Tara Brach

Part 1: Beyond the Fear Body (2015-06-03) - A central part of spiritual awakening is recognizing and befriending fear, and in the tender intensity of fear, discovering the awakened heart. In these two talks we explore the suffering of becoming identified with the fear body, and the skillful means that enable a full and liberating presence with fear. Your support will enable us to continue to offer these talks freely. If you value them, I hope you will consider offering a donation at this time. Visit: http://www.tarabrach.com/donate.html. With thanks and love, Tara

Meditation - Relaxing Open into Presence (2015-06-03) - "...re-relaxing... sensing in your body what might let go a little bit more right now."

The Two Wings of Awareness (2015-05-27) - The two wings of understanding and love awaken as we learn to recognize what is here in the present moment, and to allow experience to be just as it is. This talk includes a guided reflection and a brief period of questions and responses.

Meditation - Living Presence (2015-05-27)

Part 2: Impermanence - Awakening Through Insecurity (2015-05-20) - From the view of the separate self, this existence is inherently uncertain, and we are profoundly vulnerable. Our habitual reaction to insecurity fuels separation, and limits our capacity to live and love fully. These two talks explore the blessings of wisdom, love and freedom that naturally arise as, instead of resisting, we learn to open directly to the insecurity of impermanence.

Guided Meditation: Entering the Flow (2015-05-20) - "Letting go over and over into this changing flow - the river of aliveness."

Part 1: Impermanence - Awakening Through Insecurity (2015-05-13) - From the view of the separate self, this existence is inherently uncertain, and we are profoundly vulnerable. Our habitual reaction to insecurity fuels separation, and limits our capacity to live and love fully. These two talks explore the blessings of wisdom, love and freedom that naturally arise as, instead of resisting, we learn to open directly to the insecurity of impermanence.

Meditation: Opening to the Flow (2015-05-13)

(retreat talk) Namaste - Seeing the Sacred that Lives through All Beings (2015-04-23) - The trance of separation is part of our evolutionary heritage, but not the end of the story. This talk explores how several key trainings of the heart can evolve and awaken our capacity to realize connectedness, and the sacredness that shines through this living world.

Meditation: Forgiving Ourselves and Others (2015-04-19) - a guided heart practice from the 2015 IMCW Spring Retreat

2012-03-28 - Attend and Befriend: Healing the Fear Body - Our fear management strategies--versions of fight/flight-- contract our body and mind, and separate us from others. As we learn to pause and contact the bodily fear with a gentle, mindful awareness, our sense of being enlarges. We rediscover our belonging to presence, love and life.

2015-04-29 - Investigating Reality - Beyond an Interpreted World - The skillful use of inquiry - asking questions in a way that energizes and focuses our attention - brings what is hidden into the light of awareness. This talk explores the healing that arises as we investigate the unseen, unfelt parts of our psyche, and the freedom discovered as we look into the very essence of who we are.

2015-04-20 - Meditation: Vipassana witih Instruction - Morning guided meditation and instruction from the 2015 IMCW Spring Retreat

2015-04-20 - Retreat Talk - Loving Yourself into Freedom - The most basic truths we forget, and one is this: if we don't love ourselves, we can't love life. In the most basic way, attending to and embracing our inner life reveals the nature of reality. This talk looks at the genesis of self-aversions and several pathways that open us to the loving presence that is our source.

2015-04-22 - Meditation - Letting Life Be, Just As It Is - from morning instructions at the IMCW 2015 Spring Retreat

2015-04-15 - True Happiness - Realizing Well Being - Well being is the deep contentment that arises from a relaxed, wakeful presence. This talk explores the beliefs and habits that contract us away form presence, and several key ways we can nourish our natural capacity for happiness. Your support will enable us to continue to offer these talks freely. If you value them, I hope you will consider offering a donation at this time. Visit: www.tarabrach.com. With thanks and love, Tara

2015-04-15 - Meditation: Relaxing, Smiling, Being Here

2015-04-08 - Three Liberating Gifts: Part 3 - Looking in the Mirror - This 3 part series is based on a teaching story from the Upanishads that shows our potential to awaken from an ego-based trance and discover the full luminosity and freedom of our natural awareness. In each class we'll explore one of the three gifts considered as essential on the spiritual path. The first is the capacity to forgive, to let go of the blame and resentment that prevents our hearts from being open and free. The second gift is "inner fire," the capacity to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what we most cherish. The third gift is a "mirror" or the capacity to look deeply into our own hearts and minds and realize the truth of who we are. Each class includes guided meditations that explore how these gifts can be nourished right here and now in our lives. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donations allow us to continue to freely offer the teachings!

2015-04-08 - Meditation: Coming Home to the Senses

2015-04-01 - Three Liberating Gifts: Part 2 - Inner Fire - This 3 part series is based on a teaching story from the Upanishads that shows our potential to awaken from an ego-based trance and discover the full luminosity and freedom of our natural awareness. In each class we'll explore one of the three gifts considered as essential on the spiritual path. The first is the capacity to forgive, to let go of the blame and resentment that prevents our hearts from being open and free. The second gift is "inner fire," the capacity to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what we most cherish. The third gift is a "mirror" or the capacity to look deeply into our own hearts and minds and realize the truth of who we are. Each class includes guided meditations that explore how these gifts can be nourished right here and now in our lives.

2015-04-01 - Meditation: Listening to and Feeling Life

2015-03-25 - Three Liberating Gifts: Part 1 - Forgiveness - This 3 part series is based on a teaching story from the Upanishads that shows our potential to awaken from an ego-based trance and discover the full luminosity and freedom of our natural awareness. In each class we'll explore one of the three gifts considered as essential on the spiritual path. The first is the capacity to forgive, to let go of the blame and resentment that prevents our hearts from being open and free. The second gift is "inner fire," the capacity to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what we most cherish. The third gift is a "mirror" or the capacity to look deeply into our own hearts and minds and realize the truth of who we are. Each class includes guided meditations that explore how these gifts can be nourished right here and now in our lives.

2015-03-25 - Meditation: Relaxing Back into Presence

2015-03-18 - Freedom from Fear-Based Beliefs - This talk looks at how we get imprisoned in fear based, limiting beliefs. We then explore key meditative steps that help release these veils and reveal the fullness and goodness of our essential being.

2015-03-18 - Meditation: Awakening from the Dream

2009-08-26 - Genuine Acceptance - Our capacity to accept this life is key to our freedom, yet there are many misconceptions about acceptance: People wonder, if acceptance makes us a doormat in relationships? Isn't acceptance akin to resignation? Doesn't it make us passive when what is needed is action? This talk explores some of the misunderstandings about acceptance and offers teachings on the nature of genuine and liberating acceptance.

2011-11-09 - Meditation - Discovering Inner Space - By imagining the space inside the body, we discover the continuous space of awareness that is the source and essence of all aliveness.

2015-03-04 - Sure Heart's Release - The pathway to our awaken heart includes deep recognition of our barriers to love, and as we open, the courage to express our love. This talk includes a reflection and practice that can support us in inhabiting our full capacity for loving presence.

2015-03-04 - Meditation: Open Wakeful Presence

2015-02-25 - From Dragons to Schmoos - Meeting Life with Compassionate Presence - The trance of unworthiness is sustained by our aversion to the dragons - the difficult emotions and related behaviors that are a deeply conditioned part of the human experience. In this talk we explore the awakening that is possible as we recognize our reactive patterns and instead of judgment, offer a loving and healing presence.

2015-02-25 - Meditation: Resting in Wakeful Presence - This meditation begins with a body scan, then guides us to a feeling of open presence.

2015-02-18 - Part 2: Basic Elements of Meditation Practice - This two-part series offers a clear and fresh understanding of practices that cultivate mindful awareness. The first class examines our attitude towards practice and gives guidance on posture, establishing an anchor for attention, and learning to concentrate and collect the mind - “coming back.” The second class focuses on the practice of mindfulness - “being here,” and the component qualities of clear recognition and an allowing non-judgmental presence.

2015-02-18 - Meditation: Body Scan - Living Presence

2015-02-18 - Meditation: Body Scan - Living Presence - 11 minutes

2015-02-11 - Part 1: Basic Elements of Meditation Practice - This two-part series offers a clear and fresh understanding of practices that cultivate mindful awareness. The first class examines our attitude towards practice and gives guidance on posture, establishing an anchor for attention, and learning to concentrate and collect the mind - “coming back.” The second class focuses on the practice of mindfulness - “being here,” and the component qualities of clear recognition and an allowing non-judgmental presence.

2015-02-11 - Meditation - Coming Back to the Breath

2014-12-31-Retreat Meditation - Forgiving Ourselves and Others - Instruction and guided heart forgiveness practice from the 2014 IMCW New Year's Retreat.

2015-01-28 - Inhabiting Our Bodies with Presence - Our conditioning is to pull away from our physical experience when it is difficult. When we regularly dissociate, we are removed from the source of our power, intuition and capacity to love in a full way. This talk looks at the ways we leave our body and the path of homecoming to living loving presence.

2015-01-28 - Meditation: Living Presence

2015-01-21 - Listening to the Calling of Our Hearts - In any moment, our intention - what we are energetically wanting - shapes our life experience. While our deepest intention may be to realize and live from loving awareness, we are often driven by egoic fear and grasping. This talk explores how mindfulness can recognize our prevailing intention, and by staying present, kind and accepting, we can reconnect with the deeper longings that carry us to awakening and freedom.

2015-01-21 - Meditation: Awake Space - Relaxing Back Into Awareness

2015-01-14 Refuge in Loving Relationship - Bringing presence to our relationships reveals our connectedness and essential Oneness. This talk explores two domains of this awakening with others: Realizing our shared vulnerability - that we’re in it together - and recognizing the inherent goodness or sacredness that lives through everyone.

2015-01-14 - Meditation: Relaxing Back and Letting Life Be As It Is

2015-01-07 - Taking Refuge in Your Own True Nature - The three classic refuges of Buddha (awareness), Dharma (truth) and Sangha (loving relatedness) are each expressions of our deepest essence. This talk reflects on the refuges and includes guided meditations and a closing ritual that helps us remember the pathway home in our daily life. (note: to participate in the ritual you will need a piece of red string about 28 inches long)

2015-01-07 - Meditation: Living Open Presence

2014-12-30 - Retreat Talk - Landlocked in Fur - Three Domains of Formless Presence - While we have evolved to experience a defining sense of separate self, our potential is to awaken to the formless dimension - the pure awareness is our shared source. This talk explores how we can undo the identification with thoughts, emotions and feelings that keeps us landlocked and unable to trust and live from our naturally loving and radiant essence. (given at the 2014 IMCW New Year's Retreat in Reisterstown, MD) Poem at start of talk: "Landlocked in Fur" - by Tukaram. From: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;} “Love Poems From God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West” (Ladinksy, 2002)

2014-12-30 Meditation - The Luminous Space of Awareness (given at the 2014 IMCW New Year's retreat in Reisterstown, MD) - This meditation shifts attention from form to the formless source of all Being. Discover and rest in continuous space, filled with the light of awareness.

2014-08-02 - (retreat talk) Embodying Loving Presence - This talk looks at the evolutionary fear-patterning that creates separation in our relationships, and at the practices that open us to giving and receiving love.

2014-12-17 - Part 2: Intimacy with Life - This season is one of celebrating the light and love that is our unifying source. And yet at these times our society is being forced to face its deep patterning of racial oppression, amongst other expressions of violence. These two talks investigate the process of turning against ourselves and others, and how intentional and deep presence can heal the suffering of separation.

2014-12-17 - Meditation: Light of Awareness