loving kindness

If it is true that we are unhappy when things don’t go as we expect them to go, then it makes sense to look at our expectations more closely. We should figure out what importance they have in our lives and see what role they play and whether or not they are necessary. If they do cause us to be unhappy, then we should be able to trace back their source and even eliminate some of them.

Meditation Apps:
Waking Up with Sam Harris
Headspace
!0 Percent Happier

https://www.anotherfinger.com

Cover Art: Rory Jenkins  
Email: l3m0nsh4rk@gmail.com
Social Media: Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr @Sh4rkH4ts

This is a podcast about taking mindful awareness off of the cushion and applying it to your daily life. We will be discussing many ideas in episodes to come but this introductory episode is simply an attempt to layout the framework through which all subsequent episodes will be viewed. The lens of mindful awareness.

https://www.anotherfinger.com

Suggested meditation apps:

Waking Up with Sam Harris is my daily "go to" with a great introductory course and a lot of lessons as well as other meditations teachers and styles. Excellent.

Headspace is also a great app. It's very beginner friendly. I started with this one and haven't gotten too far into it. But it is definitely worth checking out.

Cover Art: Rory Jenkins  
Email: l3m0nsh4rk@gmail.com
Social Media: Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr @Sh4rkH4ts

How often do you look yourself in the eyes and really see who you are? For most of us, it’s rarely-to-never. Kacey is an incredibly gifted healing force, and today she’s leading us through a reflective practice called metta-meditation. When the goal is self/other empathy, I can’t think of a better way to practice loving kindness than to actually look in the mirror. It’s intense and yes, a bit uncomfortable, but worth every second. I did the practice in her in-person class, first looking at myself, then seated in front of another class member (that I didn’t know), holding their gaze for what seemed like forever. It was extraordinary what came up and I knew I wanted to bring it to you. I hope you flag this one and return to it often. It’s like a double dose of growth. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

Find Kacey
What is Metta-Meditation? 

Mikey Noechel offers a guided meditation on loving kindness towards a benefactor.

May you be at ease.

May you be at peace.

May you be kind and gentle with yourself.

May you be filled with loving kindness. 

This is a kid-friendly meditation, recommended for ages 5-9 years. Using the imagination, fill a balloon with a message of loving kindness and send it off to a friend, family member, or neighbor. This meditation can help children recognize ways they can be kind toward themselves and others, even during times of social distancing.

Written and narrated by Jayme Allen.

Work with Jayme (EQ-Focused Career & Communication Coaching) - apply to work 1:1 with Jayme  here. 

Contact Jayme via email: jayme@moodbodystudio.com or on IG: @moodbodyjayme

Enjoy Creative Meditations by Jayme Allen / Mood Body Studio on YouTube! - LINK TO YOUTUBE MEDITATIONS

In this episode, Mikey Noechel discusses the first verse of the Dhammapada and how suffering is made in the mind.

"All dhammas are preceded by the mind.

They governed by the mind and formed by the mind.

If one speaks or acts with an impure mind

suffering follows from there from

just as the wheel of the cart follows the ox that pulls it.'

In this episode Mikey Noechel discusses the four Brahma Viharas, which are also know as the Heart Practices.

Loving Kindness (Metta)

Compassion (Karuna)

Sympathetic Joy (Mudita)

Equanimity (Upekkha)

In this episode, Andrew discusses the practice of Metta, "Loving-Kindness Meditation", as a way of inclining one's practice to reach beyond self-centeredness and into connection with others. This is the highest aspiration of practice, to move beyond defense and separateness and into connection with others.

Katie offers a guided meditation on Metta towards self, loved ones, neutral people, difficult people, and all being. 

Andrew discusses the 3rd Foundation of Mindfulness (Mindfulness of Mind). He talks about developing "inner space" through mindfulness, and how we can begin to understand our mind states so that we don't have to enact our emotion's demands.

Andrew offers an overview of two fundamental aspects of the Buddha's teachings on meditation - non-reactive awareness (clear seeing) & skillfulness (wise responding). Meditation practice entails both the ability to step back from automatic perceptions and impulses & the ability to respond wisely to meet life on life's terms. In this talk, Andrew details both of these aspects of mindfulness, focusing specifically on an overview of the heart practices. This episode includes a guided meditation practice.

In this episode, Andrew draws questions from participants, discussing "Spiritual Bypass", "Dukkha & My Mom", "Staying Positive in the Face of Adversity", and "Our Relationship to Money".

Andrew offers a talk on "Sympathetic Joy", which is the practice of taking active delight in the joy and successes of others. We often get caught up in comparison, competition, and insecurity when we hear about others' successes; this usually comes from a place of scarcity (that there is not enough) or a fear of falling out of our place in the tribe (that we are losing our status). The Buddha offered a practice for working with these common expressions of fear, calling "Sympathetic Joy" one of the sublime states of mind.

So much of spiritual practice is about getting into the weeds and looking into the messy areas of our lives. It's important to balancing the "dirty work" with the enjoyment and appreciation of what is going well in our lives. In this talk, Andrew explores some themes related to the practice of gratitude.

Andrew offers a guided gratitude meditation. Enjoy!

Scott Tusa & Andrew Chapman discuss perspectives on Metta (loving-kindness) as a way of overcoming self-importance and self-obsession. This talk includes a portion of Q&A. Enjoy!

Scott Tusa visits from Brooklyn, NY to teach at Wild Heart Meditation Center. In this talk, Scott speaks on the topic of "Finding More Joy Through Embodied Awareness". Enjoy!