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Continuing our series on Awakening the Heart, this month we're exploring the Buddhist path of the bodhisattva through the cultivation of bodhicitta - the awakened heart-mind that forms the foundation of compassionate living.

Drawing from Mahayana Buddhist teachings, we also take a look at Lojong (mind training), the Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practice that can be used as a powerful framework for developing genuine compassion.

Highlights include:

• Cultivating the open-hearted attitude of enlightened ones (Bodhisattvas)
• Two types of Bodhicitta
• Paramitas (Perfections)
• Short history and details of Lojong
• Unpacking of the First Lojong statement: Train the Preliminaries
• Tips for working with the Lojong phrases

Mentioned on the show:

• Judy Lief's online Lojong translation and commentary: https://judylief.com/offerings/slogans-of-atisha/
• Norman Fischer's "Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong" https://bookshop.org/p/books/training-in-compassion-zen-teachings-on-the-practice-of-lojong-norman-fischer/9663817?ean=9781611800401&next=t
• VIA Character Strengths & Virtues: https://www.viacharacter.org/
• Dalai Lama Poem "This Precious Human Life" https://mountainsangha.org/a-precious-human-life/

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

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In this variation of loving-kindness, or metta, meditation, tap into the energetic resonance of the heart to awaken loving feelings within before sending them outward.

Inspired by Taoist visualizations, Mahayana buddhist practice, and Hearth Math's quick coherence technique, generate love and good will toward yourself and others. Many studies have shown that practices like this not only feel good, but also reduce stress, increase a sense of calm, and help us avoid despair by reminding us of our shared humanity.

The practice starts at 3:52 after a brief introduction. If your player supports chapter markers, you can skip ahead.

Mentioned in the introduction:

• Love 2.0 by Dr. Barbara Frederickson
• Heart Math Quick Coherence Technique

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

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While the world may feel increasingly more fraught, we can't sustain ourselves on anger and fear alone. We must remember what we're fighting for and, as Tennessee Williams asks of us, save the love.

This latest episode kicks off a series of episodes on Awakening the Heart - theories, teachings, and practices that will better sustain us in the months and years to come.

This month, we take a look at why shouldn't feel guilty for taking time out of resisting to foreground what brings us joy and happiness. In fact, making sure we build in positive moments in our lives is going to set up our brains to be more creative and energetic warriors.

Some highlights include:

- Dr. Barbara Fredrickson's theories on "micro-moments of connection" and Broaden & Build

- The Mahayana Buddhist concept of bodhicitta (open-heartedness)

- Dr. Rick Hanson's "Taking in the Good" practice.

Resources Mentioned on the Show

Love 2.0 ~ Dr. Barbara Frederickson

Bodhicitta ~ Tricycle Magazine

Taking in the Good - Dr. Rick Hanson

*** Jen's got space on her coaching roster. If you'd like to work 1:1, go here for more info: https://www.sati.yoga/ifs-coaching/index.html

And you might also like Jen's newsletter: https://www.sati.yoga/letter/index.html

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

This month's practice features an embodied mediation to help you stay present with life's challenges without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.

Inspired by Roshi Joan Halifax's teachings, you'll cultivate a foundation of stability to underpin your capacity for openness and compassion.

This meditation includes several periods of silence of around 3-6 minutes. The guidance assumes you're sitting (chair or cushion are fine) so that you can experience the support of the spine.

The practice starts at 2:43 after a brief talk. If your player supports chapter markers, you can skip ahead.

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

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This month, we're looking at a question that comes up a lot:

All parts are supposed to be welcome, but how do we work with feelings we don't like?

Drawing on Buddhist wisdom and the function of emotions, we're exploring:

• Why equanimity is about including our feelings, not surprising them.
• What the Buddhist teachings on dukkha (suffering) can tell us about why fighting against our emotions creates more suffering.
• How so-called negative emotions serve as important internal motivators.

+ Simple techniques to start reframing your relationship with difficult feelings in order to create a welcoming inner atmosphere for all your parts.

Mentioned In The Episode:
Join me for one of my upcoming Pause and Reset gatherings—hour-long meditative sessions combining desk-friendly yoga, mindfulness practice and parts work meditations. The next one is on June 4th and is pay what you can.

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

The Taoists believe that we can harness the stabilizing qualities of Earth Qi along with the generative qualities of Heaven/Sky Qi to improve physical health, increase longevity, and cultivate inner harmony.

In this guided practice, Jennifer O'Sullivan shares a visualization technique, paired with mindful breathing, to mobilize and balance these vital energies in the body.

👉 After a brief introduction, the meditation begins as 1:48. If your podcast player supports chapter markers, you can skip ahead.

Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

There are definitely times when we need to get a hold of ourselves. But how do we do that without dismissing our feelings?

This brief Parts Work practice is for moments when you feel too activated or busy for deeper introspection but also need to find our center. It will help you create space – access Self Energy – around difficult emotions while honoring their presence.

Practice this technique regularly when you're calm so you are more likely to reach for it when you need it. It'll help you build up your capacity for self-connection and self-compassion so it becomes a resource even in really trying moments.

👉 After a brief introduction, the meditation begins as 1:48. If your podcast player supports chapter markers, you can skip ahead.

Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

Grounding practices are more than just coping mechanisms during tumultuous times. They're empowering strategies to discharge excess emotional energy while tap rooting your inner strength and resilience. In this episode, we're exploring:

• An empowered way to think of grounding as a practice
• 6 principles of effective grounding techniques
• Proactively collecting your tools so you can reach for them when you need them

Jennifer also pulls from yoga and Buddhist dharma teachings to answer a listener question about engaging others in our values-based causes without creating harm.

Resources Mentioned On This Show

• Adyashanti: https://www.opengatesangha.org/
• 14 Precepts of Engaged Buddhism: https://www.lionsroar.com/the-fourteen-precepts-of-engaged-buddhism/

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SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.