Show Notes
What becomes possible when we truly listen—to ourselves, to one another and to the life around us? In part 1 of this two-part series, we'll explore listening as a profound spiritual practice and a pathway to intimacy, compassion and healing. When we feel genuinely heard, our defenses can soften, our hearts can open and something that has been blocked begins to flow again. Together, we'll look at what gets in the way of deep listening, along with practices for cultivating a more receptive presence: setting an intention for understanding and connection, listening inwardly to our own experience, and learning to listen to others with what Saint Benedict called the "ears of the heart." Especially in a time of distraction and division, deep listening can become a radical expression of care. As we learn to quiet ourselves and listen beneath the words, we create the conditions for greater understanding, connection and healing—in our relationships and in our world. In this talk, you will: ✨ Discover how deep listening can create greater intimacy, understanding, and connection ✨ Recognize the habits—distraction, fear, reactivity, and hidden agendas—that keep us from truly hearing one another ✨ Learn to listen inwardly with mindfulness and self-compassion so we can be more present with others ✨ Explore how listening with an open, undefended heart can bring healing to our relationships ✨ Practice cultivating a receptive presence that helps us listen more deeply to ourselves, each other, and our world Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music
More from Tara Brach
How do we keep our hearts open when our world is filled with fear, anger, uncertainty and division? In Part 1 of Cultivating a Courageous Heart, we explore how mindfulness and compassion can help us meet difficult times without becoming imprisoned by reactivity. Courage, at its deepest, is a greatness of heart—the willingness to stay present with vulnerability and respond to life from wisdom and love. When we encounter violence, suffering or injustice, anger and fear are natural. Yet the pathway toward genuine compassion is not to bypass these feelings or force ourselves to forgive. It begins by courageously turning toward what is underneath our reactivity—the fear, hurt and vulnerability asking for our attention. We'll look at the powerful practice of cultivating a "strong back and soft front": grounding ourselves in belonging, strength and presence while remaining open to the tenderness of our own hearts. When we can stay with vulnerability rather than defend against it, it becomes a doorway to compassion and a wiser response to our lives and our world. In this talk: • Cultivating courage in uncertain and challenging times • Working mindfully with fear, anger and reactivity • Discovering the vulnerability beneath anger and blame • Practicing a "strong back and soft front" • Transforming vulnerability into compassion, wisdom and love Our world needs hearts that are both strong and tender. The invitation is to discover how meeting what is difficult with courageous presence can become a pathway to healing. Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music
In this guided meditation, we explore the freedom that comes from allowing our experience to be just as it is. Beginning with the breath and a gentle body scan, we soften habitual tension and awaken to the aliveness within and around us. As the practice deepens, we sense thoughts, emotions and physical sensations as waves moving through a larger sea of awareness. When fear, sadness, anger or discomfort arises, rather than pushing it away, we practice making room—remembering that this, too, belongs. This meditation offers a pathway to greater presence, self-compassion and emotional resilience. By learning to rest as the ocean rather than becoming lost in the waves, we discover the spaciousness and tenderness that can hold the whole of our lives. In this meditation: • Mindfulness of breath and body • Releasing physical tension • Working with difficult emotions • Allowing thoughts and sensations to come and go • Cultivating acceptance and self-compassion • Resting in the spaciousness of presence Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music
What becomes possible when we learn to imagine from presence rather than fear? In Part 2 of this series, Tara explores spiritual imagination as a powerful capacity for healing, transformation and awakening. When we are caught in stress, fear or limiting beliefs, our imagination contracts and reinforces a world of separation. Yet when grounded in mindful presence, imagination can open us to new possibilities—to our basic goodness, our capacity to change and our potential to create a more loving world. Through teachings, stories and guided reflections, Tara explores how mindfulness, prayer and imagination can help us loosen the grip of old narratives, heal self-judgment and envision new ways of relating to ourselves and others. We discover how learning to trust what is deepest in us can bring wise hope, resilience and greater freedom to our lives. Ultimately, spiritual imagination invites us to sense beyond who we have believed ourselves to be and begin living from the love, awareness and goodness that are already here. In this talk, Tara explores: ✨ Spiritual imagination as a pathway to healing and transformation ✨ Moving from fear-based thinking toward possibility and wise hope ✨ Trusting our basic goodness ✨ Using mindfulness and prayer to awaken imagination ✨ Healing limiting beliefs and self-judgment ✨ Imagining more loving relationships and a more compassionate world Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music
Behind the changing sounds, sensations, feelings and thoughts is an alert inner stillness that is purely aware. This meditation begins with accessing the receptivity of a smile, awakening through the body and opening the senses. We then sense the background of awareness and relax back to inhabit that wholeness. When the mind is distracted, the pathway home is a relaxing back, and the essential practice is non-doing, allowing life to be just as it is. Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music
What becomes possible when we learn to imagine from presence rather than fear? In Part 1 of this series, Tara explores spiritual imagination as a powerful capacity for healing, transformation and awakening. When we are caught in stress, fear or limiting beliefs, our imagination contracts and reinforces a world of separation. Yet when grounded in mindful presence, imagination can open us to new possibilities—to our basic goodness, our capacity to change and our potential to create a more loving world. Through teachings, stories and guided reflections, Tara explores how mindfulness, prayer and imagination can help us loosen the grip of old narratives, heal self-judgment and envision new ways of relating to ourselves and others. We discover how learning to trust what is deepest in us can bring wise hope, resilience and greater freedom to our lives. Ultimately, spiritual imagination invites us to sense beyond who we have believed ourselves to be and begin living from the love, awareness and goodness that are already here. In this talk, Tara explores: ✨ Spiritual imagination as a pathway to healing and transformation ✨ Moving from fear-based thinking toward possibility and wise hope ✨ Trusting our basic goodness ✨ Using mindfulness and prayer to awaken imagination ✨ Healing limiting beliefs and self-judgment ✨ Imagining more loving relationships and a more compassionate world Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music