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Tara Brach

Tara Brach

1,620 episodes — Page 3 of 33

From Head to Heart

If we are suffering, we are believing an interpretation of reality that is limiting and untrue. At these times we are imprisoned in a painful looping of fear-driven thoughts and feelings. This talk explores the ways our practices of mindfulness, compassion and loving presence can guide us from addictive thinking to perceiving life with a wise heart. In this talk, Tara explores: how fear-based thoughts create suffering and keep us locked in cycles of insecurity and separation. * the pathway of moving from the prison of looping thoughts to the freedom of open-hearted presence. * Ihow recognizing thoughts as "real but not true" opens the door to compassion and release. * three pathways—returning to presence, awakening the heart, and resting in awareness—that guide us from head to heart. * how mindfulness and loving awareness reconnect us with our wholeness and the joy of simply being. The post From Head to Heart appeared first on Tara Brach.

Aug 21, 20251h 1m

Meditation: Opening to the Mystery (17:34 min)

This guided meditation includes a body scan and invites the receptivity and letting-go of whole body breathing. Once we have awakened the vitality and presence throughout the body, we have access to the formless dimension, the awareness that is our source. The meditation closes with "Walk Slowly", from the poetry of Danna Faulds: "It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still, and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn't a relay race; that we will all cross the finish line; that waking up to life is what we were born for. As many times as I forget, catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I'm going, that many times I can make the choice to stop, to breathe, and be, and walk slowly into the mystery." ~ Danna Faulds The post Meditation: Opening to the Mystery (17.33 min.) appeared first on Tara Brach.

Aug 21, 202517 min

Embodied Presence - Portal to the Sacred, Part 2

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 this talk, Tara explores: how embodied presence awakens love, creativity, and wisdom—inviting us to meet life's moments with full attention and an open heart. the universal tendency to leave our bodies when discomfort arises, and how returning to direct sensation reconnects us to aliveness. practical ways to stay present with physical and emotional pain, transforming "pain" into the changing flow of sensation. mindful strategies like pendulating between ease and discomfort, softening resistance, and "resting in love" to reduce suffering. how waking up in the body opens a portal to mystery, dissolving the small self and revealing our true nature as vast awareness. The post Embodied Presence - Portal to the Sacred, Part 2 appeared first on Tara Brach.

Aug 14, 202554 min

Meditation: Entering Heartspace with the "Smile-Down" (18:40 min.)

The practice of visualizing and feeling a smile spreading through the body helps us access the natural tenderness and openness of our being. This meditation guides us in the smile-down, and then invites a full opening and resting in openhearted presence. We close by bringing that awake heart to an area of difficulty in our life. The post: Meditation: Entering Heartspace with the "Smile-Down" (18:40 min.) appeared first on Tara Brach.

Aug 14, 202518 min

Embodied Presence - Portal to the Sacred, Part 1

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. https://www.tarabrach.com/embodied-presence-portal-to-the-sacred-part1-2/

Aug 7, 202551 min

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. https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-being-here-2-2/

Aug 7, 202520 min

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/

Jul 31, 202557 min

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. The post Meditation: The Silence That is Listening (21:32 min.) appeared first on Tara Brach.

Jul 31, 202521 min

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.

Jul 24, 202558 min

Meditation: The Sky-like Mind (20:29 min.)

This meditation begins with listening to sounds as a portal to spacious awareness. In addition to guiding attention to naturally occurring sounds, Tara plays chimes and gongs to deepen the experience of receptivity and openness. The meditation progresses to include all experience - sounds, sensations, thoughts, feelings - in the vast, transparent, timeless space of awareness.

Jul 24, 202520 min

The Healing Power of Imagination: Transform Yourself and the World, Part 2

What if a key to personal and collective transformation lies in reclaiming our deep capacities for presence and imagination? In this two-part series, we'll explore how mindfulness awakens us from the trance of fear and separation, reconnecting us with our innate clarity and compassion. And we'll discover how imagination, when grounded in presence, becomes a superpower—allowing us to envision new possibilities for our lives, our relationships, and our world. These talks include reflections that activate imagination in ways that can heal our hearts, deepen connection with others and help bring forth a more loving, just and awakened world. In this week's talk (Part 2), Tara explores: How shifting our perceptions through imagination can free us from habitual fear and separation. The power of storytelling to awaken compassion and soften rigid patterns of reactivity. How imagination helps us reconnect with our inner wholeness and sense of possibility. The practice of mindful presence as a gateway to creative and loving awareness. How we can reimagine our identity, releasing limiting beliefs and touching into our true belonging. https://www.tarabrach.com/healing-power-of-imagination-2/

Jul 17, 202555 min

Meditation: Pathway to Inner Peace (20:41 min.)

"Peace is this moment without judgment," writes poet Dorothy Hunt, "this moment in the heart-space where everything that is, is welcome." This meditation is a guide to opening to the truth of what's here, and meeting it with a gentle, allowing presence. As we do, we can touch the inner peace of non-judging awareness, and source our actions in that balance and wisdom. https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-pathway-to-inner-peace-2/

Jul 17, 202520 min

The Healing Power of Imagination: Transform Yourself and the World, Part 1

This two-talk series explore​s how spiritual imagination can awaken us to our deepest potential for healing and transformation. ​​In times of fear and division, our imagination often contracts, fueling separation and suffering, yet through mindful presence we can reconnect with our basic goodness and the goodness in others. Through inquiry and story, ​w​e can imagine what's possible—personally and collectively—when we trust in our shared capacity for change, belonging, and wise hope.

Jul 10, 20251h 3m

Meditation: Resting in Wakeful Presence (18:55 min.)

This meditation scans through the body – arriving in the foreground with sounds, feelings and sensations, like the surface waves of the sea coming and going. And in the background, experiencing an alert inner stillness – a vast presence from which all activity pours forth.

Jul 10, 202518 min

Namaste: Honoring the Light in All Beings

The ritual of Namaste – bowing to the sacred in ourselves and others – helps us live from the loving awareness that is our true nature. This talk looks at how we suffer because we forget this basic goodness, and explores the pathways of remembering that carry us home. In this talk, Tara explores the sacred meaning of "Namaste" as a living practice—an invitation to see past the masks we wear and honor the light and goodness in all beings. how our "spacesuit self"—a conditioned identity shaped by fear and separation—can obscure our true nature, and how mindfulness can awaken us to our shared spirit. the pain of forgetting our basic goodness, and how suffering itself can be a portal—a chrysalis—guiding us back to presence, compassion, and spiritual belonging. powerful stories of transformation, revealing how turning toward love and seeing the sacred in one another—even amidst deep harm—can open the way for healing and connection. intentional practices to cultivate reverence, including mindful reflection, appreciation, and the embodied offering of Namaste as a path to awakening and collective healing.

Jul 3, 20251h 3m

Meditation: From Head to Full Being

When we are lost inside thoughts we lose connection with our heart, aliveness and spirit. This meditation guides us to a wakeful presence and invites us to return over and over from virtual reality into the mysterious, tender vastness that is our true being.

Jul 3, 202518 min

Stories That Imprison Our Heart - Part 2

Our suffering arises from fear-based stories that are often outside our awareness. These include stories of our deficiency or importance, of being a victim, of being unseen or unloved, of facing failure or rejection. This is true collectively too. We have shared stories of bad "others" that fuel wars, shared stories of the value of continued growth in consumption and production that destroy our earth, shared stories of our human right to enslave and violate other animals. We have the capacity to bring the stories that separate and imprison us into the light of awareness, and with great compassion, loosen their grip. These two talks look at the ways fear-based stories create suffering, and how awakening from them reveals the freedom of our true, and universal, belonging.

Jun 26, 202555 min

Meditation: Arriving in Embodied Presence (23:59 min)

This meditation guides you to arrive fully in embodied presence—awakening through the senses, relaxing into the breath, and gently returning to the aliveness of the here and now. With a nurturing blend of body scan, mindful breathing, and open awareness, you're guided to soften habitual tension and rest in a spacious, receptive presence. Whether you stay with a primary anchor or open to the changing flow of sensations and sound, this practice offers a refuge in stillness and self-compassion. A beautiful way to ground, reconnect, and simply be.

Jun 26, 202523 min

Stories That Imprison Our Heart - Part 1

Our suffering arises from fear-based stories that are often outside our awareness. These include stories of our deficiency or importance, of being a victim, of being unseen or unloved, of facing failure or rejection. This is true collectively too. We have shared stories of bad "others" that fuel wars, shared stories of the value of continued growth in consumption and production that destroy our earth, shared stories of our human right to enslave and violate other animals. We have the capacity to bring the stories that separate and imprison us into the light of awareness, and with great compassion, loosen their grip. These two talks look at the ways fear-based stories create suffering, and how awakening from them reveals the freedom of our true, and universal, belonging. Includes a story from Frank Ostaseki's new book, The Five Invitations - https://fiveinvitations.com/

Jun 19, 202557 min

Meditation: Homecoming to Our Life Breath (16:06 min.)

Perhaps the most universal place to collect and deepen attention is the breath. This meditation begins with an intentional breath that calms the nervous system, and then opens to a clear, intimate presence with our natural breathing. With breath as our home base, we practice returning again and again when the mind becomes distracted. As presence grows, we can let the breath be in the foreground, and include whatever waves of life come and go. This brings a quiet mind, and a peaceful, happy heart.

Jun 19, 202516 min

The Revolution of Tenderness - Part 2

These two talks explore our capacity to be tender - sensitive and responsive to ourselves and others. This capacity marks a radical evolutionary shift from a self-centered existence shaped by fear, to a life lived from the realization of our collective belonging and the preciousness of all life. The talks examine the conditioning that inclines us toward dissociation and emotional reactivity, and the practices of presence that evolve our heart and awareness.

Jun 12, 202547 min

Meditation: Breathing into Presence (19:46 min)

The breath can be our gateway into the boundless awareness that holds all life. This meditation begins with a breath that calms our nervous system, and then invites a relaxed presence with the breath and sensation that open us to the "universe breathing." Resting in awareness, we realize the wakefulness, peace and vitality of pure presence.

Jun 12, 202519 min

The Revolution of Tenderness - Part 1

This two-talk series explores our capacity to be tender – sensitive and responsive to ourselves and others. This capacity marks a radical evolutionary shift from a self-centered existence shaped by fear, to a life lived from the realization of our collective belonging and the preciousness of all life. The talks examine the conditioning that inclines us toward dissociation and emotional reactivity, and the practices of presence that evolve our heart and awareness. ~ from the talk: Pope Francis invites us to "live the revolution of tenderness," which is expressed through closeness, compassion and service… Part 2 - coming soon!

Jun 5, 202559 min

Meditation: Awake Awareness is Our Home (19:08 min)

This meditation guides us in awakening our awareness by opening to all our senses and recognizing the alert presence that is always, already here. By relaxing back into the presence over and over, we become familiar with the reality that is truly our home.

Jun 5, 202519 min

Introduction to Mindfulness: The Power of Heart Presence, Part 5

The final session of this series explores the most powerful strategies Tara knows to bring mindfulness alive in all facets of daily living. These informal practices help our entire life to become an expression of our awakening and wise heart. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, the foundational teachings of mindfulness—heart presence—offer a timeless medicine for navigating these challenging times. This fresh introductory series invites you to bring alive ancient practices in ways that are directly relevant to the emotions and reactivity arising in today's world. You'll be guided to discover an inner refuge—a way to meet your personal life and our collective world with greater presence and wisdom, courage and love.

May 29, 20251h 5m

Meditation: Lighting Up Your Energy Body

Our being has many frequencies of aliveness and as we attend to the more subtle, we discover a portal to the radiant awareness that is always here. This meditation guides us in using the breath and attention as we scan through the body and awaken an inner luminosity. We then open the attention to rest in the whole field of awake awareness.

May 29, 202517 min

Introduction to Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Thoughts – Part 4

This talk examines how the trance of thinking imprisons us, veiling our full aliveness, love, and spiritual essence. Through contemplative reflections and short guided practices, we'll explore pathways to awaken from this trance and open to the light, awareness, and wholeness of who we truly are.

May 22, 202553 min

Meditation: Cultivating a Mindful Awareness

Mindfulness means paying attention on purpose to our moment-to-moment experience. This meditation invites us to collect our attention with the breath and use the breath as a home base for mindful presence. We then include whatever is predominant, recognizing and allowing the changing flow. The blessing of this practice is simple and beautiful: We are learning to be here for our life.

May 22, 202518 min

Introduction to Mindfulness: The Power of Heart Presence – Part 3 (of a 5-week series)

Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, the foundational teachings of mindfulness—heart presence—offer a timeless medicine for navigating these challenging times. This fresh introductory series invites you to bring alive ancient practices in ways that are directly relevant to the emotions and reactivity arising in today's world. You'll be guided to discover an inner refuge—a way to meet your personal life and our collective world with greater presence and wisdom, courage and love. In this session, we explore how mindfulness and heartfulness can transform our relationship with emotions, revealing them as gateways to the full aliveness, tenderness, and clarity of awake awareness.

May 15, 202553 min

Meditation: Living Presence with Body Scan

This meditation guides us to awaken to our senses through scanning through the body and then listening to sounds. When distracted by thoughts we relax open again and again, learning to rest in the formless awareness that includes sounds, sensations and all passing experience.

May 15, 202521 min

Introduction to Mindfulness: Part 2 - The Power of Heart Presence

NOTE - Tara offers a meditation you can use as a practice during this introduction series: Mindfulness Meditation—Intimacy with our Inner Life. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, the foundational teachings of mindfulness—heart presence—offer a timeless medicine for navigating these challenging times. This fresh introductory series invites you to bring alive ancient practices in ways that are directly relevant to the emotions and reactivity arising in today's world. You'll be guided to discover an inner refuge—a way to meet your personal life and our collective world with greater presence and wisdom, courage and love. In this session, we explore how to awaken mindful awareness of sensations—the first foundation of mindfulness and the ground of all experience. Everything we cherish—love, wisdom, wonder, creativity—arises from embodied presence. To truly receive the gifts of the path, we need to be here: awake, present, and intimate with the living currents of sensation.

May 8, 20251h 3m

Meditation: Relaxed and Alert

This meditation begins with a period of relaxing and collecting our attention with intentional long deep breathing. We then deepen embodied presence, and widen to the awareness that includes sounds, sensations, feelings, breath, and all experience. When the mind drifts from this open, awake awareness, we gently return, re-relaxing and resting in an easeful, alert presence. Recorded at Tara's Wednesday night class, the meditation includes chanting of OM's and ends with a sense of melting into community.

May 8, 202521 min

Introduction to Mindfulness: The Power of Heart Presence – Part 1

NOTE - Tara offers a meditation you can use as a practice during this introduction series: Mindfulness Meditation—Intimacy with our Inner Life. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, the foundational teachings of mindfulness—heart presence—offer a timeless medicine for navigating these challenging times. This fresh introductory series invites you to bring alive ancient practices in ways that are directly relevant to the emotions and reactivity arising in today's world. You'll be guided to discover an inner refuge—a way to meet your personal life and our collective world with greater presence and wisdom, courage and love. In this first session, we explore what makes mindfulness truly transformational: the flow of effective training, the power of aspiration, how to use the breath as a home base, and the attitudes that support a steady, strong, and liberating practice. As poet W. S. Merwin writes, "Little breath, breathe me gently, row me gently, for I am a river I am learning to cross."

May 1, 202556 min

Mindfulness Meditation—Intimacy with our Inner Life

NOTE: Tara invites you to use this 15-minute meditation to help nurture a steady and strong practice during her upcoming Introduction to Mindfulness series. Mindfulness Meditation, also known as Vipassana or insight meditation, is a practice of cultivating non-judging attention to our moment-to-moment experience. We begin by gently relaxing through the body and resting attention on the breath—or another sensory anchor—allowing the mind to settle. From this grounded presence, we open to whatever arises: sensations, emotions, sounds, or thoughts, meeting each with clarity and kindness. The intention is to wake up from the trance of thinking and return, again and again, to the aliveness of immediate experience. Over time, this practice helps us develop a steady heart amidst change and brings deep insight into the nature of reality.

May 1, 202515 min

Devotion: Grounds of a Path with Heart, Part 2

In this two-part series, we reflect on the power of devotion as a gateway to awakening that reconnects us with what we love most deeply. Together, we'll look at how prayer and heartfelt longing can open us to the intrinsic experience of belonging we yearn for. Especially in these times of fear and division, cultivating our natural devotion helps us soften, remember our true nature, and realign with love. In Part 2, Tara explores: Devotion as a living expression of our deep longing to belong—to love, to truth, to something larger than the small self. The power of prayer as a sacred bridge between our vulnerability and the grace of an awakened heart. The importance of conscious prayer—rooted in presence, sincerity, and a willingness to listen for the wisdom that guides us home. How the practices of longing, expressing, and receiving open us to grace, healing, and connection with all of life. How prayer becomes a devotional path—awakening our hearts, deepening compassion, and inspiring courageous action in the world.

Apr 24, 202559 min

Meditation: Relaxing into the Flow (25:03 min)

In this guided meditation, we are invited to rest in the aliveness of the present moment. Beginning with a reflection on intention, the practice guides attention through the body—softening, sensing, and allowing life to flow just as it is. With mindful awareness of breath, sound, and sensation, we reconnect with the heart and release into presence. A closing chant and a poem by Rumi deepen the invitation to surrender and come home to the wholeness of being.

Apr 24, 202525 min

Devotion: Grounds of a Path with Heart, Part 1

In this two-part series, we reflect on the power of devotion as a gateway to awakening that reconnects us with what we love most deeply. Together, we'll look at how prayer and heartfelt longing can open us to the intrinsic experience of belonging we yearn for. Especially in these times of fear and division, cultivating our natural devotion helps us soften, remember our true nature, and realign with love. In this talk, Tara explores: The essence of devotional practice as a gateway to belonging and spiritual awakening. How longing and sincere intention can guide us back to our true nature. Prayer as the bridge between longing and belonging The difference between substitutes for love and true aspirations that arise from presence. Tracing desire inward as a practice to reconnect with the source of love and aliveness.

Apr 17, 202541 min

Meditation: Awareness is Our Home (21:40 min.)

This guided practice helps us come into our senses through a body scan. We then rest in the awareness that is listening to and feeling the changing flow of experience. When the mind drifts, the return is a relaxing back to our senses, and to the sea of awareness that includes and experiences the waves of life.

Apr 17, 202521 min

Realizing True Well-Being, Part 2

Buddhist psychology and the Western oriented field of positive psychology agree: How we pay attention determines whether we live primarily in fear and judgment, or happiness and peace. This two-part series explores the teachings, practices and attitudes that enable us to live a meaningful life with a heart that is "happy for no reason." In this talk, Tara explores: how cultivating a grateful, devoted heart opens us to presence, peace, and joy beyond circumstance. the "infinite field of possibility"—our capacity to incline the mind toward hope, love, and inner freedom. how mindfulness and compassionate action form a virtuous cycle that nurtures deep well-being and belonging. ways that serving others and savoring beauty reconnect us with the sacredness of life and the fullness of who we are. awakening from the trance of unworthiness through practices like metta, gratitude, and receiving love with an open heart.

Apr 10, 202556 min

Guided Meditation: Loving This Life - Happiness - Metta (17:05 min.)

This guided meditation, grounded in the practice of Metta, invites us to awaken the heart by softening the body and quieting the mind. We begin with the simple image of a smile—opening to warmth, ease, and presence. With a tender attention, we rest with breath, sensations, and sound—gently returning when the mind drifts. As we offer loving phrases like "May I feel happy" and "May I be free," we nourish a deep sense of well-being and connection, embracing this life with compassion and an open heart.

Apr 10, 202517 min

Realizing True Well-Being, Part 1

Buddhist psychology and the Western oriented field of positive psychology agree: How we pay attention determines whether we live primarily in fear and judgment, or happiness and peace. This two part series explores the teachings, practices and attitudes that enable us to live a meaningful life with a heart that is "happy for no reason." In this talk, Tara explores: the essential role of happiness in times of crisis—how choosing joy becomes a radical act of resilience and healing. the trance of negativity and how mindfulness helps awaken our innate capacity for presence, gratitude, and inner freedom. how positive psychology and Buddhist teachings together point us toward "happiness for no reason"—a deep sense of belonging and well-being. the power of intention—how consciously choosing to flourish shifts us from survival mode into love, connection, and aliveness. daily practices like gratitude and loving-kindness as pathways to true well-being and a heart ready for anything.

Apr 3, 202555 min

Heart Meditation: Taking in the Goodness (24:08 min.)

Taking in the Goodness: Rumi said, "Whenever some kindness comes to you, turn that way – toward the source of kindness." This meditation guides us to look for the source of loving and to turn in that direction. It begins with a lovingkindness practice that spreads the image of a smile into the body, then continues with a practice of seeing the goodness of ourselves and others.

Apr 3, 202524 min

Awakening Your Fearless Heart: Tara Brach on Facing Fear (Part 2)

Fear is a universal human experience, but when it dominates our inner world, it can trap us in a sense of separation and suffering. In this profound talk, Tara Brach introduces how the transformative power of the RAIN meditation can help us face fear with courage and compassion. By bringing mindfulness and loving awareness to fear, we can move beyond its grip and reconnect with the boundless freedom of our true nature. What You'll Learn: Understanding Fear: How fear arises and creates a sense of separation. The Power of RAIN: A step-by-step guide to using RAIN meditation to work with fear. Awakening Awareness: Discovering the boundless love and presence that holds all emotions, including fear. Highlights: Gain tools to transform fear into a gateway for healing and spiritual awakening. Explore the compassionate practices that lead to a fearless heart. Learn how to navigate fear with mindfulness and loving awareness.

Mar 27, 202557 min

Meditation: Relaxing with Life (21:38 min.)

This meditation begins with a body scan, and then we practice opening to and relaxing with our changing experience. The sitting closes with a beautiful poem by Danna Faulds, "Just for Now."

Mar 27, 202521 min

Awakening Your Fearless Heart: Tara Brach on Facing Fear (Part 1)

Fear is a universal human experience, but when it dominates our inner world, it can trap us in a sense of separation and suffering. In this profound talk, Tara Brach introduces how the transformative power of the RAIN meditation can help us face fear with courage and compassion. By bringing mindfulness and loving awareness to fear, we can move beyond its grip and reconnect with the boundless freedom of our true nature. What You'll Learn: Understanding Fear: How fear arises and creates a sense of separation. The Power of RAIN: A step-by-step guide to using RAIN meditation to work with fear. Awakening Awareness: Discovering the boundless love and presence that holds all emotions, including fear. Highlights: Gain tools to transform fear into a gateway for healing and spiritual awakening. Explore the compassionate practices that lead to a fearless heart. Learn how to navigate fear with mindfulness and loving awareness. Why Listen? This talk is an invitation to step out of fear's grip and into the freedom of open-hearted living. Whether you're dealing with personal fears or navigating collective challenges, Tara's guidance offers a powerful path toward inner peace and resilience.

Mar 20, 202558 min

Meditation: Open-Hearted Presence (23:49 min.)

This meditation establishes a kind attention by bringing the imagery and felt sense of a smile into the body scan and then, with the breath as a home base, opens the attention to changing experience. We end with a brief loving kindness reflection.

Mar 20, 202523 min

Freedom from Inner and Outer Tyranny: The Path of Spiritual Warriors

Many agree that this is the most unpredictable and dangerous time we've ever lived through. How do we hold what is unfolding, and respond with courage and clarity? In this talk we reflect on the ways we become spiritual warriors dedicated to freeing ourselves from the inner domination of fear (hatred, delusion) and freeing our world from external forms of tyranny. In this talk, Tara explores: The roots of tyranny and fear—how unprocessed fear fuels aggression, domination, and the rise of authoritarianism. The power of belonging—why remembering our interconnectedness can empower resistance against oppression. Inner freedom as a path to outer change—how mindfulness and heart-centered practices dismantle fear and awaken courage. The role of the spiritual warrior—cultivating presence, compassion, and truth to stand against inner and outer oppression. Taking action from love, not fear—how small, heartfelt acts contribute to collective healing and justice. Listen to audio: https://www.tarabrach.com/talk-freedom-from-inner-and-outer-tyranny/

Mar 13, 202547 min

Meditation: Coming Home to Openhearted Awareness (19 min.)

In daily life we often leave ourselves, get lost in thoughts, and cut off from a direct, openhearted experience of our life. This meditation reconnects by opening all the senses, turning towards the awareness that is here, and resting in the awakened heartspace that includes and tenderly holds our moment to moment experience (a special favorite from the archives).

Mar 13, 202518 min

Equanimity - Part 4 of Present Heart: The Universal Expressions of Love

Part 4: Equanimity - unfolds as we find a wise balance and spaciousness in the midst of this living, dying world. This series reflects on four primary expressions of an awake, wise heart: lovingkindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. In each talk we explore the habitual patterning that blocks our full realization of these innate capacities, and the understandings and practices that nurture their unfolding. In this talk, Tara explores: A Heart Ready for Anything – Practical reflections and meditations to cultivate equanimity in relationships and daily life. The Wisdom of Equanimity – How balance and spacious awareness free us from reactivity and deepen our capacity for love. Equanimity as the Ground for Compassion – The role of equanimity in keeping love from contracting into attachment and compassion from turning into pity. Navigating Emotional Waves – The metaphor of the ocean and waves to cultivate presence amidst life's inevitable challenges. The Shadow Side of Equanimity – How indifference can masquerade as equanimity and the importance of staying engaged with life.

Mar 6, 202552 min

Meditation: The Space and Aliveness of Presence (21:56 min.)

We arrive in presence by deepening attention in the body; relaxing and awakening through a body scan. That presence deepens as we bring our attention to the space of awareness that includes the changing flow of sounds, sensations and feelings. In that wholeness of formlessness and form, we discover our natural being - open, awake and tender.

Mar 6, 202521 min