Part 2: Wise Intention: Living In Truth

Part 2: Wise Intention: Living In Truth

Evolution has conditioned us to identify as an egoic self and to protect that identity. A key strategy is trying to control how others perceive us through pretense and deception. This talk explores the ways we disarm though dedicating ourselves to truthfulness,...
Blog: Meditating Daily…”No Matter What”

Blog: Meditating Daily…”No Matter What”

Even after practicing and teaching meditation for more than 35 years now, I truly understand that sustaining a regular practice can be challenging. During the twelve years I lived in an ashram, for instance, I had others to practice with each day. With that kind of...
Part 1: Wise Intention: The Compass of Our Hearts

Part 1: Wise Intention: The Compass of Our Hearts

One of the most powerful spiritual practices in the world is to reflect on your heart’s deepest intention. These two talks look at the way that ego-based intentions perpetuate thoughts, feelings and actions that keep us imprisoned in feeling separate and...
Blog: Undoing All the Doings

Blog: Undoing All the Doings

Meditation students often ask me what will help them remember presence in the thick of things. My first response: “Just pause.” My second response: “Pause again, take a few conscious breaths, and relax.” Our lives are constantly tumbling into the future, and the only...
Part 2: Embodied Spirit

Part 2: Embodied Spirit

Our body–this changing field of sensation–is a portal into pure Being. These talks explore the resistance we have to embodied presence, the pathways that enable us to awaken through our bodies, and the blessings of realization that arise as we let go over...
Imparare a rispondere invece che reagire

Imparare a rispondere invece che reagire

Un elemento chiave per svegliarci dalla trance in cui viviamo e’ quello di fermarci, riconoscere i nostri sentimenti e aprirci ad uno spazio più grande di quel bozzolo che e’ la nostra mente persa in pensieri. La nostra tendenza è quella di farci prendere in un ciclo...
Beyond the Defended Self

Beyond the Defended Self

  During the years right after college, I was the director of a yoga studio at the ashram where I was living near Boston. One day, at a time when we were behind in promoting our major event of the year, which featured a number of well-known teachers, the head of...
Part 1: Embodied Spirit

Part 1: Embodied Spirit

Our body–this changing field of sensation–is a portal into pure Being. These talks explore the resistance we have to embodied presence, the pathways that enable us to awaken through our bodies, and the blessings of realization that arise as we let go over...
Blog: You Are Not Your Space Suit Self

Blog: You Are Not Your Space Suit Self

Whatever came from being is caught up in being, drunkenly forgetting the way back. -Rumi We are born with a beautiful open spirit, alive with innocence and resilience. But we bring this goodness into a difficult world. Imagine that at the moment of birth we begin to...
The Freedom of Yes

The Freedom of Yes

How do we accept ourselves or others when our actions are causing harm? Does acceptance mean passivity? Does it undermine our efforts towards change? This talk responds to these questions with a simple, illuminating and challenging principle about genuine...