Tara Brach

Tara Brach

Tara Brach, Ph.D is an internationally known meditation teacher and author of bestselling Radical Acceptance, True Refuge and Radical Compassion. Tara shares a weekly guided meditation and talk that address the value of mindfulness meditation and self-compassion in relieving emotional suffering, serving spiritual awakening and bringing healing to our world. read less

Our Editor's Take

On the Tara Brach podcast, the host offers lessons in Buddhism. She helps listeners develop meditation strategies, humility, and serenity following its tenets.

What would it mean to awaken to the sacredness of life and have an open-hearted presence? How does one feel alive and connected to one's soul? What would it mean to align with one's heart? How can one realize their true nature, trust goodness, and feel free? Tara, a Buddhist teacher, answers these questions and more in her podcast.

She advises letting go and cultivating happiness and self-compassion. With mindfulness meditation, it becomes possible to access one's "heartspace" and emulate the Buddha. When addressing fears, believers can, Tara states, begin facing fear and "awakening your fearless heart." In times of chaos and uncertainty, such a prospect may seem liberating to many.

On some episodes of Tara Brach, the host invites special guests. These include Dr. Judson Brewer and Frank Ostaseski. When Frank joins, he and Tara discuss the importance of experiencing grief. When one suppresses grief, they deny love. Grief is an expression of love and an essential part of the human experience. In his episode, the physician provides methods for reducing anxiety. Becoming aware is the first step. As a neurologist, he knows what being anxious does to the brain. When one learns to manage stress through awareness, they can live happier lives. Other guests include Dan Harris, Jack Kornfield, and Sharon Salzberg.

Wisdom and peace come from daily effort. It requires centering spirituality in one's life. In "Three Core Reminders for Spiritual Practice," Tara gives three techniques. The first is becoming in touch with and experiencing one's emotions. The second is remembering love, and the third is not getting mired in one's thoughts. When one develops these habits, they become free. This freedom allows a person to feel loving kindness for all living beings. It opens their arms and hearts to embrace themselves and the universe.

The Tara Brach podcast provides listeners with meaningful direction. It serves to let listeners live their lives with authenticity, peacefulness, and joy. Episodes arrive twice weekly.

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Religion et spiritualitéReligion et spiritualité

Santé et condition physiqueSanté et condition physique

BouddhismeBouddhisme

Santé mentaleSanté mentale

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Revolutionary Love: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Valarie Kaur

Revolutionary Love: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Valarie Kaur

In a divided, reactive, and violent world, how do we embrace love and joy? How do we genuinely include our opponents in our hearts? What gives us the courage to bring our whole being into serving and savoring? And what is our vision for a new world? In this fresh and profoundly relevant conversation, Tara Brach and Valarie Kaur explore the challenges and potential of these turbulent times. Valarie, a Sikh activist, filmmaker, civil rights lawyer, and author, shares insights from her powerful books, including See No Stranger and her recent works, World of Wonder and Sage Warrior. Together, Tara and Valarie reflect on: How Revolutionary Love can be a guide in times of division and despair. Valarie’s ancestral teachings on surviving apocalyptic times with courage. The role of joy, music, and community in building resilience and connection.Forgiveness, reconciliation, and transforming anger into meaningful action.Visioning a new world while staying rooted in hope, presence, and love. Learn more about Valarie and the Revolutionary Love project at www.revolutionarylove.org .

Épisodes

Revolutionary Love: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Valarie Kaur

Revolutionary Love: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Valarie Kaur

In a divided, reactive, and violent world, how do we embrace love and joy? How do we genuinely include our opponents in our hearts? What gives us the courage to bring our whole being into serving and savoring? And what is our vision for a new world? In this fresh and profoundly relevant conversation, Tara Brach and Valarie Kaur explore the challenges and potential of these turbulent times. Valarie, a Sikh activist, filmmaker, civil rights lawyer, and author, shares insights from her powerful books, including See No Stranger and her recent works, World of Wonder and Sage Warrior. Together, Tara and Valarie reflect on: How Revolutionary Love can be a guide in times of division and despair. Valarie’s ancestral teachings on surviving apocalyptic times with courage. The role of joy, music, and community in building resilience and connection.Forgiveness, reconciliation, and transforming anger into meaningful action.Visioning a new world while staying rooted in hope, presence, and love. Learn more about Valarie and the Revolutionary Love project at www.revolutionarylove.org .

Meditation: Breath by Breath – Inviting Relaxation and Ease

Meditation: Breath by Breath – Inviting Relaxation and Ease

This meditation invites relaxation and ease. We begin with a long deep breathing that helps calm the body and mind. Then we release tensions that might be held in the body, and settle our attention in a receptive way with the breath. The intention is to discover the relaxed wakefulness that expresses our natural being.

Part 2: A Heart that is Ready for Anything - The Gateway of Equanimity

Part 2: A Heart that is Ready for Anything - The Gateway of Equanimity

In a world where the pace and magnitude of change is beyond anything ever experienced by humans, we are being called to cultivate the qualities of calm, inner balance and a steady, wise heart. These two talks look at the conditioning that fuels our emotional reactivity, and the practices that cultivate equanimity, resilience and a full, openhearted presence. We dedicate to these practices for the sake of our own freedom, and the wellbeing of all beings.

Guided Meditation: Opening to the Sea of Presence (19:53 min.)

Guided Meditation: Opening to the Sea of Presence (19:53 min.)

When our body and mind is relaxed, we become filled with a very awake, dynamic quality of presence. This meditation guides us in relaxing, opening our senses and resting in the vastness and inherent freedom of our own natural awareness.

A Heart that is Ready for Anything- The Gateway of Equanimity - Part I

A Heart that is Ready for Anything- The Gateway of Equanimity - Part I

In a world where the pace and magnitude of change is beyond anything ever experienced by humans, we are being called to cultivate the qualities of calm, inner balance and a steady, wise heart. These two talks look at the conditioning that fuels our emotional reactivity, and the practices that cultivate equanimity, resilience and a full, openhearted presence. We dedicate to these practices for the sake of our own freedom, and the wellbeing of all beings.

Meditation: Relaxing Back into Full Presence

Meditation: Relaxing Back into Full Presence

This guided practice begins with a conscious breath that relaxes the body and mind, and then a body scan to awaken to the aliveness of the present moment. We then open into the natural awareness that includes the changing flow of sounds, feelings and sensations, and practice “relaxing back” when the mind gets lost in thought.

Gratitude: Entering Sacred Relationship

Gratitude: Entering Sacred Relationship

Gratitude arises when we are in sacred relationship with life—present, open and receptive. This talk explores how central gratitude is to our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, and then looks at the ways we can directly gladden our minds with gratitude. We end with a guided meditation that includes sharings from the group. The audio includes a poem of blessing by John O’Donohue with a brief cut from Robert Gass – Om Namaha Shivaya (from the archives).

Heart Meditation: Taking in the Goodness (24:08 min.)

Heart Meditation: Taking in the Goodness (24:08 min.)

Taking in the Goodness: Rumi said, “Whenever some kindness comes to you, turn that way – toward the source of kindness.” This meditation guides us to look for the source of loving and to turn in that direction. It begins with a lovingkindness practice that spreads the image of a smile into the body, then continues with a practice of seeing the goodness of ourselves and others.

The Honesty Challenge - Getting More Truthful with Ourselves and Our World

The Honesty Challenge - Getting More Truthful with Ourselves and Our World

Most of us value honesty yet are not aware of how regularly we avoid facing what’s difficult inside us, and how we are less than truthful with others. This talk explores the practice of radical self-honesty as the grounds of being more honest with others, and bringing more love and freedom to our lives.

Meditation: Vipassana - The Practice of Seeing Clearly (18:02 min.)

Meditation: Vipassana - The Practice of Seeing Clearly (18:02 min.)

Vipassana, also known as insight meditation, is training in bringing a clear, mindful attention to our moment-to-moment experience. We begin by relaxing through the body and then resting attention with the breath – or some other sensory anchor – and allowing the mind to settle. Then we open to whatever is predominant or calling our attention – sensations, emotions, sounds – meeting each arising experience with a clear, kind attention. The gift of this process is discovering balance in the midst of the changing flow, and gaining deep insight into the nature of reality.

The Gift of Self-Compassion: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Kristin Neff, PhD

The Gift of Self-Compassion: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Kristin Neff, PhD

This conversation includes what turned Tara toward a path of compassion in her early life, the evolution of the RAIN practice to include nurturing/compassion, the spiritual dimensions of self-compassion, and the role of compassion in these current times. This was initially recorded live for those in Kristin’s membership community and includes several question/responses. For more information about Kristin’s community, visit: https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-community/?utm_source=newsletter+&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Tara_Brach

Meditation: Embodying Loving Awareness (19:39 min.)

Meditation: Embodying Loving Awareness (19:39 min.)

Love is often abstract, and not fully alive. In this practice, with the supportive image and felt sense of a smile, we are guided to awaken loving in our body, mind and whole being.

Becoming Bodhisattvas in a Troubled World

Becoming Bodhisattvas in a Troubled World

Thich Nhat Hanh said “no mud, no lotus.” How might anger, hatred and delusion—the mud of these times-- give rise to a growing compassion and wisdom in our world? In this talk we look directly at the angst surrounding the US elections, and explore several powerful teachings and practices that can serve as the catalyst for profound transformation, an evolving of wisdom and love, in our collective consciousness.

Guided Meditation: Remembering Your Spiritual Heart

Guided Meditation: Remembering Your Spiritual Heart

During times of great collective stress, it’s common to get gripped by waves of anxiety and fear. This guided meditation, an adaptation of the Tibetan tonglen practice, helps us reconnect with our spiritual heart, the sea of love and light that can hold even the most painful waves in our lives.

Cultivating a Courageous Heart - Part 2

Cultivating a Courageous Heart - Part 2

In the face of violence, hatred and loss, how do we handle the reactivity we feel? Our own anger, hatred and fear? These two talks offer guidance and practice in letting our own vulnerability be a portal to responding—to ourselves, each other and our world-- with courageous, wise hearts.

Meditation: Living Loving Awareness (20 min.)

Meditation: Living Loving Awareness (20 min.)

By bringing our full attention to the aliveness in the body, we can open to the experience of interior space and the space that includes all sensations and sounds. This then allows us to perceive continuous space filled with the light of awareness. This meditation attunes us to these dimensions of awareness: continuous open space, heart space and full aliveness. We end with a Zen poem that invites us to rest in this living, loving awareness, and know it as home.

Cultivating a Courageous Heart - Part 1

Cultivating a Courageous Heart - Part 1

In the face of violence, hatred and loss, how do we handle the reactivity we feel? Our own anger, hatred and fear? These two talks offer guidance and practice in letting our own vulnerability be a portal to responding - to ourselves, each other and our world - with courageous, wise hearts.

Meditation: Relaxing Back into Awareness (20:12 min.)

Meditation: Relaxing Back into Awareness (20:12 min.)

When we fully inhabit our body, we discover the space and wakefulness of awareness itself. In this meditation, we rest in this open awareness, and when the attention narrows into thoughts, we practice relaxing back into the openness that includes passing sounds, sensations and feelings. We close with a brief offering of lovingkindness to our own hearts and our world (with community OMs - no bell at end).

Freedom Beyond the Trance of Self

Freedom Beyond the Trance of Self

The gift of meditation is awakening to the vast, radiant ever-creative beingness that is beyond the confines of a constricting self-sense. This talk explores how awake awareness can directly meet the clench of selfing - the thoughts, emotional tensions and core self-sense. When this occurs there’s a spontaneous releasing into the full love, wakefulness and aliveness of our being.

Meditation: Resting Your Heart in Presence (20:13 min.)

Meditation: Resting Your Heart in Presence (20:13 min.)

When we’re having difficulty, we typically tense up our body and mind, and armor our heart. This practice offers a pathway of relaxing that tension and tasting the peace that comes from resting in presence.