Ep. 169 - Acquiring Stillness of the Mind with JoAnna Hardy
May 9, 2024
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JoAnna Hardy, a meditation teacher, discusses acquiring stillness of the mind through breath-body focus, gaining self-trust, and being aware of sensory experiences. She emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and the importance of compassion in navigating life's challenges.
Develop self-trust through mindfulness and stillness of the mind.
Teaching meditation enhances focus, self-awareness, and stress reduction.
Deep dives
Benefits of Therapy and Goal Setting
Therapy aids in self-reflection, allowing individuals to acknowledge their achievements and make constructive changes. By engaging in therapy sessions, individuals can enhance their communication abilities, cultivate positive coping mechanisms, and effectively address conflicts in their lives. Setting attainable goals for the future six months is emphasized as a key component of this self-improvement process.
Teaching Meditation and Its Benefits
The podcast highlights the rewarding nature of teaching meditation as a means to support mental and emotional well-being. Teaching meditation enables individuals to reduce stress, enhance focus, increase self-awareness, and develop self-regulation skills. Attendees are invited to a free online event discussing meditation teaching and the Dharma Moons mindfulness meditation teacher training program.
Mindfulness Practice and Self-Trust
Encouraging a focus on present moment awareness, the podcast underscores the significance of quieting the mind to foster self-trust. By engaging in mindfulness practices that emphasize stillness and clarity, individuals can deepen their understanding and connect with inner wisdom. The practice suggests inclining the mind towards positivity and beauty to counterbalance the tendency to dwell on difficulties and suffering.
JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is on faculty at the University of Southern California, a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a founding member of the Meditation Coalition, a teacher’s council member at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society, and a collaborator on many online meditation Apps and programs. Her greatest passion is to teach meditation in communities that are dedicated to seeing the truth of how racism, gender inequality and oppression go hand in hand with the compassionate action teachings in Buddhism and related perspectives to social and racial justice.
“It’s important that we start that way, with this breath-body central focus, to really collect, gather, and sustain the capacity of our mind to be more still. From that stillness, this really beautiful self-trust comes. We can trust ourselves more because we are not at the whimsy of that chaotic mind.” – JoAnna Hardy