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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.
Focus on the Calm Part of the Breath
A twenty minute guided meditation on breath centered mindfulness
Peace in the Breath, Stillness in the Ground
In this guided mindfulness of the body practice Michael focuses on feeling the ground the breath the support of the posture and a sense of buoyancy within stability
“To Swallow Myself in Ceaseless Flow”
Michael explains Patanjali s take on subduing the causes of suffering in their gross and subtle forms Pada 2 10 12 and how this differs from our modern psychological viewpoint
The Dharma Is Like an Avocado
Based on Patanjali s Yoga Sutra 1 19 and a poem by Gary Snyder Michael talks about death self concept rebirth versus reincarnation karma abhinivesa and aiming for the gap
Religion as Conversation
Michael talks about applying a lens of Western Psychology to Patanjali s Yoga Sutra and the Dharma and how these different thought systems can compliment and converse with one another At the same time we must remain aware that this
Tell Me, Who Is That Other?
Based on a koan Case Forty five from the Gateless Gate this talk delves into the complex ways that we create a self and create an other and how the two processes can be deeply intertwined
Concealed and Wrapped in Thought
Michael explores the line from the Rig Veda that he chose as the epigraph to The Inner Tradition of Yoga The recording is cut short but we thought it was still worth a listen
What’s Left (When You’re Not Thinking)
Beginning with a quote from Gary Snyder Michael teaches about non reactivity letting go of clinging and how awareness is revealed through practice
The Breath Is Doing the Breathing
Michael leads a thirty minute guided meditation on mindfulness of breathing
The Groundless Ground
In this talk Michael describes how practice helps us become conscious of our viewpoints and can show us where we are caught He argues that we re waking up from restricted self centered views as opposed to awakening to an
The Faith to Doubt
In this talk about the first pada of the Yoga Sutra line 20 Michael considers the relationship between faith sraddha and doubt as well as the importance of enthusiasm virya mindfulness smrti samadhi and wisdom prajna to the project of
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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.