Such Sweet Thunder Meditation Podcast.

Equanimity is known in the Buddhist tradition as one of the four boundless qualities of the heart. It is also used in some text as synonymous with Nirvana. Join meditation teacher Chris Luard for a deep dive into this fascinating, deep, and healing potential of the human heart. Chris has been practicing meditation for over 35 years, and teaching worldwide since 2009. Trained extensively in Therava...

Here I offer a guided meditation designed to allow one to feel into a type of all inclusive Boundless Lovingkindess. By acknowledging both the 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows of life, we can begin to cultivate Lovingkindness in the midst of challenging times and circumstances.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you have...

Each and every life is replete with 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows. Can we be present to the sometimes faint hue of joy which may be available but is often overlooked? In this guided meditation we practice finding safety and ease in the midst of the messiness of life, and from that vantage point, moving into experiences of joy.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may expe...

Here I offer a body scanning practice where we scan the body seven times. Feeling into the skin, flesh, bones, and the four elements of earth, water, fire, and air. This offering is based on Bhikkhu Analayo's work in the Satipatthana Practice. It is a wonderful way to anchor awareness deeply into the here and now.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things...

Here I guide a traditional Lovingkindness meditation designed to allow one to cultivate the experience of Lovingkindness for the ourselves.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you have any questions or concerns in regards to this, or other meditation practices, please feel free to message me through my website: www.such...

Here I offer a guided meditation beginning with offering Joy to ourself, and gradually widening our circle of joy. Expanding out to include loved ones, strangers, challenging people, and to the entire world. Holding the world in an ocean of joy, we close by offering a prayer from H.H. The Dalai Lama.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise...

Here I guide a brief meditation through the three pillars of Self Compassion as codified by Dr. Kristen Neff. By moving through the stages of Mindfulness, Common humanity, and Kindness, we give ourself the opportunity to soften around our struggles and allow a space for healing. Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you have an...

Here I guide a meditation designed to allow us to resource our positive experiences. As the saying goes: "the neurons which wire together, fire together" By embarking on this type of practice, based on the pioneering work of Dr. Rick Hanson, we can train ourself to balance out the human tendency to focus on the negative experiences of life (negativity bias) and allow us to cultivate a stable, stro...

Here I offer a guided meditation designed to allow one to feel into a type of all inclusive Boundless Joy.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you have any questions or concerns in regards to this, or other meditation practices, please feel free to message me through my website: www.suchsweetthunder.org I have been prac...

Here is a really fun Interview I did with my good friend Clint Sabom from Contemplative Light. In this interview we take a deep dive into Equanimity, the topic of the online retreat I am facilitating in the fall (Sept 26th-Nov 18th) and trauma healing. Take a listen!  For more information on the retreat offering please visit www.suchsweetthunder.org  May All Benefit.

Here I guide a meditation designed to allow us to resource our good experiences. As the saying goes: "the neurons which wire together, fire together" By embarking on this type of practice based on the pioneering work of Dr. Rick Hanson, we can train ourself to balance out the human tendency to focus on the negative experiences of life (negativity bias) and allow us to cultivate a stable, strong aw...

Here I guide a meditation which may help us to key into our resistances to boundless joy. Inside we are guided to extend joy to ourselves, loved ones, neutral people, and challenging people.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you have any questions or concerns in regards to this, or other meditation practices, please f...

Here I offer a guided meditation deisgned to draw an intimate connection between our physical body and Mother Gaia. By recongnizing somatically that our bodies are composed of earth, water, fire, and wind, we find that we are no longer need to identify with a seperate self, but can open and rest into being part of a whole.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experienc...

In this guided meditation I offer an exploration through the human experience. Each step of the way we take time to extend appreciation and gratitide for the gift of the senses. Even if one or more of our senses is inhibit somehow, by illness or by birth, we can still find appreciation and joy somewhere in the human sensory experience.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we...

Here I offer a guided meditation designed to help us offer Joy to people whom challenge us. A practice such as this one is truly helpful in showing us our own resistances to the eperience of Joy. In seeing those resistances we can allow them to be as they are and still forward into an abundance of Joy. Simply because Joy feels better, the resistances do eventually dissolve.  Meditation can be...

 The practice of gratitude is a wonderful way to balance out our experience of desire. By taking stock in the abundance of our lives, we naturally fill the hole of wanting which is so prevelant in today's worldview, driving whole economies and fueling the opiod crises. Gratitude meditation is traditionally used as a support for, and companion to, Lovingkindness, Compassion, and Joy.  Med...

In every moment of every day there is someone somewhere celebrating something. Right now someone is getting married. Right now someone is celebrating a birthday. Right now someone is falling in love. Right now someone is receiving acknowledgement for doing good. By cultivating our innate capacity to rejoice in the successes and victories of people who we do not know, each and every face in the cro...

Here I guide a meditation based loosely on Rhonda Magee’s book: "The Inner Work of Racial Justice." In the meditation we take a racialized experience through our thoughts, perceptions, feelings, motivations, and embodiment. As we hold space for racism with compassion through these elements of experience, we may begin to use our somatic experience as a barometer for wise action.  Meditation can be...

In this meditation we explore the possibility of practicing Joy while in the eye of the storm. By practicing in this way, our innate joy becomes available to us as a resource of stability and grounding, which may allow us to more gracefully navigate the challenging terrain which we will inevitably encounter.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which...

Here I offer a guided meditation where we extend the gift of boundless joy to loved ones in the form of phrases. Then we move into a visualization where we radiate the energy of boundless joy out to drench ourselves and our loved ones, sharing and rejoicing with each other in the warmth of boundless joy. The longer we stay in the experience of Joy, the more our neurons wire and fire together, allo...

In this session I guide a meditation designed to allow us to experience the ephemeral nature of thoughts. By starting with very neutral thoughts and working our way into thoughts with an emotional charge, one can experience how, in the light of awareness, thoughts and emotions pass through our awarenes, like clouds pass through the sky.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we...

Here I offer a guided meditation designed to allow us to recognize and identify the root sources of reactivity: the experience of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feeling tones, as they arise in our experience. With a consistant practice of this technique, one may come to realize deeply that all reactions are impermanent, and so we can release our reactivity in knowing that  everything which...

Here I offer a guided meditation designed to allow us to recognize and identify the sources of reactivity: pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral feeling tones, as they arise in our body. With a consistant practice of this technique, one may come to realize deeply that all reactions arise from within, thus empowering us to move forward with Joy.  Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally...

Part 4. Here I guide us through a meditation where we take the phrase "May I Know What to Do, Whatever Arises." through five different elements of experience. In doing this, we may notice the subtle ways we may develop resistances to this aspect of Boundless Joy. Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you have any questions or c...

Part 3.  Here I guide us through a meditation where we take the phrase "May I Experience the World Taking Joy in All That I D " through five different elements of experience. In doing this, we may notice the subtle ways we may develop resistances to this aspect of Boundless Joy. Meditation can be challenging at times. Occasionally we may experience things which surprise as a result. If you ha...