Brian Johnson, philosopher, founder and CEO, has spent the better part of the last 20 years studying ancient wisdom and the modern science that supports it. His new book, Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential, partners that wisdom with the practices that help people integrate it into their daily lives.  Described as “more wisdom in less time,” Areté is a collection of 451 potentially life changing ideas, presented in easy-to-digest microchapters. The book mirrors Brian’s popular online app, Heroic.us, a self-development platform that helps us become the heroes we are meant to be. In this ..read more

When we think of courage we often imagine a fierce energy. One that pushes obstacles aside, cuts through barriers and fights battles. But courage can have a gentle energy, too. Sometimes, courage can look and feel like steady, caring presence - especially during mindfulness meditation and the practice of feeling what we feel. In this guided meditation, led by Sean Fargo, we are invited to sense into this moment, just as it is. With courage, we practice staying with our experience, allowing it to change and unfold as it is naturally inclined to do.  Listen in a safe, quiet place where you ..read more

Mindfulness retreats are a valuable opportunity to step away from routine and apply ourselves to deepening our mindfulness. We may devote a single day or multiple days to retreat, either at home or at a retreat center.  Meditation teachers who have completed retreats of their own know full well the benefits of such focused attention on their practice. However, the thought of guiding others through this intimate, intense experience can be intimidating.  In this episode, we hear from meditation teacher and retreat leader Cory Muscara. Cory offers practical advice on leading meditation ..read more

What we learn from our most beloved mindfulness teachers isn’t always in the words they say, but in how they show up. Just being near someone who exudes a grounded presence and an open heart can be co-regulating and profoundly healing.  Embodied mindfulness is a lifelong practice, but it’s one we can all take part in. Bringing attention and awareness to subtle energies in the body enhances our ability to work with these energies and expand our compassionate presence. In this episode, Sean Fargo speaks with bodyworker and energy practitioner Lynda Caesara. Lynda presents us with five essen ..read more

At the very core of our being lies an indestructible, untouched goodness. No matter the suffering we’ve experienced in life, we’re never irrevocably damaged. We are worthy of the care we long for. The question is, do we believe it? In this episode, we hear from Dr. Rick Hanson, meditation teacher, New York Times best-selling author and Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Dr. Hanson highlights the key inner resources developed through mindfulness that can open our hearts to receiving care.  Dr. Rick Hanson has previously appeared on the Mindfulness Exercises Podcast ..read more

What does care feel like? When we care for something, we offer it our attention. We tend to it with gentleness. To remain present with something or someone, to listen and observe, to let be, allow for and accept. These are all caring acts. These descriptors are also characteristics of mindfulness.  In this guided meditation with Sean Fargo, we’re invited to open to this moment, just as it is, with caring awareness. Calm and contentment arise as we turn to sensations in our body and heart with increasingly deeper layers of care.   Listen in a safe, quiet place where you can be re ..read more

Loving-kindness meditation, or metta meditation, helps us cultivate feelings of warmth and goodwill toward others. Ideally, we extend this love to all beings, everywhere. For most of us, however, such a boundless expression of care is something we need to work up to.    In this loving-kindness meditation guided by Sean Fargo, we are invited to open the heart by practicing with someone we already have loving feelings for. By bringing mindfulness to the sensation of metta in our body, heart and mind, we encourage loving-kindness to grow and expand.   Listen in a safe, qu ..read more

Loving-kindness, or metta meditation, is a unique, thousands of years old method of uncovering the boundless warmth at the center of our being. This contemplative practice is often taught alongside mindfulness, as the awakened heart and mind cannot be separated.  In this episode, we hear from Donald Rothberg, a leading spiritual teacher and author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World. Rothberg teaches on the history and tradition of loving-kindness and what keeps this practice relevant for us today.  This talk is a brief excerpt f ..read more

Every emotion has value, even those we might label as uncomfortable or unwelcome. Anger, for example, can help us set healthy boundaries. Grief can help us process loss, and jealousy can provide us with deep insight. When we allow ourselves to feel what we feel, there’s always something to be learned. In this mindfulness meditation guided by Sean Fargo, we are invited to tenderly listen to the body, the heart and spirit, to sense into what emotions are present and to practice presence with them. By befriending the entirety of our experience, we identify not with fleeting phenomena, but with th ..read more

Imposter syndrome is felt by new and experienced mindfulness teachers alike. It is a common human experience. Of course, we’d prefer not to feel uncomfortable, and instead, to feel ever-confident in our practice and teachings. In reality, however, imposter syndrome need not be overcome. By taking a mindful approach to imposter syndrome, we can welcome it as an indicator of our care, humility, courage and growth.  In this episode, Sean Fargo speaks with Lou Redmond, meditation teacher, author, and host of the mindfulness podcast, The Art & Business of Meditation. Lou shares suggestions ..read more