shoulda, coulda, woulda meditation…
Meditation: maybe this is on your shoulda coulda woulda list, lumped in there with proper nutrition and daily exercise. It was on my list also for a long time. But some time in the late 80’s, minding my own business, doing my daily exercise walk thing on M Street, Jack Kornfield entered my life. A tape cassette series— Meditation for Beginners—summoned me from it’s perch atop a neighbor’s trash pile. I snagged it and it, in turn, totally hooked me. Eternally grateful to Jack and the random powers of the universe. And to the producers of this handy dandy access: Sounds True.
Ever since then I’ve regularly tuned in to Sounds True with their “clear mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom”. I actually met Gabrielle Roth via VHS for the first time because of Sounds True. Over the years that dissemination has morphed from tape cassettes to CDs and DVDs to downloads. And now I regularly tune in to the podcasts, hour long incisive interviews with a full spectrum of practitioners, teachers and writers. In Tami Simon’s words: “transformational teachings that support and accelerate spiritual awakening and personal transformation.”
So recently I was just listening in to the Daniel Siegel interview while I danced around my kitchen cooking up some chili. At a certain point, I had to put the whole stove thing on pause. I sat down totally entranced and deeply absorbed. His meditation approach resonated in me with so much clarity. The fact that he self-identified as a clinician and a scientist and a dancer and the story he told of his harsh engineer father…you know how that is sometimes? I just connected.
So if a regular meditation practice has been on your shoulda coulda woulda list for awhile and you just need an easy access leg up, I have the most beautiful free resource for you today. You don’t have to listen to his hour interview. Just sit down for 20 minutes of his clear guidance. Do the basic wheel of awareness session first. And, if it piques your interest, give the podcast a listen or explore the other guided meditations on this page.
Because basic awareness practice is totally foundational to any embodied practice. You practice with eyes closed, utterly still. Mastery of this is like attaining a white belt in karate. When you incorporate this level of awareness while moving on your yoga mat, that’s like earning a yellow belt. And a dance floor practice? Eyes open, room full of people, the beat of the music? Sustaining this basic awareness as foundation…that’s a black belt. And that’s the exact same skill we need to stay present at the grocery store. You get my drift. This foundation is a life changer.
So grateful to be in the world of “transformational teachings that support and accelerate spiritual awakening and personal transformation.” With you. With us. Let’s meet on that plane somewhere soon. ❤️Bella