For episode 254, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Ruth King.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the sixth episode in this series. Ruth King is the Founder of Mindful of Race Institute, LLC, and is a celebrated author, educator, and meditation teacher. She teaches mindfulness meditation retreats worldwide and develops meditation practitioners at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Society, and the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. Ruth is the author of several publications including her most recent, Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism From The Inside Out.

In this conversation, Ruth and Sharon discuss:

• Ruth’s first invitation to meditation
• First hearing Jack Kornfield teach
• The deep calling to teach
• Initial misconceptions about meditation
• Ram Dass giving Joseph Goldstein his first teaching job
• Sharon’s first teaching retreat
• Ruth’s first teaching in the DC area
• Ruth’s life as a writer
• Artistry and mindfulness
• Ruth’s BIPOC teaching & online academy
• The season of eldership
• The process of downsizing and moving
• Letting go versus not holding on
• Nothing is permanent, perfect, or personal
• This episode closes with a guided meditation by Ruth.

You can learn more about Ruth’s work right here and get a copy of Mindful of Race right here. Learn more about IMS Online right here. Listen to Ruth’s first episode on the Metta Hour from 2018, Episode 87, right here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 252, Cory Allen makes his first appearance on the Metta Hour podcast.

Cory Allen is an author, coach, podcaster, and influencer from Austin, Texas. He writes daily thoughts on mindfulness and mental clarity for his large Instagram following, reaching over a million people a week. Cory is the author of two books, his most recent, Brave New You, has just been released from Hay House in 2024 in hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats. His podcast And Then It Hit Me, has over 300 episodes to date.

In this conversation, Sharon and Cory discuss:

• Meditation Barbie
• Cory’s origin story
• Opening to greater possibility
• Cultivating greater agency
• Story is everything
• Keeping language real
• Having an original mind
• The importance of self-trust
• How our faith evolves
• How Sharon challenges herself
• Intuition as an entryway to our deeper self

Cory closes the conversation with a guided meditation. You can learn more about Cory’s work right here and get a copy of his new book, Brave New You, right here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 252, Kristin Neff returns to the Metta Hour for her third appearance on the podcast.

Dr. Kristin Neff is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion more than twenty years ago. She has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kristin runs the Self-Compassion Community, an online learning platform where people can learn the skill of self-compassion with the help of others, and is author of the bestselling books Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion. Her new book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, co-authored with Chris Germer, is now available everywhere.

In this conversation, Kristin and Sharon discuss:

• Kristin’s personal burnout
• Kristin’s definition of compassion
• Myths of self-compassion
• What happens in burnout
• Negativity bias sinkholes
• The necessity of positive states
• Healthy boundaries
• Loving the Inner critic
• Research on Self-Compassion
• Self-Compassion Example Scenarios
• Kristin’s new community offering

Kristin closes the conversation with a guided meditation on Self-Compassion.

You can learn more about Kristin’s work right here and get a copy of her new book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout right here.

You can join Kristin’s Self-Compassion Community right here and take her Self-Compassion Quiz right here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.