Tara Brach

2012-03-21 - Alchemy of Wise Effort in Spiritual Life - The ground of wise effort is our sincere intentionality toward presence, love and freedom. Yet our habit is to go into trance, and latch on to narrowed intentions of self-enhancement or defense. When this goes on for years, we feel disappointment in our lives, a sense of not being true to ourselves. Through guided reflections, we explore how-...

2012-03-14 - Flowering, From Within, of Self-Blessing - This line from poet Galway Kinnell reminds us of the possibility of meeting our inner life with a loving, healing presence. When we do, we loosen the trance of unworthiness and reconnect with our intrinsic goodness. In turn, we can offer our blessings to others--serving as reminders of the awareness and love that can blossom in all beings. Pl...

2012-03-07 - Freedom in the Midst of Difficulty - We suffer when we forget who we are and get caught in a limited sense of self. This talk explores how we become identified with a sliver of what we are, and the pathway to remembering our wholeness. When we know we're the ocean, we are free to relate to the waves with respect, compassion and love. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tara...

2012-02-29 - Embodied Presence: Gateway to Intimacy and Freedom - We often move through the day in a reactive trance, removed from the aliveness of our bodies and this natural world. This talk explores how coming home to our bodies awakens us to living love, creativity and the deepest realization of who we are. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your dona...

2012-02-03 - Opening the Lotus of Your Heart - (from 2012 Women's Retreat) Our reaction to life's stress is to contract, and we live many moments with a tight body, clenched heart and narrowed mind. This talk explores how deepening attention can reconnect us with our natural openness and radiance. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a d...

2012-02-08 - Guided Meditation: Letting Life Live Through Us - Meditation ends with poem by Roger Keyes, "Hokusai Says." Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2012-02-08 - Questions, Guided Meditation and Group Sharings - Led by Tara. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2012-02-01 - Part 2 - Three Blessings on the Journey - Drawing on a wonderful teaching story from the Upanishads, these two talks explore the role of forgiveness, inner fire and looking at our own minds, in finding freedom. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2012-01-25 - Part 1 - Three Blessings on the Journey - Drawing on a wonderful teaching story from the Upanishads, these two talks explore the role of forgiveness, inner fire and looking at our own minds, in finding freedom. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2012-01-18 - Part 2 - Trusting Your Basic Goodness - Einstein says the most important question we will ever ask ourselves is, "Is this universe a friendly place?" Do we trust that there is something essentially benevolent or good about this universe? That we are essentially good? These two talks explore what it means to trust basic goodness, and how this trust naturally emerges through cultivating...

2012-01-11 - Part 1 - Trusting Your Basic Goodness - Einstein says the most important question we will ever ask ourselves is, "Is this universe a friendly place?" Do we trust that there is something essentially benevolent or good about this universe? That we are essentially good? These two talks explore what it means to trust basic goodness, and how this trust naturally emerges through cultivating...

2012-01-04 - Taking Refuge - This class explores the three classic gateways to true refuge - Buddha (awareness), Dharma (path, truth of reality) and Sangha (spiritual friends, loving relatedness). It includes reflections and a ceremony that supports us in remembering the pathway home. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Th...

2011-12-29 - The Blessings of Embodied Presence (retreat talk) - All that we cherish - love, creativity, wisdom and aliveness - becomes available when we come home to an embodied presence. This talk looks at how the two wings of mindfulness and compassion guide us in the midst of difficulty to our inner sanctuary of freedom. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw....

2011-12-21 - No Mud No Lotus - Our attitude in the face of life's challenges determines our suffering or our freedom. This solstice talk explores the light of compassion that blossoms when we honor our difficult times with a deep, mindful attention. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2011-12-14 - The Dance of Relational Trance - When we become emotionally reactive in our relationships, we often go into a trance that creates separation and locks us into a narrow sense of self. This talk explores how, by pausing and deepening our attention, we can reconnect with the wisdom of our hearts. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation...

2011-12-07 - The Backward Step - Our habit is to think we are on our way someplace else, and that our happiness is to be found outside ourselves. Yet realization becomes possible when we take the backward step into the formless dimension of our own being. This talk explores the two pathways that awaken us from our stories of self and reveal the love and awareness that is our true nature. Please su...

2009-08-26 - Our capacity to accept this life is key to our freedom, yet there are many misconceptions about acceptance: People wonder, if acceptance makes us a doormat in relationships? Isn't acceptance akin to resignation? Doesn't it make us passive when what is needed is action? This talk explores some of the misunderstandings about acceptance and offers teachings on the nature of genuine and l...

2011-11-23 - Pathways to a Grateful Heart - When we are filled with gratitude, we are living from the most sincere, awake part of our being. This talk explores three pathways of practice that open us to serving and savoring this life. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2011-11-16 - Mindful Speech - Deception, gossip and aggressive speech are pervasive in our culture. This talk looks at the roots of these forms of communication, and the way they entrap us in a contracted and separate sense of self. We then explore the practices that help us speak from a courageous presence, wisdom and love. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw....

2011-11-09 - The Space of Presence - The perception of "there's not enough time or space" in life blocks our natural capacity for intimacy, creativity and wisdom. Pausing and connecting with the space of presence transforms our entire experience of being alive. This talk explores the pathways that reveal the space that is always here, the awake and loving space of our own awareness. Please support...

2011-11-02 - Divine Abodes: Equanimity - Equanimity is the mental state of balance and non-reactivity that arises when we are resting in open, wakeful presence. This talk reviews the key pathways to equanimity in the face of difficulty. We also explore the blessing of equanimity: the freedom to respond to our life with wisdom, compassion and love. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tar...

2011-10-26 - Divine Abodes: Joy - Joy is an innate capacity, an expression of unconditional presence with life. Yet for many, it is blocked by our conditioning to grasp after life and to defend against loss. This talk explores how we can develop the selfless presence that allows for joy, and nourish that joy so it blossoms in our life. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com o...

2011-10-19 - Divine Abodes: Compassion - We cultivate compassion by letting ourselves be touched by the suffering within and around us. Because our conditioning is to avoid vulnerability, the path of compassion requires courage and purposefulness. As we awaken to the truth of our connectedness, our hearts become increasingly tender and our actions serve the healing of our world. Please support thi...

2011-10-08 - Unconditional Love for the Life Within - (Retreat Talk) The tyranny of "should" prevents us from living and loving fully. This talk explores how we get trapped in the identity of a flawed self and the ways a wise attention can free us. Please support this podcast by donating at www.tarabrach.com or www.imcw.org. Your donation makes a difference! Thank you!

2011-10-05 - Divine Abodes: Lovingkindness - Love is the most basic expression of who we are, and yet it is often obscured by the trance of separation and fear. This talk explores how we habitually armor our hearts, and the training of attention that awakens us to unconditional, all inclusive love. A classic form of the metta (lovingkindness) meditation is part of the talk. Please support this pod...