karam-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor/ Mon, 16 Mar 2015 02:44:00 +0000 2943a16d94ddd2c760b88ee168f0ccfc https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-javier-perez-karam-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-javier-perez-karam-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Javier Perez-Karam Javier Perez-Karam grew up in Venezuela, and relocated to New York in 2002 to pursue a film-making career. In the process he discovered Meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, and as he started incorporating the p…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-12-javier-perez-karam-film-maker-and-meditation-instructor/">MF 12 – Javier Perez-Karam Film Maker and Meditation Instructor</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Javier Perez-Karam Javier Perez-Karam grew up in Venezuela, and relocated to New York in 2002 to pursue a film-making career. In the process he discovered Meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, and as he started incorporating the p… Interview with Javier Perez-Karam<br /> Javier Perez-Karam grew up in Venezuela, and relocated to New York in 2002 to pursue a film-making career. In the process he discovered Meditation and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, and as he started incorporating the p... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-011-eric-zimmer-of-the-one-you-feed-podcast-interview/ Mon, 09 Mar 2015 00:57:00 +0000 b757d87242f809ad948ef90be78c390b https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-011-eric-zimmer-of-the-one-you-feed-podcast-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-011-eric-zimmer-of-the-one-you-feed-podcast-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with “The One You Feed” Podcast host Eric Zimmer Eric Zimmer is host and founder of the, “One You Feed” podcast, “. He has also worked with start-ups, doing Management and Software Development, is CEO, Tipping Point Renewable Energy, and all…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-011-eric-zimmer-of-the-one-you-feed-podcast-interview/">MF 011 Eric Zimmer of The One You Feed Podcast Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with “The One You Feed” Podcast host Eric Zimmer Eric Zimmer is host and founder of the, “One You Feed” podcast, “. He has also worked with start-ups, doing Management and Software Development, is CEO, Tipping Point Renewable Energy, and all… Interview with "The One You Feed" Podcast host Eric Zimmer<br /> Eric Zimmer is host and founder of the, "One You Feed" podcast, ". He has also worked with start-ups, doing Management and Software Development, is CEO, Tipping Point Renewable Energy, and all... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/eric-zimmer-the-one-you-feed-podcast/ Fri, 06 Mar 2015 15:57:46 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=558 https://meditationfreedom.com/eric-zimmer-the-one-you-feed-podcast/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/eric-zimmer-the-one-you-feed-podcast/feed/ 3 <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/eric-zimmer-the-one-you-feed-podcast/">MF 11 – Which Wolf is the One You Feed? With Eric Zimmer of the oneyoufeed Podcast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p>
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 36:48 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)The post MF 11 – Which Wolf is the One You Feed? With Eric Zimmer of the oneyoufeed Podcast appeared first on Meditation Freedom.Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/dori-langevin-vipassana-meditation-interview/ Mon, 02 Mar 2015 06:07:47 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=541 https://meditationfreedom.com/dori-langevin-vipassana-meditation-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/dori-langevin-vipassana-meditation-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Dori Langevin, practitioner and teacher of Vipassana Buddhism. Dori works with groups and individuals using experiential mind-body-spirit approaches for healing and creating ceremonies for life passages including mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion practices; guided imagery; artwork; ritual; psychodrama; emotional release work; and Holotropic Breathwork™. One special interest is the interface between mindfulness practice, addiction recovery […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/dori-langevin-vipassana-meditation-interview/">MF 10 – Dori Langevin – Vipassana Meditation Teacher Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Dori Langevin, practitioner and teacher of Vipassana Buddhism. Dori works with groups and individuals using experiential mind-body-spirit approaches for healing and creating ceremonies for life passages including mindfulness, Buddhist Recovery Network.
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
What brought you to a meditation practice?
Dori is a recovering alcoholic, so spiritual practice started with the 12 steps as her baseline for practice. It was a very “in vivo” (practice in the marketplace in daily life instead of “in vitro” (in the lab, in the formal practice, the inward focus). There are endless ways in which life creates opportunities for practice.
In 1985 she attended a month long retreat at Esalen called “The Mystical Path – Attachment and Addiction with Stan and Christina Grof and many other teachers including Jack Kornfield. Jack’s description of the Four Noble Truths (in Buddhism) completely resonated with her personal and professional experience with addiction and recovery from addiction. It made sense: addiction and recovery; suffering and freedom from suffering. It was an embodied frame of reference for her. Jack taught Vipassana and Loving-kindness or Metta meditations.
Although the 12 step recovery program included guidance in prayer there was little specific instruction for meditation. She started to practice without a teacher or community, so she was winging it and it took many years for her to find a formal community in which to study and practice Buddhadharma. In 1997, As “luck” would have it, she found that Tara Brach was teaching in near her in Maryland. She immediately resonated with Tara and her style of teaching the dharma and became very involved in the budding development of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington along with her husband, Ted. It is quite fortunate to have a partner that also practices.
What do folks do who don’t have a local meditation community?
Dori talks about how for some people there is no physical practice community available. The virtual reality of webinars and other on-line teaching and meditation are now viable options for support and to ask questions. But she still prefers the “embodied presence” of sitting together physically with a teacher and a sangha.
Was this a practice for life?
She can’t imagine this not being part of her life. Dori thinks of it as a tapestry. Those practices that weave in and feel alive for her stay—feeling enlivened by them and the sense of being at home. Practice is a guiding presence, a shepherding, so that when those moments of difficulty arise, she will be able to stay present and learn from life.
So in a way you’re priming yourself for those moments, so that when a difficult moment comes up, you have this practice that automatically kicks into gear.
Do you have an example of something like that?
Yes. Dori was riding with her husband on their Harley Davidson motorcycle on a long cross-country trip in the summer of 2013. Just west of Albuquerque the back end of the bike started fish-tailing and the only thought that arose in her mind was “We’re going down, because there is no other way out of this.” No panic, just a sense of “this is how it is right now.” They thought they were on their way to Canyon de Chelly to hike that morning, but the plan changed!
She was very grateful that in those few seconds she had the grace of clarity of mind and an absence of fear as she “went down” (thrown off the bike on to I-40).]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 56:20 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-010-vipassana-meditation-dori-langevin-teacher-interview/ Mon, 02 Mar 2015 05:51:00 +0000 509d856f04b176cfebff94886e1b3cf8 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-010-vipassana-meditation-dori-langevin-teacher-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-010-vipassana-meditation-dori-langevin-teacher-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Dori Langevin, practitioner and teacher of Vipassana Buddhism. Dori works with groups and individuals using experiential mind-body-spirit approaches for healing and creating ceremonies for life passages including mindfulness, loving-kind…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-010-vipassana-meditation-dori-langevin-teacher-interview/">MF 010 Vipassana Meditation Dori Langevin Teacher Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Dori Langevin, practitioner and teacher of Vipassana Buddhism. Dori works with groups and individuals using experiential mind-body-spirit approaches for healing and creating ceremonies for life passages including mindfulness, loving-kind… Interview with Dori Langevin, practitioner and teacher of Vipassana Buddhism. Dori works with groups and individuals using experiential mind-body-spirit approaches for healing and creating ceremonies for life passages including mindfulness, loving-kind... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/carol-grever-straight-spouse-recovery-thru-meditation/ Mon, 23 Feb 2015 05:42:21 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=500 https://meditationfreedom.com/carol-grever-straight-spouse-recovery-thru-meditation/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/carol-grever-straight-spouse-recovery-thru-meditation/feed/ 18 <p>Interview with Carol Grever, author of My Husband Is Gay: A Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Crisis, Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, When Your Spouse Comes Out: A Straight Mate’s Recovery Manual, Memory Quilt: A Family Narrative. Carol is a straight spouse recovery expert, as well as a practitioner and teacher of Buddhism. This is a summary (not a […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/carol-grever-straight-spouse-recovery-thru-meditation/">MF 9 Carol Grever – When Your Spouse Comes Out – How Meditation Helped Heal</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Carol Grever, author of My Husband Is Gay: A Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Crisis, Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, When Your Spouse Comes Out: A Straight Mate’s Recovery Manual, Memory Quilt: A Family Narrative. My Husband Is Gay: A Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Crisis, Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, When Your Spouse Comes Out: A Straight Mate’s Recovery Manual, Memory Quilt: A Family Narrative. Carol is a straight spouse recovery expert, as well as a practitioner and teacher of Buddhism.
This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview
What brought you to a meditation practice?
It was chaos in her personal life that brought Carol to a meditation practice. She says that her former husband came out after 30 years of marriage, so the rug was pulled out. He was in a relationship with another man, unbeknownst to her for most of the marriage. He led a double life for almost all of those years. He said to her that he had, “homosexual tendencies”. But he had acted on them for a long, long time.
She was also looking for meaning in her life.
Meditation became her refuge. It was a way to let go, to be in the moment, not to go back to the “what ifs”, and “how stupid I am”. She could get into the present moment.
This transition didn’t just go from one day to the next right?
They put their personal life on the back-burner. They had a business, and it took about 4 years, before they lived apart. In the beginning of that, they tried to make their marriage work. They decided then to separate, being unable to make it work.
She was taking Shambala weekend retreat training in a retreat setting during those 4 years of struggle. It’s typically 8 hours of meditation training. That is how she kept her sanity through meditation practice.
What were some of the breakthroughs during these meditation intensives?
Staying in the present moment is very important. And not trying to go back and second-guess everything.
Learned to follow the breath, “If you can stay and follow your breath, whatever is happening, will pass.”
The concept of impermanence became real. Whatever it is, will pass.
She was learning about the depth of her own spirit. She was feeling mostly sadness. She was in deep grief, felt betrayed, angry at times.  As if someone dear had died. In a way that had happened, because the man she thought she knew was not the same man.
Was this one of the reasons you were drawn to Pema Chodron as a teacher, she often talks about these things, having the rug pulled under from you, impermanence, groundlessness, the certainty of uncertainty, everything falling apart, and so on.
Yes, she went through a similar experience before she became a nun. Her husband also ran away with another woman. That gave her a depth of understanding for situations like Carol’s.
Pema told Carol the first time they met, that, “having the rug pulled out could be very good news”. Carol was in the depth of her sorrow, so thought it was crazy at first. Pema also said, this is an opportunity to grow. So she started looking at the event that way from now on.
She also started studying meditation with meditation teacher, Dale Asrael of Naropa University. She is a wonderful teacher, that is how she began. She then went to the Rocky mountain dharma center, and got connected with Pema Chodron. She further did the Shambala training.
Carol also leads a Dharma reading discussion group, a small Sangha, or community. That is also very important to her, along with lojang practice, and meditation. She does work with straight spouses, and interviewed hundreds of straight spouses, which is how her books came about.
What insights did she get after she started seeing the events as an opportunity?
Carol learned how strong she can be, she felt devalued at first, unworthy,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 35:01 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-9-carol-grever-when-your-spouse-comes-out-how-meditation-helped-heal/ Mon, 23 Feb 2015 04:46:00 +0000 d9964e6c9a37615daba37d000f0efa44 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-9-carol-grever-when-your-spouse-comes-out-how-meditation-helped-heal/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-9-carol-grever-when-your-spouse-comes-out-how-meditation-helped-heal/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Carol Grever, author of Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, My Husband Is Gay: A Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Crisis, When Your Spouse Comes Out: A Straight Mate’s Recovery Manual, Memory Quilt: A Family Narrative. Carol is a straight spouse…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-9-carol-grever-when-your-spouse-comes-out-how-meditation-helped-heal/">MF 9 Carol Grever – When Your Spouse Comes Out – How Meditation Helped Heal</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Carol Grever, author of Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, My Husband Is Gay: A Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Crisis, When Your Spouse Comes Out: A Straight Mate’s Recovery Manual, Memory Quilt: A Family Narrative. Carol is a straight spouse… Interview with Carol Grever, author of Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, My Husband Is Gay: A Woman's Guide to Surviving the Crisis, When Your Spouse Comes Out: A Straight Mate's Recovery Manual, Memory Quilt: A Family Narrative. Carol is a straight spouse... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-labyrinth-walking-meditation-interview/ Mon, 16 Feb 2015 02:28:00 +0000 f0f683606ea7c3f1a78c3f1c0891b93c https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-labyrinth-walking-meditation-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-labyrinth-walking-meditation-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with John Hancock, a practitioner of the Labyrinth, and advocate of building compassion into organizations, communities, and systems. This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview How did you get into a spiritual practice? Hi…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-labyrinth-walking-meditation-interview/">MF 008 John Hancock Labyrinth Walking Meditation Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with John Hancock, a practitioner of the Labyrinth, and advocate of building compassion into organizations, communities, and systems. This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview How did you get into a spiritual practice? Hi… Interview with John Hancock, a practitioner of the Labyrinth, and advocate of building compassion into organizations, communities, and systems.<br /> This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview <br /> How did you get into a spiritual practice?<br /> Hi... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-walking-the-labyrinth-as-spiritual-practice/ Fri, 13 Feb 2015 04:49:03 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=479 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-walking-the-labyrinth-as-spiritual-practice/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-walking-the-labyrinth-as-spiritual-practice/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with John Hancock, a practitioner of the Labyrinth, and advocate of building compassion into organizations, communities, and systems. This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview  How did you get into a spiritual practice? His father was Methodist minister, which is what he grew up with. He taught tolerance is great, […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-008-john-hancock-walking-the-labyrinth-as-spiritual-practice/">MF 008 John Hancock – Walking the Labyrinth as Spiritual Practice</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with John Hancock, a practitioner of the Labyrinth, and advocate of building compassion into organizations, communities, and systems. This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview  How did you get into a spiritual practice? This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview 
How did you get into a spiritual practice?
His father was Methodist minister, which is what he grew up with. He taught tolerance is great, but not enough, but we must go beyond that and embrace the other. He gave up on Protestantism, because he felt too much emphasis on sin. He wanted a more positive message.
He was impressed with the Dalai Lama, and his new Ethics for a New Millenium, and the concept of human universal compassion.
He feels we were misled and misinterpreted by Darwin about survival of the fittest and competition. But he thinks Darwins teachings on cooperation have been under emphasized. John feels competition helps individuals more than groups. He is seeking the commonality that we have with each other. His spirit life, is coming to grips with, yes, i’m distinctive, but on the other hand he’s with other people, that’s coordinated, linked up we have a shared self. Feeling oneness with the animals, other people, the revelations are calming and affirming. That he feels is the antidote to the stress as a citizen. That’s where he goes with his meditation.
What brought him to the tool of meditation in the form of walking the labyrinth?
John describes the labyrinth, as a universal symbol found in various cultures. He took a personalized demonstration, and found out that the practice in part came from women in the catholic church, coming to the US from Europe. In San Francisco there was a labyrinth in the hall, as well as outside. And this woman that he learned from, had been trained there. He learned how to build a labyrinth on his property (north of Spokane, WA) based books, and from a couple of examples in his town of Spokane, Washington. So he found a place on his property, and then used a national geographic type publication to help figure out the exact dimensions to replicate the design on his property.
Why does he prefer that over sitting meditation?
It is easier for him to do walking meditation in the labyrinth design. Because the physicality of walking allows him to focus and let go of his thinking.
How does the practice work?
The path into the labyrinth, is a return or into the unknown. The center of the labyrinth is the spirit energy, or the focus, of the light, or the revelation, of the center. Or the oneness. So it’s a stay in the center, with the expectation of inspiration or energy. The return is then the ability to take that energy back into the external life, to keep it with you, as you return to the next chapter of your life. The integration if you will. Representing the reborn idea.
In Europe there are some examples of labyrinths in the floor, like in Chartres cathedral. It wasn’t just Muslims to make the pilgrimage, the medieval Christians also could follow the steps of a labyrinth. They could do it in a symbolic way by following the steps of Jesus in a labyrinth, to get a similar spiritual revelation. Sometimes the monks would do that on their knees and/or with prostrations to intensify that practice.
How often do you practice this?
He does it when he’s stuck. John can find an idea that way, and also a link to the energy of the land. He’s not distracted there. He feels the energy of the land is important. He fiddled with the entry of his labyrinth in accord with their intuition, where the energy felt right. He found that the best place for an entry was the same as Stonehenge.
Does it help you with creative inspiration?
Yes, he feels it helps with next steps in life, and problem solving. It can also be a group activity. As an opening activity for a group of people who don’t know each other. Group reflection. When a group does it, it is in silence.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 38:39 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-franciscan-with-kairos-retreat-center/ Mon, 09 Feb 2015 02:58:27 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=455 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-franciscan-with-kairos-retreat-center/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-franciscan-with-kairos-retreat-center/feed/ 2 <p>Interview with Sister Florence, a practicing Franciscan for 40+ years. She founded Kairos Contemplative and Meditation Retreat Center This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview  How did Sister Florence get started with a spiritual practice? She started reading about catholic needs for houses of prayer. She wanted to have a place […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-franciscan-with-kairos-retreat-center/">MF 007 Sister Florence Franciscan with Kairos Retreat Center</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Sister Florence, a practicing Franciscan for 40+ years. She founded Kairos Contemplative and Meditation Retreat Center This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview  How did Sister Florence get started with a spiritual pract... This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview 
How did Sister Florence get started with a spiritual practice? She started reading about catholic needs for houses of prayer. She wanted to have a place for retreat. She got approved to look  into houses of prayer. She went to Detroit to help figure this out.
It is like a dream to Florence, she was not the carpenter, or organizer, but helping hands came to do what needed to be done. She credits God with wanting the work done. She wanted a place out in the country. In 1976 she bought the place in the Northwest for $51K, with 27 acres. Her intent was to offer a place, (she believes we’re all directed by our unique history) the silence will be number one, withdrawal time from the busyness.
She makes a home for groups and individuals. With groups “they’re already on the train”, they respect and honor that. For individuals they make a home, and provide love and caring, so that they too know the “truth of their own wonderful being”. She and Rita want to do “God’s work”.
How did you pick the name Kairos?
14:30: She asked for input, and then she went to the chapel and picked up a book. And the author used the word Kairos in contrast to Chronos. Kairos is always momentary, always present moment. No past, no future, can’t use either. Present moment is the sacred of saintly living. She can pray sweeping the floor, or whatever else task. Inner attitude of service and love. It’s an atmosphere more than telling.
16:00: What is your meditation practice like? 
They start their day with quiet contemplation, reads scriptures, and then listen to various sound good teachers on spiritual practice. Some is Tibetan, or Buddha, some Christian. They are just here to facilitate in whatever way that occurs to them. Being human, we like to feel good and accomplished.
There’s an inner attitude that says that whatever the moment holds, you hold it in a prayerful way. Because to want the pleasures or the consolations, and they don’t come, then we usually don’t go back. We want things to satisfy the human person.
We learn to live the way of the cross, resurrection joy. To enter the human suffering. There is a place for us, because of our fidelity to the journey. A lot of that is just plugging away. We may not get anything for weeks or months. Don’t expect anything, receive what is given, with thanks. Everything has a purpose.
20:00 What is your advice for folks who go to retreats, and they losen up destructive habit patterns, but then they struggle a week later when they’re out of the retreat. What do you do when you struggle to integrate what you learn into their daily life?

* “You have to will it, you must find a way to enter the silence.
* Let nature teach you the wisdom, that is within nature
* To broaden the inner scope.
* We’re here for one another
* What you do, or you do.. Ups me, or Down’s me.
* We’re one human spirit in different bodies.
* If you chose to continue in this, it’s important to watch your judgments.
* Say Yes to the moment, no matter whether it is painful, or whether it is glorious.
* We vacillate between good and down, but if we enter all , we enter the suffering of Christ.
* You clear the mind, and sit in a state of receptivity, “get behind the thinking mind”.
* If we stay true to the course, we’ll change.
* We’re more than our bodies, we’re more than our thinking mind.

We don’t get it because there are so many distractions, materialities, and other things that draw us. We complicate things by putting our time and effort into ...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 44:10 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-of-kairos-meditation-house-of-prayer-retreat-center-interview/ Mon, 09 Feb 2015 02:46:00 +0000 1e5628dbd32315670cf9beb0dc3eaddc https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-of-kairos-meditation-house-of-prayer-retreat-center-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-of-kairos-meditation-house-of-prayer-retreat-center-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Interview with Sister Florence, a practicing Franciscan for 40+ years. She founded Kairos Contemplative and Meditation Retreat Center This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview How did Sister Florence get started with a spiritual pra…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-007-sister-florence-of-kairos-meditation-house-of-prayer-retreat-center-interview/">MF 007 Sister Florence of Kairos Meditation House of Prayer Retreat Center Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Interview with Sister Florence, a practicing Franciscan for 40+ years. She founded Kairos Contemplative and Meditation Retreat Center This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview How did Sister Florence get started with a spiritual pra… Interview with Sister Florence, a practicing Franciscan for 40+ years. She founded Kairos Contemplative and Meditation Retreat Center<br /> This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview <br /> How did Sister Florence get started with a spiritual pra... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/006-russell-kolts-compassion-focussed-therapy-interview/ Mon, 02 Feb 2015 05:16:02 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=420 https://meditationfreedom.com/006-russell-kolts-compassion-focussed-therapy-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/006-russell-kolts-compassion-focussed-therapy-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Russell Kolts Compassion Focused Therapy Interview This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview with author and professor Russell Kolts Russell began with an intense study of Buddhism; reading, meditation, and doing retreats after three years, he realized that a compassionate, mindfulness practice had been life changing. He says that it was […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/006-russell-kolts-compassion-focussed-therapy-interview/">MF 006 Russell Kolts – Compassion Focused Therapy Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Russell Kolts Compassion Focused Therapy Interview This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview with author and professor Russell Kolts Russell began with an intense study of Buddhism; reading, meditation, This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview with author and professor Russell Kolts
Russell began with an intense study of Buddhism; reading, meditation, and doing retreats after three years, he realized that a compassionate, mindfulness practice had been life changing.
He says that it was the birth of his child about how he was motivated to start a a meditation mindfulness practice after his son was born. He taught compassionate therapy, and since he struggled with negative emotions in his own life such as anger, and irritability. He observed himself not following his own advice. So he deepened his practice.  He realized, “if you want your child to become a good parent, become the person you want your child to be”. What message do your children get from their parents? So he started doing meditation practices, and learning from Buddhist teachers like the Dalai Lama.
He was then later also more able to bring what he learned in his meditation practice  and into his psychotherapy work work, by focusing on, “Compassion  Focused Therapy”. He then had a scientific scaffolding for working with the mind.
Some examples of practices that would work for him in the moment during.

* Mindfulness meditation helps notice what is moving in the mind, such as anger and irritation. This practice helped him recognize it earlier, so just by naming the emotion, it reduces it’s hold on the person.
* Meditation and cultivation of compassion have  gradually transformed his experience so that the destructive emotions came up less, due to ongoing work with with deep awareness.
* Switching out from “that’s a bad emotion” and judgments, looking more deeply, what’s going on here, and other habitual responses.
* Working with close family members shows that it is not easy to not be reactive.

Insight is hugely trans-formative
From a scientific perspective, those destructive threat emotions such as anger and fear where designed by evolution, so we can make a rapid response.
The compassion work is by seeing how the threatening person also wants to be happy and maybe our goals conflict at that moment. And at that moment. Shifting from judging and labeling to understanding.
Things don’t always go your way. It takes practice to react with compassion and understanding.
He brings mindfulness and compassion into his classes. He has a course on Compassion Focused Therapy, which involves compassion meditation and mindfulness meditation. Students are meditating in the class, because there is just no other way to learn about it.
He sees how it affects the classroom, students feel safer, they can think better, and more reflectively, and they can have dialogue, since there is a container there. It helps the students with difficult course subjects, helps them to center themselves. They don’t necessarily struggle with the problem, but more with the idea, a self-limiting belief. “There’s something wrong with me” is the most threatening idea, very distracting. Meditation helps you recognize these experiences that come and go in the mind, and not necessarily see them as real or true. Notice them, and let them go.
Slowing down their breathing helps the students. They’re not just techniques on the pillow, but at some point it needs to come off the meditation cushion. At some point it has to come into our lives, and begin to transform. It begins to happen behaviorally, and neurologically.
Other Benefits of meditation practices
Russell thinks that because the world moves so quickly, we’re constantly connected. When he was growing up there were just 4 TV channels, now hundreds, tweeting etc, is all wonderful and convenient. But we’re training our brains and minds to expect a certain high level  o...]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 42:30 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-006-russell-kolts-compassion-focused-therapy-meditation-interview/ Mon, 02 Feb 2015 05:07:00 +0000 3ab745497d307001fd61a98a67847b6c https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-006-russell-kolts-compassion-focused-therapy-meditation-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-006-russell-kolts-compassion-focused-therapy-meditation-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Russell Kolts Compassion Focused Therapy Meditation Interview This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview with author and professor Russell Kolts Russell talks about how he got started with a meditation mindfulness practice after his s…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-006-russell-kolts-compassion-focused-therapy-meditation-interview/">MF 006 Russell Kolts Compassion Focused Therapy Meditation Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Russell Kolts Compassion Focused Therapy Meditation Interview This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview with author and professor Russell Kolts Russell talks about how he got started with a meditation mindfulness practice after his s… Russell Kolts Compassion Focused Therapy Meditation Interview<br /> This is a summary (not a full transcript) of the interview with author and professor Russell Kolts<br /> Russell talks about how he got started with a meditation mindfulness practice after his s... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-recollective-awareness-meditation-teacher-interview/ Mon, 26 Jan 2015 03:06:00 +0000 60466c7efc871e0ec9ff6cb1fb99d4ae https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-recollective-awareness-meditation-teacher-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-recollective-awareness-meditation-teacher-interview/feed/ 0 <p>This is a summary of the interview with Vipassana teacher and practitioner Mary Webster Mary Webster talks about growing up as an introspective and day dreaming child. Later in life she picked a career in mental health nursing. She noticed her mind wa…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-recollective-awareness-meditation-teacher-interview/">MF 005 Mary Webster Vipassana Recollective Awareness Meditation Teacher Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> This is a summary of the interview with Vipassana teacher and practitioner Mary Webster Mary Webster talks about growing up as an introspective and day dreaming child. Later in life she picked a career in mental health nursing. She noticed her mind wa… This is a summary of the interview with Vipassana teacher and practitioner Mary Webster<br /> Mary Webster talks about growing up as an introspective and day dreaming child. Later in life she picked a career in mental health nursing. She noticed her mind wa... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-student-and-teacher-interview/ Thu, 22 Jan 2015 17:02:13 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=344 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-student-and-teacher-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-student-and-teacher-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Mary Webster Vipassana Meditation Teacher Interview This is a summary of the interview with Vipassana teacher and practitioner Mary Webster Mary Webster talks about growing up as an introspective and day dreaming child. Later in life she picked a career in mental health nursing. She noticed her mind was in an either/or right/wrong mind set. […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-005-mary-webster-vipassana-student-and-teacher-interview/">MF 005 Mary Webster Vipassana Meditation Teacher Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Mary Webster Vipassana Meditation Teacher Interview This is a summary of the interview with Vipassana teacher and practitioner Mary Webster Mary Webster talks about growing up as an introspective and day dreaming child. This is a summary of the interview with Vipassana teacher and practitioner Mary Webster
Mary Webster talks about growing up as an introspective and day dreaming child. Later in life she picked a career in mental health nursing. She noticed her mind was in an either/or right/wrong mind set. And this black/white thinking bothered her, and h ow it affected her and raising kids. This is how she got into meditation, went into her first 3 day meditation retreat in 1995.
She joined a Vipassana tradition, called re-collective awareness, which is a form of Vipassana meditation.   It is based on the 4 foundations of mindfulness. She talks about how it is an unstructured tradition, so a lot of thoughts come in. But then they look at it afterwards to examine conditioning. They look at the way the mind works in terms of habitual thinking, making assumptions, like “this or that” thinking.
She’s learned to be more open and nuanced in her thinking, and is better able to examine her thinking habit patterns.
She learned that it was a beautiful how not being so sure of one’s position allows you to open up and hear other people’s thinking. Which helps tremendously when communicating and dialog with others, such as your kids. It allows for a different relationship to develop.
It’s really an exploration what is going on in our minds.
Mary talks about some of the personal benefits of her meditation. For example being a lot less self-critical. Letting go of perfectionism, she could see how this is just a construction, this illusory goal of perfection. She could see through the delusion, that there is no such thing or state of perfection.
Her meditation practice opened her up to her humanness and her own suffering, which is part of being human. We each have our own, and meditation practice helps us deal and incorporate. She felt OK and learned compassion for herself to be a human being. Which in turn allowed her to be more compassion for those around her, to be more friendly, and more open to ideas.
She then talks about her role as teacher, and what she sees her students struggle. But she also sees how we all suffer in a similar way.
“Holding on to something so tightly, a sense of our-self, a sense of how things are supposed to be.  That we somehow solidify our experience, and don’t allow for an exploration of the movement that is around that solidity. We tend to hold fast in a certain way.” (11 min)
The work with students is around what is held solid?  So then they explore what the mind was doing with the student. What was exactly happening? A lot of this work is breaking down words. Like breaking down the word “perfect”. How does this example of a word show up in one’s life, how does it “hook” you. Breaking down the experience in less defined way, and more full of the experience, not to shortcut our life so much.
She talks about the stories, the narratives, we have made up about our lives (or life-sentences we give ourselves).
She says Buddhism is one huge investigation, a way of examining our lives. It calls into question everything. Meditation allows you to examine life at a gentler pace.
She talks about how our set ways we have, set us apart. This sense of separateness is setting up ourselves into a position, so everything becomes positional. In the flowing river of life, that would be the log that gets stuck in the middle, and then everything has to adjust around it. She talks about shifting that, working with the knowledge of conditionality, so we can take up and promote more wholesome conditions.
She also asks what conditions help us, what conditions do we put in our lives? What conditions help us continue our practice?]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 30:45 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-student-of-zen-interview/ Sun, 18 Jan 2015 22:07:21 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=330 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-student-of-zen-interview/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-student-of-zen-interview/feed/ 5 <p>Hal Rowe Student of Zen Buddhism Meditation Interview (Pictured above with his partner Debbie) Hal Rowe is currently a student of Zen Buddhism. He serves environmental causes, loves the outdoors, poetry, and describes his path into a Zen practice through reading Alan Watts as a late teen. He was influenced by Daoism and its appreciation […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-student-of-zen-interview/">MF 004 Hal Rowe Student of Zen Buddhism Meditation Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Hal Rowe Student of Zen Buddhism Meditation Interview (Pictured above with his partner Debbie) Hal Rowe is currently a student of Zen Buddhism. He serves environmental causes, loves the outdoors, poetry, and describes his path into a Zen practice throu... (Pictured above with his partner Debbie)
Hal Rowe is currently a student of Zen Buddhism. He serves environmental causes, loves the outdoors, poetry, and describes his path into a Zen practice through reading Alan Watts as a late teen.
He was influenced by Daoism and its appreciation of nature, Chinese philosophy,  Tibetan Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism.
In this interview, Hal talks about how he started meditating, then got more consistent over time. He describes how he gets inspired.
He describes how his practice and understanding of being interconnected influences and informs how he consumes, how he deals with cravings, greed, and anger.
Hal then reads a few poems from the poet Cold Mountain and Matsu.
From Record of Matsu
If one wants to know the way directly:
Ordinary mind is the way,
Everything is the way
Mind – ground is the Dharma-gate
Mind-ground is the inexhaustible lamp.
He also talks about his environmental activism, and the interesting way he brought together and highlights how the two sides, of environmentalists and loggers have a lot in common.
He currently practices with the Zen Center of Spokane.
 
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 26:01 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-zen-meditation-student-interview/ Sun, 18 Jan 2015 23:00:00 +0000 4bf3eab4674b6eba6b501ddf92cad9cf https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-zen-meditation-student-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-zen-meditation-student-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Hal Rowe is currently a student of Zen Buddhism. He serves environmental causes, loves the outdoors, poetry, and describes his path into a Zen practice through reading Alan Watts as a late teen. He was influenced by Daoism and its appreciation of natu…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-004-hal-rowe-zen-meditation-student-interview/">MF 004 Hal Rowe Zen Meditation Student Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Hal Rowe is currently a student of Zen Buddhism. He serves environmental causes, loves the outdoors, poetry, and describes his path into a Zen practice through reading Alan Watts as a late teen. He was influenced by Daoism and its appreciation of natu… Hal Rowe is currently a student of Zen Buddhism. He serves environmental causes, loves the outdoors, poetry, and describes his path into a Zen practice through reading Alan Watts as a late teen.<br /> He was influenced by Daoism and its appreciation of natu... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-meditation-and-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail-interview/ Wed, 14 Jan 2015 03:35:00 +0000 89ca4af4a18c6b92be0ee932add51f51 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-meditation-and-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail-interview/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-meditation-and-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail-interview/feed/ 0 <p>Thank you for tuning in and checking out this podcast! Today’s interview is with Gail Storey Gail Storey has meditated since the seventies, and has also authored 3 books, The Lord’s Motel, was praised by the New York Times Book Review as “a ta…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-meditation-and-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail-interview/">MF 003 Gail Storey Meditation and Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Thank you for tuning in and checking out this podcast! Today’s interview is with Gail Storey Gail Storey has meditated since the seventies, and has also authored 3 books, The Lord’s Motel, was praised by the New York Times Book Review as “a ta… Thank you for tuning in and checking out this podcast!<br /> Today's interview is with Gail Storey<br /> Gail Storey has meditated since the seventies, and has also authored 3 books, The Lord's Motel, was praised by the New York Times Book Review as “a ta... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-energy-meditation-with-eala-ruby-heart/ Tue, 13 Jan 2015 23:45:00 +0000 835e02302b05b631a15de2303e90dba9 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-energy-meditation-with-eala-ruby-heart/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-energy-meditation-with-eala-ruby-heart/feed/ 0 <p>MF 002 Eala Ruby Heart Interview Thank you for tuning in and checking out this podcast! Today’s interview is with Eala Ruby Heart Eala has immersed herself in the healing arts since 1987, taking it up professionally in 1991 and has been a student an…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-energy-meditation-with-eala-ruby-heart/">MF 002 Energy Meditation with Eala Ruby Heart</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> MF 002 Eala Ruby Heart Interview Thank you for tuning in and checking out this podcast! Today’s interview is with Eala Ruby Heart Eala has immersed herself in the healing arts since 1987, taking it up professionally in 1991 and has been a student an… MF 002 Eala Ruby Heart Interview<br /> Thank you for tuning in and checking out this podcast!<br /> Today's interview is with Eala Ruby Heart<br /> Eala has immersed herself in the healing arts since 1987, taking it up professionally in 1991 and has been a student an... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-001-introduction-to-the-meditation-freedom-podcast/ Tue, 13 Jan 2015 23:22:00 +0000 6162056cb294874acb0b411544b7e474 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-001-introduction-to-the-meditation-freedom-podcast/#respond https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-001-introduction-to-the-meditation-freedom-podcast/feed/ 0 <p>Introduction Before I get out of the way, and dive right into the first interview on the next episode, I want this first short 000 episode to just briefly explain the format of this podcast, and a little bit why I started this podcast with the t…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-001-introduction-to-the-meditation-freedom-podcast/">MF 001 – Introduction to the Meditation Freedom Podcast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Introduction Before I get out of the way, and dive right into the first interview on the next episode, I want this first short 000 episode to just briefly explain the format of this podcast, and a little bit why I started this podcast with the t… <br /> Introduction<br /> <br /> Before I get out of the way, and dive right into the first interview on the next episode, I want this first short 000 episode to just briefly explain the format of this podcast, and a little bit why I started this podcast with the t... Sicco Rood interviews meditation teachers of various wisdom traditions full false atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-eala-ruby-heart-interview/ Thu, 08 Jan 2015 15:27:38 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=326 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-eala-ruby-heart-interview/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-eala-ruby-heart-interview/feed/ 4 <p>Eala Ruby Heart Human Soul Work and Meditation Interview Eala Ruby Heart Sitting and Walking Meditation Practitioner Interview Eala has immersed herself in the healing arts since 1987, taking it up professionally in 1991 and has been a student and daily practitioner of meditation and what she calls, “human soul work” since 1992. In addition […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-002-eala-ruby-heart-interview/">MF 002 Eala Ruby Heart Human Soul Work and Meditation Interview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Eala Ruby Heart Human Soul Work and Meditation Interview Eala Ruby Heart Sitting and Walking Meditation Practitioner Interview Eala has immersed herself in the healing arts since 1987, taking it up professionally in 1991 and has been a student and dail... Eala Ruby Heart Sitting and Walking Meditation Practitioner Interview
Eala has immersed herself in the healing arts since 1987, taking it up professionally in 1991 and has been a student and daily practitioner of meditation and what she calls, “human soul work” since 1992. In addition to her energy intuitive gifts she is also trained and certified in Massage and Bodywork, Acupressure, Reiki and Hypnotherapy. She calls herself a Holistic Health Practitioner because that encompasses all her skills and focuses on human health as a whole. From personal experience she also understands some of the impacts of abuse, trauma and chronic illness and the challenges of anxiety, depression and stress.
She writes, “I have learned that Energy-Well-Being is not a goal to achieve or a race to win and does not need to compete with others for it. I realize it in my own way and in my own time. These practices have certainly helped with her own healing and helped Eala stay consistent and true whenever she faces stress, anxiety or any of life’s challenges. Most importantly they give Eala a foundation for living my life with integrity, purpose and harmony. She believes each of us has their own path to follow as we seek truth, wisdom and enlightenment. “
Originally from England, I now live in Spokane with my husband Pat and a friendly dog called Mitzi (who’s breath you’ll hear during the interview). When she is not working she enjoys making jewelry, dance and all forms of artistic expression, practicing Nia, Breema and Yoga, writing, walking and spending time with my husband and friends.
You can visit Eala’s web site at http://www.energy-well-being.com/ If you live out of the Spokane area some work is available long distance via skype or phone.
]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 46:42 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-interview/ Wed, 07 Jan 2015 23:50:21 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=225 https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-interview/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-interview/feed/ 45 <p>Author and meditator Gail Storey hiked the Pacific Crest Trail with her husband Porter Storey (Note: below is a summary, not the entire transcript of the interview) Gail Storey has meditated since the seventies, and has also authored 3 books.  The Lord’s Motel, was praised by the New York Times Book Review as, “a tale […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/mf-003-gail-storey-interview/">MF 003 Author Gail Storey on the Spiritual Journey of the Pacific Crest Trail Hike</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> Author and meditator Gail Storey hiked the Pacific Crest Trail with her husband Porter Storey (Note: below is a summary, not the entire transcript of the interview) Gail Storey has meditated since the seventies, and has also authored 3 books. (Note: below is a summary, not the entire transcript of the interview)
Gail Storey has meditated since the seventies, and has also authored 3 books.  The Lord’s Motel, was praised by the New York Times Book Review as, “a tale of unwise judgments and wise humor.” Her second novel, God’s Country Club, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection. She has won numerous awards, and her fiction, poetry, and essays have been widely published.
The book that is relevant to the Meditation Freedom podcast, and in which she talks about her experiences with meditation, mindfulness as well as perhaps the most awesome trails in the US, called the pacific crest trail, is a memoir called, I Promise Not to Suffer: A Fool for Love Hikes the Pacific Crest Trail. The book won a number of awards, the National Outdoor Book Award, Colorado Book Award, Nautilus Silver Award, and Barbara Savage Award from Mountaineers Books. It was praised by Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, as “Witty, wise and full of heart.”// &lt;A HREF=”http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?rt=ss_mfw&amp;#038;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;#038;MarketPlace=US&amp;#038;ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fmedimusifree-20%2F8001%2F20f40a33-d9a2-431c-928f-12ac04f2f06f&amp;#038;Operation=NoScript”&gt;Amazon.com Widgets&lt;/A&gt;
I Promise Not to Suffer: A Fool for Love Hikes the Pacific Crest Trail is the hilariously harrowing story of Gail and Porter’s hike of the 2,663-mile trail from Mexico to Canada over the highest mountains of California, Oregon, and Washington. In their fifties, they carried Porter’s homemade ultralight gear to climb and descend twenty miles a day, trudge across the searing Mojave Desert, kick steps up icy slopes in the High Sierra, and ford rapids swollen with snowmelt. Through the permeable layer between self and nature,  they walked deeply into the wilderness of love, and the question Who am I?
A former administrative director of the University of Houston Creative Writing Program, Gail now writes, hoopdances, and jumps out of cakes, not necessarily at the same time.
She writes:
“I have a hunger to hike the whole trail” , Porter (Gail’s husband asked her), “It’s been growing in me for years, intensified by the work with people living their dying. But what keeps you going?” [Gail writes] For once I was at a loss for words. What wanted me out here? Not my body, it was falling apart. Not my thoughts, alternately confident and doubtful. Certainly not my emotions, unreliable in their swings from high to low. I wanted to be with Porter, yes, but even more, I felt inseparable now from the vast green and blue and white of the wilderness. I looked out on the lake, shimmering under the moon. I was as sturdy as the trees. I flowed over obstacles like water over rocks. I was as solid as the mountains, as clear as the sky. The wind blew through my heart. I was what knew the wind. What knew the world was here in me, pulsing in the trees, water, rocks, mountains, moon
Questions asked in the interview with Gail Storey
I’d like to start with how you got started on a meditation path, what prompted you to start thinking of doing a meditation practice? and why Buddhism?
You did some long retreats, how did those retreats and practice help you in our daily life?
Moving on to a different type of meditative retreat, let’s talk about your book, “I promise not to suffer,]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 38:16 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate https://meditationfreedom.com/introduction-to-meditation-freedom-podcast/ Tue, 06 Jan 2015 04:26:29 +0000 http://meditationfreedom.com/?p=311 https://meditationfreedom.com/introduction-to-meditation-freedom-podcast/#comments https://meditationfreedom.com/introduction-to-meditation-freedom-podcast/feed/ 2 <p>This is the first episode! In this episode, I go over the following: Why Meditation Freedom podcast How the title came about The format of the show Why this show was created A little bit about myself Introduction Before I get out of the way, and dive right into the first interview on the next […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com/introduction-to-meditation-freedom-podcast/">MF 001 Introduction to Meditation Freedom Podcast</a> appeared first on <a href="https://meditationfreedom.com">Meditation Freedom</a>.</p> This is the first episode! In this episode, I go over the following: Why Meditation Freedom podcast How the title came about The format of the show Why this show was created A little bit about myself Introduction Before I get out of the way, In this episode, I go over the following:

* Why Meditation Freedom podcast
* How the title came about
* The format of the show
* Why this show was created
* A little bit about myself

Introduction
Before I get out of the way, and dive right into the first interview on the next episode, I want this first short 000 episode to just briefly explain the format of this podcast, and a little bit why I started this podcast with the topic of talking with meditators and meditation teachers on why they meditate, and where meditation meets their own daily life. I really want this to be for you and about bringing you as much value as possible, and as little fluff or excess words.
Lest I try to hard right from the start, I’ll try and keep myself from falling into the trap of never finishing recording this first episode, so I’ll preface this whole podcast adventure with this well known refrain from Leonard Cohen’s song called Anthem:
Ring the bells that still can ring,
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That’s how the light gets in.”
I love this quote, such a great reminder in this context that you got to start somewhere with what you have. It comes from such a human and real authentic place I think. So to apply this quote to this particular situation, I’ll share with you later how this podcast to me is just one of the creative and many ways ring those bells. And these bells will not always sound perfect, I know it will take me a while to figure out how to do the hosting job and audio well. And frankly, I could spend the next year learning how to become an NPR podcast, or I can just start and learn as I go, I would rather just get going and learn along the way what to do. I wouldn’t want to try and give you the perfect NPR experience actually, I want to make mistakes and be human. But I do hope to be able to get the guests to open enough so that they’ll hopefully let some more light in. So this is all about creatively illuminating what is dark.
First a few words about the Podcast format:
I’m releasing the first 3 episodes today since this is launch or intro week, so definitely check out the interviews in the next two episodes. By releasing several episodes, this allows you to subscribe to this podcast, which I hope you will! Next week and on-wards, I will create and release one episode each week for the time being. Each episode will be around approximately half an hour, sometimes a few minutes more, and sometimes shorter like this episode, depending on how well it flows. This podcast will consist primarily of interviews with meditation teachers and long time students or practitioners of meditation and mindfulness. They will be from all walks of life and have different perspectives and views.
I am not planning to be excessively rigid in the format of this podcast, leaving room for spontaneity, creativity, wonder and not knowing if you know what I mean! So I definitely want to experiment, and tweak to allow you to get the most value out  of it. Also, if you the listener come up with feedback that tells me something needs changing, I will make some adjustments if needed. I’ll be listening or reading carefully, and looking forward to your feedback, and and make adjustments if needed.
To give you a sense of the focus of the interviews for this podcast. The questions are going to be about the how the interviewee’s came to a meditation practice, their struggles and tough times, their Aha moments, explore some of the “benefits and results” they they have seen from a regular meditation practice. While especially nowadays, outcomes and results are very important in society, I’ll also want to explore with the guests how they’re relationship with expectations and outcomes, or ideas of gain/loss has shifted perhaps, goals and results too.]]> The Meditation Freedom Podcast full false 21:05 atwork17@hotmail.com (Sicco Rood)Meditation,Mindfulness,Freedom,Practice,Spiritual,Religion,Health,Yoga,Meditate