Customer Favorites

Pedram Shojai: Meet the Urban Monk

Pedram Shojai is a former Taoist monk, Qi Gong master, physician, and bestselling author known as The Urban Monk. Renowned for his diverse and direct teachings, Pedram has teamed with Sounds True to release The Urban Monk Inner Stillness Training Program: How to Open Up and Awaken to the Infinite River of Life. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Pedram about the awakening that led him to Eastern esoteric practices and why he decided to bring those practices out of the monastery and into the world at large. Pedram and Tami talk about the practices of Taoist inner alchemy and how these can initiate profound personal change on many levels. They also discuss Pedram’s experiences with documentary filmmaking and how they have informed his view that conscious capitalism needs to take a more active, focused role in helping the world in these turbulent times. Finally, Pedram leads listeners in a breathing exercise intended to settle the body and bring a glimpse of timelessness. (64 minutes)

Being Authentic

Duncan Trussell is a writer, producer, and stand-up comedian who has appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Funny or Die Presents: Drunk History, and Adventure Time. He hosts the podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, in which he and guests discuss everything from contemporary comedy to chaos magick and spiritual inquiry. In this episode, Duncan and Tami Simon discussed how mindfulness practice can affect performance and the use of what Pema Chödrön calls “the pause.” They also spoke about Duncan’s experience as a cancer survivor and how it changed his outlook on life. Finally, Tami and Duncan talked about his understanding of the Earth as a living, evolving being—as well as humankind’s role in that evolution. (61 minutes)

Mukti: Exploring Embodied Awakening

Mukti is an associate teacher at Open Gate Sangha in Northern California, which she cofounded in 1996 with her husband, Adyashanti. As a teacher, Mukti points us back to our natural state of undivided consciousness, supporting the journey with feminine qualities of quietude and nurturing. Mukti has recently created a six-session audio learning series with Sounds True entitled The Self in Full Bloom: Teachings and Practices for Embodied Awakening. In this episode, Mukti speaks with Tami about her personal experience of awakening and how it changes the self, guides us through a practice for embodied self-inquiry, and shares the inside story of her relationship with Adyashanti. (67 minutes)

Dream Tending

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, the founding president of Pacifica Graduate Institute and a pioneer in the study of dreams. Dr. Aizenstat has explored the power of dreams using depth psychology and his own research for 35 years. With Sounds True, he has created the audio program DreamTending: Techniques for Uncovering the Hidden Intelligence of Your Dreams. In this episode, Tami and Stephen speak about why he believes dreams are not just conceived in our personal subconscious but are living expressions of the mind of the universe itself, how we can have a relationship with the images that we encounter in dreams, and what it might mean to say that the body is always dreaming. (69 minutes)

The True Nature of Mindfulness

Tami Simon speaks with Joseph Goldstein, who is the cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has been teaching insight and lovingkindness meditation worldwide since 1974. He is the coauthor of the Sounds True audio learning course Insight Meditation (with Sharon Salzberg), and has recently released the third volume of his landmark audio course of advanced teachings and practical guidance on the Satipatthāna Sutta, Abiding in Mindfulness. In this episode, Tami speaks with Joseph about his study of the Satipatthāna Sutta as the Buddha’s central teaching of mindfulness meditation, the evolution of his own practice over the past four decades, and what it might mean to live without any sense of there being an “I” or a “me.” (60 minutes)

Two Free Gifts from Adyashanti!

Sounds True is happy to offer two free inspiring teachings from Adyashanti: a special video teaching from Resurrecting Jesus, and an excerpt from Falling into Grace. We hope you find them helpful on your own path of healing and awakening.

Learn more about Adyashanti’s new book Resurrecting Jesus here.

Enjoy!

adyagifts