Category: Mindfulness

Rhonda Magee: We Are Embodied and Embedded: Bringing M...

Rhonda Magee is a law professor at the University of San Francisco, a longtime mindfulness teacher, and a fellow of the Mind & Life Institute. Rhonda is a featured presenter in Sounds True’s Waking Up in the World—a 10-day online event showcasing prominent voices who embody the meeting between social action and spiritual exploration. This special episode of Insights at the Edge is drawn from a previous presentation given by Rhonda as part of our Mindfulness Monthly subscription program. Here she explores how mindfulness practice can be used to uncover our biases and help us understand any privilege we carry in our interactions with others. Rhonda encourages us to fully consider how aspects such as race, gender, and economic background have come to shape our perception of the world. Finally, Rhonda leads us in a guided meditation to inquire deeply into how our environments have guided us to this moment in our lives. (63 minutes)

Tami’s Takeaway
We often hear how mindfulness can help us discover our common humanity. Here, law professor Rhonda Magee helps us embrace what is unique about each of us: our embodied experience as a particular person with a specific human inheritance, residing in a particular place, with a particular position, skin color, gender, and sexual orientation. We are applying mindfulness to what makes us different. And what a critical skill this is if we are going to learn to take a different person’s position and work together to bring mindfulness to what Rhonda calls “the cutting edge of mindfulness”—shifting our institutions and social structures to reflect our deepest values.

Nataly Kogan: Happier Now

Nataly Kogan is a public speaker, author, and the founder of the training organization Happier. With Sounds True, she has published the book Happier Now: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments (Even the Difficult Ones). In this edition of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Nataly about redefining happiness not as a state where we experience no negative feelings whatsoever, but as a skill we must constantly hone. Nataly shares some of her life story, including her childhood experiences as a refugee and why she spent much of her life chasing the unattainable goal of “I’ll be happy when . . .” Tami and Nataly also discuss the benefits of maintaining a regular gratitude practice, then walk listeners through a five-minute “happiness workout” that can be done on the spot. Finally, they talk about how personally fulfilling creative activities can actually make us more productive and help us practice the everyday skills of happiness. (67 minutes)

Mark Bertin: How Children Thrive and the Developmental...

Dr. Mark Bertin is a pediatrician, mindfulness teacher, and the author of regular articles for Mindful.org, Huffpost, and Psychology Today. With Sounds True, he has published How Children Thrive: The Practical Science of Raising Independent, Resilient, and Happy Kids. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Mark discuss his research on executive functioning—those mental processes that allow us to organize and responsibly manage our immediate environment—and how this develops in children. Drawing from his extensive work, Mark explains the healthy stages of executive function development and why a supportive, open-minded, and fun-promoting environment is what kids actually need to thrive. They talk about Mark’s previous work with childhood ADHD and how it led to his current focus, as well as why attention disorders can be interpreted as delays in executive function development. Finally, Mark and Tami speak on setting boundaries around technology use and how introducing mindfulness practices early in childhood leads to healthier, happier lives down the road. (64 minutes)

Rob Bell and Andrew Morgan: Heresy in Our Time

Rob Bell is a former pastor and the New York Times bestselling author of books including What We Talk About When We Talk About God, What Is the Bible?, and Love Wins. Andrew Morgan is a filmmaker whose works include After the End and The True Cost. In this special episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with both Andrew and Rob about the new documentary film that they collaborated on—The Heretic. In making this film, Andrew followed Rob over several years as the author challenged deeply held views of conservative (especially evangelical) Christianity and reckoned with some of the most highly charged cultural issues of our time. Here Tami, Rob, and Andrew discuss the evolving role of Christianity in the modern era and what it means to innovate through religion. They speak on heeding one’s inner call, as well as why the current revolution in spirituality will be galvanized largely on a local—and even personal—level. Finally, Tami, Andrew, and Rob talk about the connection between pain and the creation of art, and how art can be a force for great societal change. (63 minutes)

Tiffany Shlain: Taking an Empowered and Creative View ...

Tiffany Shlain is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, internet pioneer, and the author of Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks. Her most recent film, 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women + Power, debuted at the TEDWomen conference and is the inspiration for 50/50 Day, a global event devoted to bringing about greater gender balance in all sectors of life. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Tiffany about 50/50 Day—its origins, how it will be rolled out, and what steps we can take to ensure women have a better say in society. They talk about Tiffany’s approach to encouraging social change through film, including the background behind her short documentary The Science of Character. Using that film as a foundation, Tiffany comments on the difference between virtue and character, as well as why we should focus on cultivating our strengths rather than obsessing over our weaknesses. Finally, Tiffany and Tami discuss our current relationships with technology and why she recommends a “technology Shabbat” in which we spend 24 hours away from our screens. (54 minutes)

Rolf Gates: How Spiritual Friendship Allowed Me to Exi...

Rolf Gates is a yoga teacher, counselor, and author who cofounded the Yoga, Meditation, and Recovery Conference and currently teaches at Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center. With Sounds True, he has published the audio program Meditations on the Mat: Practices for Living from the Heart and co-wrote the children’s book Yoga Friends. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Rolf about his unique background as a former US Army Airborne Ranger and addictions counselor, as well as how those experiences brought him to contemplative practice. They discuss how yoga can soothe both mental and physical agitation, bringing the mind and body into greater harmony. Finally, Rolf explains how he discovered the power of prayer and opening to grace, and why that discovery led him to embrace gratitude as a way of life. (63 minutes)

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