Metta Hour With Sharon Salzberg

Recorded live at the University of Virginia’s Contemplative Sciences Center, Sharon offers her perspective on the evolving role of contemplative practice in modern life and how we can find the middle way through all things with the help of mindfulness.Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices

For Episode 117 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with teacher and activist, Carla Goldstein.Carla Goldstein, JD, is president of Omega Institute and cofounder of the Omega Women's Leadership Center. An attorney with 25 years of experience in public interest advocacy, she has contributed to more than 100 city, state, and federal laws, and has worked extensively in city and state government on issues related to women’s rights, poverty, public health, and social justice. She is a commentator for WAMC’s show, 51%, writes a column and serves on the advisory board for Feminist.com, and serves as an advisor to Women Without Borders. She teaches a variety of workshops at Omega, including Omega’s Women & Power conferences and retreats, which inspire thousands of women from around the world. Carla Goldstein also appears regularly on local and national radio and television and makes public presentations on issues related to women’s empowerment, holistic and sustainable living, activism, and sp

For Episode 116 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon shares a conversation with Dr. Sona Dimidjian.Dr. Sona Dimidjian is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on cultivating mental health and wellness among women, children, and families. She develops and studies programs and practices in education and healthcare settings, with an emphasis on navigating key developmental transitions, such as the perinatal period, early childhood, and adolescence. She also has a longstanding interest in expanding access, scaling, and sustaining effective programs, using both digital technology and community-based partnerships.In this episode, Sharon speaks with Sona about cultivating resilience with meditation practice, managing our overwhelming emotions with mindfulness and nourishing a mother's well being while expecting and during postpartum. Sona closes the podcast with a short breathing practice that originates from her research in mi

For Episode 115 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon sits down with Mirabai Bush and Raghu Markus in remembrance of the life and teachings of Ram Dass, who passed away on December 22, 2019.In this intimate conversation, these three longtime friends speak candidly about their personal loss in Ram Dass’ death and the loss the larger community is experiencing. They share old stories about knowing Ram Dass since the 1970s, and how his friendship has shaped each of their lives. They also discuss the book that Mirabai co-wrote with Ram Dass, “Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying” which was released in 2018.

For Episode 113 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon is in conversation with Dr. Steven C. Hayes, PhD.Steven C. Hayes is a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is the author of over 40 books and hundreds of scientific articles and has served as president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. Dr. Hayes initiated the development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and of Relational Frame Theory and his latest book, A Liberated Mind was released in the summer of 2019 from Avery Books. In this episode, Sharon and Steven discuss the ACT method, and how this related to mindfulness practice. Steven closes the conversation with a ten minute guided practice. To learn more about Steven’s work, you can visit his website at stevenchayes.com

For Episode 112 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with meditation teacher Adreanna Limbach.Adreanna Limbach is a meditation instructor, personal development coach, and the author of the book, “Tea and Cake With Demons.” In this episode, Sharon and Adreanna speak about how Adreanna came to the path of meditation, and how that led her to teaching and coaching work. They speak at length about Adreanna’s new book “Tea and Cake With Demons” which was recently released in July of 2019 by Sounds True, discussing how Buddhist principles and practice can help us to cultivate self-esteem and self-worth. The episode closes with Adreanna leading a ten-minute guided meditation. To learn more, visit adreannalimbach.com.

For Episode 111 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon interviews Dr. Christian Conte, PhD. Christian is a licensed professional counselor, a certified Domestic Violence Counselor, and one of a handful of top-level Certified Anger Management Specialist in the world.Dr. Christian Conte currently applies his Yield Theory in maximum-security prisons throughout Pennsylvania and speaks to Law Enforcement officials around the country. In this episode, Sharon and Christian speak about his extensive work in prisons, and how he came to his path. They also discuss Christian’s new book “Walking Through Anger” recently released by Sounds True in 2019. The episode closes with Christian leading a guided meditation practice. To learn more, visit www.DrChristianConte.com.

For Episode 110 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with her longtime colleague, friend, and collaborator Joseph Goldstein.This episode was recorded in 2018 at the Garrison Institute at a retreat co-taught by Sharon and Joseph, entitled, “Experiencing Insight & Love”. Includes a guided meditation led by Joseph on Mindfulness of the Body, a guided walking meditation led by Sharon, and a question and answer session with retreat participants. To learn more about Joseph’s work, you can visit dharma.org/teacher/joseph-goldstein to learn more!

For Episode 109 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon and colleague Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel explore the topic of Faith.Elizabeth is a teacher and author, and has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma for 35 years under the guidance of her teacher and husband Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. She is the retreat master of Samten Ling in Crestone, Colorado and has spent over six years in retreat. She holds a degree in anthropology and an M.A. in Buddhist Studies and teaches worldwide. This episode was recorded live in the Spring of 2019 at New York Insight Meditation Center, where Sharon and Elizabeth bring their own unique perspective of faith from each of their respective Buddhist traditions. The episode closes with Elizabeth leading a seven-minute guided meditation. To learn more about Elizabeth’s work visit elizabethmattisnamgyel.com.

For episode 108 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon sits down with her Director of Operations, Lily Cushman.Lily is a teacher, musician, and author, and for nearly a decade, was the Owner and Director of the Brooklyn Yoga School, a lineage-based school run entirely by donation. Her work is a synthesis of the practices of Classical Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Insight Meditation and her first book “A Little Bit of Mantras: An Introduction to Sacred Sounds” was released in March 2019 from Sterling Publishing.This episode begins with a conversation with Sharon and Lily, and id followed by a live recording from the launch of Lily’s book at Deepak Homebase in New York, NY in the Spring of 2019. This live recording features call and response chanting led by Lily and special guest Krishna Das, as well as an in-depth interview of Lily by The Moth’s longtime artistic director, Catherine Burns. To learn more about Lily’s teaching and music, you can visit her website at lilycushman.com.

For Episode 107 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon is joined by Mark Epstein and Bob Thurman.This episode was recorded live at Tibet House in 2018. In this recording, Sharon, Mark and Bob discuss the topic of the ego, related to the self, through the lens of Buddhist Psychology, and how that relates to our sense of well-being. Bob leads a guided meditation on the topic, followed by questions from the audience.

For the 106th episode of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with friend and colleague, Marc Lesser.Marc is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach, known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. He is the author of four books, including his 2019 release, “Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen.” Marc was the co-founder and CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, featuring a mindfulness program he helped develop within Google. Prior to his business and coaching career, he was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center.In this episode, Marc shares how he came to the path of meditation and discusses with Sharon how his personal practice has evolved to inform his career as a leadership coach. They speak at length about Marc’s new book, and some of the common myths and challenges of leader

For the 105th episode of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with author and teacher, Diana Winston.Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. She is the author of “The Little Book of Being” and the co-author of “Fully Present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness.”In this episode, Sharon and Diana speak at length about Diana’s new book, “The Little Book of Being” released in the Spring of 2019. They discuss natural awareness and formal meditation practice as well as the nuances of working with a teacher. The podcast closes with Diana leading a 5-minute guided meditation. To learn more about Diana’s work, you can visit dianawinston.com.

For episode 104 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with friend and colleague Dr. Judson Brewer MD PhD.Dr. Judson Brewer is a thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery”, having combined over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training with his scientific research.In this episode, Sharon and Dr. Jud speak about how Dr. Jud came to the path of mindfulness and meditation while in medical school, and how that evolved to become a cornerstone of his work. They speak at length about how the brain behaves in various states of connection, disconnection, lovingkindness, or loneliness and how this affects our ability to make choices freely. Dr. Jud also shares some of his work related to cravings and addiction, and rewards-based learning.

For episode 103 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with friend and colleague, Susan Kaiser Greenland.Susan Kaiser Greenland is an internationally recognized leader in teaching mindfulness and meditation to children, teens, and families. She is the co-founder of The Inner Kids Foundation and was on the clinical team of the Pediatric Pain Clinic at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. In this episode, Susan and Sharon speak about how Susan began her work bringing the tools of mindfulness to parents and children, as her personal journey as a practitioner. They discuss many of the challenges that kids today face with the rise of technology as well as the nuances of parenting in today’s fast-moving digital culture. The episode closes with a 5-minute guided meditation led by Susan.

For the 102nd episode of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon sits down with her longtime friend Jerry Colonna.In this episode, Sharon and Jerry speak at length about Jerry’s journey of meditation and self-discovery. Looking at how he has brought those experiences to the field of leadership and business. To learn more about Jerry’s work, visit: rebootbyjerry.com

For the 101st episode of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Urszula Klich.In this conversation, Sharon and Urszula speak at length about techniques for working with pain by applying mindfulness, compassion and biofeedback. Urszula also leads a 12-minute guided meditation practice as part of this episode. To learn more about Urzsula’s work, visit: MyMindfulWayOfLife.com

Sharon sits down with playwright, Sarah Ruhl.Sarah is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and is currently on the faculty of the Yale School of Drama. She has been the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, and the Whiting Writers’ Award. Sarah is the author of several books, including her collection of essays “100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write,” which was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, and “Letters from Max: A Book of Friendship” published in 2012.In this episode, Sharon and Sarah discuss the connection between creativity and practice at length. Sarah also reads from her book, discussing Metta (lovingkindness) Meditation, and Sharon’s childhood dream of writing a play!