Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

Tami Simon speaks with Jai Uttal, a Grammy-nominated musician who is best known as a world-renowned kirtan artist, kirtan being ecstatic chant in a call-and-response format. His music is an eclectic mix of contemporary and ancient musical elements from various cultures throughout the Eastern and Western worlds. Jai has created five albums with Sounds True, including Kirtan!, and his latest release, Bhakti Bazaar. Jai discusses chanting as a devotional practice, the story of Jai’s first trip to India, his experience meeting his guru, and his understanding of the many Hindu god and goddess figures. (67 minutes)

30 Nov 20101h 7min

Tami Simon speaks with Angeles Arrien, a teacher, author, and cultural anthropologist. Her teachings, which connect the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, and comparative religion, focus on humanity’s shared beliefs and values, along with ways to incorporate this wisdom into our modern lives. With Sounds True, she has created the programs The Second Half of Life, and Gathering Medicine; and most recently Gratitude. Angeles speaks about the importance of having a gratitude practice, and the exciting adventure of what Angeles describes as the “third act of our lives.” (51 minutes)

23 Nov 201040min

Tami Simon speaks with Reggie Ray, a teacher and scholar in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition with four decades of experience with the practice of meditation. He’s the founder and spiritual director of Dharma Ocean and an author whose writings include Touching Enlightenment, Indestructible Truth, and Secret of the Vajra World, as well as several audio programs including Your Breathing Body and Meditating with the Body. Reggie is also a teacher with whom Tami has studied closely for the past eight years. Reggie discusses his recent experiences in dark retreat as well as the true goal of meditation and Reggie’s view of the meaning of spiritual practice. (51 minutes)

16 Nov 201051min

Tami Simon speaks with Natalie Goldberg, a writer and teacher and a painter. She has studied Zen Buddhism for nearly four decades, and is ordained in the Order of Interbeing with Thich Nhat Hanh. Her audio programs include Old Friend from Far Away, Long Quiet Highway, Thunder and Lightning, The Great Failure, and Writing Down the Bones. She’s also created an audio program with Julia Cameron, available through Sounds True, called The Writing Life. Natalie discusses writing as a spiritual practice, what it means to meet your mind in writing practice, and her recent experience of beginning to stand in the role of being a Zen teacher. (51 minutes)

9 Nov 201051min

Tami Simon speaks with Shinzen Young, a pioneering meditation teacher, the founder of the Vipassana Support Institute, and an expert in the field of pain management. With Sounds True, Shinzen has created several programs to help people work with physical and emotional pain through meditation, including a book/CD called Break Through Pain. Additionally, Shinzen has called upon his decades as a meditation teacher to create an introductory audio program on meditation: Meditation. Shinzen discusses what science and meditation have in common and how these two fields can collaborate in the future to create technologies of awakening. (69 minutes)

2 Nov 20101h 9min

Tami Simon speaks with Danny Dreyer, a marathon runner, esteemed running coach, and a student of t’ai chi master George Xu. He’s the author of two books; ChiRunning and ChiWalking, as well as the Sounds True audio programs of the same name. Danny discusses finding stillness in the midst of action and the importance of incorporating chi into all aspects of our lives, what Danny calls “creating the conditions for energy to flow.” Danny also offers a practice intended to help us move and live from our center. (51 minutes)

26 Okt 201051min

Tami Simon speaks to Mark Thornton. Mark has over 20 years of experience in meditation, and has become one of the world’s leading executive meditation coaches, specializing in finding the best techniques for busy people. He’s the author of the Sounds True audio learning program and the book Meditation in a New York Minute. Mark discusses his personal journey from being an investment banker to being a meditation coach, and the ways that he helps his clients find both a sense of purpose and a sense of meaningful connection with the people that matter most to them. Mark also offers several practices to create calm even in the midst of the chaos of our busy lives. (54 minutes)

19 Okt 201054min

Tami Simon speaks with William Buhlman, an expert in teaching people techniques so they can have an out-of-body experience. For the past six years, he has surveyed more than 16,000 participants in 32 countries about their out-of-body experiences. He is also a regular lecturer at the Monroe Institute. William is the author of the new Sounds True audio learning program, How to Have an Out-Of-Body Experience. William discusses what he calls “spiritual essence”, eliminating the fear of death, multiple energy-bodies, and how to use the knowledge gained from out-of-body experiences. For more information about William Buhlman, visit astralinfo.org. (48 minutes)

12 Okt 201048min