Category: Meditation

Learning from Non-Ordinary States

Tami Simon speaks with Stanislav Grof. For more than half of a century, Stan has been a pioneer in the research of non-ordinary states of consciousness. He is the author of many books including Realms of the Human Unconscious, Beyond the Brain, and most recently Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy. With Sounds True, Stan wrote the book When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-Ordinary Realities, and the audio learning program The Transpersonal Vision. Stan discusses the lessons that can be learned from non-ordinary states, the idea of a consciousness independent of the brain, and the uses and goals of holotropic breath work. (67 minutes)

Pith Instructions

Tami Simon speaks with Lama Surya Das, one of the best-known American-born lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. He’s the author of the books Awakening the Buddha Within and The Mind is Mightier than the Sword. With Sounds True, he’s created seven programs, including the audio learning programs Tibetan Dream Yoga and Buddha Is As Buddha Does, as well as a book/CD package called Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection. Lama Surya Das discusses recognizing our buddha nature, waking up to the nature of mind, and leads us in a Tibetan dream yoga practice. (57 minutes)

Music to Love the World Awake

Tami Simon speaks with Craig Kohland, a visionary sacred music composer, producer, and performer. He is the director of the Shaman’s Dream World Groove Ensemble, and has created three albums with Sounds True including Kerala Dream, dance: dream: dance, and African Dream, as well as a remix with Jai Uttal entitled Dial M for Mantra. Craig speaks about music as a spiritual experience, the ritualistic aspect of music, and the role of music as a positive voice in the world while listening to three musical selections from Shaman’s Dream. (54 minutes)

The Wisdom of the Yoga Sutras

Tami Simon speaks with Nicolai Bachman who has been studying and teaching Sanskrit, Ayurveda, and yoga-related topics for 15 years. He is the author of the Sounds True book The Language of Yoga and a new home study course The Yoga Sutras. In this episode, Nicolai introduces the Yoga Sutras written over 2,000 years ago by Patañjali and speaks about the essence of yoga and how to incorporate the messages of the Yoga Sutras into our life. (48 minutes)

Living as a River

Tami Simon speaks with Bodhipaksa, a Buddhist teacher, author, and member of the Western Buddhist Order since 1993. He currently teaches Buddhism and meditation to prisoners and is the author of several books, including Wildmind: A Step-by-step Guide to Meditation, as well as the Sounds True audio learning programs Still the Mind and The Wisdom of the Breath. In this interview, Bodhipaksa discusses the fluid nature of identity: what he calls “living as a river.” (56 minutes)

Sharon Salzberg: Beginning Anew

Tami Simon speaks with Sharon Salzberg, one of America’s leading meditation teachers, about some of the insights she has had in her nearly four decades of practice. Sharon is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and is the author of many books, including The Kindness Handbook, as well as several Sounds True audio learning programs, including Guided Meditations for Love and Wisdom. (48 minutes)

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