Podcast
Latest Podcast Episode
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or SoundCloud // Support the podcast on Patreon
The joke used to be that every time Michael opened his mouth what he said was archived here. We couldn’t be more grateful for that now because it is one of the best ways Michael’s teachings will live on.
The Awake in the World Podcast is the heart of the Community Library. Talks are on a wide-range of topics, including: bringing mindfulness and meditation practice into daily life; personal and community issues regarding mental health; and social change.
This podcast has been created so that anyone can have instant access to Michael’s teachings. It has been made possible due to generous donations from members of the community. In the six years that the podcast has been available, over half a million people have pressed play as a way to be more—like the name says—awake in the world.
Each podcast is between 30-60 minutes long. As always, you’re encouraged to follow along weekly as part of your practice. The podcasts were recorded at live events so you might hear coughing, airplanes, cars, sirens, laughter, and peoples’ questions—all part of the intimate experience.
20 min. Guided Meditation: Receptive Listening
A 20-minute guided meditation on receptive listening using sound as an anchor to ground attention.
You Can’t Make A Person Into a Buddha
Michael explores practicing without an idea of gain, the Universal Self, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Pattabhi Jois, the Buddha and Shunryu Suzuki. How can you blend your breath with the larger self? Recorded at Moksha Westshore on February 18, 2017.
Spiritual Bypassing & Mindfulness of Thinking
Michael integrates a discussion of spiritual bypassing (using practice to avoid dealing with painful feelings and unresolved emotional habits) with a teaching on using labeling to let go of ruminating thoughts and overthinking.
My Body is My Teacher Now
How to not leave your body, even when it feels untrustworthy. We can always turn to the body in pain, grief, and even in altered states of consciousness. Anxiety, compassion, and equanimity always play out in your body.
15 min. Guided Meditation on the Breathing Body
A 15-minute guided meditation on the breathing body. Bringing distractions back into the beginning of the inhale.
How We Practice in Family
Michael and Matthew Remski read personal letters they wrote to each other as expectant fathers. These letters later become their co-authored book, Family Wakes Us Up. They explore their process as fathers, as parents, and as two people integrating spiritual
Not Picking & Choosing
Michael uses an old Zen tale, a troubled story about him falling in love with his wife, and quotes from Shunryu Suzuki, to describe the practice of not-knowing and not holding onto anything. He ends with a very interesting and
Seals, Owls & Letting Go of Destructive Relationships
Michael explores the sensitive topic of knowing when to pull out of relationships, kindness to one’s self, emptiness, love, and a story about appreciating that you and others are divine.
Moment To Moment Non-Stop Flow
On silent retreat Michael speaks about bowing, forms of practice, gratitude, extending meditation beyond the cushion, and appreciating the practice of others.
From Blame to Gratitude
Michael unpacks different kinds of blame, both inward and outward, followed by a description of projection and the link between blame and projection and how they cover over underlying feelings. Then he describes how we can make room for gratitude,
All Roads Run Right Through the Capital
Deep listening, wisdom, and the ability to do extraordinary things. Recorded on Salt Spring Island, BC, December, 2016.
Turning Things Around
Tibetan Buddhist Teachings for transforming what’s unpleasant, letting go of grasping, and the 3 treasures of awakening, reality and community. Recorded in Portland, Oregon on December 4, 2016.
Support the Library
The Community Library will continue as long as we have supporters. The more support we have, the more we can ensure that the teachings Michael left behind can be available for free to anyone in the world.