• E74: The Art of Undistracted Living

    Michael Singer — May 4, 2025

    Liberation comes not through meditation alone but by ceasing to be distracted by the personal mind. Distractions have their root in resisted past experiences that form the basis...

  • The Michael Singer Podcast

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  • Insights At The Edge

    Tami Simon’s in-depth audio podcast interviews with leading spiritual teachers and luminaries. Listen in as they explore their latest challenges and breakthroughs - the leading edge of their work.

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Subscribe to The Michael Singer Podcast

Join the New York Times bestselling author of The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, and Living Untethered for this free series of curated teaching sessions, recorded at his Temple of the Universe yoga and meditation center.

Meet Your Host Michael Singer

Michael A. Singer is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, Living Untethered, and several popular Sounds True programs, including the Living from a Place of Surrender online course. In 1971, while pursuing his doctoral work in economics, he experienced a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, he has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, health care, and environmental protection. Author photo © Timothy Davis

Most Recent

E68: The Illusion of Control and the Power of Acceptan...

It should be obvious that most of life unfolds beyond your control. Your heart beats, your lungs expand and contract, 35 trillion living cells provide you with your body, atoms bond into molecules, and billions of other vital things go on every moment that you do not control. In spite of all of this, you suffer by resisting reality instead of appreciating it. Your desires and struggles come from storing the past experiences you liked and didn’t like and then comparing reality to what you want it to be. Eventually, you will realize that true peace and joy arise not from controlling life but from letting go of your inner blockages and learning to appreciate and fully embrace the gift of creation.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E67: Life as Your Teacher: Embracing Growth in Every M...

Spiritual growth is not separate from daily life but an integral part of it. It is about recognizing the sacredness of every moment and maintaining a divine state regardless of life’s circumstances. Life’s challenges and discomforts serve as opportunities to grow and evolve. The ultimate goal is to free yourself from attachments, expectations, and self-imposed limitations and return to the natural state of Self-Realization. By letting go of mental and emotional constraints, you can effortlessly ascend to a higher state of being.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Martha Beck, PhD: Beyond Anxiety

Just hearing the word “anxiety” can be enough to make you feel it. If you’re someone who’s struggled with chronic anxiety, panic attacks, or simply feeling safe in a world that seems far from it, this is a podcast for YOU. Here, Tami Simon speaks with renowned life coach and bestselling author Dr. Martha Beck about her new book, Beyond Anxiety. Enjoy this empowering conversation filled with science-backed techniques and spiritual insights to take a creative, whole-brain approach to freeing yourself from anxiety. 

Tami and Martha discuss why anxiety can’t just be ended—it must be replaced; the neurology of creativity; the left brain anxiety spiral and the negativity bias; the link between the right brain and our sense of purpose and meaning; the metaphor of the puppies and the cobra; the futility of trying to control the environment; the amygdala and the metaphor of the hall of mirrors; lovingkindness meditation; the power of a calm human voice and how to be an “anxiety whisperer” for yourself; self-care (including sleep!); HSPs (or highly sensitive people); the money excuse; the story of Griffin the therapy dog: a lesson on questioning our fears; the shift from fear to joy; the eureka effect and how the right brain “loves an impasse”; appreciation of the present moment; the mnemonic device, “KAT”: kindness, art, and transcendence; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Customer Favorites

Jon Kabat-Zinn: Befriending Pain

Current statistics tell us that 20% of the US population has some form of chronic pain, defined as severe discomfort that has continued for six months or more. That’s more than 50 million people. Jon Kabat-Zinn has received international acclaim for his leading work in bringing the life-changing practices of meditation and mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. In this inspiring podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Jon about his empowering new book, Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief, and how we can greatly improve our lives (and our entire world) by reframing the way we relate to our thoughts, our minds, and the sensations of our bodies. 

Listen in as they discuss the epidemic of chronic pain and the power of mindfulness to ease suffering of all kinds, the myth of the “good meditator,” the body as the starting point for practice, exploring your “emotionally freighted thoughts,” our longing to be who we really are, working with the mind and learning to inhabit a space of embodied awareness, the refuge that is meditation practice, letting go of our stories, befriending the sensory field of what we call pain, the miracle of life on Earth, the Buddha’s teaching on mindfulness as the direct path to liberation, surfing the waves of your own experience, unity within diversity and the arising of compassion, focusing on what’s right instead of what’s wrong, how we are all on a growth curve on life’s journey, and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Keep Trusting

Light Watkins is a spiritual teacher and nomad who travels the world sharing his wisdom on happiness, mindfulness, inspiration, and meditation. He is the author of The Inner Gym and the host of a weekly podcast about hope called At the End of the Tunnel. With Sounds True, Light has written a new book titled Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Light about the leaps of faith he takes in order to follow his heart. They explore bravery as being rooted in self-loyalty and self-trust rather than fearlessness. Light explains his unique approach to meditation, offers guidance for listeners who may have struggled with meditation in the past, and leads us through a short practice. Finally, Tami and Light discuss the possibility of transmitting inspiration and healing to our future and past selves.

Are You Feeling Connected Right Now?

Kristine Klussman, PhD, is a Harvard-trained positive health psychology researcher, clinician, and community organizer dedicated to helping individuals more effectively solve societal problems by emphasizing personal accountability and transformation. She is the founder of the Purpose Project (as well as its research arm, Connection Lab), a nonprofit think tank committed to the scientific research, exploration, education, and practice of authentic connection. In this podcast, Sounds True founder Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Klussman about her new book, Connection: How to Find the Life You’re Looking for in the Life You Have. Their conversation explores how we find meaning as we seek to live our best lives, a new approach to personal well-being known as “connection theory,” discovering meaning in the so-called mundane, the power of performing a “values inventory,” unpacking the concept of “purpose,” and much more.

Timeless Classics

Kristin Neff: The Liberating Power of Self-Compassion

Dr. Kristin Neff is a professor of human development and culture at the University of Texas and a practitioner of Buddhist meditation. The book and documentary The Horse Boy chronicle Kristin and her family’s extraordinary journey to help her autistic son. With Sounds True, Kristin has created the audio program Self-Compassion Step by Step, which includes clinical evidence of the importance of self-compassion along with techniques and exercises for cultivating this pivotal quality. In this interview, Tami Simon and Kristin talk about the vital distinction between self-esteem and self-compassion, three pillars of self-compassion, ‘self-compassion breaks,’ and the importance of recognizing our common humanity during difficulties that feel unique and isolating. (68 minutes)

Tami’s Takeaway
In any moment of self-criticism or self-blame, a “go-to move” that is immediately effective and state-changing is to gently touch your arm, stroke your face, or place your hand on your heart (any form of soothing touch). This activates our mammalian “tend and befriend” system, releases oxytocin, and shifts us out of the threat-defense system. Try it next time you feel self-critical. Gently touching your body can shift your state of mind—fast!

Mary O’Malley: What’s in the Way Is the Way

Mary O’Malley is an author, counselor, and acknowledged leader in the field of spiritual awakening. With Sounds True, Mary has published What’s in the Way Is the Way: A Practical Guide for Waking Up to Life. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Mary discuss the eight “spells” that keep us feeling separate from life—as well as the remedies that bring us more fully into the energetic flow of existence. They speak on the need for curiosity and the role it plays in uniting our attention with our present-moment experience. Finally, Mary explains her understanding of the awakening process and the skills one can cultivate to come into a robust and joyous alignment with life itself. (60 minutes)

Tami’s Takeaway
One of the worst feelings for me is helplessness. Mary teaches that “life is destined to bring up what is bound up.” This podcast brought up for me how I push away feelings of helplessness. According to Mary, “what’s in the way is the way,” and we can become what she calls “tightness detectives” to see how we clamp down in certain situations and resist what we don’t want to feel. When instead we meet our feelings with curiosity and spaciousness, we discover the free flow of aliveness and the absolute trustworthiness in every experience.

Zainab Salbi: Wielding Our Sword of Truth

Zainab Salbi is an author, humanitarian, and media commentator who founded the nonprofit organization Women for Women International when she was only 23 years old. With Sounds True, she has published the book Freedom Is an Inside Job: Owning Our Darkness and Our Light to Heal Ourselves and the World. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Zainab discuss what it means to be an agent of social change while also navigating the everyday journey of being human. They talk about why it’s necessary to let go of what no longer works in our lives in order to embrace our most deeply held truths. As an Iraqi-American, Zainab speaks on engaging with people whose values oppose ours—especially those who currently oppose Muslim immigration to the United States. Finally, Zainab and Tami talk about the healing power of making amends and what “freedom” really means. (83 minutes)

Tami’s Takeaway
Zainab teaches how we can befriend people who hold opposing views not through debate, but through embrace and a strong, open stance that is curious about the other person’s underlying needs and emotions. I believe this skill—truly understanding people who disagree with us and feel “other”—is one of the most important skills we need to be peacemakers and bringers of love in all of our interactions.

Most Recent

E56: From Distraction to Enlightenment: The Path of Aw...

Consciousness is eternal, infinite, and the fundamental essence of life. You become lost by focusing your awareness on your thoughts, emotions, and outside experiences. This distracts you from your true nature. In the end, true spirituality lies in recognizing that you are not the sum of your experiences; you are the indwelling consciousness that had the experiences. By letting go of the false identification with your ego, you can reconnect with the universal consciousness and experience true freedom.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E55: From Psychology to Spirituality: Transcending the...

Psychology focuses on understanding and managing the mind’s learned patterns, emotional struggles, and conditioned behaviors. Spirituality is about transcending these mental and emotional constructs to center on the consciousness which is aware of them. From this seat of witness consciousness, you can actually watch the mind create a false concept of self that is based on your past experiences. This false self leads to suffering unless the world matches how you think it should be. True spirituality involves realizing yourself as the conscious observer and learning to embrace life’s experiences as a gift from Creation. You can learn to free yourself from suffering and achieve a state of peace, love, and self-realization.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E54: The Sacred Time Between Birth and Death

Your life is the fleeting moments between your birth and death. During this time, true fulfillment does not come from external achievements but from an internal state of unconditional joy and love. Because we condition our happiness on outside circumstances, it often leads to suffering, attachment, and endless striving for some satisfaction. By letting go of stored past disturbances that have blocked your natural well-being, you can unlock a state of unconditional happiness and appreciate each moment as it unfolds.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E53: From Chaos to Clarity: Unleashing the Power of Mi...

The mind is a powerful tool that is crucial for both spiritual growth and living everyday life. However, when you are drowning in the chaos of your thoughts and emotions, there is the need for distance and objectivity. If you allow your mind to cling to the effect of disturbing past experiences, you will distort the reality happening now and perpetuate suffering. The solution lies in deep acceptance and openness to embracing life’s experiences as they come, without resistance or judgment.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E52: The Mind Is Not the Problem: Identifying with It ...

Spirituality is about recognizing that you are a conscious being, separate from your thoughts, emotions, and external experiences. You suffer because you identify with the past experiences that have molded your preferences and desires. True spiritual awakening occurs when your consciousness ceases to be distracted by the ego, permitting thoughts and emotions to pass through without clinging to them. This allows the shift inward to the infinite consciousness that lies beyond personal identity.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E51: Waking Up: How to Stop Living in the Past and Fin...

Seeking external solutions to make up for internal issues leads to endless struggles and suffering. But going beyond the limitations of past experiences and attachments leads to inner transformation and spiritual evolution. By releasing attachments and emotional blockages, you can experience a profound state of love, joy, and freedom. Always remember, true fulfillment is not found in external circumstances but in awakening to your higher consciousness.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Listener Favorites

E1: Living From a Deeper Part of Your Being

What do you truly want? Wealth? Recognition? A perfect relationship? At our core, reflects Michael Singer, what we really want is to be happy: to dwell in a place of joy, love, and freedom from fear. In this episode, he shows how our thoughts and emotions lead us astray with solutions and goals… and how to experience the deeper, complete part of our being that transcends both external events and the misguided perceptions and tendencies of the mind.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com. 
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E32: Transforming Struggle into Strength: The Art of C...

True peace comes from letting go of preferences and consciously interacting with life as it unfolds. Life’s moments, good or bad, are unique experiences to be appreciated and respected. Embracing challenges with openness can transform struggles into meaningful experiences. This shift in consciousness toward acceptance fosters an elevated, peaceful inner state. This is the foundation for deep spiritual growth.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E2: Cultivating the Discipline to Free Yourself

Once we realize that the higher self lies beyond our thoughts and emotions, we’ve taken an important first step. But anyone who’s had this insight knows that the journey has just begun. “If you think you can quickly free yourself from the power of the mind and the heart,” Michael Singer teaches, “you are in for a surprise.” Here, he guides us into the work of freeing ourselves through our choices and our continual commitment to spiritual practice.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E42: Why We Suffer: A Spiritual Perspective on Problem...

Why do people experience so many problems in life? If you look objectively, you will see that problems arise because we have deeply ingrained preferences about how life should unfold. These manifest as desires and fears that are rooted in our unresolved experiences from the past. True freedom and joy can only be achieved by letting go of this stored negativity and embracing life as it unfolds. Ultimately, fulfillment comes not from controlling external circumstances but from inner alignment and openness to life’s flow. 

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E68: The Illusion of Control and the Power of Acceptan...

It should be obvious that most of life unfolds beyond your control. Your heart beats, your lungs expand and contract, 35 trillion living cells provide you with your body, atoms bond into molecules, and billions of other vital things go on every moment that you do not control. In spite of all of this, you suffer by resisting reality instead of appreciating it. Your desires and struggles come from storing the past experiences you liked and didn’t like and then comparing reality to what you want it to be. Eventually, you will realize that true peace and joy arise not from controlling life but from letting go of your inner blockages and learning to appreciate and fully embrace the gift of creation.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E3: The Yoga of Letting Go – Staying True to You...

How do we free ourselves from the endless pull of external events and the turmoil of our thoughts and emotions—to return to the seat of the true self? Like a balloonist seeking to rise skyward, the key is to stop fighting the ropes that are holding us down, and to practice the moment-by-moment yoga of letting go. When we do, we cease to be an instrument of the personal self and start being a liberated expression of the divine will.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

Timeless Classics

E26: Why the Outside Affects the Inside: Finding Inner...

If our consciousness dwells inside, why do external circumstances have such a strong effect on our inner well-being? It is attachment to past experiences that creates a mental filter that distorts reality as it comes in. By releasing stored emotions and judgments, we can access a natural state of joy and peace, regardless of external events. The path to self-realization involves continuous self-awareness and letting go of attachments, ultimately leading to a life of authenticity, freedom, and bliss.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E27: The Stages of Spiritual Awakening

The stages of spiritual growth involve moving from attachment to past experiences and preferences to a more open state of appreciation and acceptance. Initially, attachment to past pains and desires creates a self-concept, or “ego,” which drives much of one’s feelings and actions. True spiritual growth requires accepting and serving reality as it unfolds. This gradually leads to a profound sense of unity with the divine, beyond personal suffering and ego.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E28: From Distraction to Liberation

Spiritual growth involves recognizing and releasing the ego, which is a construct of accumulated experiences and unresolved emotions. True liberation comes from allowing life’s events and emotions to flow through without resistance, enabling one to reconnect with pure, universal consciousness. By shedding the ego and embracing this state, individuals can experience a profound sense of unity and peace.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E29: Beyond Belief: The Path to Direct Spiritual Exper...

There is a profound relationship between beliefs, faith, and direct spiritual experience. Beliefs are constructs of the human mind and are not truths; they can change. Genuine spiritual understanding comes from direct experience rather than intellectual belief. Experiencing the relationship between energy and consciousness serves to bridge the gap between modern physics and ancient spiritual teachings. Exploring this involves letting go of the ego, staying open, and directly experiencing the inner energy flow that leads to profound self-realization.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E3: The Yoga of Letting Go – Staying True to You...

How do we free ourselves from the endless pull of external events and the turmoil of our thoughts and emotions—to return to the seat of the true self? Like a balloonist seeking to rise skyward, the key is to stop fighting the ropes that are holding us down, and to practice the moment-by-moment yoga of letting go. When we do, we cease to be an instrument of the personal self and start being a liberated expression of the divine will.

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

E30: The Art of Being Present

Spirituality involves recognizing that we are the conscious awareness observing our thoughts, emotions, and experiences, not the experiences themselves. This awareness is part of an infinite, divine force that permeates all of creation. Self-realization involves learning to let go of attachments to past experiences and the ego-driven need for control, which distorts our perception of who we truly are. By embracing and handling each moment as it unfolds, we reconnect with our true, infinite nature, enabling us to live joyfully and serve others selflessly. 

For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.

© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2024 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.

 

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