Episodes 41 - 50

Episode 41 - Relaunch

After just over three years, I am relaunching the Behind The Thoughts podcast. The last episode of podcast was published in September 2017…and then nothing, for no particular reason! 🤷🏼‍♂️

So today I am happy to be publishing Episode 41, with the current aim of posting an episode a week. Today’s episode contains a welcome back, a short introduction to meditation, a meditation session, and some closing words. I look forward to sitting with you over the coming weeks. 🎙

Episode 42 - Step by Step

Meditation is a step by step process, session by session, breath by breath. Meditation is about continuity, each session building on your previous work, even at times when it feels as though nothing much is happening!

In this episode I discuss this step by step path of meditation by using the analogy of a recent experience that I had repairing my air conditioning unit. Please join me for today’s meditation session as we take another step along with our practice. 🎙

Episode 43 - What is meditation?

In a podcast on the subject of meditation, it feels prudent to ask the question, “What is meditation?” I have covered this in earlier episodes, but I believe that it is good to revisit these subjects to become familiar with them. And göm, the Tibetan word for meditation which means “to familiarize,” is what I explore in this episode.

Episode 44 - Where and when?

When do we meditate? How long for and what time of the day? And how about where? Do we just sit wherever we find ourselves, or do we have a place put aside for our meditation practice?

In this episode, I explore these questions, offering some perspectives to help you find what works for you.

Episode 45 - Goal / No Goal

In this episode I speak about the benefit of having an overarching goal, a reason, an intention that brings you to your meditation cushion - Goal. At the same time I offer a word of caution of the expectations that we might bring to our individual meditation sessions - No Goal.

So there is a dance happening. On the one hand we have a reason to want to build and develop our meditation practice. On the other, how can we hold our intentions lightly, free of expectations? I explore this balance in this episode.

Episode 46 - Intention

It is very easy for meditation to become another thing that we are fitting into our daily, busy lives. We still engage in it sincerely with interest, and in time feel the benefits of our practice.

However, there is a simple action that I believe will help to take your experience of meditation that little bit deeper. It was something that I was taught when I started my meditation practice, and I still continue it today. This is the simple act of taking a few moments before and after your practice to reflect on why you are choosing to spend a part of your day in meditation. I call it Intention and I talk about it in this episode.

Episode 47 - Acceptance

In the meditation practice that I offer, I regularly give the instruction that if you are disturbed by noise, by stories, planning, thoughts in your head, to note the disturbance with “no judgement,” and return to the breath.

It is easy for me to judge myself. I put expectations on myself, how I expect myself to be. How I expect myself to show up in the world and on the meditation cushion. Acceptance is about me recognizing that I am human. That I have struggles and that that is OK - no judgement.

On the meditation cushion it is “no judgement.” With time that starts to seep into and impact our daily lives - I make a mistake and I accept that, “no judgement.” But there is rush to get there. For now let’s deal with our mind in the safety and privacy of our meditation practice.

Episode 48 - Pain

This week’s episode comes out of my current experience. I am in physical pain due to muscular spasms in my lower back. I have sought some medical advice¹, and I am getting better. However, I decided to record an episode looking at one way that meditation can help us when we are in pain or discomfort.

There are many meditation techniques that can be used for coping with pain, but this episode looks at the practice of tonglen, Tibetan for ‘giving and taking’. What I cover here just touches the tip of the iceberg of the practice, but hopefully this will give you a taste of what is on offer. In later episodes of the podcast, I hope to explore tonglen further.

Episode 49 - Widening our circle, taking tonglen further

In the last episode I introduced the practice of tonglen as a way for managing pain. As I mentioned at the time, this is just one application of tonglen.

In this episode I explore how tonglen can help us to build connection with others, and with that to increase our awareness of how we are not alone in the trials that we might be going through. While this is not looking to negate any difficulties that we have in our own lives, it can help us to lessen the mental load that we are carrying, and at the same time open our heart to the struggles of others in the world.

Episode 50 - When life has other plans

A slight delay of a couple of days to get this podcast recorded brought some emotions up in me, and there is nothing like an emotional trigger to give me material for an episode.

Life can throw us a curve ball at any time. Sometimes I handle these situations well, other times not so well. If we stumble, meditation can offer us a way for looking at our emotions, getting to know them better and starting to understand what triggered us to get upset.