Your Mindful Life

Have you ever wondered, “Who am I really?” Am I just a bunch of thoughts, emotions, behaviors, parts and structures? Or am I something more? Something different? This week on the podcast we’re getting curious about our true nature—who we truly are. First, though, I’d like to invite you to become a member of the podcast via Patreon, right here .  As a member not only do you support our work on the...

In the heat of the moment, have you  ever used speech like an arrow—to hurt someone? How does it feel when someone uses that speech arrow on you?  How does it feel to speak honestly, truthfully without the arrow? Hello and welcome everyone. In today’s podcast we are investigating speech—and how speech can make us free or not. But, first. Are you moved to support the podcast so we can continue doin...

How does it feel to be bogged down by stress, anxiety, and the angst of the world? And, how does it feel when you express gratitude to someone, for something? Today we’re exploring gratitude. But first, Do you enjoy the podcast? Would you like to support it? Become a member here on Patreon. Becoming a member not only supports the podcast so we can keep on doing what we are doing but also gives you...

Have you ever wondered, “Would I be any good at that?” “Is that for me?” or have you doubted yourself? Your worthiness, ability or goodness? At one time or another we have all doubted. Doubted ourselves. Doubted our abilities and our intrinsic goodness and worthiness. We mistrust who we are because we have mistaken beliefs about who we are and what we can do. We have doubted what other people do o...

Have you ever wondered,  “Why do my actions lead in the opposite direction to where I want to go?” or “How does this action serve me?” “Why aren’t outcomes aligning with my intentions?” Today we’re diving into the subject of Karma. What it is and what it isn’t. Karma is a Sanskrit word that means action.  When we are mindful, we become aware of the nature of Karma. Karma can be described as the cy...

Do you ever worry about not fitting in and then try hard to fit in only to discover that it doesn’t feel that great after all? Today on the podcast I’m talking about authenticity. About how we want to be authentic but find ourselves caught in pretense. And, about how mindfulness can guide us to our authentic selves. We all want to be seen and we are very good at not showing who we really are becau...

How are you when someone is angry and in your face? Do you react in anger? How can we be with someone else’s and our own anger? Hello everyone and welcome. This week we’re exploring how to be mindful in an angry world. How to be when others are angry; and how to be when we’re angry. How do we process someone getting in our face and saying, “You’re my enemy.” Anger often arises in a group because s...

Do you ever wonder, “Who am I really?” What’s my true nature? And, how do I find out?  This week, we explore inquiry and insight. To know what our true nature is and who we truly are, our mindfulness practice turns to inquiry. Inquiry is the process by which we uncover the truth. Insight is the truth of who we really are. We all cling to stories, beliefs, judgments, and interpretations about who w...

There are two kinds of happiness. The first kind is worldly happiness linked to changing conditions and the ways our senses experience pleasure. Something causes happiness.--a beautiful blue sky or the kindness of another.   The second kind is happiness without a cause. It isn’t dependent on anything. This happiness springs from our whole Self that is boundless, spacious, grounded, loving, safe an...

What happens when things aren’t going your way? When what you expect to happen doesn’t? When what is happening is unpleasant, worrying, or devastating?  How are you with it? Can you be with it? In this week’s podcast we explore how bringing mindfulness allows us to accept things just as they are. When we don’t resist and we don’t hold on, we can allow what is here to be here. The judging mind want...

What goes through your mind when you feel pain? When you hurt yourself? Do you run away from it, hoping that it will go away? Do you fight against it? Or do you approach it mindfully, befriending it and caring for it? In today’s podcast, we explore pain, the suffering we experience from it, and how being mindfulness alleviates the suffering.  Our conditioning teaches us to push pain away, to be af...

What does it mean to choose? Do you often feel you have no choice? Or, that you have too many choices? When you make a choice do you feel satisfied and happy? Or not? Hello and welcome everyone. Today we are exploring choice. Choosing has to do with selecting among alternatives. What happens when we think we have no alternatives, and then realize that we do? We investigate how rather than reacting...

This week we dive into attitude—that way of thinking or feeling we have about something or someone that shows through in our behavior. By investigating our attitude(s) in mindfulness meditation, we see how we can get to know our minds better and how this can lead us to gratitude. Our direct experience is our teacher and so I share what happened when I sat with the attitude of "I have to,” an...

It is a startling truth that each time we come into contact with something through sight, sound, smell, touch, taste or thought a feeling tone registers. And, feeling tone has only three flavors: Pleasant, unpleasant, or neither pleasant nor unpleasant (neither/nor). That’s it. Feeling tone precedes emotion and thought. We commonly use the word feeling to describe emotional state; in this instance...

Does the mind state of impartiality feel familiar to you? Or does your mind go or want to go to reactivity or indifference?  How does it feel knowing that each of us are owners of our own actions and that the happiness or unhappiness of another depends on their actions and not our well wishes? Today, we’re exploring equanimity, that quality of mind that is impartial, calm, and even. That quality o...

How do you feel when a friend has a success? Or see someone celebrating good fortune? What feelings arise in you?  This week, we’ll explore the third face of love—Appreciative Joy, or as it is also called sympathetic joy or mudita , in the ancient language of Pali.  Appreciative joy is the delight that springs from an open heart for our own or someone else’s joy and good fortune. You just feel goo...

How does it feel when you see someone who is having a hard time, who is suffering, or who is lost? What’s your response? In this episode we’ll explore Compassion, the Second Face of Love. Compassion builds on lovingkindness, our capacity to feel friendliness and caring for ourselves and others. Compassion is not for softees. Compassion requires strength, character, and honesty. Compassion says, “L...

How connected to you feel to yourself and others? Do feelings of friendliness and kindness arise in you often? Or do feelings of judgment or indifference take center stage? How do you feel after wishing someone well? Maybe someone with whom you have disagreements? In this episode we explore Lovingkindness—the first Face of Love. Lovingkindness is simply the wishing well for ourselves and others. I...

When you think of love, what comes to mind? How do you practice open-heartedness in your life? What does it bring you?  In this episode we explore the heart practices of Mindfulness—what I call the four faces of love: Lovingkindness (Metta in the ancient language of Pali); Compassion (Karuna in Pali); Appreciative Joy (Mudita in Pali) and Equanimity (Ipekkha in Pali). These aspects of universal lo...

Does your mind often wander? Do you suddenly notice and wonder, “Where have I been?” Have you ever struggled to separate what a thought says from whom you are? Have you ever just watched your thoughts like a curious observer?    This week, we explore mindfulness of thoughts. Getting to know how your mind works is powerful.  When we pay attention to our thoughts and explore them like compassionate...

How does it feel inside your body when an emotion arises? How would you describe how it feels? What’s your relationship to emotions? Are there some emotions that you push away?  Are there some emotions that arise habitually in reaction to your experience?  This week, we explore mindfulness and emotions. Getting to know how emotions manifest in you, and how you react or respond emotionally is a use...

The breath is our life force. Today we’ll explore why we use the breath as the object of our attention when we meditate. We’ll take a look at its characteristics and how they make it an excellent choice for the focus of our attention.  Its quality of portability points to its practicality while its subtleness points to its exquisite fit for our purpose. Although automatic and requiring no thinking...

Today we’ll explore mindfulness and what it is. We’ll take a look at where the English term came from and the meaning underneath it.  We’ll look at the essential meditation practice— mindfulness of breath— and how this cornerstone practice works--including its essential steps. We’ll also talk about how to bring openness and curiosity bring to our practice and what to do when the thought, “I’m too...

Welcome to my podcast, Your Mindful Life, hosted by me, Mary Slocum. In this, my very first episode, I share my story with you. How I got into Mindfulness and how it helps me navigate life with more ease and joy. I’ll share the background to how the podcast came into being. And, I’ll share my hopes for you, my listeners. I see this podcast as more than a destination, as more than just talk, as mor...