Category: Self-Compassion

James Finley: Breathing God

Tami Simon speaks with Jim Finley, a master of the Christian contemplative way and a renowned retreat leader. Jim left home at the age of 18 and studied at the Abbey of Gethsemani with Thomas Merton for six years. He’s a clinical psychologist in Santa Monica, California, and the author of Christian Meditation and the book The Contemplative Heart, as well as the Sounds True audio learning programs Christian Meditation, Thomas Merton’s Path to the Palace of Nowhere, and along with medical intuitive Caroline Myss, the audio program Transforming Trauma. Jim discusses embracing our brokenness and the attitude of nonjudgmental compassion, the value of spontaneous moments of meditative awareness, and false perceptions about the practice of meditation. (56 minutes)

The Way of Nature

Tami Simon speaks with John Milton, a pioneering spiritual teacher, meditation master, vision-quest leader, and shaman whose vision quest and shamanic work began in the 1940s. John is the author of the Sounds True audio learning series Sky Above, Earth Below, and has created several instructional DVDs with Sounds True, including T’ai Chi for Liberation, Cultivate Longevity, Cleanse and Build Inner Qi, and Develop Qi Strength and Power. John speaks about connecting with nature through his Sacred Passages program, harnessing the shamanic power of intent, and embracing what he calls the “internal demon of fear.” (59 minutes)

Tara Brach: True Refuge

Tami Simon speaks with Tara Brach, an author, clinical psychologist, and the founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She’s the author of the Sounds True audio learning programs Radical Self-Acceptance and Meditations for Emotional Healing. She’s also the creator of a new, nine-week online course called Meditation and Psychotherapy beginning February 18 at SoundsTrue.com, which includes three live sessions with Tara Brach where she will answer participants’ questions. (54 minutes)

Meditation and Kundalini Awakening, Part One

Tami Simon speaks with Sally Kempton, a meditation teacher who has immersed herself in the world of meditation for over four decades and has earned a reputation as a highly experienced, gifted, and insightful meditation teacher. Sounds True will be releasing Sally Kempton’s new book Meditation for the Love of It, and the audio program Beginning Meditation. In part one of this two-part episode, Sally discusses her understanding of the grace-based tradition in which she teaches, the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, and the role of the guru. (48 minutes)

Shedding Anything Other Than the Sacred

Tami Simon speaks with Stephen Levine, a poet and meditation teacher who has worked counseling the dying and their loved ones for the past 40 years. He’s the author of the bestselling books Who Dies? and A Year to Live. With Sounds True, Stephen has turned his groundbreaking work from A Year to Live into an audio learning program, in addition to In the Heart Lies the Deathless, The Grief Process and, To Love and Be Loved. Stephen discusses the power of softening to our suffering, and living mindfully as a preparation for death. (52 minutes)

Caring for the Soul in Difficult Times

Tami Simon speaks with Thomas Moore, a monk, university professor, and psychotherapist. His work focuses on developing a deepening spirituality, as well as the act of cultivating the soul in everyday life. Thomas is the author of Care of the Soul, and Dark Nights of the Soul. Beginning on October 28, Thomas will begin a three-part online event series at Sounds True called Gifts of a Dark Night, where he’ll discuss periods of loss or failure that we’ll all endure while offering advice and guidance on how to navigate these difficult times. Thomas speaks about the danger of sentimentalizing the spiritual life, the fear of living versus the fear of death, and what it means to live with care. (56 minutes)

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