Explore every episode of the podcast Heart Haven Meditations
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awakening Practice 26: Pivoting Toward Peace in your Conversations | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:09:42 | |
This is number 26 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to bring a sense of spaciousness into your conversations, to get curious about the tiny but impactful turns inherent to all dialogue, and to bring an intention for peace into those moments. It's a practice of deep listening to yourself and another. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 26. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Music and audio by the stupendous Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 25: Leading with your Heart | 24 Oct 2025 | 00:11:28 | |
This is number 25 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. It includes some imagery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but it's not necessary to be Christian to enjoy the metaphor. My previous episode was about telling the truth, but truth without love is hollow. Here you are invited walk through your day leading with your heart -- a simple but utterly transformative experience. I hope you enjoy. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 25. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 24: Being Honest with Yourself | 13 Oct 2025 | 00:09:31 | |
This is number 24 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to do something radical, namely to tell the truth, with kindness, all day today, both in your conversations and in your head. As we seek to grow, we often confront holdouts, those parts of us that aren’t sure they want to change. Noticing when we shade or twist the truth brings us to the cutting edge of our growth, the nitty gritty of enlightenment. If being authentic evokes fear, get curious. Lean into what's happening inside you. Telling the truth is a deceptively simple and incredibly powerful tool for spiritual growth. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 24. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 23: Rooting in Presence | 07 Oct 2025 | 00:09:32 | |
This is number 23 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you root yourself in Presence. The more present you are, the more you experience your sense of aliveness. Practicing presence opens up energetic pathways in your subtle body through which consciousness, and therefore joy, can flow. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 23. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Music by Six Missing. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 22: Changing Your Relationship to Your Experience | 29 Sep 2025 | 00:10:17 | |
This is number 22 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to become conscious of what you are thinking about your experience. How you relate to your thoughts determines the quality of your being in the next moment. You have the power to gently choose what to focus on, and thereby to dramatically shift your relationship to whatever life brings your way. It's surprisingly simple. You can change the quality of your being. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 22. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 21: The Infinite Opens its Eyes through You | 24 Sep 2025 | 00:13:16 | |
This is number 21 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode is about going from nothing to everything and beyond. It invites you to see life as one continuous whole and to experience infinite potential. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 21. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Novelist Carrie Birde on Transmuting Suffering through Art | 15 Sep 2025 | 00:39:02 | |
Join debut novelist Carrie Birde author of A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace (Blydyn Square Books) as she discusses her creative process, her road to publication, and the unique spiritual and artistic practices that help her transmute suffering—her own and the world’s—into daily acts of beauty. A literary fairy tale, her novel explores themes of community, connection, and communication. Carrie shares her personal rituals, including yoga, Qigong, and creating paper cranes, which help her manage anxiety and connect with her environment. She offers advice for aspiring writers to stay true to their heart and maintain a sense of aliveness in their creativity. Carrie is a poet, fiction writer, artist, and amateur photographer. Like many characters in those stories, she has personal friendships with wild animals, especially birds, who know her by face. I also interviewed Carrie in written format on Substack where she further explored these topics. I hope you enjoy this heartfelt interview about things ordinary and extraordinary. Attend Carrie’s virtual book launch Friday, September 19, 2025, 7:00pm via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84707033106. Attend her live event at the Boonton Coffee House Saturday, Octboer 11, 2025 at 7pm. Learn more about her work at CarrieBirde.com. Follow her on Instagram. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 20: Newborn Awareness | 08 Sep 2025 | 00:10:33 | |
This is number 20 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to rediscover innocence, to let your senses be like that of a newborn, every moment as a new creation. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 20. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Novelist Paula Saunders on Writing to Heal the Past | 26 Aug 2025 | 00:48:15 | |
Join novelist Paula Saunders as she discusses her moving autobiographical novel Starting from Here, just out from Penguin Random House. A stand-alone sequel to The Distance Home, the novel follows 15-year old René through the challenges of adolescence within the pressure cooker of cultural and socioeconomic stressors. Saunders draws from her own experiences as a ballet dancer. A long-time practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, she shares how a Catholic nun introduced her to the work of Thich Nhat Hanh. Paula describes how writing has helped her integrate the past, and instilled in her a more compassionate relationship to her younger self and her family of origin. Paula grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is a graduate of the Syracuse University creative writing program and was awarded a postgraduate Albert Schweitzer Fellowship at SUNY Albany, under Schweitzer chair Toni Morrison. Her first book, The Distance Home, was longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and named one of the best books of the year by Real Simple. She lives in California with her husband. They have two grown daughters. Learn more about her work at paulasaundersbooks.com. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 19: Finding Yourself by Losing Yourself | 20 Aug 2025 | 00:09:52 | |
This is number 19 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to find yourself by losing yourself. This is something we cannot “do” but rather “allow.” We let go of the notion of self that has no independent reality in order to experience our true identity, which is paradoxically personal and universal. What is truly me is no other than what is truly you, and what is truly all. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 19. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Music: "Lovingkindness" by Six Missing. Nature sounds added by Eric Fischer. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 18: Intimate Mystery: Taking a Leap of Love | 13 Aug 2025 | 00:11:44 | |
This is number 18 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to take a leap into the realm beyond description, a leap of love, born of your care for yourself, others, and the planet. We let go of who we imagine ourselves to be in order to experience who we really are. These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 18. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by the stupendous Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 17: The Gaze of Eternity: Blessed are the Poor in Spirit | 05 Aug 2025 | 00:09:34 | |
This is number 17 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to relax and let go of ideas, assumptions, agendas, and self-orientation---to be what Christ called, "poor in spirit." This relinquishment allows you to enter the dark core of your being that is always and forever in direct contact with the mysterious, unknown dimension of Being. In this way, you become the space through which Eternity gazes into the world of time. Your eyes are the eyes of Eternity. The first of eight beatitudes taught by Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" implies that through the surrender of self-preoccupation, we experience heaven in real time, here and now. Heaven is not "out there." Adyashanti echoes Christ's message: "The kingdom of God is within you." These practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 17. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio & Music by the stupendous Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 16: Open to the Mystery of your Being | 30 Jul 2025 | 00:09:00 | |
This is number 16 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to relinquish all struggle, release yourself into awareness, and rest into the dark mystery of your being. It can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 16. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio & Music by the stupendous Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 15: Access your Inner Peace with Ease | 24 Jul 2025 | 00:11:54 | |
This is number 15 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode guides you into entering the ground of your being, the silence, stillness and peace beyond all understanding that rests in your depths, and which can be accessed even in life's most turbulent moments. It's always there. This meditation can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 15. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio & Music by the stupendous Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 14: Staying Connected to your Heart in your Daily Interactions | 21 Jul 2025 | 00:09:45 | |
This is number 14 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to rest in the paradox of "being" and "becoming." It encourages you to bring the energy of the spiritual heart into your conversations and interactions throughout your day. This meditation can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 14. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 13: Resting in the Spiritual Heart | 18 Jul 2025 | 00:11:05 | |
This is number 13 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode invites you to let your human heart be soaked in the presence of your spiritual heart, allowing it to restore and reorient your whole being to completeness and wholeness. This meditation can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 13. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 12: You are Life Becoming Conscious of Itself | 30 Jun 2025 | 00:08:41 | |
This is number 12 of a 30-day meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This episode is a reflection on the Buddhist saying, "This very body is the Buddha." Your body, your being, is an expression of life becoming conscious of itself through you. This meditation can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 12. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Music and audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 11: Experiencing the Unity of Existence | 23 Jun 2025 | 00:10:20 | |
This is number 11 of a 30-part meditation series inspired by Adyashanti. This heart-centered meditation focuses on experiencing yourself and the world around you as pure energy, and touching into the unity of existence. This practice can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 11. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 10: See, Hear, Taste, Touch from the Silence of the Heart | 16 Jun 2025 | 00:11:19 | |
As part of a 30-day series of short enlightenment practices, this meditation focuses on awakening your spiritual heart, and mixing it with your senses, (touch, sight, hearing, smelling, tasting). The spiritual heart is your perceptual center. It lies dormant in most human beings, but wants to be stirred awake. This practice can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 10. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Music and audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 9: Seeing through the Eyes of Your Heart | 09 Jun 2025 | 00:10:33 | |
As part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices, this meditation focuses on devotedly abiding in the silent presence of the heart. It can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 9. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 8: Flowering Heart | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:09:48 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices. This particular practice helps you connect not just with your emotional heart--which opens and closes--but with your spiritual heart, the sacred heart, that is always open and vast as awareness itself. The sacred heart connects us all. Use this meditation in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 8. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 7: Open and Relax into Being | 25 May 2025 | 00:08:12 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 7. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 6: Your Fundamental Being | 18 May 2025 | 00:07:29 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 6. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek, Pema Chodron, and Eckhart Tolle. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 5: Making Eye Contact | 16 Apr 2025 | 00:05:20 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 5. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek and Pema Chodron. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 4: Embracing the "I Am" | 09 Apr 2025 | 00:05:26 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 4. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek and Pema Chodron. I hope you enjoy. Music and audio by Eric Fischer. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 3: The Light of the World | 31 Mar 2025 | 00:07:07 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 3. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek and Pema Chodron. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 2: Mind Like Sky | 24 Mar 2025 | 00:05:27 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 2. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek and Pema Chodron. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practice 1: Effortless Awareness | 17 Mar 2025 | 00:05:35 | |
This is part of a 30-day series of awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. This meditation correlates to Day 1. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek and Pema Chodron. I hope you enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Awakening Practices: Introduction | 13 Mar 2025 | 00:02:50 | |
This is an introduction to a 30-day series of short practical meditations I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke Awakening. In some cases, the meditations are also loosely inspired by the teachings of Andrew Holecek and Pema Chodron. I hope you enjoy. Music and audio editing by Eric Fischer of Audi-Refined.com. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Dr. Samra Zafar on Attuning to the Voice of Love | 02 Feb 2025 | 01:08:39 | |
Internationally renowned speaker, physician, and author Dr. Samra Zafar speaks with Tess about her new book Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future, which explores breaking free from old conditioning and embracing self-acceptance. She shares her journey from an abusive marriage to building a better life, emphasizing the importance of meditation, visualization, and unlearning. Zafar highlights the concept of "parts work" therapy to understand and heal different aspects of oneself. She stresses the significance of solitude, self-compassion, and community in personal growth. Zafar also underscores the power of self-trust, mentorship, and the courage to pursue dreams, despite fear, to achieve unconditional self-acceptance. Dr. Zafar has been recognized among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants. Her memoir A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, was a national bestseller. She is the founder and executive director of Brave Beginnings, a national charity that provides mentorship to women who have escaped abuse. Her work has impacted millions and has been featured in national and global media. Samra Zafar’s speaking portfolio includes four successful TEDx Talks and many leading organizations around the world. You can find out more about her work at: www.samrazafar.com. Samra's huge heart and depth of wisdom are evident in this fascinating conversation. Enjoy! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Calm Clarity: Guided Meditation | 05 Dec 2024 | 00:31:14 | |
In moments of personal or collective anxiety it is easy to feel thrown. This meditation offers an opportunity to cultivate calm clarity through attuning to your heart. Life requires us to walk through many portals, some more challenging than others. Hard times allow us to discover who we are, to find our mettle. This meditation invites you to open to whatever life presents you in this moment, to feel the weather in your heart, to be curious. When we allow the inner waters to become still, we find the clarity we need to respond to life with wisdom and agency. The track begins with a 6-minute introduction. The meditation starts at 06:20. Enjoy! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Interview with Writer Manda Scott: Shamanic Practice, Creative Vision & Systemic Change | 27 Nov 2024 | 01:06:45 | |
Award-winning novelist, teacher, and podcaster Manda Scott talks with Tess Callahan about her shamanic spiritual practice, her new Thrutopian novel ANY HUMAN POWER, and her highly acclaimed podcast Accidental Gods. Tess and Manda discuss dreams, visions, and the liminal states between waking, sleeping, life, and death. Manda encourages writers to create new narratives that will pave the way to the systematic changes our world needs. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Interview with Writer Alan Watt: Evolving through Meditation and Writing | 23 Oct 2024 | 00:50:08 | |
Novelist, screenwriter, and founder of LA Writers' Lab Alan Watt tells host Tess Callahan his extraordinary experience of recovering a childhood memory through meditation. This memory from infancy, preverbal and terrifying, had already begun to surface through the writing of his novel, Diamond Dogs. Watt asserts that the desire to write is connected to the desire to evolve. He first began meditating decades ago to help with insomnia. His practice calmed his nervous system, lessened anxiety, and helped him sleep. With his mind stabilized, the repressed memory was able to surface and be healed. In spirituality and in writing, Watt is all about inquiry. In this interview, he encourages you to give yourself permission to write, to exorcise whatever within you wants to be freed, to be clear on your boundaries, and to release limiting beliefs about yourself and the world. A brilliant teacher, Alan talks about bringing a sense of trust and mutual respect into his online courses, and discusses the challenge of balancing teaching and writing. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Heart Alchemy Meditation | 17 Oct 2024 | 00:25:16 | |
Drawing from ancient wisdom traditions and inspired by Ram Dass, this timeless meditation invites you to bathe in liquid love, release sadness and loneliness from your heart, and become an instrument for peace, light, and love. The meditation begins with a relaxing body scan before focusing on the heart. You are invited to visualize a wisdom figure whose heart connects to yours. This being lovingly receives any old energies and patterns you wish to let go of. The meditation ends with a lovingkindenss practice. Relax and enjoy this gentle alchemical experience. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Can Life Meditate Us? A Talk on the novel DAWNLAND | 03 Sep 2024 | 00:09:47 | |
Friends, this episode is a departure from my usual offerings. I will return to meditations and occasional interviews after my mini book tour, but today I'm talking about my novel DAWNLAND, and what IT has to do with meditation, particularly the question: Do we sometimes meditate by accident? And if so, what’s happening there? Inadvertent meditation might seem like an oxymoron. We usually associate meditation with intention and focus. Even devotion. But I think there are moments when life meditates us. And the more we practice, the more we open ourselves for this to happen spontaneously. The characters in DAWNLAND don’t meditate in a traditional sense, but they each have their own way of connecting inwardly. I describe examples in case they resonate with you. This talk invites you to relax your grip on "solving" and "fixing," to be radically open to the silences that emerge in your day, to notice when life meditates you. Savoring those moments, even for a breath, allows a sense of spaciousness to seep into your mind and your body, a spaciousness that allows the responses you need in any given moment to arise on its own. Thanks for listening! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Creativity as Divine Play: Talk & Meditation on Lila | 29 Jul 2024 | 00:16:52 | |
Creativity flows when our hearts and minds are open, and tightens when we grasp onto particular ideas of outcome. It tends to hide from us when we take ourselves too seriously. Lightness of spirit is key. "Lila" is a Hindu term that has many layers. It describes the effortless play between the relative world and the absolute. Lila manifests when when fullness, unable to contain itself, spills over into creation. This episode includes a 7-minute talk about creativity that alludes to Carl Jung's method of Active Imagination and the benefits of paying attention to our dreams. If you wish to skip over the talk, the meditation begins at about 7:40. Relax, enjoy, and have fun! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Open Awareness Ocean Expanse Meditation | 15 May 2024 | 00:21:25 | |
Open awareness is a non-referential meditation, meaning you don’t use any reference point such as the breath or the body to keep your mind focused. Those focal points are useful as first, but as you progress, they can hold you back. In open awareness, your attention rests with everything that’s happening. To this end, you meditate with your eyes gently open. Normally our eyes are trained to focus on a single object. Here, you softly take in everything in your field of vision simultaneously, particularly the periphery, the way you might gaze at a wide expanse of ocean. In this way, you go beyond sitting in mindfulness to expand your meditation to embrace your daily life. The practice of openness can feel challenging at first because our minds are so habituated to contracting—around our problems, our storylines, our ideas—but the more you practice, the more you realize that openness is actually your natural state, and contraction is the source of suffering. Openness is the key to your freedom. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Interview with Writer Mar'ce Merrell: Bridging the Gap Between the Impossible and the Possible | 29 Apr 2024 | 01:11:53 | |
Join novelist, essayist, and canoe adventurer Mar’ce Merrell as she unpacks her spiritual and creative toolbox, sharing how she uses meditation to move through stuck places in life and on the page. Mar’ce describes some of her extraordinary life-and-death moments in the canoe, how she learned to work with water and not against it, and how her life has unfolded in the gap between the impossible and the possible. Mar’ce is the author of the novel Wicked Sweet, a Barnes & Noble Best Summer Read pick for Young Adults. Her stories and essays include: “Water Calls, Water Holds” (Embrace Your Divine Flow), "Architecture as Reconciliation" (Fold Magazine), and "Variations in a Living Thing" (Hags on Fire Magazine). She holds an MFA from Sierra Nevada College and lives in Ghost Lake, Canada, where she “writes to observe and record the natural world and the wilderness in our minds.” Mar’ce currently facilitates online creative writing circles or “Nests” whose participants hail from all over the world. Mar'ce is on Instagram. You can find out more about her work and her mentorship at www.marcemerrell.com. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Tranquil Shamatha Short Version | 18 Apr 2024 | 00:15:06 | |
This is a shorter version of Episode 71 "Tranquil Ocean Shamatha," with a bit less instruction. Shamatha or “peaceful abiding” helps stabilize the mind by cultivating a steady awareness of the object of meditation, in this case, the breath. You can do the same practice using alternative anchors such as bodily sensations or sounds. Staying present to an anchor provides scaffolding or training wheels to help keep your mind focused. Over time, practicing Shamatha meditation steadies you inwardly. You learn to calmly witness your thoughts without being triggered by them. Eventually, this leads to a natural decrease in unhelpful thoughts. Very freeing! This meditation is partly inspired by one offered in the book REVERSE MEDITATIONS by Andrew Holecek. Relax and enjoy! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Tranquil Ocean Shamatha Meditation | 22 Mar 2024 | 00:27:40 | |
Shamatha, which means “peaceful abiding” or “tranquility," is the foundational meditation of Buddhist practice. It helps stabilize the mind by cultivating a steady awareness of the object of meditation, in this case, the breath. You can do the same practice using alternative anchors such as bodily sensations or sounds. Staying present to an anchor provides scaffolding or training wheels to help keep your mind focused. Once you become proficient at Shamatha, you no longer need an object of meditation. Meditating without an anchor or reference point is known as Open Awareness. Over time, practicing Shamatha meditation steadies you inwardly. You learn to calmly witness your thoughts without being triggered by them. Eventually, this leads to a natural decrease in unhelpful thoughts. Very freeing! This meditation is partly inspired by one offered in the book REVERSE MEDITATIONS by Andrew Holecek. Relax and enjoy! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Lovingkindness 10-minute Metta | 21 Feb 2024 | 00:09:56 | |
Lovingkindness, also known as "metta," is a Buddhist practice of cultivating good will and positive regard toward yourself and others. The practice invites us to expand the good will of our hearts to reach ever widening circles, extending to loved ones, neutral acquaintances, difficult people, animals, and the planet itself. A longer version of this meditation can be found under the title "Lovingkindness Deep Immersion." Whether done on the meditation pillow or spontaneously in the course of a day, metta has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety and increase compassion for oneself and others. It is a powerful life affirming practice. Relax and enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Interview with Sculptor/Poet Don Freas: Meditation and the Creative Leap | 14 Feb 2024 | 01:06:11 | |
Join sculptor and poet Don Freas, author of In-Between: Creativity Set Free and Swallowing the World: New and Selected Poems, in a rich exploration of the relationship between meditation and creativity. Don describes how his practice of Liangong, a form of Qigong, deepens his somatic awareness in the studio and in life. He explains how his process of journaling, partly inspired by Robert A. Johnson’s book Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth, has deepened self-inquiry, and thereby, self-compassion. Don lets us in on his decades-long conversation with an inner wisdom figure he calls Sophie, a voice who regularly encourages his intuition and questions him when he goes off track. He describes Sophie as “a voice from the long history of humanity, or of the universe.” Don shares insights gained from many sources, including spiritual teacher Byron Katie, physicist David Bohm, Jungian analyst Robert A. Johnson, and Akashic Records teacher Linda Howe. Don takes us on a deep dive into the “material meditation” of making art. “When you look back,” he says, “your own accrued shape appears in the spaces between the things you’ve fashioned.” Don holds an MFA in Poetry from Bennington College and lives in Olympia, Washington, where an upcoming exhibit of his sculpture will take place at Childhood’s End Art Gallery. Visit www.DonFreas.com to learn more and follow Don on instagram@donfreas and FaceBook@donfreas.
Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Lovingkindness Deep Immersion | 06 Feb 2024 | 00:28:19 | |
Metta is a Buddhist practice of cultivating good will and positive regard toward yourself and others. A Pali word, metta means lovingkindness. The practice invites us to expand the good will of our hearts to reach ever widening circles, extending to loved ones, neutral acquaintances, difficult people, animals, and the planet itself. Whether done on the meditation pillow or spontaneously in the course of a day, metta has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety and increase compassion for oneself and others. It is a powerful life affirming practice. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| NDE Guided Visualization | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:33:38 | |
A rerecorded, remastered version of Episode 41, this guided visualization is based on a near-death experience described by Carl Jung in his memoir Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. Jung experienced this vision as he hung on the edge of death after a heart attack. Following a brief relaxation exercise, you will be guided through this vision as if you are experiencing it for yourself. Feel free to replace the particularities of this vision with your own and let it unfold as it wishes. This meditation is a deep dive to be undertaken with care. If you have a history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorder, consult with your doctor before using this meditation. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Waking Dream Guided Meditation | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:31:39 | |
Inspired by the work of Carl Jung, this practice of cultivating a "waking dream" helps you to access the wisdom of your subconscious. In Jungian psychology, this technique is called “Active Imagination." Episode 6 of this podcast offers a similar version of this guided visualization with different music. Jung recorded his waking visions in his extraordinary illustrated journal, The Red Book. His meditative technique was recreated by MJ Dorian on his podcast Creative Codex. For deeper instruction, read "Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth" by Robert A. Johnson. This meditation is a deep dive to be undertaken with care. If you have a history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorder, consult with your doctor before using this meditation. Relax and enjoy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Heart Coherence Meditation 3: Healing | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:27:51 | |
This is the 3rd of three progressive meditations inspired by Dr. Patrick MacManaway’s book Cultivating Your Light Body. It builds on the strength and stability developed in the first and second practices. Here, we continue cultivating heart-centered awareness in a cycle of witnessing, blessing, and renewal, and we take the further step of using these qualities to restore right relationship to current challenging issues in our lives. We restore a healthy relationship in the pathways of energy that connect us to other people, places, and times. This practice can be demanding on your energy and attention, particularly if it is new to you, so please be gentle with yourself, and create time to practice when your energy and attention are good, and your time is spacious. Regular use and practice will allow you to remain increasingly heart-centered when contemplating and renewing your relationship with stressful or distracting issues. Over time, you'll find that the radiant blessing and renewal of the heart opens you to the possibility of miracles. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Heart Coherence Meditation 2: Synchronizing | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:28:29 | |
This is the 2nd of three progressive meditations that build on each other, though each can also be done separately. They are inspired by practices taught by Dr. Patrick MacManaway in his book Cultivating Your Light Body. In this meditation we develop our awareness of heart-centered consciousness to include our primary alignment, the center spindle, or vertical axis of our personal globe of consciousness and intelligence, connecting those parts of us that belong to the realms above and below, these energies align and center themselves in our heart, and when in alignment and dynamic balance, keep us both clearly connected and presently engaged in the world. Once heart-centered, clearly aligned, and conscious of self to the edge of self, the practice uses a cycle of witness and blessing to specifically heal and renew patterns of trauma and displacement that we may be holding within or around us. With use, this practice has great benefit in helping us heal, and in keeping us healthy. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Heart Coherence Meditation 1: Tuning In | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:24:15 | |
This is the first of three progressive meditations that build on each other, though each can be done separately. Inspired by a practice taught by Dr. Patrick MacManaway in his book Cultivating Your Light Body, this initial meditation is simple and introductory in nature, but subtle and profound in effect. It is designed to guide your awareness toward the heart, and then to bring your awareness within the heart. From this point of source radiance, the practice then expands and integrates your awareness of self throughout your body and into your personal energetic space around you. It’s designed to refresh, renew, and balance your core energies, your feelings, and your thoughts, leaving you in state of vibrant balance and creative potential. Results deepen with practice. Relax and enjoy! Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| New Beginnings: Affirmations for Inner Sovereignty | 31 Dec 2023 | 00:07:20 | |
Inspired by Byron Katie, Al-Anon, and 12-Step, these simple affirmations encourage a fresh rewiring of old conditioning. Making the quality of your consciousness your highest priority is the most life-changing action you can take. Moment to moment, are you on autopilot or responding with intention and presence? The more we stop wasting energy trying to control others, the more personal agency is available to us, offering greater clarity and autonomy over our choices and habits. We stand in our own sovereignty--a powerful place to be. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||
| Through the Veils to Your True Essence: Guided Visualization | 20 Dec 2023 | 00:23:05 | |
It's easy to forget who we really are, to rush through life without pausing to experience our true essence. Yet when we take this pause, we gain clarity, groundedness, and wisdom from which to respond to life wisely rather than reactively. Eckhart Tolle uses the phrases “Little Me” and "Deep I" to distinguish the part of you that runs around on the surface of life from the timeless presence at the core of your being. This guided visualization leads you down a hall of sheer silken rainbow veils that gently peel away the outer trappings of life and lead you to the doorway of your true self. Enjoy this journey to the truth of who you are. Host: Tess Callahan By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show. | |||