Happy Mind: Meditations from the Ancient World to Modernity

You often hear spiritual teachers and modern day gurus tell us to “Be in the now,” but how exactly do you do that? Your mind is not set up to ‘stay in the now.’ Fortunately, brains can be trained; the mind can be rewired. But it takes practice. And learning to accept what arises is the perfect way to master present moment awareness. This simple meditation helps you do just that. (Note, this is an extended, 30 min version of the shorter version of the same name and description) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Modern day gurus tell us to “Be in the now,” but how exactly do you do that? Your mind is not set up to ‘stay in the now.’ Fortunately, brains can be trained; the mind can be rewired. But it takes practice. And learning to accept what arises is the perfect way to master present moment awareness. This simple meditation helps you do just that. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This track is the complete Chakra set extended to 1 hour. Proceed with caution as it is an advanced practice and can unlock some long buried memories and powers. Make sure you are ready to ground yourself and get back in touch with your true self if things get out of hand. The eight noumenal centers of energy in the body are all activated in this guided meditation. Then you are guided through moving the energy within each Chakra, among multiple chakras and finally out into the universal Chakras.The concept of Chakras was passed down probably for thousands of years in the oral tradition of the Indian subcontinent before emerging in the various sacred texts of Buddhism and Hinduism. There are some pretty wild legends, Marvel Comics-style, of god-like beings forging spinning weapons from stars and concentrating down extreme energy rays into something lower beings could handle. This sort of mythology continued to develop right into the middle ages. By that point, things got out of hand and rather than the typical seven or eight chakras, there developed theories of hundreds or even 10s of thousands!In this exercise, we keep it simple and explore the activation of our chakras as a path to experiencing our true self and discovering our true home in the oneness with all things that comes from stillness.For the companion podcast covering the theory behind why these meditations work, check out the Serena system podcast at https://goo.gl/Dxu4eo. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you lost someone you care for deeply? Or perhaps someone you love has pulled away? You can use the meditation practice of acceptance to help heal these wounds and open yourself to the vitality and joy that is still present in your life. Whether it is a person, a pet, or some thing very dear to you, acceptance is available to you right here, right now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a 10 minute version of Metta meditation. Metta is a compassion based practice that is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism but is also found in the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism and Jainism. The word “metta” can be translated as "friendly, benevolent, affectionate, kind, good-will, love, amity, sympathy". This Guided Meditation is a variation on that ancient practice. It follows the more traditional method of generating and cultivating loving kindness and other wonderful sensibilities within ourselves and then extending them out to others. Through this emptying of our selves of these sensibilities, we discover in the hours and days after the practice that we are more open to receiving these sensibilities from others and more perceptive of their presence all around us. It is an extended, hour long, version of the one posted some months ago on the podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A common meditation technique that has been passed down through the millennia is Loving Kindness or Metta Bhavana meditation. There is a reason it has stood the test of time: it works. One study done at Stanford University suggests that a loving-kindness meditation practiced even for 7 minutes can increase social connectedness. Loving kindness meditation has also been shown to help people with chronic lower back pain and Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrated that loving-kindness meditation can help increase positive emotions.It is a compassion based practice that is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism but is also found in the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism and Jainism. The word “metta” can be translated as "friendly, benevolent, affectionate, kind, good-will, love, amity, sympathy"This is an extended version of the metta session posted some months ago. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a one hour version of Metta meditation. Metta is a compassion based practice that is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism but is also found in the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism and Jainism. The word “metta” can be translated as "friendly, benevolent, affectionate, kind, good-will, love, amity, sympathy". This Guided Meditation is a variation on that ancient practice. It follows the more traditional method of generating and cultivating loving kindness and other wonderful sensibilities within ourselves and then extending them out to others. Through this emptying of our selves of these sensibilities, we discover in the hours and days after the practice that we are more open to receiving these sensibilities from others and more perceptive of their presence all around us. It is an extended, hour long, version of the one posted some months ago on the podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Learning the subtle technique of acceptance is a gateway to a stable and happy life. According to the Buddha, it is an antidote to suffering. Any time you are wanting something or rejecting something else, you are authoring your own suffering. It’s almost like there is a spring of love and happiness, of peace and health, within each and every one of us that is just waiting to be discovered. Today we will blend the technique of acceptance with the practice of non-self to help you access this eternally flowing and infinitely plentiful inner spring. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Acceptance is an extraordinary technique that anyone can employ to brighten their day. Indeed, the great masters make the extraordinary claim that perfecting these practices of letting go and acceptance will free us from all suffering. Even if that is beyond what most of us are hoping or looking for, anyone can cultivate this habit of acceptance in order to feel a little better right now and a lot better with practice. Learning to let go is like cleaning the window that leads to your true self, to your inner garden and allowing its light to shine through and brighten every dimension of your life right now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our true nature is by definition peaceful and loving and joyful. So whenever we experience anything other than wonderful feelings like this, our task is to seek out all the barriers within ourselves that prevent our true nature from emerging in our experience. But how? One of the best ways humans have come up with is called Acceptance. So we are going to practice that today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Feeling gratitude is like a drug. Except it is free and the only side effect is that you feel awesome. So the best advice is to get drunk on it as much as possible. But just saying “I’m grateful” or “Aren’t I lucky” doesn’t really do it. Your mind and your emotional state can be like a little puppy. They have to be coaxed into this feeling of gratitude. There has to be a regular practice to create the mental habit of gratitude. So let’s practice together now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The physical world you perceive with your senses and through your imagination is constantly changing. Yet you are unchanging, complete, connected and free. Meditation is a method of practicing the separation of your conscious awareness from all the things that change and returning to this place of limitlessness and peace and abundance and joy. If you can stop identifying with your mind and just be still, the truth can shine through. A great Sufi master once described our true nature as being like the light formed by holding a ruby up to the dawn sun. You can practice meditation in a way to remember your true nature, to recall this fusion of your flavor with the light of perfection and truth. Listen to this meditation and be guided through this ancient practice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ever wonder what to do with your body when you meditate? How to hold it? What position is best? What to do if you experience an itch or pain or discomfort of any kind? In this guided introduction to meditation, you’ll learn the answers to these questions. You’ll be walked through the four rules to follow on how to sit in a meditation practice. And, if you do become distracted or experience pain and discomfort during a meditation practice, this guided meditation explains what to do in two simple steps. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In mindfulness meditation the idea is to be a witness to each sensation, to pay bare attention to it, just as it is. You do this practice because it is now well-established that “being in the now” is a recipe for health and happiness. But trying to “be in the now” generally ends up meaning you spend a lot of time NOT being in the now. That’s because as you settle in to the mindfulness practice, what’s called your “Default Mode Network” of brain activity kicks in; in other words, your mind will wander. That’s what your brain does when it is idle. That’s why it is called the “Default” mode, it is what your brain defaults to doing when your aren’t involved in doing anything else. In this meditation you will be introduced to these ideas and have a chance to practice mindfulness and take the next step in your journey to happier, healthier you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The greatest wisdom teachers to have lived — Buddha, Jesus, Krishna and so on — tell us that life is meant to be great, that suffering can end, that heaven on earth is possible for each of us. Yet it almost never feels that way. Why is that? The answer is that we have forgotten who we are. We think we are our emotions, our thoughts, our body, and the activity that the body engages in. Yet we are none of those things. So meditation is really about retraining our brain to be familiar with this truth, re-claiming command of our selves. Today we'll practice this remembering, this retaking of control. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.