While we can't change our past, we have the capacity in this moment to remember our deepest intention and seed the future. Intention can become the compass of our heart, guiding and creating our life experience.

 

In these two talks we explore how we awaken mindfulness of intention and how, when we are caught in habits that create suffering, we can find our way home to the deep intention that heals and frees us. The two talks include reflections and practices that can bring the power of intention alive in your life.

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

In this guided meditation, we explore the power of intention?the quiet inner compass that reconnects us with our sincerity, our longing, and the truth of our own hearts. Through gentle breath awareness, a relaxing full-body scan, and an invitation to listen deeply inward, this practice helps us arrive in presence and remember what truly matters.

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

In this week's talk, we explore the heart practice of generosity?a teaching at the very center of the Buddhist path and a medicine so deeply needed in our world. 

Together, we reflect on the two patterns that shape our lives: the tightening of grasping?the sense of not enough?and the natural ease that arises when we open our hearts and offer our care. When we become more mindful of giving, even in small and spontaneous ways, we reconnect with our innate goodness and with the love that flows through all of life. And, as we let go of the habits that create separation and reflect on the goodness within and around us, we discover the joy of a generous heart.

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

This meditation is adapted from a meditation called "Open Focus." Let whatever comes spontaneously to your awareness to be there as you follow along with the questions, which begin with, "Can you imagine??"

(adapted from Open Focus Meditations led by Les Fehmi, Ph.D.)

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

As anxiety, division, and digital distance numb our hearts, we risk losing our ability to truly feel the lives of others. In this talk, we'll explore how compassion arises when another becomes real to us ? when we can imagine their inner world and sense our shared belonging. Through reflections, stories, and the Tibetan practice of tonglen, we'll learn how to transform suffering into care, and re-open the relational pathways that let us act from love.

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

Collecting, unifying and opening the mind, we begin with a listening attention, noticing sounds that are here. Relaxing open and letting sounds wash through. With the same receptivity to sounds, listen to and feel the aliveness of the body. Listening to the breath as if you're listening to the voice of a quiet loved one ? really close in, tender attention ? and including the background sounds. Not pushing away anything ? a very open and relaxed, receptive attention.

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

In this wide-ranging and heartfelt conversation, KonMari Club teacher Patty Morrissey sits down with Tara Brach to explore what spirituality truly means. Together, they reflect on the qualities of spiritually awake people, the foundational habits that sustain a vibrant inner life, and the surprising role of humor on the path. They also delve into how tidiness?a central practice in the KonMari Method?can either express control or become a liberating act of presence and care. With two short guided meditations woven in, this interview offers practical nourishment for living in a way that aligns with your deepest heart.

About KonMari Club
The KonMari Club is a yearlong community experience designed to help members bring Marie Kondo's philosophy to life ? not just in their homes, but in every aspect of their lives. Through small group coaching, guided reflection, live events, and monthly themes like Self, Body, Time, Money, and Spirituality, members cultivate clarity, calm, and connection as they align daily life with what brings them joy and meaning. To learn more about the KonMari Club, visit konmari.com/konmariclub or follow @konmari.co on Instagram.

About Patty Morrissey
Patty Morrissey, MSW, is the Director of the KonMari Club and a Master Certified KonMari Consultant. She created the Club's transformational curriculum ? The Clear & Cultivate Method® ? which combines practical tidying wisdom with evidence-based practices in behavior change and well-being. With over 20 years of experience designing and leading transformational programs, Patty helps people live with greater intention, vitality, and belonging. To keep in touch with Patty Morrissey follow @pattymorrissey on Instagram or visit pattymorrissey.com

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

By learning to inhabit the body, we discover the space and aliveness that fills the universe. In this meditation we are guided through the body, filling different domains with presence. We then open into the continuous awake space that is both within and surrounds the body. When we notice the mind drifts, we relax back to be that awake space, aware of the changing flow of sensations, thoughts, feelings and sounds.

 

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

Most of us have encountered trauma either in our own direct experience or with someone in our immediate circle. This talk examines the shame and suffering that arise from trauma and how meditation practices can support a path to full spiritual healing. We focus on practices that help us access a sense of love and safety, and then increase our capacity to bring presence to the unprocessed, unlived life in the body. (Note: For many who suffer from PTSD, therapy is invaluable and these practices are not considered as a substitute.)

 

Podcast Intro Music: Adrienne Torf (www.adriennetorf.com)

The breath can be a powerful portal to presence. This meditation guides us in relaxing with the breath, including the breath in a body scan, and then allowing the breath to serve as an anchor when the mind gets lost in thoughts. As we settle with the breath as a home base, we find we can then open to the changing waves of experience with increasing balance, clarity and ease. 

What is the role of spirituality in mental therapy? And what roles do therapy and mental health play in spiritual growth? What's the overlap, where are they distinct, and how can both work together to help us face the challenges of this world?  In this special episode honoring World Mental Health Day in October, Tami Simon and Tara Brach sit down for a wonderfully open-hearted discussion at the intersection of spirituality and mental health.

As a clinical psychologist and renowned meditation teacher, Tara Brach brings forward what it takes to truly meet someone in pain, the spontaneous nature of loving awareness, and the power of imagining connection. And together, Tami and Tara delve into how we handle overwhelm, the importance of integrating spirituality into daily life, and working through grief with a psycho-spiritual approach.   In essence, how we show up for each other. Whether that's spiritual, psychological, emotional, or an interweaving of all those aspects of support.

**This episode was originally featured on the Insights at the Edge podcast with host, Tami Simon.

Our conditioned mind is filled with distractions, including worry-thoughts that continually create anxiety in the body.  This meditation guides us in relaxing the body, and then establishing the breath as a home base. By gathering and collecting the attention, the mind can settle and allow for a relaxed, wakeful presence. 

In just a few minutes, this practice guides us to pause, deepen attention and reconnect with the spaciousness, presence and of caring of our awakening heart.

When we remember our deep belonging to this world, a fierce and tender courage begins to move through us. In this talk, we'll explore "spiritual audacity" as a sacred, embodied boldness?the lion's roar of the awakened heart. Through personal and collective lenses, we'll reflect on what it means to live true to our essence: grounded in love, guided by truth, and called to serve the freedom and healing of all beings.

Most people get depressed at times, and many suffer greatly from bouts of major depression. At the heart of the suffering is the experience of severed belonging?of being imprisoned in the pain of separation, unworthiness, unlovability and hopelessness. These two talks explore several meditation practices that reconnect us with our natural aliveness, openheartedness and awareness. They empower us to develop our inner resources, energize us to awaken, free us from rumination and remind us that we are not our depressive thoughts and feelings. The growing realization of the loving awareness that is our home heals the very roots of depression.

In this talk, we'll look at:

- how depression and anxiety mirror our collective disconnection, and how mindful awareness can begin to heal both body and spirit.
- how ungrieved loss turns into depression, and how opening to sorrow with compassion reconnects us to love and aliveness.
- the "logjam" of depression, showing how small mindful shifts can restore flow, energy, and a sense of possibility.
- how reconnecting with our heart's deep intention awakens hope and invites a renewed capacity for presence and joy.
- how meditation helps us move from ruminating thoughts to embodied presence, revealing the awareness that frees us.

No matter how far you've wandered, this heartspace ? this awake tender awareness ? is only a half-breath of remembrance away. This meditation awakens attention to the space of awareness?

Most people get depressed at times, and many suffer greatly from bouts of major depression. At the heart of the suffering is the experience of severed belonging?of being imprisoned in the pain of separation, unworthiness, unlovability and hopelessness.
These two talks explore several meditation practices that reconnect us with our natural aliveness, openheartedness and awareness. They empower us to develop our inner resources, energize us to awaken, free us from rumination and remind us that we are not our depressive thoughts and feelings. The growing realization of the loving awareness that is our home heals the very roots of depression.

In the midst of difficulty we need access to our deepest wisdom and love. This guided meditation calls forth this loving presence by opening to the heart and spirit of whatever being in our life we most experience as calm, wise and compassionate.

In this rich and heartful conversation, I join two dear Buddhist monks ? Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho ? who are in the process of founding Clear Mountain Monastery, a new Buddhist community in the Seattle area. Their bright, warm spirit brings a lighthearted and sincere presence to our dialogue, making this exchange a true joy to share.

Together, we explore many dimensions of the spiritual path ? including my own journey of finding refuge during a dark time, the teachers who've inspired me, and the teachings that most deeply call to my heart. We also reflect on the practice of RAIN, the dance between directing attention and opening to what's here, and how compassion and equanimity intertwine to support us in these challenging times.

Along the way, we touch into the Pali word sanook ? meaning fun or lightheartedness ? which beautifully captures the spirit of our time together.

May this conversation nourish your own trust in the path and remind you of the goodness and joy that are always here, waiting to be discovered.

In this talk, we'll look at:
- how trusting our basic goodness becomes the foundation for intimacy, creativity, and awakening compassion in a suffering world.
- Tara's own journey through illness and fear, and how softening around pain opens the heart to freedom and love.
- the power of the RAIN meditation to transform judgment and reactivity into mindful presence and self-acceptance.
- how taking a sacred pause helps us step out of the virtual trance and re-enter embodied awareness and connection
- trusting Buddha-nature ? the radiant goodness that shines through all beings ? as the ultimate refuge in an unraveling world.

Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho are part of Clear Mountain Monastery Project, an aspiring Buddhist forest monastery in the Seattle area. 

Website: https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ClearMountainMonastery 

This meditation scans the body and directly invites the awakening of key energy centers (chakras) in our body. We then rest in the openhearted awareness that includes this ever changing creative flow of aliveness. 

In an age of polarization, conspiracy thinking, and deepening mistrust, how can we cultivate a trust that is wise and healing ?for our own heart and the world? This talk explores the personal and collective forces that foster mistrust, and through reflection and applied practices, we'll explore how to nurture a trust in basic goodness and a felt sense of belonging, even in the most divided times.

In our everyday life we are conditioned to feel that life is happening to us, or that we are the doer. This meditation deconditions that self-centrality by bringing attention to the aliveness in our bodies, and then opening to receive the entire play of sounds, sensations and feelings in awareness.

Desire is intrinsic to all living forms ? the urge to exist and flourish. It turns to suffering when, due to unmet needs, it contracts, intensifies and separates us from our full aliveness and awareness. These two talks guide us in awakening from this trance, and discovering how within desire is the longing that can carry us to true belonging.

 

In this talk, Tara explores:

how the "wanting mind" pulls us away from presence and freedom. how unmet needs fuel craving and why substitutes never bring lasting joy. the suffering of identifying with desire and how mindfulness offers release. using the RAIN practice to recognize, allow, and soften the wanting mind. tracing back desire to discover love, belonging, and freedom already here.

This guided meditation invites you to gently come home to the aliveness of the body. Through mindful awareness, you'll learn to soften tension, release mental agitation, and rest in the simplicity of presence. As you bring a compassionate attention to sensations, you discover a refuge that is always here?an embodied wholeness that allows you to meet life with greater ease and tenderness.

Desire is intrinsic to all living forms ? the urge to exist and flourish. It turns to suffering when, due to unmet needs, it contracts, intensifies and separates us from our full aliveness and awareness. These two talks guide us in awakening from this trance, and discovering how within desire is the longing that can carry us to true belonging.

In this talk, Tara explores: 

- how the "wanting mind" pulls us away from presence and freedom.
- how unmet needs fuel craving and why substitutes never bring lasting joy.
- the suffering of identifying with desire and how mindfulness offers release.
- using the RAIN practice to recognize, allow, and soften the wanting mind.
- tracing back desire to discover love, belonging, and freedom already here.

When our hearts open to the life that is here, just as it is, we discover vast loving presence. This meditation engages the smile as we scan through and awaken to our body and senses. Then we practice meeting the changing flow of life with a full allowing, wakeful and open awareness.

In an age of polarization, conspiracy thinking, and deepening mistrust, how can we cultivate a trust that is wise and healing ?for our own heart and the world? This talk explores the personal and collective forces that foster mistrust, and through reflection and applied practices, we'll explore how to nurture a trust in basic goodness and a felt sense of belonging, even in the most divided times.

This brief practice calls on conscious breathing, relaxing, letting go and a touch of lovingkindness to nurture inner balance, harmony and ease. 

As our societies unravel in fear and reactivity, we are called to live from our most awake and wise heart. This talk and meditation was first offered to Satyam, a community of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals devoted to creating a future of justice, safety, freedom, and dignity for all. It invites us to move beyond the conditioning of "bad-othering," and to cultivate clarity, compassion, and the capacity to respond in ways that seed healing.

 

In this talk, Tara explores: 

how the trance of "bad othering" fuels division and how compassion can free us from blame. the practice of the U-turn?turning inward with kindness to transform anger, fear, and grief into care. the balance of a "strong back and soft front," cultivating courage and tenderness in times of violence. how seeing the suffering beneath harmful actions allows us to meet others with wise compassion. how presence, RAIN practice, and shared belonging can guide us toward healing and peace.

Behind the activity of thinking, and the ever-changing flow of sounds, sensations and feelings, there is a great and awake silence that holds all that unfolds. This space of awareness is our formless essence, and learning to open and rest into this alert, knowing vastness has the blessings of homecoming.

If we are suffering, we are believing an interpretation of reality that is limiting and untrue. At these times we are imprisoned in a painful looping of fear-driven thoughts and feelings. This talk explores the ways our practices of mindfulness, compassion and loving presence can guide us from addictive thinking to perceiving life with a wise heart.

In this talk, Tara explores:

how fear-based thoughts create suffering and keep us locked in cycles of insecurity and separation.
* the pathway of moving from the prison of looping thoughts to the freedom of open-hearted presence.
* Ihow recognizing thoughts as "real but not true" opens the door to compassion and release.
* three pathways?returning to presence, awakening the heart, and resting in awareness?that guide us from head to heart.
* how mindfulness and loving awareness reconnect us with our wholeness and the joy of simply being.

 

The post From Head to Heart appeared first on Tara Brach.

This guided meditation includes a body scan and invites the receptivity and letting-go of whole body breathing. Once we have awakened the vitality and presence throughout the body, we have access to the formless dimension, the awareness that is our source. The meditation closes with "Walk Slowly", from the poetry of Danna Faulds:

 

"It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still, and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn't a relay race; that we will all cross the finish line; that waking up to life is what we were born for. As many times as I forget, catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I'm going, that many times I can make the choice to stop, to breathe, and be, and walk slowly into the mystery."

~ Danna Faulds

 

The post Meditation: Opening to the Mystery (17.33 min.) appeared first on Tara Brach.

 

This two part series explores how we regularly leave our body and skim life's surface in a mental trance, and the ways we can train our attention to come home again. We look at working with physical and emotional pain, and the gifts of love, wisdom, creativity and aliveness that arise as we learn to fully inhabit these living forms and all our senses with awareness. 

In this talk, Tara explores: 

how embodied presence awakens love, creativity, and wisdom?inviting us to meet life's moments with full attention and an open heart. the universal tendency to leave our bodies when discomfort arises, and how returning to direct sensation reconnects us to aliveness. practical ways to stay present with physical and emotional pain, transforming "pain" into the changing flow of sensation. mindful strategies like pendulating between ease and discomfort, softening resistance, and "resting in love" to reduce suffering. how waking up in the body opens a portal to mystery, dissolving the small self and revealing our true nature as vast awareness.

 

The post Embodied Presence - Portal to the Sacred, Part 2 appeared first on Tara Brach.

The practice of visualizing and feeling a smile spreading through the body helps us access the natural tenderness and openness of our being. This meditation guides us in the smile-down, and then invites a full opening and resting in openhearted presence. We close by bringing that awake heart to an area of difficulty in our life.

 

The post: Meditation: Entering Heartspace with the "Smile-Down" (18:40 min.) appeared first on Tara Brach.

 

This two part series explores how we regularly leave our body and skim life's surface in a mental trance, and the ways we can train our attention to come home again. We look at working with physical and emotional pain, and the gifts of love, wisdom, creativity and aliveness that arise as we learn to fully inhabit these living forms and all our senses with awareness.

 

In part 1, Tara explores:

how embodied presence is the gateway to healing, love, and spiritual connection. the four common trances?obsessive thinking, judgment, distraction, and rushing?and how they block presence. how disconnection from the body fuels suffering, while mindful awareness restores empathy and wholeness. practical ways to return to the body throughout daily life and expand our capacity for presence. how slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and sensing the body open us to the sacred mystery of life.

 

https://www.tarabrach.com/embodied-presence-portal-to-the-sacred-part1-2/ 

We miss many moments of this precious life drifting in a virtual thought world. This meditation helps us collect and calm ourselves with the breath; relax through our bodies; and then include the changing dance of sounds, sensations and feeling in open awareness. Our practice is to recognize the quality of Hereness, and when we drift, return again to this open presence, relaxing with the changing flow of life. 

 

https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-being-here-2-2/

Listening is more than a communications skill, it is a capacity that awakens our awareness. And given our current times, this capacity is essential if we are to navigate the great divides that separate us from our inner life and others. As we learn to listen inwardly, we begin to understand and care for the fears and vulnerability that ask for our attention. And as we listen to others, that same intimacy emerges. In this two-part series we examine the blocks to listening and the practices that cultivate this essential domain of human potential. Our focus is both on the transformational power of listening in our personal lives, and also the necessity for deep listening if we are to bring healing to our wider society. 

In this talk, Tara explores:

listening as a spiritual path that heals wounds and deepens connection with ourselves and others. how to quiet the "dense forest" of thoughts to meet others with presence and care. practical ways to stay present?using anchors, pauses, and self-coaching in conversations. how compassionate listening helps others feel seen, restoring a sense of aliveness and belonging. listening as a bridge for reconciliation, revealing our shared humanity and capacity for healing.

 

https://www.tarabrach.com/listening-to-the-song-part2-2/

Listening to sound is opens up to the space of pure being. In this guided practice we begin by awakening through the body, and then explore listening to sounds and silence, and to inhabiting the receptive presence that is listening, awareness itself. 

 

The post Meditation: The Silence That is Listening (21:32 min.) appeared first on Tara Brach.

Listening is more than a communications skill, it is a capacity that awakens our awareness. And given our current times, this capacity is essential if we are to navigate the great divides that separate us from our inner life and others. As we learn to listen inwardly, we begin to understand and care for the fears and vulnerability that ask for our attention.   And as we listen to others, that same intimacy emerges. In this two-part series we examine the blocks to listening and the practices that cultivate this essential domain of human potential. Our focus is both on the transformational power of listening in our personal lives, and also the necessity for deep listening if we are to bring healing to our wider society. 

 

In this talk, Tara explores:

             how listening softens distance between hearts and invites deeper connection.              "listening to the song" as a way to honor the essence beyond our roles and stories.               common obstacles to presence?distraction, fear, and agendas that block true listening.              how deep listening can help heal old wounds, allowing love and aliveness to flow more freely.             listening with an undefended heart, willing to be changed by what we hear.

 

This meditation begins with listening to sounds as a portal to spacious awareness. In addition to guiding attention to naturally occurring sounds, Tara plays chimes and gongs to deepen the experience of receptivity and openness. The meditation progresses to include all experience - sounds, sensations, thoughts, feelings - in the vast, transparent, timeless space of awareness.

 

 

What if a key to personal and collective transformation lies in reclaiming our deep capacities for presence and imagination? In this two-part series, we'll explore how mindfulness awakens us from the trance of fear and separation, reconnecting us with our innate clarity and compassion. And we'll discover how imagination, when grounded in presence, becomes a superpower?allowing us to envision new possibilities for our lives, our relationships, and our world. These talks include reflections that activate imagination in ways that can heal our hearts, deepen connection with others and help bring forth a more loving, just and awakened world. In this week's talk (Part 2), Tara explores:

How shifting our perceptions through imagination can free us from habitual fear and separation.  The power of storytelling to awaken compassion and soften rigid patterns of reactivity.  How imagination helps us reconnect with our inner wholeness and sense of possibility.  The practice of mindful presence as a gateway to creative and loving awareness.  How we can reimagine our identity, releasing limiting beliefs and touching into our true belonging. 

 

https://www.tarabrach.com/healing-power-of-imagination-2/

"Peace is this moment without judgment," writes poet Dorothy Hunt, "this moment in the heart-space where everything that is, is welcome." This meditation is a guide to opening to the truth of what's here, and meeting it with a gentle, allowing presence. As we do, we can touch the inner peace of non-judging awareness, and source our actions in that balance and wisdom.

https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-pathway-to-inner-peace-2/

This two-talk series explore?s how spiritual imagination can awaken us to our deepest potential for healing and transformation. ??In times of fear and division, our imagination often contracts, fueling separation and suffering, yet through mindful presence we can reconnect with our basic goodness and the goodness in others. Through inquiry and story, ?w?e can imagine what's possible?personally and collectively?when we trust in our shared capacity for change, belonging, and wise hope.

This meditation scans through the body ? arriving in the foreground with sounds, feelings and sensations, like the surface waves of the sea coming and going. And in the background, experiencing an alert inner stillness ? a vast presence from which all activity pours forth.

The ritual of Namaste ? bowing to the sacred in ourselves and others ? helps us live from the loving awareness that is our true nature. This talk looks at how we suffer because we forget this basic goodness, and explores the pathways of remembering that carry us home.

 

In this talk, Tara explores 

the sacred meaning of "Namaste" as a living practice?an invitation to see past the masks we wear and honor the light and goodness in all beings. how our "spacesuit self"?a conditioned identity shaped by fear and separation?can obscure our true nature, and how mindfulness can awaken us to our shared spirit. the pain of forgetting our basic goodness, and how suffering itself can be a portal?a chrysalis?guiding us back to presence, compassion, and spiritual belonging. powerful stories of transformation, revealing how turning toward love and seeing the sacred in one another?even amidst deep harm?can open the way for healing and connection. intentional practices to cultivate reverence, including mindful reflection, appreciation, and the embodied offering of Namaste as a path to awakening and collective healing.

When we are lost inside thoughts we lose connection with our heart, aliveness and spirit. This meditation guides us to a wakeful presence and invites us to return over and over from virtual reality into the mysterious, tender vastness that is our true being. 

Our suffering arises from fear-based stories that are often outside our awareness. These include stories of our deficiency or importance, of being a victim, of being unseen or unloved, of facing failure or rejection. This is true collectively too.

We have shared stories of bad "others" that fuel wars, shared stories of the value of continued growth in consumption and production that destroy our earth, shared stories of our human right to enslave and violate other animals. We have the capacity to bring the stories that separate and imprison us into the light of awareness, and with great compassion, loosen their grip. These two talks look at the ways fear-based stories create suffering, and how awakening from them reveals the freedom of our true, and universal, belonging.

This meditation guides you to arrive fully in embodied presence?awakening through the senses, relaxing into the breath, and gently returning to the aliveness of the here and now. With a nurturing blend of body scan, mindful breathing, and open awareness, you're guided to soften habitual tension and rest in a spacious, receptive presence.

Whether you stay with a primary anchor or open to the changing flow of sensations and sound, this practice offers a refuge in stillness and self-compassion. A beautiful way to ground, reconnect, and simply be.

Our suffering arises from fear-based stories that are often outside our awareness. These include stories of our deficiency or importance, of being a victim, of being unseen or unloved, of facing failure or rejection.  This is true collectively too.  We have shared stories of bad "others" that fuel wars, shared stories of the value of continued growth in consumption and production that destroy our earth, shared stories of our human right to enslave and violate other animals. We have the capacity to bring the stories that separate and imprison us into the light of awareness, and with great compassion, loosen their grip. These two talks look at the ways fear-based stories create suffering, and how awakening from them reveals the freedom of our true, and universal, belonging.

Includes a story from Frank Ostaseki's new book, The Five Invitations - https://fiveinvitations.com/

Perhaps the most universal place to collect and deepen attention is the breath.  This meditation begins with an intentional breath that calms the nervous system, and then opens to a clear, intimate presence with our natural breathing. With breath as our home base, we practice returning again and again when the mind becomes distracted. As presence grows, we can let the breath be in the foreground, and include whatever waves of life come and go.  This brings a quiet mind, and a peaceful, happy heart.