Mindfulness+ with Thomas McConkie
Thomas McConkie: Mindfulness Teacher
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Mindfulness+ is no ordinary mindfulness. It is a sweeping vision of how mindfulness can help us grow and develop into the fullness of who we are meant to become. From examining the latest research in developmental psychology to plumbing the depths of the world’s wisdom traditions, Thomas McConkie offers a personal tour of body, mind and spirit through bite-size lessons and guided meditation.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Jun 1, 2022
Sneak Peak at Season 6: Going to Boston!
How do human beings transform and become what we’re meant to become? Thomas is taking this question to graduate school at Harvard University to ask some of the best minds in the world what practices can support us in living the good life.
Drawing from ancient understandings from the Wisdom traditions to modern insights in developmental psychology and neuroscience, Thomas will continue to offer intimate, guided tours of cosmos, soul and psyche from his new headquarters in Boston!
Want to practice with Thomas? Join on Zoom from anywhere in the world for a monthly mini-retreat. Feeling called to a really deep dive? Join his 7-day intensive training in Scholls, Oregon this August.
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May 25, 2022
Bonus Episode: Yoga Nidra with Kelly Boys
Kelly is a mindfulness trainer and author of The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What’s Right in Front of You. She has developed mindfulness trainings in diverse places from the United Nations to San Quentin Prison. In this conversation, Kelly exudes dharma from every pore and offers a direct taste of the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra. This one is a special treat.
Want to leave a voicemail for the team? Ask Thomas a practice question? Request a special topic for a future episode? Click here.
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Apr 27, 2022
Episode 25: Mother of All Beings
In our season finale, Thomas pays tribute to the recently deceased dharma master, Dr. Daniel Brown. Brown’s work is a superb example of Eastern practice meeting the psychological sophistication of the West. In this episode, taste what it means to re-parent the self, what it means to become the Mother of all beings.
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Apr 20, 2022
Episode 24: Earth Day
It’s common in the modern world to speak of the need to “return to nature.” But from a contemplative perspective, we are Nature. We cannot leave nature, but we can forget who we are. When we remember our nature, we naturally take better care of ourselves, and better care of the planet that sustains us all.
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Apr 13, 2022
Episode 23: Fearlessness
So often in life, we tell ourselves that fear is a problem—that fear stops us from doing the things we most want to do. What about the wisdom of fear, though? Thomas shares a story of his friend who has made a living of encountering his fear everyday for over 40 years now. The result? Not a lack of fear, but the courage to act with fear fully present. Fearlessness.
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Apr 6, 2022
Episode 22: Hosts, Hostages and Vagrants
What did the early Buddhists of China mean when they said, “Be the host of every situation?” In this episode, Thomas explores a sutra that likens mindful awareness to a “host” allowing innumerable “guests” to come and go through the inn. The trick: to let the guests who want to stay, stay, and to let the guests who want to go, go.
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Mar 30, 2022
Episode 21: The Moving Target of Unknowing
The mind prefers to have answers. When we don’t have answers, we feel anything from low-grade anxiety to full-blown panic. If we pay close attention to life, we find that no sooner do we know one thing than we realize there are even more things we don’t know. In short, the experience of “unknowing” is inescapable. What if, instead of spending all our energy avoiding the discomfort of unknowing, we opened up to it? What if unknowing is a gateway leading us to a new way of being human?
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Mar 23, 2022
Episode 20: Giving Is Receiving
From an ordinary point of view, giving and receiving are opposites. In the “real world,” you give a little in order to get a little. Not so on the path of transformation. From a deeper perspective, giving and receiving are one reality, one movement. Listen to a moving account of citizens of the world giving to Ukraine with no hope of receiving something in return. In the words of Jesus, “if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit?”
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Mar 16, 2022
Episode 19: Divide and Conquer
“Overwhelm” is a technical term in mindfulness. It refers to the experience of not being able to mindfully process sensory experience moment to moment. When life gets too intense, our suffering multiplies. In this episode you can deepen your learning on the classic practice of “divide and conquer”: notice where the most overwhelm is occurring, make skillful adjustments, and you’re back in the game. For anyone serious about not suffering, this episode is a boon.
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Mar 9, 2022
Episode 18: Hearing the Cries of the World
When we open up to the suffering on the planet, we soon realize that we, the “small self”, are not nearly big enough to contain it all. To really hold suffering in our heart and help to relieve it, we must get bigger—a move from the relative to the Absolute. In Buddhism, there is a Bodhisattva, or awakened being, who models just this: Kuan Yin (Chinese translation). Her name means “she who hears the cries of the world.” As a new war wages in Ukraine, it is an especially important moment to learn to get Big, to hold it together; to hear the cries of the world.
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Mar 2, 2022
Episode 17: Building Heaven
At a time in the not-so-distant past, you might have been involved in the building of a cathedral that took so long to complete, you would have never seen the finished product of your labors. Nevertheless, your participation was absolutely vital. This is a fascinating metaphor for the new reality humanity is giving rise to moment by moment. Thomas calls it “building heaven.”
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Feb 23, 2022
Episode 16: Hold Stroke
When life throws challenges at us, it tests our capacity to be open, clear and present. Thomas recounts his glory days as a high school swimmer in this episode to point out a helpful technique for practicing when the going gets tough. If we’re clear where our mindful awareness tends to break down, we can “train to remain” in a more intelligent way.
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Feb 16, 2022
Episode 15: No Gaining Idea
If you think about virtually everything you do in a given day, you may come to a realization: “I do what I do because I want to get something out it.” We work to earn money, we exercise to stay fit, we meditate to feel good…it seems harmless enough. But there is a more subtle path available to us as human beings. In Suzuki Roshi’s words, we can live our lives with “no gaining idea.” When we have no gaining idea, we taste what it means to express our true nature—to be truly alive.
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Feb 9, 2022
Episode 14: Effectively Selfish
It’s not often you call someone “selfish” and mean it as a compliment. But prepare to be liberated from your misconceptions about what healthy selfishness actually is! In this episode, Thomas offers insights from the field of developmental psychology and coaches you on how to be the best kind of selfish in your life. You’ll be glad you listened. Interested in learning more about development? For information about an opportunity to join Thomas’s cohort program, go to www.lowerlightswisdom.org/spectra.
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Feb 2, 2022
Episode 13: Who am I? An interview with Dr. Terri O’Fallon
One of Thomas’s great pleasures in hosting Mindfulness+ is the opportunity to introduce listeners to some of the teachers who have changed his life. On today’s show, Dr. Terri O’Fallon shares a few of the dazzling delights from the field of human development. Terri is a renowned expert in this area, known for her spiritual depth, vision, and kindness. She ultimately points us to the great mystery, “who am I?” Learn about her latest offerings at stagesinternational.com. For information about an opportunity to join Thomas’s cohort program, go to www.lowerlightswisdom.org/spectra.
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Jan 26, 2022
Episode 12: Sit Like a Mountain
If you’ve been practicing meditation for some time, you may have heard the instruction somewhere along the way to “sit like a mountain.” But what does that mean? Is it just a nice metaphor? Thomas takes us right to the heart of our mountain nature in this episode, where there is always, right here, an abiding peace, stillness and stability.
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Jan 19, 2022
Episode 11: Metalineage
Spirituality and human transformation are taking exciting turns in the 21st century. Never before have so many traditions been intersecting, influencing and evolving one another. How can we meet this moment with courage and curiosity? Thomas lays out a vision of “metalineage” in this episode—a way in which all of humanity can realize greater fullness and freedom. For a deeper dive, check out this immersive online experience, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
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Jan 12, 2022
Episode 10: “Only phonies don’t get enlightened.”
Mindfulness practice is simple as it is difficult: we need to be willing to feel what we’re actually feeling. Easier said than done! In this episode, Thomas shares the experience of his grandmother’s recent passing, all that he wasn’t willing to feel, and what came on the other side of being honest with himself.
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Jan 5, 2022
Episode 9: New, Gone
In this episode, Thomas offers an extended, beginning-of-the-year meditation, inviting you to appreciate what has already passed—what is gone. The more fully we learn to welcome the “gone”, the greater the birth of something new in our lives.
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Dec 29, 2021
Episode 8: On Being Complete
To be a human being is to be incomplete—in process. No matter where we are in this moment, we are undoubtedly on our way to becoming something else, something new. How, then, do we manage the anxiety of being “in suspense and incomplete”? Thomas points to the part of us that is already complete in this episode, even as we are becoming something more.
Also, check out this new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
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Dec 22, 2021
Episode 7: What Survives
For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re right on the other side of the winter solstice. Traditionally, this is a time when we hunker down, take an inventory on our lives perhaps, and sense into what survives the enveloping dark. When we pay close attention, we’re comforted to discover the light that the darkness never overcomes. Also, check out Thomas’s new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
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Dec 15, 2021
Episode 6: Stop Lying
The path of waking up and growing up can be excruciating, even as it can be gentle and forgiving. We continue the meditation on Advent in this episode with a reading from the Gospel of Thomas. “Stop lying”, Yeshua says. What could this mean? Is there a truth we haven’t been willing to hear, or speak? Also, check out Thomas’s new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
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Dec 8, 2021
Episode 5: Extraordinary Happiness
In the Buddhist tradition, we make the distinction between “ordinary” and “extraordinary” happiness. Extraordinary happiness, simply put, is a happiness beyond conditions. Thomas shares about this teaching in the context of Advent, a time when we can bring more awareness to our “distorted values” and let in greater Light. Also, check out Thomas’s new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
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Dec 1, 2021
Episode 4: Sons and Daughters of Infinity
What does the “+” in “Mindfulness+” mean again? Thomas takes us even deeper into the territory it points to in this episode. Drawing from the words of Aurobindo, he invites us beyond the “surface mind’s” idea of reality into something altogether Unnameable.
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Nov 24, 2021
Episode 3: Lessons from a Healer
In this episode, Thomas invites his very first meditation teacher, David Timpson, to share about his meditation practice, his medical practice, and the profound power of the intentions of our heart. The conversation is a beautiful window into how mindfulness can transform us over the decades. Prepare to be inspired!
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Nov 17, 2021
Episode 2: Your Basic Goodness
We take a quantum leap on the spiritual path when we learn to really trust our basic goodness. The challenge: layer after layer of socialization, education, and shame tend to obscure our connection to this goodness. What can we do? Listen to today’s episode for insights and practices to “return to innocence.”
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Nov 10, 2021
Episode 1: Waves of Impermanence
We’re back! Thank you for joining us for a brand new season. Thomas kicks off the festivities with a close reading of a timeless text from the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. In this episode you can learn to relax your inner control freak (okay, for some of us it’s more like an outer control freak) and let go more fully into the natural ebb and flow of life.
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Sep 9, 2020
Episode 24: Raising All of Creation
Welcome to the season finale, Mindfulness Plussers! In the midst of hurricane force winds and blackouts across Salt Lake Valley, Thomas offers a deep view on parenting. Ultimately, when we’re totally present, we raise Creation itself.
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Sep 2, 2020
Episode 23: Spontaneous Awakening
Have you ever had the experience of trying to meditate, only to find yourself constantly frustrated that you’re endlessly distracted? Have no fear!
Thomas offers a simple, proven remedy to turn this deficit into a great strength. Your practice will never be the same. Also, join us for our home retreat, Sep. 12th: https://lowerlightswisdom.org/upcomingevents/home-retreat-a-day-of-sacred-living
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Aug 28, 2020
Episode 22: The Relative and The Absolute (corrected)
Suzuki Roshi said it well to his students: “Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.” What delightful play! Let’s dive into this paradox together.
If we are only aware of the Relative, our practice becomes pressurized and grim. But if we get stuck in the Absolute, well, in Zen terms, we start to stink. Where is the Middle Way? Also, join us for our home retreat, Sep. 12th: https://lowerlightswisdom.org/upcomingevents/home-retreat-a-day-of-sacred-living
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Aug 19, 2020
Episode 21: The Path
What we sometimes refer to as “the path”, that is, the process of transformation, has been expressed in different ways in the Wisdom traditions throughout history. We can learn a great deal from the similarities—and differences—in these formulations that seem to be pointing to very similar territory.
Listen in as Thomas compares snippets from St. Teresa’s “Interior Castle” and Master Guo An Shi Yuan’s commentary on the Oxherding Pictures of Zen Buddhism. What a joy to walk this path!
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Aug 12, 2020
Episode 20: Shiva / Shakti
In this practice, there are two currents always at play: that of Transcendence, that which moves beyond all form, and Immanence, that which embraces all form.
In Hinduism, these principles are deified as Shiva (Transcendence) and Shakti (Immanence). In the end, these currents are not two—they are different movements of the same Divine Reality. Listen in today’s episode to the story of Ramana Maharshi and the very intimate way in which the Divine danced his life.
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Aug 5, 2020
Episode 19: Schrödinger’s Glacier
It’s time for another extended guided meditation on Mindfulness+! Thomas shares a quote from the famous physicist, Erwin Schrödinger, and invites listeners to participate in the great Mystery that mystics and sages across the ages have invited us into: What is the self? Who is aware? What is it that is aware in this very moment of the words on this screen? Come fill your heart in this exploration.
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Jul 29, 2020
Episode 18: What Pain Makes Possible
Mindfulness practices teaches us to relate to the discomforts of life in a dramatically new way. Conventionally, all we want to do as biological organisms is to get comfortable and stay comfortable. But when we look closely, we realize that pain is not just something we can learn to tolerate, it is a kind of grace, opening us up to a world beyond suffering.
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Jul 22, 2020
Episode 17: Heat Wave
We’re in the dog days of summer in Salt Lake City. Thomas shares a modern mindfulness parable on a broken air conditioner and working with discomfort. He guides listeners in becoming experts at diagnosing the suffering in their own body-mind. In the end, it is never one’s “own” body-mind. Any suffering we alleviate in “ourselves” is an alleviation of suffering for all beings everywhere in all worlds.
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Jul 15, 2020
Episode 16: A Rare Chance
We live in a day and age where high quality teachings are available to anyone who is interested in the path of meditation. And yet, there remains something unique, even “rare” about the opportunity to meet and be inspired by a living master in the flesh.
In this episode Thomas invites you to deepen your appreciation of the precious seed that is planted when we have such an encounter. In turn, you can set your intention on being that encounter for someone else on their own path of Transformation.
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Jul 8, 2020
Episode 15: The One Who Knows
In human life, we naturally confront the question again and again, “What do I do now? Where do I go next?” Or more broadly, “what do I do with my life?”
Thomas draws from the deep well of Zen in this episode to take on these often bewildering questions. From a Zen perspective, the solution is so simple, we tend to look right past it.
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Jul 1, 2020
Episode 14: No Body, No Mind
These last 12 days, Thomas has been staring a lot at his son and contemplating newborn consciousness. Which is lucky for you!
In this episode, Thomas leads an extended guided meditation, inviting you back into primordial, formless presence, aka the experience of a newborn baby. In fact, we all have the capacity to rest in this open field of formless awareness—we simply forget!
We hope you’ll enjoy this practice of remembrance.
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Jun 24, 2020
Episode 13: Cosmic Assistance
Do you have a sense of what it means to “listen from the ear of the Heart?” When we do listen from this new place within ourselves, the results can be dramatic.
Listen as Thomas recounts a recent encounter with the Imaginal Realm—what Cynthia Bourgeault calls the “realm of cosmic assistance.”
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Jun 17, 2020
Episode 12: Wisdom Mother
What would it mean to see things as they truly are? Is it even possible to do so? Thomas draws from an ancient Buddhist verse to explore this Mystery in this episode.
The Prajnaparamita Sutra describes the “Wisdom Mother” continuing to “instruct her enlightened children about the true nature of What is.” Take a breath, relax the body, open the Heart, and explore this practice of “Perfect Wisdom” with us.
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Jun 10, 2020
Episode 11: The Mindful Review
In a previous episode, Thomas said that “the Dharma is all about second chances.” In this episode, he goes into much greater detail. Namely, he asks how we can learn to bring a greater degree of mindfulness to the most difficult experiences of our lives.
For anybody serious about decreasing their own suffering and that of others, this practice is an invaluable tool!
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Jun 3, 2020
Episode 10: Duende
“Duende”, a term coined by the Spanish poet, Lorca, describes the power of art to whisk us away into a world of “invisibles.”
In this episode, Thomas mixes poetry and Dharma to invite you into a new realm full of magic and mystery. Is “duende” really a thing? Try on this practice and decide for yourself!
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May 27, 2020
Episode 9: Appropriateness
Appropriateness—an admittedly unsexy term, but with very sexy implications! Appropriateness has everything to do with showing up freshly in each moment of life and doing something we’ve never done before because we’ve never encountered precisely this same moment. As our mindfulness practice deepens, we respond to the moment less from our habituated programs of the past and more from a place where we surprise even ourselves.
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May 20, 2020
Episode 8: Eternity In An Hour
What could it mean to see the “World in a Grain of Sand”, or to live “Eternity in an hour”? In this extended meditation, Thomas points out the “Ground of Being”, a classic territory in contemplative practice.
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May 13, 2020
Episode 7: “Their Need Is Overwhelming”
The soul’s need is overwhelming. There are no lengths it would not go to to get the sustenance it needs to flourish.
In these days of quarantine, take a moment—take many moments—to come back to yourself and be honest about what really drives you. What really feeds you. Then risk it.
Watch these ibexes for inspiration.
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May 6, 2020
Episode 6: Gain and Loss
In these Covid times, we have all lost things that we didn’t plan to lose. Many of us probably spend more energy than we’d like fearing further loss. In this episode, acquaint yourself with the fear that surrounds the experience of loss and learn to include it more fully in the wholeness (and holiness) of your life.
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Apr 29, 2020
Episode 5: The Great Gesture
Life is full of second chances. The Dharma is all about second chances. Just now, if you didn’t meet the last moment with full presence and full awareness, life will offer you the next moment to get it right. It’s as if Reality itself is not content until you fully receive the “Great Gesture”, right now. Always right NOW.
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Apr 22, 2020
Episode 4: Neurodiverse
It’s World Autism Month! In honor of all of our neurodiverse loved ones, Thomas shares a story of a dharma teaching from his brother, Joseph, who is on the autistic spectrum.
Join us in this episode for a practice inspired by one of the many superpowers that people with autism have to offer to the world.
Also, if you have any leads on helping Joseph make new and meaningful connections, please email us at info@mindfulnessplus.org.
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Apr 15, 2020
Episode 3: A Single Care
In these times of quarantine, it can be easy to get bogged down in one care, one concern, one worry after another. When we enter that “mind” of fretting, there is no end to our troubles.
How about cashing in all of the cares in the world for one single care? Would you do it? Would it even be possible to stop worrying and let something else within us tend to all of our cares? Come and see!
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Apr 8, 2020
Episode 2: Bacteria
Living bacteria were first observed through a microscope in the year 1670. This discovery led to the development of Germ Theory and a revolution in human health.
There is another kind of subtle infestation in human experience that deprives us of an inherent sense of freedom and joy. But there’s good news! We all have the capacity to disinfect; to become healthy and whole again. This discovery too has led to a whole new order of human happiness.
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Apr 1, 2020
Episode 1: Divinity School
We’re launching season 4 one month earlier than scheduled in support of your practice and in order to meet the current global crisis in full awareness.
We find ourselves—all of humanity—suddenly thrust into a “school of hardship.” What qualities will we “gather” during this time? What garden will we grow? Let your in-tention guide your a-ttention and see who you become.
Next live practice call will be Wednesday, April 1st, 7-8pm Mountain Time!
To register: https://lowerlightswisdom.org/upcomingevents/2020/4/causal-collective
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Oct 16, 2019
Bonus Episode: Collective Awakening
We cannot wake up alone. We need each other. In this post-season bonus episode, Thomas and his wife, “Glo”, share some of their experiences and insights working and living in “cohort life.”
For those Mindfulness+ listeners who are interested in really taking their practice to a new orbit, check out the Spectra program at lowerlightswisdom.org/spectra.
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Oct 10, 2019
Episode 24: Dana
To be alive is to be in exchange with all things—an endless round of giving and receiving. When we receive something precious, we naturally move to reciprocate and give back to it.
For the season 3 finale, we invite you to support Mindfulness+ in whatever way you can and help us continue to provide this resource for the happiness of all beings.
Donate at www.mindfulnessplus.org/donate.
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Oct 2, 2019
Episode 23: The Way of Effortless Mindfulness with Loch Kelly
Loch Kelly, one of the great teachers of our time, shares his insights and open-hearted awareness with the Mindfulness+ community in this opening and enlightening interview.
He has a new book by Sounds True, The Way of Effortless Mindfulness—a superb handbook for any sincere student. Do you want to save yourself a lot of grief and unnecessary strife in your meditation practice and in life? Then pay close attention to what Loch has to share.
Learn more at lochkelly.org
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Sep 25, 2019
Episode 22: Too Small To Live
The great poet, David Whyte tells us, “What you can plan is too small to live.” In what ways might the smallness of your planning being blinding you to a deeper grace, a greater truth?
Explore this theme on today’s episode.
Also, if you appreciate Mindfulness+ and what it does for you, then please donate!
https://www.mindfulnessplus.org/donate
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Sep 18, 2019
Episode 21: Your Original Face
In this longer meditation, Thomas guides listeners into an exploration of their timeless, boundless nature. Sound trippy? You’ll find it’s as easy as breathing to show “your original face before your parents were born.”
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Sep 11, 2019
Episode 20: My Grandfather, The Lotus
Who are we really? And what ideas do we have about ourselves and others that keep us distant from them, keep us isolated?
In this special episode, Thomas tells a story of an encounter he had with his grandfather recently, and the unexpected moment of Presence that shone through 26 years of estrangement.
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Sep 4, 2019
Episode 19: Range
We seem to intuitively admire the capacity for range in human beings, e.g. singers who can hit the high and the low notes, actors and actresses who can do tragedy as well as they can do comedy.
What does it mean from a mindfulness perspective to have significant “experiential range?” In this episode we explore the concept and of course, delve into the terrain together through practice.
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Aug 28, 2019
Episode 18: Fits and Starts
We’ve all heard about the glamorous side of a mindfulness practice: reduced stress, elevated mood, better relationships and more. But what about acknowledging the genuinely terrifying side of practice?
As we deepen in our awareness practice, our fear tends to increase exponentially. Paradoxically, it is in this fear that we can find our greatest freedom.
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Aug 21, 2019
Episode 17: The Doors of Perception
William Blake wrote, “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: Infinite.”
How do we cleanse these doors? How do we come to see the Infinite? Get a taste, right here.
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Aug 14, 2019
Episode 16: An interview with Donald Altman, author of the new book, Reflect
Donald Altman, M.A. LPC, is a psychotherapist, award-winning writer, former Buddhist monk and teacher.
He joins us on Mindfulness+ to discuss his path of transformation and new book on mindfulness, “Reflect.” For more information about Donald, click here. Or, order his book.
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Aug 7, 2019
Episode 15: The Perfection of Wisdom
Forgiveness can be a difficult quality to cultivate. Maybe among the hardest.
In this episode, Thomas draws from Christian and Buddhist Wisdom texts to offer insight into what true forgiveness might consist of.
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Jul 31, 2019
Episode 14: Bear Down, Ease Up
You may have noticed that in meditation, as in life, sometimes it’s helpful to exert effort, and other times, effort just gets in the way. We need to let go, ease up.
In this episode, Thomas guides a longer meditation, pointing out the moments when it might be most helpful to “bear down and ease up.”
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Jul 24, 2019
Episode 13: The Life and Legacy of Father Thomas Keating
Father Thomas Keating (1923–2018) was a uniquely gifted human being and great Soul.
In this episode, Thomas McConkie reflects on Father Thomas’s legacy, as well as invites listeners into a direct experience of the Silence that in Keating’s words, is “God’s first language.”
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Jul 17, 2019
Episode 12: A Dharmic Conversation with Vicki Kennedy-Overfelt
In this conversation, Thomas talks to his longtime dharma friend, Vicki Kennedy-Overfelt, about finding a home on the spiritual path, effort and effortlessness, and ultimately, the supreme wholeness and holiness that each one of us is.
Learn more about Vicki and her community at:
mindfulnessutah.com
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Jul 10, 2019
Episode 11: Transmuting Lead Into Gold
You’ve heard about the practice of alchemy—transmuting base metals into gold. This serves as a beautiful metaphor for how we can relate to challenging experience in our day to day life.
We can become an alembic—the alchemical vessel—that can withstand enough heat and pressure to transform our most challenging life experiences into pure gold.
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Jul 3, 2019
Episode 10: The Emptying of Hell
When it comes right down to it, we practice paying attention here at Mindfulness+ because we suffer. All human beings are born into suffering. The Good News is that the Wisdom traditions offer us insight and support into walking out of suffering together.
Listen in for some practical advice on how to “empty out hell” in your own life and others.
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Jun 26, 2019
Episode 9: Taking Refuge
This week we dive a bit deeper into practice by taking refuge in the presence of a being whom we deeply trust.
When we connect to this deep source of trust and love, we find these profound qualities and gifts arising at the center of our very own being.
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Jun 19, 2019
Episode 8: Awareness Deficit Disorder
When we understand how the attentional system of the mind works, it becomes much easier to train the skill of mindfulness.
Explore in this episode the two very distinct qualities of consciousness we can exercise in order to be more mindful.
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Jun 12, 2019
Episode 7: Hallelujah
One of the essential principles we learn in a mindfulness practice is that abiding happiness and joy centers on how we relate to experience, not the experience itself.
Listen to this story of an unexpected ray of joy beamed from none other than Leonard Cohen himself.
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Jun 5, 2019
Episode 6: Immeasurable Expanse
So much of human life is governed and divided by the lines and boundaries we somewhat arbitrarily draw across our experience.
Join Thomas as he takes flight (literally) across these lines and off into the immeasurable expanse.
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May 29, 2019
Episode 5: Trust
John T. Kesler, founder of Integral Polarity Practice and longtime mentor of Thomas joins us in season 3 for an exploration of still point practice.
In this conversation, John and Thomas explore the practice of Trust and its role in living an inspired and contemplative life. You won’t want to miss this!
Listen to a previous interview with John from Season 1, Living an Inspired Life
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May 22, 2019
Episode 4: Wildfire
It is a fact of human life that often, maybe even many times a day, we’ll experience significant disturbance that starts as a spark that sets off a wild blaze.
In this episode Thomas offers practical advice and guidance for not letting these sparks connect to tinder. As we deepen this practice, we realize that living in a state of happiness beyond conditions is a real possibility in this very life.
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May 16, 2019
Episode 3: Balancing the Senses
Until we start paying attention on purpose, we usually don’t realize how much of our awareness is tied up in seeing and thinking. In this longer guided meditation, you can learn to gently balance your awareness across the senses. The result is a state of enlivening and joyful Presence.
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May 8, 2019
Episode 2: Spring Clean
Mindfulness is a counter-instinctual practice–it gives us strength to turn toward the aspects of our lives that we would prefer to avoid.
Like sunshine disinfecting a musty cellar, the light of awareness purifies those parts of our mental/emotional lives that fester. It’s time to spring clean!
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Apr 30, 2019
Episode 1: Soulcraft
Welcome to season 3 of Mindfulness+!
Thomas opens the new season in the afterglow of a soul-stirring gathering in Spring City, Utah. He shares a poem from Adi Al-Riga that has informed his practice and soul work over the last 20 years. May this episode remind you of your own passion.
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Jan 31, 2019
Bonus: New! Causal Collective: Live Practice Zoom Call
Starting February 6th, you can join a live call with Thomas and Mindfulness+ listeners from all over the world. Thomas will guide meditations, offer insights on different techniques and approaches, as well as discuss questions with participants. Come get your Zen on with a new online community. Register at http://mindfulnessplus.org
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Dec 26, 2018
Episode 26: You Are the Zendo
It’s such a human thing to wait for the right conditions and suppose that once things are finally the way we like them, we’ll be happy. In this final episode of season 2, Thomas invites the “Kingdom of Heaven” to be now, and for the Zendo to always be open.
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Dec 20, 2018
Episode 25: Come Into Being
The present moment often seems rather dull and unremarkable to the ego. But when we learn to pay attention, to taste the flavor of all that is passing in order to give rise to this moment, then life presents itself as extraordinary. Donate at www.minfulnessplus.org.
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Dec 11, 2018
Episode 24: Fitness
What can the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, teach us about mindfulness practice? Quite a bit, actually. Thomas describes two critical dimensions of practice in this episode: liberation and virtue. Like Arnold, you can learn to exercise different muscles for that perfectly symmetrical build.
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Dec 4, 2018
Episode 23: The Moon
In this episode Thomas whisks us back to early 19th century Japan for an aesthetic feast in the form of a haiku. This is a poem that captured his imagination as a teenager when he was starting out on the path. Perhaps it will capture yours too.
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Nov 27, 2018
Episode 22: Gross, Subtle, Causal
The three natural states are described metaphorically in Hinduism as waking, dreaming and deep sleep. But what is the practical value of becoming familiar with these states, even proficient? One possible answer that Thomas suggests is Freedom and Love. Join this guided tour and see for yourself.
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Nov 20, 2018
Episode 21: Thanks-Giving
Our monthly, extended guided meditation to help you get in your groove for Thanksgiving. At the deepest level, we’re not grateful for things so much as we are gratitude itself; always thanks-giving through our very being.
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Nov 15, 2018
Episode 20: Wandering Mind, Unhappy Mind
It seems almost common sense to believe that our happiness depends on what kinds of experiences we’re having in life. “Not so!” say a number of prominent researchers in the field of positive psychology. It turns out that how focused we are on the task at hand is the real predictor of how happy we feel. Learn the concepts, exercise your happiness muscles in this show. And please support us at www.minfulnessplus.org.
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Nov 8, 2018
Episode 19: Wisdom of the Twin
I’m so happy to introduce Dr. Lynn Bauman to the Mindfulness+ community. Lynn is a renowned scholar and seasoned spiritual practitioner in his own right. In our conversation, I ask him about his conversion experience to Wisdom when he was young as well as some of his feelings about the Gospel of Thomas, for which he is widely known as a preeminent translator. Get his book here.
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Oct 31, 2018
Episode 18: Who Is Aware?
We have a deeply ingrained habit of being glued to every single little thing that pops up in our environment. This is a good survival pattern, but crazy-making for the modern mind bombarded by pop-up ads and spammy thoughts. Learn to un-glue your attention from all this fluff and rest in the source of attention. You’ll feel freer, lighter, and have more love to offer the world if you do. Donate to support our nonprofit show at _mindfulnessplus.org_!
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Oct 24, 2018
Episode 17: No Problem
A longer, more luxurious meditation this month for all you Mindfulness Plussers. What happens when we don’t assume that life is one problem after another to be solved? What do we become aware of when there’s nothing to complain about, no problem to be found? Find out in this episode. And please support this nonprofit podcast by donating at mindfulnessplus.org!
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Oct 17, 2018
Episode 16: Generosity
When we get something for free, no matter how valuable it is, we tend to value it less. When, on the other hand, we receive a gift deeply and offer something back in return, we relate to the gift in a whole new way. You’re invited to explore your relationship to the Dharma in this episode, and to donate to Mindfulness+ to support our future programming! Visit mindfulnessplus.org.
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Oct 10, 2018
Episode 15: Become All Flame
Check out this episode for a morsel of timeless wisdom from the Desert Mothers and Fathers. We can spend our whole lives struggling and striving, trying to be good enough; trying to earn love. If we will, however, we can become all flame!
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Oct 4, 2018
Episode 14: A Tour of the Human Brain(s)
If you are under the impression that the human body has precisely one brain, you are not alone. Modern Western culture has been studiously ignoring our other two brains for hundreds of years. Take a tour through your many brains in this episode and reacquaint yourself with all you forgot you knew!
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Sep 26, 2018
Episode 13: A Whole Heap of Joy
One of the earliest teachings of Buddhism remains as insightful today as it was thousands of years ago: if we can learn to separate the tangle of sensory experience into organized piles, we gain insight into our true nature, which is Freedom, and Joy.
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Sep 20, 2018
Episode 12: Effortless Mindfulness
Our monthly extended meditation: practicing without effort. Enjoy this guided tour of awareness while doing any activity you please. Maybe don’t try to operate any heavy machinery on your first listen!
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Sep 12, 2018
Episode 11: Beginner's Mind
In this episode Thomas revisits a classic teaching–beginner’s mind–and adds a polarity spin: The more deeply you plunge into the ocean of possibility, the more powerfully you find yourself living an inspired life and engaging in the world.
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Sep 5, 2018
Episode 10: Simultaneity
Generally, we experience life in a linear way unfolding through time–something happens in this moment, it fades into the past and we make our way into the future. But there are moments where the experience of time can fade away altogether in to a richness to full to speak of. Far from an esoteric experience, we humans were made to know Eternity. Listen in on this intimate episode and see if you can’t already taste the timeless.
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Aug 29, 2018
Episode 9: Seeking Mind
We all know the familiar dopamine rush of buying some consumer good, or getting into a new relationship. If we’re not paying close attention, we can easily come to believe that new objects and relationships are the very things that make us happy in life. The classic Buddhist teaching of Seeking Mind teaches us otherwise. Ultimately, we can come to a place of No Seeking where Happiness and Love reveal themselves to be the very essence of who we are.
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Aug 21, 2018
Episode 8: P.I.E.
We’re reviving an old tradition at Mindfulness+. Once a month, a lengthier meditation on a germane topic. This month’s meditation is PIE, or, Positions, Interests and Essence. This practice is in learning to love others as your very own Being.
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Aug 15, 2018
Episode 7: The Opposition
A friend of mine recently emailed from the campaign trail in Texas and said she’d been meditating with her staff to help manage the stress. She wrote, “I’d really like to center our meditations on the idea of approaching the ‘opposition’ humanely and with love.” Ahhhh, full stop. What a very beautiful thing to want. In response, I offered a few classical passages and a meditation to brings us more fully into this experience of other-as-self.
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Aug 8, 2018
Episode 6: Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel of Thomas is a surprisingly mind-jogging text that reads more like a collection of Zen koans than a book from the Christian canon. In this episode, Thomas (not to be mistaken with Thomas) shares a saying from this ancient text and ties it to a classical Buddhist teaching. In this episode, as in life, you are invited to be happy, whole, and complete.
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Aug 1, 2018
Episode 5: Surfing Life
Our seeking mind rejects the present moment outright and says, “not yet”. "One day I will be happy, one day I will wake up. But not yet." Awakened mind, on the other hand, simply says, “Perfect.” Thomas shares a parable from the sands of Venice Beach, California and invites Mindfulness+ listeners in this episode to surf their life.
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Jul 25, 2018
Episode 4: Immensity of Life
Language is a tool that can clarify experience and deepen our insight. At worst, it can also pull the wool over our eyes, tricking us into believing that we know much more than we actually do. When we learn to pick language up as a useful tool and put it down when its job is done, we can enter into deeper presence, wonder. We can enter into the immensity of Life.
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Jul 18, 2018
Episode 3: Burning Bush
When we go chasing after extraordinary experience, we block the flow of grace that is always available. Paradoxically, relaxing deeply into the present moment and not seeking anything special is the surest way to invite a special experience. Enjoy storytelling, poetry and eyes-open meditation in this dynamic episode.
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Jul 11, 2018
Episode 2: Pig Hearts, Angel Wings
Life can feel effortful. Frustrating and effortful at times. The practice of mindfulness is powerful because it can help us learn to ride invisible waves; help us move with the flow of Nature rather than against it. In this episode, Thomas shares a rather shocking story about pig hearts and what that means for living a life of “Doing not Doing.”
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Jul 5, 2018
Episode 1: Interdependence Day
This week in the United States we celebrate independence. There are so many beautiful things about independence. And yet, like all things, it can go too far. Too much independence leads to an illusion that we are alone in the world, and have accomplished what we have all on our own. At Mindfulness+ we celebrate Interdependence Day, a Buddhist-inspired practice that invokes a sense of gratitude and humility for all the conditions that sustain and support us.
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May 16, 2018
Episode 42: Tithe Your Attention
In traditional Christian practice, congregants pay a tithe–one tenth of their earnings to support the church. How can we put this time-tested practice to work toward waking up? In this episode, Thomas explores the possibility of tithing your attention as a way of honoring the source of your spiritual sustenance. It’s not to be missed!
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May 9, 2018
Episode 41: Money
A continuation of the lessons on the Energy Centers, i.e. Money, Sex, Fame, Power. This week Thomas discusses extreme monetary wealth as an unrecognized form of obesity in modern culture. Learn to recognize in this episode how much awareness you unnecessarily commit to feeling more secure, and reconnect with a profound sense of security at the heart of this very moment.
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Jan 31, 2018
Episode 40: Practicing in Prison
I take a moment in this episode to reflect on my brothers and sisters who are incarcerated and the inspiring way they’ve practiced since I joined their sangha as a guest teacher back in 2015. In this episode you’re invited to notice the places in your life where you don’t feel free. Don’t settle for anything less than freedom. Mindfulness is a practice of liberation and you were born to be free.
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Jan 17, 2018
Episode 39: Security, Pleasure, Esteem, Power
In this episode, Thomas deepens the conversation on Energy Centers by describing the theory behind them as well as pointing them out in a very practical and personal way. You will gain insight during this episode into the areas of your life that call for more awareness and compassion.
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Jan 17, 2018
Episode 38: Money, Sex, Fame, Power
This episode opens up a series on how to bring mindful awareness to those areas in our lives that tend to pull us down and compromise our higher values. If we want to grow up, we’ve got to grow down. In order to express our most profound gifts and capacities as human beings, we have to pay special attention to our foundations; get back to the basics.
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Jan 10, 2018
Episode 37: Shinzen Young, Part 2
Continuing the conversation from last episode, Shinzen talks more specifically about what we can each do to achieve not just good results, but dramatic and life-changing results from our mindfulness practice. Visit Shinzen.org and unifiedmindfulness.com to learn more about his highly innovative work.
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Jan 5, 2018
Episode 36: Shinzen Young, Part 1
Join us with special guest, Shinzen Young, to learn from his over 50 years of experience in meditative practice. Shinzen is regarded as one of the great pioneers in bringing the best of Western science and Eastern contemplation into a deeper union. It is hard not to learn 10 new things every time this guy opens his mouth. Visit Shinzen.org and unifiedmindfulness.com to learn more about his work.
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Dec 27, 2017
Episode 35: Body, Mind, Spirit Yoga
It's that time again–a longer, deeper guided meditation to support your ongoing practice. In this episode, Thomas leads a body-mind-spirit yogic "stretch" to help you inhabit ALL OF YOU a little more fully, freely, and joyfully.
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Dec 13, 2017
Episode 34: Freedom in the Chains
Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, famously quotes that "when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." It is a beautiful mantra for our mindfulness practice. We often think about freedom and happiness in terms of escaping from certain conditions. Frankl inspires us not to escape FROM oppressive conditions, but to escape INTO them; to fully meet them, allow them to inform us, and respond from a deeper truth.
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Dec 6, 2017
Episode 33: Judge More Lest ye be Judgmental
Many a well-intentioned meditator has tried to get at the roots of the judging mind to no avail. It seems the more mindful we become, the more we're aware of our petty, judgmental, always-evaluating minds. But do not despair! In this episode, Thomas makes a key distinction for listeners between judging and being judgmental. When we realize that our judgments are never the final truth, we open up to a new space in our awareness that can appreciate life much, much more. We can even appreciate all of the judgments that so effortlessly bubble up in awareness.
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Dec 6, 2017
Episode 32: Sacred Smartphoning
There is no small amount of anxiety around the impact technology is having on human life. From a mindfulness perspective, many believe that technology is decreasing our attention spans and intensifying the monkey-mind effect we all suffer from to some extent. But what if technology is just a reflection of our inner state–not the cause of our ADHD but merely an effect? Furthermore, what if we used technology to deepen and express our mindful awareness instead? What kind of world would that be? Discover how you can get technology working FOR your practice in this new episode.
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Nov 29, 2017
Episode 31: Living an Inspired Life
John Kesler joins us in the studio to share insights into mindfulness, developmental psychology, and the art of living an inspired life. His practice, what he calls Integral Polarity Practice, is an elegant model that deeply integrates the most profound wisdom from both Eastern and Western traditions. Enjoy the beautiful teaching that flows through John without his saying a word, and learn more about his work at theippinstitute.com.
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Nov 29, 2017
Episode 30: Still Point Buffet
A continuation of last week’s episode, Thomas leads an extended guided meditation on still point practice, pointing out different qualities in awareness the way a chocolate connoisseur would skillfully point out different flavors and notes in an exotic cacao bean. Find a place to settle in and enjoy a tour of the True Self! Also, check out lowerlightsslc.org <http://lowerlightsslc.org/> for additional resources to support your practice.
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Nov 29, 2017
Episode 29: Still Point
Let’s face it–we are all creatures of habit. And although habit creates efficiencies in life and helps us get things done, it can also trap us in patterns of behavior that create suffering for ourselves and others. In this episode, Thomas introduces the practice of finding the “still point.” When we live in the still point, our habits start to soften and give way to greater creativity, spontaneity, and skillful action in the moment. With practice, we can all learn to live as an effortless flow of grace.
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Nov 15, 2017
Episode 28: Freedom From Addiction
We tend to talk about addiction in our culture as though only some of us are “addicts.” Mindfulness practice reveals to us that we are all, in fact, vulnerable to addiction. In this episode you can learn to understand the underlying dynamics of addiction, made especially clear in the Buddhist tradition, and start living a life of greater freedom and happiness beyond conditions. Now who wouldn’t want that?
Also, check out lowerlightsslc.org <http://lowerlightsslc.org/>,
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Nov 15, 2017
Episode 27: The Zen of You and Me
This week I talk to Diane Hamilton of Two Arrows Zen Center about her new book, The Zen of You and Me. Diane epitomizes how beautifully a mature mindfulness practice can show up in an elegant, integrated and dynamic human being. Listen in as we talk meditation, adult development, working with pain and difference, and becoming your biggest self. She leads us in a closing meditation that is signature Diane “Musho” Hamilton.
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Nov 15, 2017
Episode 26: Heartfulness
In a mindfulness practice, eventually we realize the importance of opening the heart. Whereas “Mindfulness” stresses making empowering distinctions in awareness, “Heartfulness” implies sensing into the unity that lies beneath all the differences, otherwise known as “Love.” Thomas shares an intriguing piece of scientific research in this podcast and offers a practice to help you start living more fully from your heart today. Also, check out lowerlightsslc.org <http://lowerlightsslc.org/> to learn about offerings to deepen your practice.
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Nov 8, 2017
Episode 25: Practicing Presence
Once a month Thomas chooses a particular theme that has come up in discussions and offers a longer guided meditation around it. Enjoy this month’s extended meditation that will help you not just be more present in daily life, but actually have the experience of being Presence.
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Nov 8, 2017
Episode 24: Your Porous Nature
It’s so easy to go through life believing that we are alone and separate. Listen to this podcast as Thomas relates some touching examples of just how connected we really are. Connection is not without its risks, of course–with true intimacy always comes vulnerability. But we find that vulnerability is a small price to pay for the experience of participating in the great flow of Life.
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Nov 8, 2017
Episode 23: Reclaiming Your Body
Sir Ken Robinson, in a stirring and hilarious Ted Talk, jokes that university professors relate to their bodies as though they were simply vehicles for getting their heads around from meeting to meeting. The rest of us are not far off. In this episode you will learn about both the challenge and opportunity of remaining embodied throughout adult life. Thomas offers a simple guided meditation for unsticking awareness from the head and healing this classical body-mind split.
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Oct 30, 2017
Episode 22: Community of Practice
Have you wondered how mindfulness as a practice can transform you? Or what the benefits of practicing in community versus practicing alone are? Join us for our first video broadcast on Mindfulness+ to discuss these questions with three long-time members of the Lower Lights Sangha (Igor and Madison Limansky, and Gloria Pak). Each of them shares in a very personal way what mindfulness practice has meant to them and why the time is NOW for you to really commit to practice.
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Oct 30, 2017
Episode 21: Mantra
Once a month, Thomas guides a longer meditation to give you an opportunity to go a little deeper and discover new territory in your mindfulness practice. Find a quiet place for this episode where you can sink in and let go. Thomas gives instruction on the basics of using a mantra (a word or syllable repeated to increase concentration) as well as a taste of expansive flavors of concentration.
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Oct 25, 2017
Episode 20: Negativity Bias
Would it surprise you to learn that your brain has evolved over millions of years, only to misrepresent reality? To systematically exaggerate danger and underestimate reward? Neuropsychologist, Rick Hanson, argues exactly this point. Why does it matter? He says that positive experiences slip off our brains like “teflon” and negative experiences grab on like “velcro.” This is good for purposes of survival but bad for quality of life. Start turning the tables on this tilted evolutionary game with mindfulness. Learn to soak in positive experiences and start to recognize what a rewarding world it really is. You’ll be happy you did.
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Oct 25, 2017
Episode 19: 1 Degree
Mindfulness can be a challenging practice. All too often we get discouraged and feel like “I’m never going to get to where I need to be.” Listen to Thomas’s words of encouragement in this episode: No matter how challenging the practice or how challenging your life–in any given moment you are just a one degree shift in awareness from freedom.
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Oct 25, 2017
Episode 18: Medicalized Mindfulness: Caution: Side Effects
Mindfulness practice is more popular than ever in Western culture. But how has mindfulness been westernized, not necessarily for the better? In this episode, listen to Thomas as he discusses the medicalization of mindfulness: “Take 10 minutes of body scan 3 times a week and call me in two months.” He stresses the all-important relationship with a skillful teacher combined with finding the right technique to make significant progress on the path.
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Oct 19, 2017
Episode 17: Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Pain Body
The holiday season is upon us. While this time of year offers so much connection and time with loved ones, it can also be a very challenging time as the people we love most often push our buttons the most reliably. Learn in this episode how to take challenging relationships and metabolize them like so much savory stuffing and pumpkin pie.
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Oct 19, 2017
Episode 16: You’re Not Doing It Right!
For such a life-changing practice that requires very few resources to become proficient at, I’ve had to ask myself over the years why so many students wash out and stop practicing mindfulness. One reason is that we often lack the skills to work through the nagging voice in our head that tells us we’re doing it wrong. Listen in and whip your inner bully into shape!
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Oct 19, 2017
Episode 15: Donald Trump and the Taoist Farmer
We’re one day after the elections here and many of us are needing a stiff dose of Taoism to lift our battered spirits. Is this election good news or bad news for us all? You say, when you tune into Mindfulness+.
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Oct 14, 2017
Episode 14: Reverence for Life
As a soulful follow-up to last week's program, Thomas takes listeners on the first ever extended guided meditation on Mindfulness+. Find a place to settle in, and exercise your muscle of awe, wonder and gratitude in this luxurious meditation on the "Gift of Life."
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Oct 14, 2017
Episode 13: Boundless Vitality for the New Year
Happy New Year, Mindfulness Plussers! To help power your next trip around the sun, Thomas guides a meditation to help you tap into the boundless vitality that animates each and every living thing. In this episode you'll get familiar with mindful awareness of the body, working with thoughts and emotions, as well as entering into transcendent qualities through the causal body, or pure awareness. Flip the on switch to life NOW.
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Oct 14, 2017
Episode 12: Solstice: The Blooming, Singing Dark
For those in the northern hemisphere, this is the time of year when the sunlight fades and the nights grow longer and longer. Metaphorically, darkness calls up all kinds of challenging human experiences: discomfort, anxiety, fear, even panic. Listen to Thomas in this episode as he applies mindfulness basics to working with challenging experiences. When we relax and really receive experience, even challenging experience, a new kind of wisdom and creativity is born.
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Oct 13, 2017
Episode 11: Mindful Eating
Eating is tied to some of our most primitive impulses–survival, pleasure-seeking, even power. In this episode, bring a snack and enjoy as Thomas guides you in a mindful eating experience that we're sure you'll find delectable.
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Oct 13, 2017
Episode 10: Lower Lights Sangha
Mariners throughout history have used the "upper lights"–stars, moon and sun–to guide them across the open oceans. But it is the final stretch of the journey into harbor that is often the most perilous. Thomas shares in this episode the meaning of "lower lights", how we can be lights to one another on the path, as well as the crucial role of sangha in mindfulness practice.
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Oct 11, 2017
Episode 9: The Matrix
Do you want to take the blue pill, or the red pill? In this episode Thomas draws an analogy from the sci-fi thriller, The Matrix, and shows how we can feel profound freedom, extracting ourselves from the real life matrix through a mindfulness practice. You won't want to miss this mind-bending episode on Mindfulness+!
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Oct 11, 2017
Episode 8: Healing
Mindfulness practice can be difficult to commit to, especially when we notice that our experience while meditating is not always blissful. Listen to this episode as Thomas sheds new light on how to work with challenging experiences. Rather than a problem to be solved (or avoided), you'll learn to turn towards and open up to challenge, catalyzing a powerful process of healing in the body and the mind.
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Oct 11, 2017
Episode 7: Vipassana
We've talked about the "+" in "Mindfulness+", but what about the "Mindfulness" in "Mindfulness+"? Listen in for a fascinating description of what the word vipassana, the original word for mindfulness, actually means. In Mindfulness+ fashion, Thomas then guides the listener into a rich experience of what this practice points us to–greater clarity, deeper fulfillment, and profound freedom.
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Oct 11, 2017
Episode 6: Positive Feedback Loops
In this episode, Thomas guides the listener into a style of meditation that people have been practicing for thousands of years–shamatha, or calm abiding meditation. For style points, he breaks down the basic mechanics of this technique, explaining the basic mechanism–the feedback loop–that makes it so effective. Listen in, and feel your stress melt away as you learn to ride this natural wave of bliss and concentration.
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Oct 11, 2017
Episode 5: Look Up!
In this episode, Thomas talks about the common issue of "collapse" in mindfulness practice as well as life. Through a vivid metaphor of hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park, he extends an invitation to open up your awareness to its natural spaciousness and enjoy the beauty that abounds.
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Oct 11, 2017
Episode 4: Why The Breath
Many people equate focusing on the breath with mindfulness practice itself. In this episode, Thomas explains the practical reasons why the breath has come to be regarded as a foundation in practice. But he takes it a step further and describes 3 fundamental skills that breathing–and indeed countless other techniques–can help us build. With his signature cherry on top, he guides a soothing meditation that will soften your body and sharpen your mind.
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Oct 10, 2017
Episode 3: What's the + in Mindfulness+
Is it just a catchy name, or is there something behind the "+"? Thomas introduces the study of adult development in this show and explains how different kinds of mindfulness are beneficial to us at different times in life. To conclude, he guides a meditation that is specifically designed for adults who feel tormented by their monkey mind. Go ahead, listen. Tame that monkey.
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Oct 10, 2017
Episode 2: Everything You Need is Right Here
One of the most common physical symptoms many of us experience in the modern world is exhaustion. Never have humans had so much freedom to pursue their goals and dreams. And never have humans paid a higher price for this constant seeking. Join Thomas as he guides us through a simple mindfulness practice that can profoundly revitalize the body, mind and spirit.
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Oct 10, 2017
Episode 1: The Awareness You Are
Mindfulness is all the buzz these days. But what is mindfulness? And how can mindfulness benefit you personally? Join Thomas McConkie in this inaugural podcast introducing the practice of mindfulness. Thomas shares how he got into the practice almost 20 years ago and how, by doing simple daily exercises, you can reap profound benefits from this age-old practice.
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