This two part series explores how we regularly leave our body and skim life’s surface in a mental trance, and the ways we can train our attention to come home again. We look at working with physical and emotional pain, and the gifts of love, wisdom, creativity and aliveness that arise as we learn to fully inhabit these living forms and all our senses with awareness. In part 1, Tara explores: how embodied presence is the gateway to healing, love, and spiritual connection. the four common trances—obsessive thinking, judgment, distraction, and rushing—and how they block presence. how disconnection from the body fuels suffering, while mindful awareness restores empathy and wholeness. practical ways to return to the body throughout daily life and expand our capacity for presence. how slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and sensing the body open us to the sacred mystery of life.
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51:48
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51:48
Meditation: Being Here (20:53 min.)
We miss many moments of this precious life drifting in a virtual thought world. This meditation helps us collect and calm ourselves with the breath; relax through our bodies; and then include the changing dance of sounds, sensations and feeling in open awareness. Our practice is to recognize the quality of Hereness, and when we drift, return again to this open presence, relaxing with the changing flow of life.
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20:53
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20:53
Listening to the Song – Part 2
Listening is more than a communications skill, it is a capacity that awakens our awareness. And given our current times, this capacity is essential if we are to navigate the great divides that separate us from our inner life and others. As we learn to listen inwardly, we begin to understand and care for the fears and vulnerability that ask for our attention. And as we listen to others, that same intimacy emerges. In this two-part series we examine the blocks to listening and the practices that cultivate this essential domain of human potential. Our focus is both on the transformational power of listening in our personal lives, and also the necessity for deep listening if we are to bring healing to our wider society. In this talk, Tara explores: listening as a spiritual path that heals wounds and deepens connection with ourselves and others. how to quiet the “dense forest” of thoughts to meet others with presence and care. practical ways to stay present—using anchors, pauses, and self-coaching in conversations. how compassionate listening helps others feel seen, restoring a sense of aliveness and belonging. listening as a bridge for reconciliation, revealing our shared humanity and capacity for healing. https://www.tarabrach.com/listening-to-the-song-part2-2/
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57:25
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57:25
Meditation: The Silence that is Listening (21:32 min.)
Listening to sound is opens up to the space of pure being. In this guided practice we begin by awakening through the body, and then explore listening to sounds and silence, and to inhabiting the receptive presence that is listening, awareness itself. https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-the-silence-that-is-listening-2/
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21:32
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21:32
Listening to the Song – Part 1
Listening is more than a communications skill, it is a capacity that awakens our awareness. And given our current times, this capacity is essential if we are to navigate the great divides that separate us from our inner life and others. As we learn to listen inwardly, we begin to understand and care for the fears and vulnerability that ask for our attention. And as we listen to others, that same intimacy emerges. In this two-part series we examine the blocks to listening and the practices that cultivate this essential domain of human potential. Our focus is both on the transformational power of listening in our personal lives, and also the necessity for deep listening if we are to bring healing to our wider society. In this talk, Tara explores: how listening softens distance between hearts and invites deeper connection. “listening to the song” as a way to honor the essence beyond our roles and stories. common obstacles to presence—distraction, fear, and agendas that block true listening. how deep listening can help heal old wounds, allowing love and aliveness to flow more freely. listening with an undefended heart, willing to be changed by what we hear.
Tara Brach, Ph.D is an internationally known meditation teacher and author of bestselling Radical Acceptance and True Refuge. Tara shares a weekly guided meditation and talk that blend Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices. The podcast addresses the value of mindfulness meditation and self-compassion in relieving emotional suffering, serving spiritual awakening and bringing healing to our world.
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