Category: Meditation

Body and mind are one… with Thich Nhat Hanh

Enjoy this lovely video from our dear friend, Thich Nhat Hanh, recorded at the Body and Mind are One retreat in Colorado in the summer of 2011. There is something about Thich Nhat Hanh’s presence that just allows for an outpouring of mindfulness, love, kindness, and compassion. When we at Sounds True reflect upon mindfulness, we think immediately of our dear friend, Thich Nhat Hanh, and how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to work with him, something we’ve been blessed with over the last 20+ years. In so many ways, he embodies the work we’re doing here: our values, vision, and mission.

The beautiful and inspiring footage we gathered from Body and Mind are One was edited into a seven-hour online course, which you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home, on a schedule that works for you. More than an ordinary training course in mindfulness, Body and Mind Are One is at once a living transmission of insight from this beloved Zen master and a practical teaching series covering fundamental principles for a joyful life.

Snatam Kaur: By Thy Grace

Tami Simon speaks with Snatam Kaur, one of the most recognized voices in the world of devotional chant. Snatam is an American artist who was raised in the kundalini yoga tradition and schooled in kirtan meditation and Gurmukhi, the Sanskrit-based language of Sikh scriptures in northern India. She is the lead singer for the Celebrate Peace tours and has released eight records. In this episode, Tami Simon speaks with Snatam about her bottom line in terms of daily meditation practice, what has been her go-to mantra in life, and how motherhood keeps her ego in check. She also shares three excerpts from The Essential Snatam Kaur, her Sounds True compilation of her favorite sacred chants for healing. (76 minutes)

Invoking the Goddesses of Yoga

Tami Simon speaks with Sally Kempton, a teacher who has practiced, studied, and written about meditation and spiritual philosophy for more than 40 years. With Sounds True, Sally has authored Meditation for the Love of It and the recently released book Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga. In this episode, Tami speaks with Sally about how we can seek guidance and blessing from a goddess, the role of imagination in invoking goddess energy, the light and shadow sides of each goddess, and the relationship between goddess energy and the awakening of Kundalini in the human experience. (69 minutes)

David Frenette: Consenting to the Presence of God

Tami Simon speaks with David Frenette, a leader and senior teacher in the Centering Prayer movement, and a friend and advisor of Father Thomas Keating for 30 years. He is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and serves as an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University. With Sounds True, he has published the book The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God. In this episode, Tami speaks with David about his apprenticeship with Father Keating in the practice of Centering Prayer, the role of a spiritual father or mother in one’s contemplative life, what he means when he talks about God and the Trinitarian mystery, and the most important contemplative attitude to support a practice of Centering Prayer. (66 minutes)

Innovation within an Ancient Tradition

Tami Simon speaks with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, the founder and resident teacher of Ligmincha Institute in Virginia and one of the first lamas to bring Tibetan Bön dzogchen teachings to the West. He is the author of several books, including Healing with Form, Energy, and Light, and with Sounds True he has created an integrated book-and-CD learning program called Tibetan Sound Healing. In this episode, Tami speaks with Tenzin Rinpoche about what he calls the “three doors to practice”: body, mind, and speech. He also talks about his experiences with preserving the essence of traditional teachings while needing to innovate new ways to make them accessible and relevant to students in the West. (44 minutes)

Jewish Meditation

Tami Simon speaks with Rabbi David Cooper, one of today’s leading teachers of Jewish meditation. Rabbi Cooper is author of many books, including God Is a Verb and The Heart of Stillness. His programs with Sounds True include Invoking Angels, The Beginner’s Guide to Kabbalah, and two six-CD audio learning courses, Mystical Kabbalah and Seeing Through the Eyes of God. In this episode, Tami speaks with David about the ability of the Sabbath to restore our soul, the power of using Hebrew mantras in our meditation, what angels are and how we can relate to them, and a guided meditation for calling on help and support at any time in our lives. (67 minutes)

>