The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern

Ethan discusses the difficulty with keeping a meditation practice going that is relevant for those who are new to practice as well as those who have been finding their seat for many years. He offers five keys to making your practice more sustainable this year. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (starts January 28, 2025) and...

Ethan is joined again by friend, bestselling author , dharma practitioner and astrologer Juliana McCarthy . They discuss the various movements in astrology in 2024 and 2025 from a mindful perspective. Juliana gives her optimistic take on what is to come, calling Mid 2025 onward "Not A New Chapter, But A Whole New Book," why Ethan is praying for Star Trek aliens,and they discuss world events and ho...

Ethan is joined by Dharma Moon founder and award winning musician/composer David Nichtern for a true moment of Nichternity. They engage in a wide-ranging discussion (the only kind they know how to have) about Wicked, Ariana Grande, Ethan's issue with musicals, the death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, the Kaliyuga or "dark ages," fear of impermanence, building an awakened environment of art and cultu...

Ethan is joined by health journalist and podcaster Derek Beres to discuss the dominance of misinformation in the health, wellness and spiritual spaces, and how we might be able to understand and converse with the people—and the parts of ourselves—that have gone "down the rabbithole." Derek Beres  is a multi-faceted author, speaker, and podcaster based in Portland, Oregon. He has served in senior e...

Ethan discusses the addiction concept of "rock-bottom" and how that concept can be transposed onto the worldview of individualism and individual power. In what ways, from a Buddhist standpoint, is individualism healthy and necessary? In what ways is it confused? Can we transition to a more collective or community-oriented worldview, and what is the role of the sangha in all this? Check out all the...

Ethan shares thoughts in the aftermath of the shocking (to him, at least) results of the US presidential election. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free talk on Grief and Heartbreak, "The Gift of a Broken Heart" with Brian Welch on November 14th and the free talk on Wh...

Ethan talks to author, Dharma teacher, and scientist Cortland Dahl  about his new book  A Meditator's Guide To Buddhism . They discuss research on short meditation sessions, mindful living, and touch on the meaning of "guru" in the modern world. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Chec...

Reeling from the events of the last 10 days in Western North Carolina (which directly and tragically affected two friends who have been on The Road Home podcast), as well as close friends directly affected by the bombing and aggression in the Middle East, Ethan returns to some basic thoughts on the truth of our interdependence, and the limits of looking at our path from an individual perspective. ...

Ethan looks at the nature of anxiety as a special-case emotion and offers a short dharma talk on working with anxiety, then guides a 15-minute lovingkindness with supportive visualization practice for working with any anxiety we might be feeling during election season or beyond. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful...

Ethan talks to author, meditation teacher, scientist and lawyer Anu Gupta about his new book Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From-- and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them .  They discuss Anu's life, how bias brought him to the brink of taking his own life, and his extensive work with organizations getting to the roots of internalized biases. They get into bias from both...

Ethan provides a dharma talk on the (originally Jungian) idea of The Shadow and the current popularization of "Shadow Work." He explores the ways that Tantric Buddhism offers to work with our more difficult and suppressed experiences, as well as the concept of treating our most difficult experience as "beautiful monsters." Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the...

Ethan provides a dharma talk on why practicing self-compassion can be so tricky and so "blocked." He offers some helpful tips you might not have considered (or maybe you have!) for practicing lovingkindness and compassion, both on the meditation seat and in life in general. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Medi...

Ethan talks to teacher Shawn J. Moore , aka The Mindful Rebel, aka "Part Buddha, Part Biggie" about his somewhat unique path to mindfulness and dharma, and about the meaning of holding space, allowing yourself to just be, and transformational leadership. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Train...

Ethan provides a dharma talk on the relationship between Self, Non-Self, Guilt and Remorse, and delves into a classic teaching called the "four powers" for how we meet our habitual stuck places and negative behavior with an eye toward gradual transformation. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher T...

Ethan talks to one of his key teachers along the path, Dr. Gaylon Ferguson about Beginner's Mind, Original Mind and the relationship between Zen and Tantric Buddhism drawing from Dr. Ferguson's new book Welcoming Beginner's Mind: Zen and Tibetan Buddhist Wisdom on Experiencing Our True Nature . Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies pro...

Ethan continues his insights into our political moment after VP Kamala Harris ascends to candidacy. He reviews five practices for engagement with this season ( reducing media intake, increasing volunteering and engagement , mindfulness meditation, body practice, and rest ) and explores the Buddhist idea of "not one not two" for how we can experience unity at this time without cult thinking or puri...

Ethan wades into the 2024 American election, first sharing some thoughts on recent events, the dystopian state of American media, and finally, five practices we can each do to feel more connected and empowered and less panicky as the crucial election approaches. And yes, he's an optimist about American democracy. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong B...

Ethan and David Nichtern discuss the priniciple and practices of Windhorse meditation, and how to ride the energy of one's life and emotions, especially when showing up to do something that is hard to do. This is the second part of their recent conversation. The first part appeared on David's Creativitiy, Spirituality and Making a Buck  podcast .  Please remember to pick up a copy of  Confidence:...

Ethan and Marianne Williamson discuss her unique spiritual journey, her new book  The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love , and her wisdom regarding the intersection of spiritual practice and political engagement. Her book is available everywhere in all formats now! Please remember to pick up a copy of  Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere! Check out all the c...

Ethan and activist and author Shannon Watts recently had a conversation on confidence, gender and activism on IG live.  Please remember to pick up a copy of  Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere! Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon , including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14.  Shannon Watts: The fo...

Ethan interviews two teachers and co-authors of the bold new book How We Ended Racism: Realizing A New Possibility in One Generation , Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski. The conversation bridges optimism and pragmatism, along with inner and collective work. Take a listen! Justin Michael Williams  brings people together across divides with a multigenerational message of hope, empowerment...

Ethan continues to explore the themes of his new book by discussing self-confidence, no-self, working with praise and criticism, and humility with Jaimal Yogis and Lou Sharma.  Please remember to pick up a copy of  Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out this week! Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon , including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation T...

Ethan continues to explore the themes of his new book by looking at the first of the "four powers of confidence." Why does the practice of compassion help us overcome insecurity and show up when life gets hard? What are the three elements of compassion?  Please remember to pick up a copy of  Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out this week! Check out all the cool offe...

Ethan continues to explore the themes of his new book by looking at how the discussion of confidence can be seen as a discussion of our relationship to Fear and Hope. He explores the roots of Confidence is ancient Buddhism, as well as just beginning to unpack the ideas of the eight worldly winds, experiences that every human must face. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon ,...

Ethan begins to explore the themes of his new book by looking at how our meditation practice can help us to work with the crucial and elusive experience of confidence. He explores our attitude of how we enter into the meditation session and engage with our own sense of worthiness as our minds, and our lives, knock us around. How do we learn to "Hold our Seat" in the midst of a messy mind and a wor...