Metta Hour With Sharon Salzberg

For episode 252, Kristin Neff returns to the Metta Hour for her third appearance on the podcast.Dr. Kristin Neff is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion more than twenty years ago. She has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kristin runs the Self-Compassion Community, an online learning platform where people can learn the skill of self-compassion with the help of others, and is author of the bestselling books Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion. Her new book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, co-authored with Chris Germer, is now available everywhere.In this conversation, Kristin and Sharon discuss:Kristin’s personal burnout Kristin’s definition of compassionMyths of self-compassionWhat happens in burnoutNegativity bias sinkholesThe necessity of positive statesHealthy boundariesLoving the

For episode 251, Ethan Nichtern returns to the Metta Hour to talk about his new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds.Ethan is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and the host of The Road Home Podcast. He is the author of several books, including The Road Home, and has been featured by CNN, NPR, the New York Times, Vogue, and Business Insider, and more.In this conversation, Sharon and Ethan discuss:What Ethan’s been up to the past 7 yearsWhat inspired Ethan’s new bookThe image of tube peopleThe dichotomy of hope/fearThe eight vicissitudesEthan’s definition of equanimityHolding Your SeatLearning to stay with your own mindThe positive sense of prideConfidence as self-respectBuilding confidence if trauma is presentWindow of ToleranceThe Four Powers of ConfidenceEthan’s life as a DadEthan closes the conversation with a guided meditation on Raising Windhorse. You can learn more about Ethan’s work and get a copy of his new book, Confidence, right here. Listen to Ethan’s R

For episode 250, Reggie Hubbard returns to the Metta Hour podcast to talk about Election Stress.Reggie is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga. He has taught Members of Congress, Congressional Staff, major labor unions, leading progressive organizations, and individuals from all walks of life the simple tools for managing stress and bringing peace to mind, body, and spirit. Reggie’s life work sits at the intersection of bringing more peace and balance to activists; guiding the wellness community toward being more engaged, concerned citizens; and enhancing the well-being of all walks of life.Join Sharon for a 7-day online course that helps us reclaim kindness as the superpower it truly is. Distilling over 50 years of Buddhist teaching into practical, accessible and actionable lessons, Sharon’s course points us to the core of what it means to be alive, connected, and whole. Learn more: Kindness In A Fractured WorldIn this conversation,

For episode 249, Anu Gupta returns to the Metta Hour to speak about his new book, “Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and - the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them.”Anu is an educator, lawyer, scientist, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, an education technology benefit corporation that trains professionals across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors to advance DEIB and wellness by breaking bias. His first book, “Breaking Bias” is now available from Hay House.In this episode, Anu and Sharon discuss:How Anu became interested in scienceAnu’s childhood being marginalized The Dalai Lama writing the foreword for Anu’s bookWhy Anu chose to write a bookWorking with Oprah & Isabel WilkersonNeuro-decolonizationGrowth MindsetAnu’s PRISM systemThe neuroscience behind PRISMThe impact of lovingkindness meditation on AnuStereotypes: what they are and how they affectThe Night of Buddha’s enlightenmentAnu closes the conversation with a guided lovingkindness meditation.

For episode 248, Cortland Dahl makes his first appearance on the Metta Hour to speak about his new book, “A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism: The Path of Awareness, Compassion, and Wisdom.”Cortland is a scientist, Buddhist scholar & translator, and meditation teacher. He is the co-founder of Tergar International, a global network of meditation centers, with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Cortland is also actively involved in scientific research on meditation and human flourishing at the Center for Healthy Minds.In this conversation, Sharon and Cortland discuss:What brought Cortland to spiritual practiceEastern versus Western cultural conditioningThe Tibetan culture of beingReclaiming the word “devotion”Cortland learning the Tibetan language The impetus for Cortland’s new bookThe Dalai Lama’s first visit to IMS and North AmericaThe Four Noble TruthsCortland’s first encounter with BuddhismLearning to take refugeHow long until we’re enlightened?Nurturing our inspirationsRecreating ancient tra

For episode 247, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Joseph Goldstein.This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the fifth episode in this series. Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and lovingkindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, where he is on the guiding teachers’ Founders Council. In 1989, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Joseph first became interested in Buddhism as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand in 1965. Since 1967 he has studied and practiced different forms of Buddhist meditation under eminent teachers from India, Burma and Tibet. He is the author of many books, including Mindfulness and Insight Meditation.In this conversation, Sharon and Joseph discuss:The origin story of founding IMSSharon and Josep

For episode 246, Susan Cain makes her first appearance on the Metta Hour!Susan is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Quiet, and Bittersweet, which was also an Oprah Book Club selection. She has spent the last twenty years exploring a particular realm of human nature: the quiet, the sensitive, the thoughtful, the bittersweet. Susan’s record-smashing TED talks have been viewed over 50 million times and she the host of the Quiet Life online community.In this conversation, Susan and Sharon discuss:How Susan approaches writingVIA character strength testDoes great art have to come from great painHow suffering brings us togetherSusan embracing her “differences”The Quiet Life CommunityWhy sadness is a bridge to connectionThe Dalai Lama the DarwinistMoral elevationDipa Ma telling Sharon she would teachLeonard Coen as Susan’s patron saintBeauty in the broken worldNever be ashamed of your sufferingThe history of the word “loser”Susan learning Lovingkindness meditationLovingkindness

For episode 245, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Guy Armstrong.This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the fourth episode in this series. Guy Armstrong has been leading insight meditation retreats since 1984 in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. His training included living as a monk for a year in the Thai forest lineage. Guy is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society and is the author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators from Wisdom Books.In this conversation, Sharon and Guy discuss:Guy’s first encounter with meditation How Sharon reached her first retreat The mystery of being drawn to practice The three characteristics of existenceGuy’s introduction to Emptiness Mahasi Sayadaw noting techniqueMental Noting Technique I

For episode 244 Valerie Mason-John makes their first appearance on the Metta Hour to speak about their new book, “First Aid Kit for the Mind: Breaking the Cycle of Habitual Behaviors”.Valerie is a founding facilitator of Compassionate Inquiry and the author of eleven books, including the award-winning book, “Eight Step Recovery.” They are a co-founder of the training program, Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery, and work as a public speaker in the field of Mindfulness for Addiction and Trauma.In this conversation, Valerie and Sharon discuss:How lovingkindness saved Valerie’s lifeHow Valerie became the “Bully Doctor”Valerie’s journey in recoveryThe importance of community in recoveryRecovery CafeGabor Mate’s Compassionate InquiryThoughts are not factsFirst-Aid Kit for the MindThe breath is medicineWhat is still true? What can we rely on?Dharma: that which we can rely onThich Naht Hanh’s influence on ValerieHow to maintain mindfulness The role of Storytelling in Valerie’s workHow story compounds addiction

For episode 243, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Tuere Sala.This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the third episode in this series. Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and the founding teacher of the Capitol Hill Meditation Group. She is a retired prosecuting attorney who has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere has been teaching since 2010 and has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice. The conversation begins with a guided meditation from Tuere.In this episode, Sharon and Tuere discuss:What drew Tuere to the DharmaTuere’s work as a prosecutorFinding steadiness without fixing thingsHow sangha supports practiceSpiritual practice is not just about fixing what we don’t likeDeath is not a failureSuffering as poetry S

For episode 242, Emma Seppälä, Ph.D. returns to the Metta Hour to speak about her new book, “Sovereign: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos.” Emma is  a best-selling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker. She teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. She is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. A psychologist and research scientist by training, Emma’s expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. In this episode, Sharon and Emma discuss:Emma’s definition of the word “Sovereign”Self-loathing hiding out as self-criticism The toxic relationship with ourselvesThe myths of high-achievers Sharon’s story of facing self-imposed beliefsHow Emma has worked with self-loathingEmma’s first meditation experienceY

For episode 242, Sharon speaks with psychologist Zindel Segal, PhD, and neuroscientist Norman Farb, PhD, about their new book, Better in Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life.Zindel is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders, University of Toronto Scarborough. He is a clinical psychologist whose research examines the use of mindfulness meditation in promoting affect regulation skills in people suffering from a depressive and anxiety based disorder. Norm is an Associate Professor, University of Toronto Mississauga and studies the social neuroscience of the self and human emotion, with a focus on how biases in self-representation shape emotional reactions that determine well-being.In this episode, Sharon, Zindel and Norm discuss:How Norm came to this workWhat inspired the new book, Better in Every SenseWhy people are languishingThe Default Mode Network versus Sensory NetworkThe positives of the “house of habit,” aka DMN“Breaking Frame” to solve

For episode 240, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with Kamla Masters.This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the second episode in this series. Kamala Masters is one of the founders and teachers of the Vipassana Metta Foundation on Maui. She teaches retreats in the Theravada tradition at venues worldwide, including being a Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts. The conversation begins with a five-minute guided meditation from Kamala.In this episode, Sharon and Kamala discuss:How Kamala and Sharon first metKamala’s primary teachers and influencesSharon’s first travel to IndiaHow Kamala first found meditationMunindra teaching Kamala a washing dishes meditationMunindra’s way of breaking barriers for SharonHow Sharon met Dipa MaHow Sharon reparented herself with her teachersMunindra’s directive to

For episode 239, Sharon chats with friends Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus about their new audiobook Moving from the Movie of Me to the Movie of We.Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, and actor. He is most known for his podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. He produced and starred on the Netflix series The Midnight Gospel. Raghu Markus spent two years in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s. Currently, he is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation and hosts the Mindrolling Podcast on the Be Here Now Network.In this episode, Sharon, Duncan and Raghu discuss:How the new book came to beThe healing is in the returnSelf pre-occupation versus self-loveThe guru in Duncan’s kidsRaghu’s parents meeting Neem Karoli BabaHow Duncan first met Ram DassRaghu and Duncan’s first hangFinding the mother archetypeWanting Jesus “with skin on”Ram Dass the therapistHow to cultivate unconditionalityGett

For episode 238 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are releasing a special extended excerpt of the brand new Lovingkindness Audiobook, set for release by Shambhala on April 23rd, 2024.This thirty-minute excerpt includes the forward of the book, written and read by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the introduction of the book, read by Sharon and a portion of the first chapter, The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Lovingkindess was Sharon’s first book, originally released in 1995 in hardcover format. It is now available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, click here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 237, we are launching the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour.This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the launch of this monthly series is a conversation between Sharon and Jack Kornfield. Jack trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. The conversation begins with a 10-minute guided meditation from Jack.In this episode, Sharon and Jack discuss:Jack’s experience with Thai Buddhist monk Ajahn ChahThe Buddha statue debate from the early days on IMSJack’s first book “Living Dharma”Ajahn Chah’s teaching about the original mindRealizing innate qualities versus developing themThe sign above the door at IMSWhat languages Sharon and Jack learned in AsiaSharon’s relationship w

For episode 236, Sharon is in conversation with Sameet Kumar, Ph.D. Sameet is the clinical psychologist for the Memorial Cancer Institute.Sameet specializes in working with cancer patients and their caregivers. He is the author of Grieving Mindfully, The Mindful Path Through Worry and Rumination. He is part of a new anthology, coming out in May of 2024 from New Harbinger Publications, How to Grieve What We’ve Lost.In this episode, Sharon and Sameet discuss:How Sameet came to grief counselingAmerican culture’s denial of the first noble truthThe human experience of pain/pleasureGrief is whatever it is to youThe non-existent timeline for griefWidening the scope of what losses affect usThe tools of ACT, CBT and Mindfulness for griefSameet’s new anthology bookDampening the grief  stress response Sameet’s support of COVID front-line workersWorking with add-ons The role of Ram Dass in Sameet’s lifeSameet closes the conversation with a guided meditation on the refuge tree. You can learn more about

For episode 235, Sharon speaks with Suneel Gupta.Suneel is a bestselling author, renowned speaker, Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, and host of a global documentary series. He studies leaders around the world to discover and share simple, actionable habits that lift our performance, deepen our state of well-being, and guide us further into our dharma. His latest book, “Everyday Dharma: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Success and Joy in Everything You Do” was released in the Fall of 2023 from Harper Collins.In this episode, Suneel and Sharon discuss:Suneel’s definition of dharmaHow we express our core truth Dr King’s Street Sweeper storySuneel’s life path with failureThe wisdom of Suneel’s GrandfatherSuneel’s journey of identity as a brown-skinned manWriting as a therapeutic formArrival fallacy Eight pillars of Suneel’s book Everyday DharmaThe path is cyclical, not linearDharma as the bedrock on your lifeHow Suneel defines success Asking what makes you

For episode 234, Sharon speaks with author and podcast host, Dan Harris.Dan is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling memoir, 10% Happier, about a fidgety, skeptical news anchor who finds meditation. He’s also the host of the Ten Percent Happier podcast and the co-founder of the Ten Percent Happier meditation app. For 21 years, he worked at ABC News, where he anchored such shows as Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America.In this episode, Dan and Sharon discuss:The new edition of Ten Percent HappierWhat has changed in the meditation space in the last decadeThe line between cynicism to skepticism The climate of despair and nihilismWorking with the inner criticDan’s drug-fueled panic attack on-airBig life changes are not often a straight shotDan’s path finding meditationThe Jew-Bu movement towards AsiaThe connection of Dan’s father and Joseph Goldstein’s familyDan meeting Mark EpsteinThe first time Sharon saw BirkenstocksDan’s first meditation retreatHow lovi

For episode 233, Dr. Jenny Taitz returns to the Metta Hour. Jenny is a clinical psychologist and an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles.Jenny completed her fellowship in psychology at Yale University School of Medicine and achieved board certifications in cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. In addition to treating clients in her private therapy practice, LA CBT DBT, she is the author of How to Be Single and Happy and End Emotional Eating. Her new book, Stress Resets: How to Soothe Your Body and Mind in Minutes, is now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.In this episode, Sharon and Jenny discuss:Jenny’s new book, Stress ResetsAcute versus chronic stressLearning how to put stress downThe distinction between stress and traumaHow stress affects the bodyPreventing a stress snowballCultivating agency in dealing with stressThe role of acceptance in stressWorking with causes and conditionsStress resets versus stress b