

Tara Brach
Tara Brach
Tara Brach, Ph.D is an internationally known meditation teacher and author of bestselling Radical Acceptance and True Refuge. Tara shares a weekly guided meditation and talk that blend Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices. The podcast addresses the value of mindfulness meditation and self-compassion in relieving emotional suffering, serving spiritual awakening and bringing healing to our world.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 2, 2025 • 1h 7min
Trusting the Path: A Conversation on Refuge & Compassion | Tara Brach, Ajahn Kovilo & Ajahn Nisabho
Join Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho, two dedicated Theravada Buddhist monks on a mission to establish Clear Mountain Monastery. They discuss the transformative power of compassion and equanimity, sharing insights from their spiritual journeys. Tara Brach opens up about her path through illness and the healing grace found in embracing fear. The trio explores the RAIN meditation technique, emphasizing its role in cultivating mindfulness and self-acceptance. This heartfelt conversation beautifully intertwines spirituality with lightheartedness, encouraging trust in our intrinsic goodness.

Oct 1, 2025 • 22min
Meditation: Awakening Our Energy Body (22:19 min)
This meditation focuses on awakening key energy centers in the body. Listeners are guided through a series of relaxing techniques, starting with deep breathing and intention-setting. Tara encourages a gentle smile to release tension in the face and throat, followed by awareness of the shoulders and hands. Participants are invited to visualize energy rising through the chakras, leading to a spacious heart presence. The session emphasizes returning to aliveness with kindness, extending blessings to oneself and all beings.

Sep 25, 2025 • 55min
Awakening Trust in a Fractured World, Part 2
Explore how to cultivate trust in a world riddled with division and conspiracy thinking. Discover the roots of mistrust fueled by leadership and social media, and how it breeds polarization. Learn to recognize the underlying goodness in others and practice compassion through shared vulnerability. Hear inspiring stories of transformation from combatants to peacemakers. Engage in practices that promote empathy and moral imagination, fostering a deep sense of belonging and community even amidst chaos.

9 snips
Sep 24, 2025 • 23min
Meditation: Receiving This Life in Awareness (22:37 min)
Explore the transformative power of awareness in everyday life. Discover how to connect with bodily aliveness and release tension in your shoulders and arms. Learn to open your heart while receiving breath and sensation in your belly. Envision life flowing through your feet, embracing the vitality across your body. Experience the interplay of sounds and thoughts, gently returning to the present moment. Reflect on vulnerability and aliveness, concluding with a heartfelt prayer for peace and awakening.

16 snips
Sep 18, 2025 • 45min
Desire and Addiction: Voices of Longing Calling You Home, Part 2
Explore the nature of desire as both a vital driving force and a source of suffering. Discover how unmet needs lead to cravings and why temporary substitutes never satisfy. Dive into the impact of shame and early stress on addiction, supported by neuroscience. Learn about self-reverence and compassion as tools for healing, and the importance of community in overcoming difficulties. Engage in a guided practice that softens self-condemnation and fosters forgiveness, revealing the love and belonging that's always within reach.

Sep 17, 2025 • 20min
Meditation: In the Body (20:29 min.)
Explore mindful awareness with a gentle guided meditation that invites you to connect with your body's aliveness. Discover how to soften tension in the face, shoulders, and arms, easing nervous-system stress. Learn to widen your awareness through breath and bodily sensations, cultivating a sense of wholeness. As you navigate wandering thoughts with kindness, strengthen your focus on present-moment awareness. This practice encourages you to rest in the simplicity of presence and meet life with greater ease.

34 snips
Sep 12, 2025 • 54min
Desire and Addiction: Voices of Longing Calling You Home, Part 1
Desire is a powerful force that can lead to suffering when unmet. The discussion delves into how our 'wanting mind' distracts us from authenticity and joy. Listeners are guided in recognizing how craving often stems from deeper needs for love and belonging. Mindfulness practices, like RAIN, are introduced to help soften the grip of longing. Through self-acceptance and curiosity, the talk emphasizes that the fulfillment we seek may already exist within us.

21 snips
Sep 11, 2025 • 20min
Meditation: The Blessings of Yes (20:10 min.)
Explore the transformative power of acceptance as the speaker guides listeners to embrace life with a smile. Through visualization, you'll awaken your senses and foster a compassionate acceptance of all emotions. Discover the beauty in saying 'yes' to life just as it is, cultivating an open and loving awareness that enhances your experience. This journey invites you to meet the ebb and flow of existence with grace and receptivity.

50 snips
Sep 5, 2025 • 1h 21min
Awakening Trust in a Fractured World, Part 1
Discover how to foster trust in a fractured world marked by division and distrust. Explore the journey of recognizing inherent goodness in each other, drawing from personal anecdotes and philosophical insights. Delve into the balance between spiritual and relational trust, emphasizing love and community as antidotes to fear. Embrace self-compassion through meditation and connect with your inner child for healing. Acknowledge emotional pain, turning it into a pathway for deeper connections, all while celebrating the interplay of grief and love.

12 snips
Sep 4, 2025 • 13min
Meditation: A Relaxed, Open Presence (12:30 min.)
In this enlightening discussion, the focus is on cultivating relaxation through conscious breathing. Listeners are guided to let go of tension and embrace a heartfelt presence. The practice emphasizes the importance of self-kindness and compassion for others, nurturing inner balance and harmony. It's a perfect opportunity to reconnect with oneself and foster a sense of ease in the chaotic world.