Sounds True: Insights At The Edge

Tami Simon speaks with Joan Halifax, who is an anthropologist, Buddhist teacher, and the author of The Fruitful Darkness, Shamanic Voyages, and The Human Encounter with Death, co-written with Dr. Stanislav Grof. In 1994, Joan created a project called "Being with Dying" to help health care professionals learn how to care for dying patients in a compassionate, mindful fashion—and which was the source for her Sounds True audio training course, Being With Dying: Contemplative Practices and Teachings. In this episode, Joan speaks about the powerful insights on living that she has learned from her years of caring for the dying—including the greatest gift that we can give another person. (67 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Hank Wesselman, who has a PhD in anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley, and for many years studied the origin of the human species in the Rift Valley in East Africa. He is also a student and teacher of shamanic practices and is the coauthor of the Sounds True book Awakening to the Spirit World, with fellow shamanic teacher Sandra Ingerman. His new book with Sounds True is The Bowl of Light: Ancestral Wisdom from a Hawaiian Shaman. In this episode, Dr. Wesselman speaks the lessons he learned from his friendship with the late Hawaiian kahuna and wisdom keeper Hale Makua-including a technique called "the bowl of light" that can help us connect to our divine nature, and the vision of an "Ancestral Grand Plan" for humanity. (58 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Leigh Fortson about her book Embrace, Release, Heal, an empowering guide to talking about, thinking about, and treating cancer. Leigh spent decades practicing healthy lifestyle habits, and was shocked to find out, in 2006, that she had cancer. Today she has a clean bill of health and lives in Colorado with her family. In this interview, Leigh speaks about "the morphic field" of cancer, the importance of accepting responsibility after a cancer diagnosis, and her view of "fighting cancer" in order to thrive. (56 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, PhD, who is certified in family practice, geriatrics, and psychiatry, and has worked for years in rural emergency medicine. He is the author of several books, including Narrative Medicine and Coyote Healing. Dr. Mehl-Madrona has worked in collaboration with Sounds True to create two new programs: The Spirit of Healing and Native American Healing Meditations.In this episode of Insights at the Edge Dr. Mehl-Madrona speaks with Tami Simon about what Native American wisdom can offer modern medicine; the value of relational, storied, and ceremonial culture; and the role of spirit beings in the healing process. (57 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Maoshing Ni, a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Their discussion includes using the mind as an ally in the healing process, what Dr. Mao has learned from his study of centenarians, the correlation between caloric intake and longevity, and how certain exercises can help us bring the mind and the body into harmony. Dr. Mao has been featured in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, and is currently featured as an expert on Yahoo! Health. With Sounds True, Dr. Mao has released Meditations to Live to Be 100 and has a forthcoming release called Qi Meditations: Guided Visualizations for Self-Healing. (49 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Anodea Judith, an internationally acclaimed speaker, workshop leader, yoga teacher, psychotherapist, and author. Anodea holds a doctorate in mind-body health, a master's in clinical psychology and is the author of Wheels of Life, Eastern Body, Western Mind, and Waking the Global Heart. She has worked with Sounds True to create an audio learning series called The Chakra System, and an interactive learning kit called Chakra Balancing. Anodea discusses the complex architecture of the chakra system, early childhood development of the chakras, and the central importance of “undoing the knot at the level of the heart.” (55 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Jim Finley, a master of the Christian contemplative way and a renowned retreat leader. Jim left home at the age of 18 and studied at the Abbey of Gethsemani with Thomas Merton for six years. He's a clinical psychologist in Santa Monica, California, and the author of Christian Meditation and the book The Contemplative Heart, as well as the Sounds True audio learning programs Christian Meditation, Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere, and along with medical intuitive Caroline Myss, the audio program Transforming Trauma. Jim discusses embracing our brokenness and the attitude of nonjudgmental compassion, the value of spontaneous moments of meditative awareness, and false perceptions about the practice of meditation. (56 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Spencer Sherman, a graduate of the Wharton School, who was named one of the top wealth advisors in the US, and is a cofounder of Abacus Wealth Partners. Spencer’s expertise in finance has landed him appearances on CNN and CNBC, and in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. He’s the author of the book The Cure for Money Madness, and is currently working with Sounds True on The Money and Spirit Online Workshop, an online workshop designed for integrating our spiritual and financial lives. Spencer speaks about taking back our own financial wisdom, the importance of understanding childhood messages about money, and whether it’s really best to rent or buy a home. He also shows us the practice that he calls the “money breath.” (49 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Brent Kessel, a certified financial planner who is named one of the top wealth advisors in the United States. Along with his teaching partner, Spencer Sherman, he founded Abacus Wealth Partners. Brent’s knowledge in the financial field has warranted appearances in the New York Times, Yoga Journal, and on CBS and ABC News. He’s the author of It’s Not About the Money one of Kipplinger’s top five business books of the year. He is currently working in collaboration with Spencer Sherman and Sounds True on The Money and Spirit Workshop, an online workshop as well as a home study course. Brent speaks about the role of the unconscious mind when it comes to money, a system of archetypes he calls “The Eight Financial Archetypes.” (55 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Cheri Huber, the founder of Mountain View Zen Center and the Zen Monastery Practice Center, both in California, and the author of 19 books, including, When You’re Falling, Dive and the new book, What You Practice Is What You Have. She is the founder and director of Living Compassion, a nonprofit organization dedicated to peace and service. With Sounds True, Cheri has released the audio series, Unconditional Self-Acceptance. Cheri discusses how your life is what you give your attention to, and how to work constructively and compassionately with what Cheri calls “negative voices in the head.” (53 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, a physicist, writer, and lecturer who earned his PhD in theoretical physics at UCLA in 1963. He was featured in the groundbreaking film What the Bleep Do We Know!? and wrote the National Book Award-winning Taking the Quantum Leap. At Sounds True, we call Dr. Fred Alan Wolf "Dr. Quantum," and we have worked with him to create several audio titles, including Dr. Quantum Presents: Do-It-Yourself Time Travel; Dr. Quantum Presents: A User's Guide to Your Universe; and Dr. Quantum Presents: Meet the Real Creator–You!. Dr. Quantum discusses three life-changing insights from quantum physics, complementary observation, identifying with the mind of God, and recognizing that everything is made of light. (64 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Ann Marie Chiasson, a teacher, author, and a practitioner of energy medicine. She holds a master’s degree in public health, a doctorate in family medicine, and has worked as a primary care physician. Ann Marie currently lives in Arizona, where she has a private integrative medicine practice, and also teaches at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Ann Marie coauthored a Sounds True program with Dr. Andrew Weil called Self-Healing with Energy Medicine and will be releasing the home study course Energy Healing, as well as a video program called Energy Healing for Beginners. She is also teaching a six-session online course on energy healing at SoundsTrue.com. (55 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with John Milton, a pioneering spiritual teacher, meditation master, vision-quest leader, and shaman whose vision quest and shamanic work began in the 1940s. John is the author of the Sounds True audio learning series Sky Above, Earth Below, and has created several instructional DVDs with Sounds True, including T’ai Chi for Liberation, Cultivate Longevity, Cleanse and Build Inner Qi, and Develop Qi Strength and Power. John speaks about connecting with nature through his Sacred Passages program, harnessing the shamanic power of intent, and embracing what he calls the “internal demon of fear.” (59 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Richard Freeman, an author, teacher, and founder of The Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, which is also the location of Sounds True's studio. His background includes Sufism, Zen, and vipassana Buddhist practices. He's also a practitioner of bhakti, hatha, and Iyengar yoga, and is an internationally respected instructor of ashtanga yoga. Richard is the author of The Mirror of Yoga, and has created many audio learning programs with Sounds True, including The Yoga Matrix, Yoga Breathing, Yoga Chants, and the DVD series The Ashtanga Yoga Collection. Richard speaks about the paradox of self-reference, the discovery and breaking down of samskaras, and how yoga unites the opposing patterns in the body. (54 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Tara Brach, an author, clinical psychologist, and the founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She’s the author of the Sounds True audio learning programs Radical Self-Acceptance and Meditations for Emotional Healing. She’s also the creator of a new, nine-week online course called Meditation and Psychotherapy beginning February 18 at SoundsTrue.com, which includes three live sessions with Tara Brach where she will answer participants' questions. (54 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Richard Miller, a master of yoga and meditation who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He is recognized as a leading authority on the practice of yoga nidra, and is currently teaching iRest, a healing technique he developed based on deep relaxation and meditative inquiry. Richard has worked with Sounds True to create an integrated book-and-audio learning program called Yoga Nidra. Richard discusses the stages of yoga nidra, how the practice is a path to realization and self-inquiry, the nature of paradoxical sleep, and his ongoing work with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder through the practice of yoga nidra. (61 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Matthieu Ricard, an author and photographer who earned a PhD in cell genetics. He is also a Buddhist monk who has served as the Dalai Lama’s French interpreter since 1989. Matthieu has written several books, including The Monk and the Philosopher, The Quantum and the Lotus, as well as The Art of Meditation. With Sounds True, he has released an audio learning program based on his book Happiness. Matthieu speaks about the skill of happiness, as well as the conditions for happiness. He also discusses the physical and psychological effects of meditation, along with the ways to track the progress you make in your spiritual practice. (37 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Sally Kempton, a meditation teacher who has immersed herself in the world of meditation for over four decades and has earned a reputation as a highly experienced, gifted, and insightful meditation teacher. Sounds True will be releasing Sally Kempton’s new book Meditation for the Love of It, and the audio program Beginning Meditation. In the second part of this two-part episode, Sally discusses “having a love affair” with meditation, what it means for meditation to be one’s beloved, and kundalini awakening. (48 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Sally Kempton, a meditation teacher who has immersed herself in the world of meditation for over four decades and has earned a reputation as a highly experienced, gifted, and insightful meditation teacher. Sounds True will be releasing Sally Kempton’s new book Meditation for the Love of It, and the audio program Beginning Meditation. In part one of this two-part episode, Sally discusses her understanding of the grace-based tradition in which she teaches, the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, and the role of the guru. (48 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Alan Clements, a human activist, artist and former Buddhist monk, extensively trained in Buddhist psychology and insight meditation. He is the author of The Voice of Hope, Burma, and a new book, A Future to Believe In. With Sounds True he’s published the audio learning program Natural Freedom. Alan discusses the archetype of feminine power found in the life actions of Burmese Nobel Laureate and activist Aung San Suu Kyi. We also spoke about the collapse of certainty in the face of war and genocide, and the idea of the inter-dependence of our freedom, as well as asking ourselves the question, “What is freedom?” (58 minutes)