Zen Commuter

Have you ever been so focused on saying something impressive that you lost touch with what you wanted to share? Today on Zen Commuter, I explore "On Wanting to Sound Good" by Satya Robyn, from the Spring 2024 issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Through an encounter with her dog and an honest teaching from Shinran, Robyn recognizes how easily the desire to offer wisdom can become tangled up in...

A missed day becomes a week, and before you know it, your meditation cushion feels like an old friend you've lost touch with. But returning to your practice doesn't require making up for lost time or judging yourself for stepping away. It begins with a willingness to sit again, even for just a few minutes. In today's episode, we explore how to restart your meditation practice with kindness, curios...

There was a word I knew, or at least I thought I knew; equanimity. For the most part, I got it right. But there was a deeper meaning that I was missing, so I figured we could learn about it together. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page. Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: sp...

What happens when our desire to enjoy something becomes a need to hold on to it? In today's episode, we explore Venerable Thubten Chodron's Tricycle article, "Taking the Ache Out of Attachment," and the ways clinging to people, possessions, and expectations can disturb our peace. Through thoughtful reflection on change and the stories we tell ourselves about happiness, we discover how loosening ou...

An airport might seem like an unlikely place to find stillness, but meditation doesn't require a quiet room or perfect conditions. In today's episode, we explore how the bustle of travel can become an invitation to practice—listening to the sounds around us, noticing our reactions, and returning gently to the present moment. Whether we're waiting at a gate or sitting at home, we can meet what's ha...

Our culture tells us that happiness and joy are to be chased…are acceptable, and that anything that is not those things should be avoided or changed. Today I talk about being okay with not be "okay". THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page. Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: sp...

Life brings challenges, and meditation can help us meet them with greater awareness, steadiness, and kindness. In today's episode, we explore how our practice supports resilience by helping us recognize stress sooner, create space before reacting, and allow difficult feelings without becoming lost in them. Each gentle return to the present is an opportunity to practice beginning again—a skill we c...

Grief is deeply personal, and there is no single right way to experience it. In today's Zen Commuter, I share "Approaching Grief" by Roy Remer, from the Summer 2026 issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Through his compassionate insights and my own reflections, we explore how awareness can help us recognize our responses to loss and meet ourselves with greater kindness. This episode is an invita...

Calm often begins with coming back to where we are. When our minds are caught up in yesterday's conversations or tomorrow's uncertainties, we can miss the quiet moments available to us right now. In this episode of Zen Commuter, we explore how present moment awareness can help us loosen our grip on those thoughts and meet life with greater ease. By gently noticing our breath, our surroundings, and...

What can the ocean teach us about awareness? In today's episode, I share "Ride the Waves," a Lion's Roar article by C. J. Bahnsen, exploring what his experiences as a novice bodysurfer taught him about spacious awareness. It's an invitation to consider how we meet the changing moments of our own lives, and how meditation can help us make room for what arises with greater curiosity and openness. TH...

On today's Tricycle Tuesday, I explore "Helping Yourself Helps Others" by Bhikkhu P. A. Payutto, from the Spring 2026 issue of Tricycle . The article reminds us that caring for ourselves and caring for others aren't competing paths: as we cultivate wisdom, steadiness, and compassion within ourselves, we become better able to bring those qualities into the world. Our practice doesn't end when we ri...

THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page. Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: thom@zencommuter.com 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe : Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Having a consistent practice is a good thing, but it's not the only thing.  Today I share my own experience with the recent time when my practice became irregular. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page. Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: th...

Today I continue my warm and wonderful chat with Jen Kalawur. In this segment, we talk about the importance of listening to your intuition when it let's know what your body and mind truly need. To that end, we also talk about the importance of a healthy diet: not food, but information. And finally, Jen talks about the important work she does in helping her clients see their lives in a fuller, more...

On today's episode, I sit down with Jennifer Kalawur, a mindful leadership coach whose work blends emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and grounded presence. Together, we explore how mindfulness reshapes the way we lead, communicate, and care for ourselves in a world that often pulls us in every direction. Jennifer shares her own journey, the practices that keep her anchored, and the powerful...

Getting distracted during meditation doesn't mean you're doing it wrong—it means you've just become aware. In today's episode of Zen Commuter, I share three simple steps for meeting that moment: recognize that your mind has wandered, respond to yourself with kindness rather than judgment, and gently return to your breath or chosen anchor. Each return is not a failure but a repetition that strength...

On today's Tricycle Tuesday, I explore "Helping Yourself Helps Others" by Bhikkhu P. A. Payutto, from the Spring 2026 issue of Tricycle . The article reminds us that caring for ourselves and caring for others aren't competing paths: as we cultivate wisdom, steadiness, and compassion within ourselves, we become better able to bring those qualities into the world. Our practice doesn't end when we ri...

Many people feel like they don't have time to meditate, especially during a busy commute. But what if that commute became part of your practice? Today on Zen Commuter , we'll talk about how to use your car as a space for mindfulness. While safety must always be the priority, there are ways to incorporate stillness and presence even while driving. Whether you're parked or driving, there are ways to...

How we sit in a meditation varies by practitioner. However, there are some aspects of a meditative posture that will serve your session and practice. Let's talk about them. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page. Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧...

I have been away from the mic for, well, for as long as I have been away. And while there is no explanation needed; I provide one nonetheless. Thank you all for your grace and understanding. I missed you all, and am glad to be back. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page. Be a part of the sh...

Nineteen Buddhist monks set out from Fort Worth, Texas, on a 2,300-mile pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., carrying a message of peace, compassion, and nonviolence. Despite harsh weather, physical exhaustion, and serious injury, their simple act of placing one foot in front of the other captured the attention of millions. In the Tricycle article, "What Do Buddhists Think of Fort Worth's 'Walk for Pea...

One of the greatest benefits of meditation is its ability to help us understand that we can sit with anything that comes our way, seemingly good or bad. With a solid practice, we can objectively think thoughts and feel emotions, without the need to be dragged into them against our will. Today I talk about the calm that comes from knowing that nothing needs to change. THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a...

Sometimes (for many people, always) we see the end of the day as the finish line. Along the way we treat each interaction or moment as something to rate or change. We tally the score at the end of the day and determine if the day was a success or a failure. Did you know that no day is ever a success or failure; it simply is. But there is a way to enhance your perception of the day. Come listen how...

In this episode, I share and reflect on part of a thoughtful article from Lion's Roar exploring anger through the lens of Buddhist practice. As one of the "three poisons" alongside greed and ignorance, anger can easily pull us away from peace and connection when left unexamined. Rather than condemning anger or pretending it shouldn't exist, this discussion gently explores how awareness, compassion...

If you have meditated in the past and have fallen off your practice, then today's episode is for you. If you are listening to this episode and your practice has stopped, then it's safe to say you are eager to start it up again. But if you don't know why it stopped, it might get derailed again. No worries. Today, I share with you eight reasons why you may have stopped. the purpose is easy; if you k...