Podcast

Recently, one of my sisters and nieces visited us in Maine from Brooklyn, New York. It was a wonderful visit, but on the second day, Uncle Josh ate his niece’s last chocolate-covered graham cracker and there was a price to pay. In examining the anatomy of the cookie monster, I expose my own blind-spots and […]

Originally recorded on January 15, 2024, in this dharma reflection, Josh introduces the Buddha’s metaphor of “crossing the flood to the other shore,” as a way of articulating the process and experience of waking up. In this talk, Josh mentions a book by Ajahn Sucitto, Parami, which can be downloaded for free here.  For 2024, […]

Recorded on December 18, 2023, Josh shares a Christmas story that weaves the humor of family dysfunction with the spirit of healing, repairing and caring for all valuable relationships in our life. This is the final episode of 2023. Thank you so much for listening and for your support. We look forward to sharing more […]

Winter’s Essence | Talk + Workshop Recorded live on December 4, 2023, Josh reflects on the spiritual essence of winter as manifest in nature and within his family of origin, and how the season of winter offers a crucible of transformation, surrendering to harsh realities, cultivating gratitude for life at all and embodying a creative […]

Oren Jay Sofer | Your Heart Was Made for This I welcome Insight Meditation and communication teacher, Oren Jay Sofer, back to Everyday Sublime, to discuss his new book: Your Heart Was Made For This – Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity and Love. In the face of overlapping multiple […]

In this talk, recorded on November 13, 2023, I share a small collection of personal vignettes in which my senses deceive me, creating emotional convictions that are ultimately inaccurate. I raise the question: What do these experiences suggest about the nature of self, the nature of truth and the nature of conviction?  

In this episode, I speak with Insight Meditation teacher and communication coach, Miles Sherts, about his approach to “conscious communication.” This is one of the most elegant approaches to generative communication that I have found. We discuss how many people, and especially couples, get into arguments about “what happened” or about “truth.” Putting the “truth […]

In this episode, I am joined by psychotherapist and author Nancy Van Dyken whose book, Everyday Narcissism – Yours, Mine, and Ours, sheds some fascinating light on this ubiquitous condition of the psyche. EN, or everyday narcissism, isn’t clinical Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It’s a fragile psychology that is conditioned by the way so many of […]

In this special episode, I am honored to be joined by my first – and most significant – dharma teacher, Rodney Smith. Rodney spent several years as a Buddhist monk in Burma and Thailand, working notably with Ajahn Buddhadasa, Krishnamurti and Nisargattada Maharaj. He disrobed as a monk in 1983 and, after returning to the […]

We’re sharing the first talk of our new training: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation. Josh reflects on the question: How do we cultivate wisdom in our practice? What is the relationship between refining our awareness and our ability to express compassion and wisdom in our lives? NEW TRAINING: The Chinese word for […]

Like sharpening a knife, training awareness to see clearly involves a number of skills that refine over the course of practice. In this talk, I share some of my favorite ways of cultivating a calm and open state of embodied presence. Included: Short Guided Meditation.  

Elisa Malinverni returns to the podcast to talk about her book, Yoga For Recovering Addicts. In this episode we explore some common manifestations of the “grasping mind.” We discuss the dynamics of perfectionism, impostor syndrome, screen addiction and more. Elisa’s book available on Amazon: Yoga for Recovering Addicts – Stories of Hope and Ways of […]

Recorded on August 14, 2023, I give an upcoming preview of new Yin Yoga classes and training Terry and I will be offering in Fall ‘23.  Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Trainings:  NEW THIS FALL: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training) NOW On-Demand: Gathering Earth | The Foundations of […]

Recorded on August 7th, 2023, Josh offers some thoughts on practicing with deliberate slowness. This talk includes reflections on the spirit of improvisation with simple practices like “walking hands” and “half-breath” meditation. ******************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga along […]

Recorded on July 31st, 2023, Josh offers reflections on the convergence of personal and collective dukkha. In the face of such challenges, our commitment to practice nurtures the resilience and sensitivity of the heart. ******************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of […]

In this talk, I share three points of advice for anyone embarking on a silent meditation retreat, either at a center or from home. My advice comes down to: 1) set the schedule and forget time, 2) kiss the moment, and 3) notice the negative. I hope this talk supports your practice.

In this episode, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Don Goewey (Executive Director of the De Mello Spirituality Center). We discuss DeMello’s significance as a spiritual figure of the 20th century, and how he offers a unique view of eastern and western spirituality. Don and I reflect on DeMello’s dharma, the experience of […]

In this talk, I discuss practice as a form of improvisation and suggest ways of working with “forms” of practice as a way of developing one’s skills at improvisation. I conclude with a Sufi story about a duckling, leaving open the question of how improvising in practice reveals our true nature.  

In this talk, I reflect how, on a vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar, I became compulsively obsessed with finding the perfect height for my meditation cushion; I explore what this behavior reveals about the “clinging” mind.” “An attachment is an emotional belief that without a person, thing or experience you can’t be happy.” – Anthony […]

In this episode, I speak with my friends and colleagues Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer about their wonderful new book, Reflective Meditation. We talk about many themes of their approach to meditation, including: listening, journaling, and improvisation. Reflective Meditation is now available in print and as an e-book in the United States, and for a […]