"Meditation and the Science of Altered Traits"

In this opening interview, Tami Simon speaks with Richie Davidson, PhD, about his neuroscientific research into the effects of contemplative practice on the mind and body. Drawing on recent discoveries, Richie details the principles that underlie the development of resilience and equanimity, how to confront toxic personal narratives, and the cultivation of innate human goodness. Join Richie to learn about:

• The differences between constructive and deconstructive practices
• The three "levels" of meditators and what differentiates them
• Why some practitioners are able to alter personal traits and others cannot

"Meditation as a Doorway to Joy and Liberation"

In this special interview between celebrated author Alice Walker and Tami Simon, Alice discusses her early discovery of a deep peace and radiance within herself, which she later rediscovered through the practice of meditation. Alice talks about the necessity to meet all beings with compassion, without exclusion. She also talks about meditation as a "loyal friend" and the specific practices of lovingkindness and tonglen, two practices which have played an important role in Alice's life. Other topics include: how meditation has influenced Alice's writing; "disappearing" in meditation and how Alice understands this experience; what it means to embrace the part of us that feels broken and how meditation can help; meditation and the work of social activism; why Alice believes joy and wisdom are linked; and more. Join Alice for a conversation that transmits her love of life and learn more about:

• Using meditation to cultivate an awareness of emptiness, personal bravery, and an interconnection to all things
• The interplay between formal meditation and the meditation of everyday life
• Meeting our own suffering with joy, compassion, and lovingkindness
• Meditation as a step toward liberation from all of the forces that tie us down

"Jewel on Meditation: Hardwood Grows Slowly"

How can we cultivate mindfulness in the face of trauma, challenging circumstances, and chronic negative thoughts? For Jewel, this is more than a theoretical question. After a childhood of neglect, abuse, and homelessness, the singer–songwriter used mindfulness meditation and other self–observation techniques to deal with her own anxiety and self–criticism. In this interview with Tami Simon, Jewel uses the metaphor of the Alaskan trees of her youth to describe how mindfulness practice has helped her develop better resilience and equanimity. Here Jewel will explore:

• How to discover your own "antidote thoughts" for negative self–talk
• Journaling as a gateway to observing and questioning our own thoughts
• On-the-spot practices for soothing anxiety
• The keys to living more gratefully

"Breaking the Addiction to Our Minds"

The first foundation of mindfulness asks us to direct our full attention to our bodies and the sensations created by the breath. In order to be fully present with the breath and body we have to learn how to ignore our thinking mind. This proves to be the initial challenge in meditation as we break our addiction to the mind’s tendency to wander in the future and past.

• Mindfulness of breathing
• To recognize, accept, investigate, and disengage from the thinking mind
• Embodied awareness of the impermanent nature of all sensation

GUIDED MEDITATION
A 15-minute guided meditation practice to tune into the sensations of the breath and body. Relax and sharpen your mind as Noah guides you into the depths of breathing in the present moment with compassion and mindfulness.

"Resilient Heart: Compassion Practices for Openness Without Overwhelm"

Many people enter meditation practice through the doorway of heartbreak. Whether you're suffering from a breakup, feel overwhelmed by injustice, or are coping with a tragic loss—Buddhist wisdom offers practices for transforming suffering and isolation into resilience and connection. This beginner's introduction teaches us two time-honored compassion practices that build the capacity of the heart, with contemporary perspectives on how compassion for ourselves and others can help us to love wisely and deeply even in difficult times. Participants will learn:

• Compassion as the quivering of the heart in response to suffering, and the capacity to respond with appropriate action
• Compassion practices as an antidote to both numbness and overwhelm
• How regular compassion practice can help us build the capacity to meet the inevitable challenges of our lives

GUIDED MEDITATION
Two contemplative practices: a karuna meditation from the Theravada Buddhist tradition, and a tonglen practice from the Tibetan canon.

"Opening to the Depths of the Present Moment"

In this special broadcast, join world-renowned spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle as he discusses the many facets of meditation. Topics include: saying "Yes" to the present moment; observations on incorporating meditation into daily life; doorways to experiencing inner space; specific forms of attention-based meditation practices; opening to the depths of Presence beyond our ego-based drives and desires; and more. Participants will learn about:

• Meditating on the breath as well as objects
• Inner-body meditation
• Transforming consciousness through surrendering to the always-available Now

"Bringing Playfulness to Your Practice, for Beginners and Beyond"

A practical and experiential introduction to meditation for beginners and anyone early in their meditation journey. Learn about the key concepts, philosophy, and science behind mindfulness, as well a guide on how to start your own meditation practice with a little playfulness and fun. Topics include:

• Anyone can meditate
• It's normal for your mind to wander off during meditation
• Meditation is about paying attention to your experience of the present moment
• Why playfulness and curiosity are key qualities to bring to meditation, and more

GUIDED MEDITATION
Coming Back to Your Senses with Playfulness: A short meditation practice to help you to reconnect with your body.

"The Neuroscience of Compassion"

Compassion is a heartfelt and courageous response to suffering. This session will explore how insights from neuroscience can help you tap into your compassion instinct. We’ll explore:

• How compassion training changes the brain’s response to suffering and can strengthen your ability to respond to life’s challenge with kindness, empathy, and bravery
• How to awaken heartfulness and mindfulness to deepen our capacity for compassion and self-compassion.

GUIDED MEDITATION
A guided meditation for deepening compassion for the one person we most often have trouble treating well—ourselves.

"The Craving Mind"

We are all vulnerable to craving. Whether it’s a compulsion to constantly check social media, binge eat, smoke, excessively drink, or any other behavior, we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating negative behaviors. Why are bad habits so hard to overcome? In 2014, Time magazine declared a “mindful revolution” due to its growing popularity and growing body of research suggesting that mindfulness may help to treat a number of health-related problems from general stress-eating to anxiety to addiction. However, little is known about the underlying psychological mechanisms and related brain processes. Drawing from both clinical studies and brain imaging research, Dr. Brewer discusses recent evidence that helps to unravel these mysteries and how these insights might apply to our own lives. Here you will learn how to:

• Differentiate types of reward-based learning, such as positive and negative reinforcement
• Assess how mindfulness targets reward-based learning
• Apply understanding of mechanisms of reward-based learning to habit change
• Discuss the brain mechanisms underlying mindfulness and self-referential processes

"Building Cognitive Resilience with Mindfulness Training"

This presentation will discuss recent scientific findings regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness training programs to promote resilience. A large and growing body of literature finds that high stress degrades attention and working memory, and weakens the capacity to regulate emotions. Further, protracted periods of high stress may lead to performance failures and psychological illness. Amishi's lab investigates the benefits of mindfulness training in a broad range of high-stress/high-performance groups. Learn about:

• Research on benefits to athletes, military service members, and others in extremely high-stress situations
• How mindfulness training improves resilience, working memory, focus, and emotional regulation—and prevents burnout

GUIDED MEDITATION
A ten-minute guided mindfulness practice that looks to the breath, body, and the expanded field of experience to cultivate greater mindful awareness.

"Tackling the Myths, Misconceptions, and Self-Deceptions That Stop You from Meditating"

Dan illuminates the myths and misconceptions that block people from meditating. Even as meditation moves from something "weird" into the mainstream, most people still aren't meditating. In 2017, Dan embarked on a research mission, taking a cross-country meditation tour (18 states in 11 days) to understand the things that get in the way of meditation and help knock them down. Dan will share the myths he uncovered, how to overcome them, and tips for how to start a meditation practice. Join Dan to discover:

• The scientific benefits and the impact meditation can have on your day-to-day experience of life
• How to make time for meditation in your life, even when "no free time" is the number one obstacle
• A thorough debunking of the myth that to meditate correctly you need to clear your mind—which is impossible

GUIDED MEDITATION
A Meditation That Proves You Don't Suck at Meditation: Dan offers a quick guided practice to highlight the fact that noticing the flow of our own thoughts–especially the distracting ones–is an important first step for meditation.

"Free Your Mind When Your Body Hurts: An Introduction to Mindfulness–Based Pain Management"

Vidyamala will introduce key principles and practices from her signature Breathworks Mindfulness–Based Pain Management (MBPM) program. She will also share some of her personal story–how, after a serious spinal injury left her disabled more than 40 years ago, MBPM helped her take charge of her life. Vidyamala will describe the phases of Denial, Bargaining, Acceptance, and Flourishing that she experienced on her healing journey. She will also share key practices from MBPM that can help to relieve pain. Other topics include:

• How to live well with pain and disability
• How the experience of pain can be divided into primary and secondary suffering, and how mindfulness can help us with each
• The central importance of embodied breath awareness
• The crucial place of kindness and the importance of mindfulness in daily life

GUIDED MEDITATION
A guided breath–based body scan. This will help you rest your awareness deeply inside your body and to soften resistance to any pain you may be experiencing.

"Toward Sustainable Happiness"

With all the apps, classes, and other opportunities we have today to support a mindfulness meditation practice, research (and our own personal experiences) shows that it's very difficult to create and sustain a meditation practice. Understanding some key obstacles to meditation and the brain's implicit decision–making process gives us clues as to how we can work with our minds and environment to discover the long–term benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Highlights:

• Three major obstacles to everyone's meditation practice
• Two supportive strengths to lay the foundation for a stronger practice
• The X–factor for enduring change

GUIDED MEDITATION
This 20–minute meditation comes from Elisha Goldstein's six–month online mentorship program, A Course in Mindful Living. The intention is to train our ability to relax our nervous systems to strengthen our mindfulness practice.

“The Awakened Parent”

According to Dr. Shefali Tsabary, the current paradigm of parenting is badly broken. In fact, the ways we raise children—and indeed, how we were raised—are the primary reasons why societal ills such as xenophobia, racism, and greed continue to perpetuate across generations. Here Shefali proposes an inversion of the old model, suggesting that childhood is meant to be a journey of self–discovery for both children and their parents. It is only when parents have done enough inquiry and inner work to understand their own issues that they can join their children in the search for their true selves. Join Shefali to examine:

• The many "conditional cultural lies" about parenting
• Why surrendering the illusion of control is the only way not to project old wounds onto our children
• How we can reject old myths and allow children to chart their own course through life

"The Power of Presence in Parenting and Pedagogy: How Relationships and the Brain Support the Development of a Resilient Mind"

This session explores exciting new findings that reveal how the learnable skill of being present—receptive to and aware of what is happening as it is happening—leads to improvements in mental well–being, relationship skills, and even medical health. Understanding the mechanisms of presence that occur in our mental lives, our relationships, and in our brains will be the starting place for learning basic skills that each of us can use to create more presence in our professional and personal lives. Here Dan covers:

• What is Presence?
• How does awareness relate to attention?
• What is the overlap between the social brain and consciousness?
• Integration and well–being
• Cultivating mental health through the integration of consciousness

GUIDED MEDITATION
The Wheel of Awareness: This is a meditation for the integration of consciousness as we differentiate "rim" elements and "hub awareness" from each other, linking them with our focus of attention.

"Growing Up Mindful"

As the practice and research of mindfulness take off, more families are seeking ways to share such practices with children. Dr. Willard will share methods for parents and professionals to practice themselves and share with young people. Mindfulness is more than just breathing. Here, viewers will explore tailored techniques for those with learning differences, medical concerns, and mental health issues—including awareness, movement, games, play, and creative activities for all ages. Key topics:

• The neuroscience of mindfulness and compassion
• Adapting mindfulness to all kinds of minds
• Making mindfulness fun, and making mindfulness stick

GUIDED MEDITATION
Dr. Willard shares several short meditation practices adapted for children.

"Altered Traits: The Benefits of Mindfulness for Leadership and Emotional Intelligence"

Meditation has multiple benefits—but maybe not the ones you've heard about. A rigorous review of the research eliminates many dubious claims about mindfulness and highlights the strong ones. Benefits of mindfulness start right away for beginners, get stronger with long–term practice, and are truly spectacular at the highest practice levels.

• Meditation and how it benefits leaders
• Why mindfulness requires emotional intelligence training to be of maximum benefit to organizations
• The profound effects of bringing meditation–derived skills into education

"Mindful of Perspectives in Communication"

Language gives us a choice of three points of view: "I," "You," and "It." The "I" perspective requires us to express ourselves; the "You" perspective demands good listening skills, and the "It" perspective teaches us to observe carefully. Mindfulness of these points of view transforms our communications. Join Diane to:

• Learn to be mindful of our perspectives in communication
• Practice expressing in first person
• Enjoy listening in second person
• Cultivate careful observation when using third person
• Learn to take a perspective on your perspective

GUIDED MEDITATION
Compassionate Exchange: This is a variation on tonglen meditation. Beginning with the ego–centric self, we will expand our identity to ethnocentric, to world–centric, and to kosmic–centric perspectives, receiving pain and distress at each level and exchanging it for compassion.

"Taking a Beautiful Seat and Trusting Life"

Singer, musician, and longtime meditation practitioner Alanis Morissette talks with Tami Simon in an exclusive interview about her own mindfulness practices and how they have helped her through both difficult and wonderful times. Throughout this lively conversation, Tami and Alanis touch upon the many ways that "taking one's seat" in present–moment consciousness can help us deal with anything that life has to throw at us. Join Tami and Alanis to learn about:

• The creative process as a form of focused meditation
• How the needs and desires of the ego can actually serve as effective portals to awareness
• Cultivating open awareness as a way to directly face death and mortality
• Ways we can encourage dialogue between the different voices and impulses of the self

"Meet Them Where They Sweat: Mindfulness in High Performance Sports Psychology"

Dr. Michael Gervais is a sports psychologist whose clients are elite athletes across many disciplines, which includes a staff position with the Seattle Seahawks. In this in–depth interview with Tami Simon, Michael lays out the principles of how to apply mindfulness to performance not only in sports, but any other professional or artistic field. From an explanation of single–point focus to understanding what it means to "choke," Michael brings a unique perspective to the direct benefits of meditative practice. Topics include:

• Why mindfulness is the central component in a full toolset of skills for high–level performers
• The effects of guided imagery on performance outcomes
• Methods for interrogating inner criticism that undermines confidence
• How to decouple from the pervasive idea that “you are what you do”

"Keep Singing: Chanting as a Meditative Path"

Across the world, many spiritual traditions use singing and chant to deepen the connection to the divine. For Krishna Das, chanting mantras is one and the same with mindfulness meditation—a potent method for focusing the attention, observing the present moment, and shedding egoic attachments. In this interview with Tami Simon, this world–traveling kirtan singer and former student of Neem Karoli Baba describes the ways chant can deepen presence, encourage compassion, and catalyze immense personal change. Highlights include:

• Why mantras are like seeds whose blossoms will eventually crack the foundations of the egoic self
• Chanting as a method for dismantling the armor of the heart
• Why lovingkindness is perhaps the most important practice for Westerners
• The most important lesson learned by Krishna Das from Neem Karoli Baba

GUIDED MEDITATION
Chanting to quiet the mind and open the heart: Krishna Das guides us through the process of mantras—repetition of divine names—as a practice to arrive here in the moment, entering into a quiet and deep space.

"Mindfulness: The Key to Habit Change"

Changing our habits can transform all areas of our lives, from productivity and decluttering to finances and family. However, habit change can be hard. Mindfulness turns out to be the key ingredient in doing so. We'll look at how to apply mindfulness techniques for more successful habit change, including:

• How habits can transform all areas of our lives
• The biggest obstacles to habit change and how mindfulness can help
• Key mindfulness techniques for successful habit change
• Simple steps to changing habits

GUIDED MEDITATION
A Mindfulness Practice for Changing Habits: A three–minute meditation practice to help with overcoming obstacles to habit change.

"No Such Thing as a Relationship Expert"

We need to understand the harm caused by both Western and Eastern myths about relationships, which is what Ethan Nichtern playfully but poignantly explores in his new book, The Dharma of the Princess Bride. On the Western side, there is the fairy tale myth that relationships might save us. On the Eastern side, there is the myth that a master of meditation has somehow figured out all of the difficulties of relationship and doesn't need to struggle with them ever again. Here Ethan explores:

• How to spot narratives we have about what we as spiritual practitioners are "supposed" to experience in relationships
• How to work with narratives of hope or salvation with respect to relationships
• How to work with narratives of fear or cynicism with respect to relationships
• How to find the middle path beyond hope and fear and discover relationships that allow us to discover basic goodness

"Mindful of Race"

Racism remains one of the most deeply rooted and painful societal impasses of our time. It is fed through unawareness, the misuse of power, and our inability to bear witness to the truth of how things are. Understanding how we have been conditioned to think and respond is at the heart of both racial distress and racial healing. In this session, Ruth will explore:

• Our individual and collective racial conditioning through the Racial Awareness Rubik
• Six hindrances to racial harmony
• Ways mindfulness practice supports clarity and softens the grip of racial anger, guilt, and fear
• How forming a racial affinity group deepens racial literacy and kinship, and contributes to a culture of care

"How Science Is Relevant to Your Meditation Practice"

Few teachers bridge the gap between spiritual inquiry and scientific clarity like Shinzen Young. Known for his ability to illuminate how science can enhance meditation practice (and vice versa), Shinzen focuses this session on understanding the concept of impermanence. The emphasis in this workshop will be experiential, centering around Shinzen's “Focus on Flow” technique. Themes Shinzen will explore include:

• The possibilities and perils of "techno–boosting" mindfulness practice
• Impermanence as a purifying energy
• Impermanence as an integrating force
• Impermanence as a link between form and the formless

GUIDED MEDITATION
Untangle and Be Free: One of the Buddha's great innovations was to apply that analytic approach to resolving complex human issues such as the nature of selfhood and the nature of ultimate happiness. In this guided practice, Shinzen takes you through his streamlined modern version of the Buddha's method for untangling the components of self.

"Keeping Our Hearts Open to the Challenges and Beauty of Our Times"

Originally recorded at a live event in 2015, Pema Chödrön takes the stage with Tami Simon for a spirited interview. Here, they explore self–compassion, the cultivation of empathy, emotional resilience, and what it takes to turn toward painful experiences. Ani Pema also leads listeners in a practice for being with troubling events both in our personal lives and in the world. Join Tami and Pema to learn:

• Why a simple, conscious pause can greatly enrich your moment–to–moment experience
• The differences in Buddhist teaching styles when presented by men and women
• Difficult experiences as foundations of greater understanding and happiness

GUIDED MEDITATION
Meditation is revered for its ability to cultivate tender–heartedness and activate compassion. Here, Pema Chödrön guides us in the centuries–old Tibetan Buddhist practice of tonglen (literally "taking and sending") for dissolving the boundaries we sense between ourselves and others.

"Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection"

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we all live our lives searching for a sense of belonging–yet often still find ourselves feeling cut off and alone. What holds us back from connecting with one another, and with our own core emotional needs? Sharon Salzberg explores here the art of mindful connection with ourselves, one another, and all of life. Drawing upon her new book Real Love, she shows us:

• How self–love can emerge out of asking questions about the stories we tell ourselves
• Why the realization that no one else can complete us actually enhances our capacity to love and receive the love of others
• How we can open ourselves up to real love
• How mindfulness lets us balance healthy skepticism alongside a genuine drive for personal growth and self–improvement

GUIDED MEDITATION
Lovingkindness: A guided meditation offering care and compassion to ourselves, others, and all of life (literally "taking and sending") for dissolving the boundaries we sense between ourselves and others.

"Transforming the Suffering of the World with Mindfulness and Compassion"

To practice mindfulness is to practice breathing—and to breathe is to come home to the body and the gift that is life. Originally recorded as part of the Refreshing Our Hearts livestream event, this special session features an intimate presentation by one of the world's great spiritual masters. Here Thich Nhat Hanh describes the simple joy of focusing upon the breath and using its flow to settle in the endless wonders of this present moment, just as it is. Join Hanh to consider:

• Why mindfulness of the breath is such a potent method for knowing the body
• How we can embrace negative thoughts and emotions like a mother cradling her child
• What "the Kingdom of God" actually means and why it is accessible in every single moment

"Fully Embodied as You Are"

The greatest mindfulness curriculum is no less than our own messy lives. For Jon Kabat–Zinn, those difficult and awkward life situations that make us want to turn away–from stress at work to the all–encompassing issues that affect everyone on the planet–are in actuality the most effective gateways to the cultivation of mindful presence. By taking our seat and taking a stand (both literally and metaphorically) in our practice, every one of us can engage with everyday catastrophes with compassion, openheartedness, and joyous courage. Here Jon will teach:

• The advantages of taking on our days from a state of choiceless awareness
• How to meet the enormity of dukkha—the generalized, endemic suffering of humanity
• Why recognizing our patterns of thoughts and emotions brings us closer to our ideals

"Mindfulness as Loving Awareness"

Mindfulness can transform everything. It can be cultivated as loving awareness in meditation and every dimension of life. Jack Kornfield—known for being one of the people who first popularized mindfulness in the West—describes how we can live richer, fuller, more connected, more patient, and more compassionate lives through regular meditation practice. Topics include:

• Loving awareness
• Domains of mindfulness
• How to embody and realize everywhere

GUIDED MEDITATION
Jack leads listeners in a ten–minute practice to connect with our own loving awareness and compassion through the many emotional states that arise in the body, heart, and mind. In this meditation, we also learn to bring our loving awareness to a specific relationship that needs tending, and to the larger challenges in the world.