“I believe it is time to let go of our current obsession with enlightenment and include the teachings of endarkenment. That is, it is time to commit to turning toward rather than away from darkness and to learn to perceive with the heart.” The words above are included in the introduction to a new book, Luminous Darkness - An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown, written by Deborah Eden Tull.Eden is a dharma teacher, author and spiritual activist. She trained for 7 and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years, and the conversation we share in this episode might be one of my favorite interviews of the year!I was moved to tears as we talked about endarkenment and wandering off-trail. We explore the realm of dreams, of spiritual bypassing, of the intersection of meditation, nature & social justice, of moral imagination and of rage.Eden reminds us that, “the point of meditation is not to replace our old beliefs with new ones, but to access the perception that is free of beliefs.” Whew. This conversation is not to be missed! You can learn more about Eden here: https://www.deborahedentull.com/And, you can find Luminous Darkness here: https://www.deborahedentull.com/luminous-darknessLearn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

In this mini meditation episode, I am sharing some big news - my upcoming meditation challenge: Building Political Resilience! And, then we will share in this week’s mini meditation:One of the biggest stumbling blocks in our meditation practice is when we find ourselves either falling asleep or daydreaming our way through practice. Conversely some of us might discover meditation is the time we have huge insights, brilliant ideas or vibrant surges of energy. Either way, laxity or elation both cause us to stumble when it comes to deepening our meditation practice.Join me for today’s mini meditation as we address this oh-so-common obstacle.These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice.Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

This month, as kids are transitioning back to school in the Northern Hemisphere, I thought it would be fun if all of us meditators also ‘go back to school’ and revisit some of the key teachings {and primary obstacles!} that help us recommit to and deepen our meditation practice. Within this meditation series, we have been dissecting 3 of the most common stumbling blocks when it comes to a meditation practice. Already, we have talked about the 3 primary forms of laziness {part 1}, the sneaky ways we forget the foundational instructions {part 2}, and today, we are going to explore laxity & elation. Discovering the antidote to this particular obstacle was a huge step forward in my own practice. I hope it is for you as well! Join me for today’s meditation class as we explore falling asleep, being too excited, and everything in between! We will finish with a 20-minute guided meditation.Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

In this mini meditation, you will hear me talk about what it takes to make safe spaces both in our practice and within communities like my new Awakened Heart Meditation Community. The meditation today guides us through a primary practice and reminds us of the vital instructions for a deep meditative experience: What do we do with our bodies? With our breath? With our minds?This practice is a great option if you are looking for basic guidance, feeling a bit lackluster in your meditations lately, or if you are just starting out!Join me. These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice.Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

This month, as kids are transitioning back to school in the Northern Hemisphere, I thought it would be fun if all of us meditators also ‘go back to school’ and revisit some of the key teachings {and primary obstacles!} that help us recommit to and deepen our meditation practice. This week’s obstacle is far too important to ignore: Forgetting the InstructionsI know you know the basics of how to meditate. We talk about them all the time and I mention them in every guided meditation. But the truth is, that is part of the problem. The instructions become so familiar that they go in one ear and out the other, and soon we find ourselves sitting for an entire meditation practice and writing a grocery list in our heads the whole time. Whoops!Join me for today’s episode of The Mindful Minute as we review and refresh the primary instructions for how to meditate and then put it into practice as we sit together for a 20-minute guided meditation. This is a great episode to listen to if you are feeling a bit lackluster in your meditations lately or if you are just starting out!Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

This meditation is focused on connection to self and others as a source of support in tough times. I shared it as part of the launch of my new meditation community: Awakened Heart. These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice.Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

Today, I am going to talk to you about something near and dear to my heart, but first let me start with some truths:These last several years have been incredibly tough. Being a parent during a pandemic challenged me in ways far deeper and more complicated than I could have ever guessed.The political landscape in this country creates a constant state of deep fear in my body.The eco-crisis has my anxiety at an all-time high.The loss of body autonomy for women in the United States had me spiraling in hopelessness.And, the knowledge that what I am feeling and experiencing as a white woman in this country is just a SLIVER of what my black and brown friends are experiencing is enough to bring me to my knees. All of these feelings left me with one big question…Does. meditation. work?Do the practices that I do and teach on a daily basis actually help? In this very real, very difficult reality that we live in.I am happy to say that with some very deep reflection, discussion with my own teachers, and a digging further into my own practice has left me with the answer - Yes. And. Yes. Meditation is an AMAZING tool for helping us deal with our modern-day lives, AND we can only go so far alone.So, I have spent the last 5 months envisioning and creating the Awakened Heart Meditation Community so that we can go further. Together.Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

Today’s mini episode is a practice dedicated to helping you discover the sneaky ways that laziness shows up in our meditation practice and helps us listen for the antidote that we need in order to move deeper into our practice.Join me for this guided meditation.These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice.Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

Summer is often a season of fluid, flexible schedules. There might be camps for the kids, vacations, dealing with other people’s vacation schedules…Every week feels a little different and when that is the case, I notice that my meditation practice shifts. The time of day that I practice is a little less consistent. Sometimes I practice for shorter periods. I practice indoors more with the extreme heat.And now... The kids are going back to school. I saw pumpkin flavored goodies at the grocery store.The promise of fall is in the air, and I thought we would ride that back to school energy in our meditation practice with a re-commitment and a deepening of our practice.In general, there are 3 basic categories of obstacles that stand in the way of a deep meditation practice:LazinessForgetting the InstructionsLaxity or ElationIn this meditation series, we will explore these three obstacles along with their antidotes as a way to settle more fully into our meditation practice. Join me for today’s talk and 20-guided meditation as we explore the obstacle of laziness. It isn’t what you think!Learn more about my Awakened Heart Meditation Community: https://www.merylarnett.com/awakened-heart-meditation-community If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in. Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute Download freebies and learn more about my offerings, classes, and more by visiting merylarnett.com. #meditatewithmeryl

Today’s mini meditation, led by Mara Branscombe, is a practice of connecting with the energy of the elements as a way to reset and shift our energy. This is a short, powerful practice. Don’t miss it!You can learn more about Mara at https://marabranscombe.com/ And you can find her new book at https://www.ritualasremedy.com/ These mini meditations are meant to support a daily home practice. Tune in every Monday to find your practice for the week! Full episodes are released every Thursday for a longer, deeper practice.Download my FREE OFFERING: 5 Practices for Heartbreaking Times Here: merylarnett.comLearn more about my:*Roots: nature-based meditation app*Live, virtual meditation classes with me*Upcoming eventsAll by visiting merylarnett.com.If you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the growth of this labor of love. Your monthly donation will aid in keeping this show sponsor-free, employing additional small businesses AND funding the ongoing creative growth I invest in.Donate here: https://www.merylarnett.com/support-the-mindful-minute#meditatewithmeryl