Messy, Luminous, Being Podcast

We all have goals. And having hopes for the future and dreams of change are part of the creative expression of our life. But if we're honest, many of our goals are born from a negative judgement about where we are right now. In this episode, I talk to Cynthia Joanne, yoga teacher, animal lover, and global traveler, who has some pretty amazing reflections on the process of change, how we think abou...

If we picture our inner experience like an inner sky, does that change what we think we're looking forward with meditation practice? In this episode I share my own reflections about the inner sky we each experience and how we can learn to be okay being ourselves whatever our inner sky looks like today. I'd love to hear your thoughts after your listen, so DM on IG @sarahbhunt and join the Messy Lum...

We are, quite simply, a part of the natural world, and the same processes and rhythms that govern the world around us also work within us. In this episode I talk to botanist, mother, wild flower meadow tender and botanical skin care product creator Sally Gouldstone. This conversation is full of Sally's insights about how we relate to the natural world and what we can rediscover about ourselves (as...

What does it mean for us to be women practicing meditation through a tradition handed down largely by men? I have often found myself as a woman and mother, feeling like my meditation and yoga practice never lives up to the standard, that because I am practicing within a life with children, household pressures and modern working life, that my practice is always 'imperfect' or 'not right'. Recently...

How can we create a daily yoga and mind-calming practice that responds to what we really need? In this episode, I talk with yoga teacher Melissa Ingles about yoga movement, breathing and meditation as an evolving journey, how journalling is one of the best ways to nurture ourselves and exactly how we can intuitively listen to what we need today. You can find Melissa on IG @melissainglesyoga and at...

When does less effort get us more results? When does less choices feel like freedom? When do less decisions create more time? These are questions that have come out of my efforts to bring the spirit of meditation and mindfulness into the practical areas of my life. Just like we are trying to direct our thoughts towards things that serve us, that cultivate joy and kindness and wisdom, and away from...

In this episode, I share my favourite moments from three speakers in the Forward From Here summit. Lydia shares her efforts to integrate "me time" into every area of her life, Aiko talks about the daily wrestle with time and Steph shares the meaning of Kali energy and how it represents the energy of this crazy moment we are living through. I'll be running the Forward From Here online summit again...

This question came up in a group discussion recently and I wanted to spend this episode sharing a personal story as well as Buddhist & meditation teachings related to the question. If there is one motivation that drives my work, my business and my own personal meditation practice, it is this question. I hope this honesty helps and inspires us to keep practicing so that whenever anyone in our life...

In this episode, I talk about getting out of the mindset of striving for perfect. Perfect is a concept made up by the ego-mind. Here's how I'm thinking about it instead, but a few sneak peeks from the Forward From Here summit speakers Dani Mae, Clem Cocquet & Natasha Lythgoe on exhaling, expanding time and moving into right relationship with ourselves...much more precious than 'perfect'. Get your...

We might think we get energy from our food or how well we sleep, but the real energy we need right now comes from something else entirely. Excitement. Enthusiasm. One of the missing pieces for me in my own meditation practice was understanding that the true source of our energy is in our minds. Meditation isn't just about learning to calm the mind, let go of our worries and stress. It also gives u...

Certain moments stand out in a lifetime. For us, this pandemic, and most importantly how we go forward from it, might be the most important question of our generation. This is a question we need to reflect on in conversation with others. So in this episode, you'll get a sneak peek at some of the conversations included in the Forward From Here online summit. The week-long Forward From Here Summit i...

It has been my question for most of this year. With all the drastic and sudden changes to our lives during the pandemic, we have also learned a lot about ourselves, our families, and our global communities. We have learned what we really miss, what we value most and what things we can surprisingly do without. Sitting in this moment at the turn of the year we know two truths — all things are  trans...

How long does it take to make lasting, observable changes in our brains? This is the question neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson set out to discover...and the results of several decades of research are so inspiring, even for beginners! In this episode I share what I learned from the recent online summit on Science & Meditation. It will tell you what we know so far about what meditation does to th...

This is an episode about how we come home to ourselves. It is about getting to know ourselves below the neck and beneath the words, about connecting in to the depth of our human experience. Sometimes it takes being out in nature and really allowing its wisdom and aliveness and presence to be felt for us to then know who we truly are. I know you are going to love this gift of a conversation with Na...

Whenever we put our creative work out into the world...or whenever we express our authentic truth, we open ourselves up to criticism. Behind closed doors we might tell ourselves not everyone is going to like our work (or like us!) and that's okay. But the truth is, criticism not only hurts when it happens, the fear of criticism can prevent us from creating and being authentically ourselves in the...

Small movements, brief moments, these have more value than we often realise. They can sneak up on us when we look up at the night sky and feel that clarity reflected within ourselves. They can come through gentle movement of the body. And we can cultivate those small drops in our day-to-day to bring true transformation. In this conversation, I talk to yoga teacher Meghan Hatalla about her own prac...

When we think about meditation, most of us probably imagine sitting somewhere on a cushion with our eyes closed. But meditation, or mind-training, is actually a range of practices — and some of the ones I find most effective happen "on the go" when I look like I'm doing anything but "meditating". In this episode, I share the range of practices I do every day to reduce mental distress and increase...

How can we learn to get into the flow and allow things to be easy? (Or at least easier...) In this episode, yogi Claire Graham reflects on the way we experience the fluxuations of yin and yang energy. She highlights how we are taught if we are not directing things and "making things happen" we are failing...and why this is exactly the opposite to the wisdom of yin and getting into the flow. And sh...

Here we are beautiful messy luminous souls, trying to find a sense of balance and connect inward to our deeper selves...while also trying to get to work on time, give our kids our loving attention, keep food in the fridge and the laundry from taking over the house (and all the other things)! We are part of an evolving tradition of meditation that is learning how to weave inner practice into messy...

How can we create a life where we experience true belonging rather than the compulsion to mould ourselves to 'fit in'? How can we use our physical yoga practice as a way of understanding the intangible aspects of our hearts and minds? And how can we unpack our layers of social conditioning that block our truest connection to ourselves and others? These are some of the many questions in this beauti...

In this episode, I'm going to tell you a story. It starts off with a girl who lives on an island in a vast isolated sea, until one day a strange boatman arrives. The story is about Isla. But it is also about all of us. It asked the fundamental question that inspires all my work â€" how does spiritual wisdom map onto messy real life? What does the inner journey illuminate about our difficult relati...

Remembering to care for ourselves in a life where we are often focused on taking care of others is a practice in itself. In this episode, yoga teacher Nicole Windle shares her thoughts about how we can avoid burnout and why caring for ourselves is the essential spiritual practice. She also shares her experiences with kirtan, a beautiful form of devotional singing from the Indian tradition. And we...

There's no doubt that in addition to times of joy, excitement and deep satisfaction, life also holds a lot of uncertainty, change and loss. When these things come, our sadness, pain and heartache feels like just another part of life. But does uncertainty have to bring feelings of fear and anxiety? Does loss and unexpected change mean we have to feel deep heartache and pain? Or do we create unneces...

We practice. And then suddenly life hits us with something big and unexpected. It's in these times when our practice becomes more than something we do for momentary enjoyment. We start practicing to help us live well. This conversation with yoga teacher Claire Bradley brings so much practical wisdom and down-to-earth experience of how yoga can help us ground ourselves during the pandemic. Most imp...

This episode is my celebratory round-up of my favourite bits of wisdom from the many conversations I had over the past year of Messy Luminous Being. The women who came on the show over the course of the past year shared their real-life, behind-the-scenes experiences of meditation, yoga & mindfulness practices. They told us their favourite ways of reconnecting inward in the midst of busy life. And...