Customer Favorites

In the Flow

Tami Simon speaks with Michael Brant DeMaria, a psychologist and multi-award winning composer. Michael has published and presented numerous papers on the roles of creativity, spirituality, and play in the healing process. He is the author of Ever Flowing On and a book of poetry titled Moments. In this episode, we listen to three songs from Michael’s new album with Sounds True, In the Flow: Music for Emotional Healing. Tami speaks with Michael about the restorative and healing properties of his music, why the Native American flute has a particular power to help us move through grief, and how we can learn to flow like water through difficult times. (64 minutes)

The Guru Question

Tami Simon speaks with Mariana Caplan, PhD, a psychotherapist, cultural anthropologist, and professor of yogic and transpersonal psychologies at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is the author of six books in the fields of psychology and spirituality, including Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path and her newest book with Sounds True, The Guru Question: The Perils and Rewards of Choosing a Spiritual Teacher. In this episode, Tami speaks with Mariana about who needs a dedicated spiritual mentor, what to look for and what to avoid when seeking a teacher for yourself, and the path of “conscious discipleship”—what it means to be a great student. (72 minutes)

Moving with Mindfulness: Five Free Video Practices to ...

Mindfulness practice is often thought of as a static or seated activity. But cultivating present moment awareness is something that can be done as a moving practice as well. In Moving with Mindfulness, you will experience five engaging excerpts from our esteemed video archive that will help you unify body and mind, clear energy blockages, and stimulate your body’s innate healing ability.

Download Moving with Mindfulness now.

Practices include:

1. “Mindful Movement #1: Raising the Arms” by Thich Nhat Hanh from Mindful Movements

Thich Nhat Hanh guides you through the first of ten meditative movements used daily by the monks and nuns of Plum Village as a complement to their sitting practice.

2. “Shoelace Pose” by Kim Eng from Yin Yoga

Kim Eng teaches us a gentle sequence called “shoelace pose” to cultivate presence, receptivity, and acceptance toward each moment just as it is.

3. “Qi Massage” by Lee Holden from Qi Gong for Self-Healing

Discover a practice that stimulates qi flow throughout the body, removes stagnant energy and blockages, and activates the immune system.

4. “Classical Sun Salutation” by Shiva Rea from Yoga Shakti

Shiva Rea guides you in this classical yoga practice to connect to your own vitality, strength, and fluidity.

5. “Dance of the Four Elements” by Wyoma from African Healing Dance

Experience Africa’s unique dance heritage through this enjoyable dance intended to connect us with the earth’s energies.

movingwithmindfulness

Living Wisdom with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

When you are in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you are in the presence of compassion itself. But how many of us will have the opportunity to personally experience the man known as The Ocean of Wisdom?

Now, Living Wisdom gives you the chance to immerse yourself in the grace of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and to receive the transformative power of his teachings in your own home.

Encounters With Power

Dear friends,

We are all faced with events in life that make it seem like we have no choice in the matter. Think of a time in your life when you thought the situation you faced gave you no choice. As you reflect back on this event, do you still feel that way? Do you still believe you had no choice, or can you now see choices you could not see then? What can you change and what is not in your power to change?

From a shamanic perspective, there are always many more options than we thought we had because, like a quantum physicist, a shaman does not accept the outward appearance of anything. Our solid appearing bodies are anything but solid at the subatomic level. They are mostly empty space—and if that is so, what might we be able to do with them that we thought we could not?

Walk over hot coals? Pass through a wall? Travel great distances in the blink of an eye? Consider what you have resigned yourself to in your life? Is it just a reality to be endured or is it an essence-created test—an initiatory challenge to motivate you to move beyond it?

Examine your feelings about your fate closely. Is there grief? Is there anger and bitterness—perhaps resentment? These emotions can be clues to your fatalism about certain aspects of your life. Who are you trying to punish with your victim stance? Who are you trying to prove wrong or right in the matter?

If you wish, go back and choose a current situation where you feel you are stuck and do the process again.

This process is just one I’ve learned over the years as I’ve sought out extraordinary healers across the globe. I’ve had terrifying, enlightening, and at times hugely entertaining adventures. Power can destroy us or it can raise us up by teaching us and nourishing us. I may not be a master, but I have learned a few things that you may find helpful on your own quest. I share all of this in my new book, Encounters with Power: Adventures and Misadventures on the Shamanic Path of Healing.

 

Warm wishes to you on your path,

José Luis Stevens

Self-Compassion & Self-Reflection: Recommended Re...

Exploring the Science of Self-Compassion

 

The Art of Empathy by Karla McLaren

What if there were a single skill that could directly and radically improve your relationships and your emotional life? Empathy, teaches Karla McLaren, is that skill. With The Art of Empathy, she teaches us how to perceive and feel the experiences of others with clarity and authenticity—to connect with them more deeply and effectively.

Informed by current insights from neuroscience, social psychology, and healing traditions, this book explores some of the following:

  • Why empathy is not a mystical phenomenon but a natural, innate ability that we can strengthen and develop
  • How to identify and regulate our emotions and boundaries

 

 

 

The Science of Compassion by Kelly McGonigal

Stories, dynamic meditations, and innovative writing exercises to spark creativity and spiritual awakening.

The best writers say their work comes from a source beyond the thinking mind. But how do we access that source? “We must first look inside ourselves and be willing to touch that raw emotional core at the heart of a deeper creativity,” Writes Albert Flynn DeSilver. In Writing as a Path to Awakening, this renowned poet, writer, and teacher shows you how to use meditation to cultivate true depth in your writing—so your words reveal layers of profound emotional insight and revelation that inspire and move your readers.

 

 

The Language of Emotions by Karla McLaren

Emotions—especially the dark and dishonored ones—hold a tremendous amount of energy. We’ve all seen what happens when we repress or blindly express them. With The Language of Emotions, empathic counselor Karla McLaren shows you how to meet your emotions and receive their life-saving wisdom to safely move toward resolution and equilibrium. Through experiential exercises covering a full spectrum of feelings from anger, fear, and shame to jealousy, grief, joy, and more, you will discover how to work with your own and others’ emotions with fluency and expertise.

Here is a much-needed resource filled with revolutionary teachings and breakthrough skills for cultivating a new and empowering relationship with your feeling states through The Language of Emotions.

 

 

 

Awakening Compassion by Pema Chödrön

On Awakening Compassion, Pema Chödrön, one of the Western world’s best-known lojong teachers and practitioners, shows you how to use your own painful emotions as stepping stones to wisdom, compassion, and fearlessness. You will learn how to make friends with the painful parts of your life experience and how to use your natural courage and honesty to transform even the most difficult situations.

With an informal teaching style, both playful and insightful, Pema Chödrön makes this timeless way of bringing compassion into the world easy to understand and apply to your own life. More than seven hours of practical, compassionate guidance for shedding your cocoon and meeting your world with fresh appreciation. Includes a nine-page study guide with lojong slogans and additional resources.

 

 

The Force of Kindness by Sharon Salzberg

Distill the great spiritual teachings from around the world down to their most basic principles, and one thread emerges to unite them all: kindness. In The Force of Kindness, Sharon Salzberg, one of the nation’s most respected Buddhist authors and meditation teachers, offers practical instruction on how we can cultivate this essential trait within ourselves.

Through her stories, teachings, and guided meditations, Sharon Salzberg takes readers on an exploration of what kindness truly means and the simple steps to realize its effects immediately. She reveals that kindness is not the sweet, naive sentiment that many of us assume it is, but rather an immensely powerful force that can transform individual lives and ripple out, changing and improving relationships, the environment, our communities, and ultimately the world. Readers will learn specific techniques for cultivating forgiveness; turning compassion into action; practicing speech that is truthful, helpful, and loving; and much more.