Untangle, The Podcast From Meditation Studio

In the perfect Zen antidote to new year’s resolutions and planning and striving, Zen priest Rev Angel Kyodo Williams shows us the simplicity of returning to the self. To our enoughness. To the present moment. To our multiple and ever-changing purposes. To the joy that unfolds from just being, not doing, planning, or striving, and to the timelessness of the value of life- whatever year it is. This podcast offers a collective exhale to just be and take life as it is. Encore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of each year, I love to look back at some of the gems that have come from Untangle. It’s such a joy to be reminded of all the insights and inspiration that our guests invite us to explore. This year there are some wonderful themes: Accepting all of who we are…the wholeness and the brokenness; Being in alignment with our values and our true nature; Noticing the fragility of life as we behold the joys and sorrows; Allowing for the idea that ambiguity teaches us that there can be multiple interpretations and possibilities to any situation; Cultivating friendships is a key to meaning and happiness. There’s more in this annual episode of Untangle. We hope you enjoy it. Happy 2023 to all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As children, the holidays hold an undeniable sense of magic. As adults, we can lose our sense of that magic in the busyness and obligation of the season. In this special holiday episode of Untangle, we learn that we can uncover the magic and mystery that is there for us all to savor--if we can get quiet enough to listen. This beautiful episode inspires us to hear, see, and taste the magic of the season. It might just change how you think about the holidays! Our guest is Father John Markey, an LGBTQ Roman-Catholic priest, and professor of theology and spirituality at Oblate School of Theology. We've saved everyone a seat at our holiday table! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is writer, singer, songwriter, and teacher, Marisa Handler. Marisa is the author of the memoir, Loyal to The Sky, and is a longtime spiritual practitioner and teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition. She’s also a Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. Marisa teaches creativity, meditation, and transformation at places like Stanford University, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and California Institute of Integral Studies. Today we talk about her 9-month program called Live Your Creative Genius: Birth Your Most Brilliant Work where she integrates creativity, art, meditation, spirituality, and community. She shares how we can let go of old ways of creating, identify resistance and blocks that get in our way, open up a clear channel for our creative energy and vision all while finding and expressing our true creative voice. I especially like her ideas about confidence, trusting yourself as a creative, and knowing that what you have to say matters. You can find out more about her one-on-one coachi

Today's guest is author and dance movement therapist, Erica Hornthal. Her book is called Body Aware — Rediscover Your Mind-Body Connection, Stop Feeling Stuck, and Improve Your Mental Health with Simple Movement Practices. Erica believes that traditional talk therapy can only get you so far. Dance Movement Therapy, on the other hand, uses movement to integrate mind, body, and spirit…as well as the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical aspects of an individual. For Erica, it’s about bringing nonverbal communication into the therapeutic process. There’s quite a bit of mindfulness and awareness of the body and sensations in her body aware practices. Muse's Holiday Sale is On! By using the promo code HOLIDAY2022, you will receive a 20% discount on Muse at https://choosemuse.com/shop! For users in Canada, use the promo code MM-HOLIDAY2022 to receive 15% off a Muse Membership at choosemuse.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shama Rahman is a successful musician, actor, and PhD neuroscientist who studies creativity and flow. Listen as she unravels what’s happening in your brain when you’re getting creative or experiencing flow, and hear tips on how we can all spend more time in those states. Encore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This meditation invites us to be still and focus on gratitude for the people in our lives; our bodies; the earth and the planet. We at Muse wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and hope that you’ll always invite a bit of gratitude into your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake Knapp spent 10 years at Google and Google Ventures running the design sprint process and is the co-author of the new book, "Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day." He shares his 4 step system for getting the most out of your day by making simple--but powerful--changes in your schedule, your mindset, and your technology. Encore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Koshin Paley Ellison. He is A Zen teacher, Jungian Psychotherapist, and Cofounder of the NY Zen Center where he, and his partner Chodo, have numerous trainings and gatherings. His new book is called, ironically, Untangled. Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion. The book takes us through the process of creating profound change, both inside and out. Life can be so fragile and subject to ever-changing circumstances, good, messy, difficult and all of the above— and these changes have the tendency to “tangle" us up in our own web of stories. This, he says, tends to create suffering, so Koshin offers many insights and inspirations for how we can untangle the tangles, allowing for greater clarity AND acceptance. We can learn to find balance with the whole range of joy and pain. He says that we can never be free until we can be still with our pain AND…that everything we encounter in life can be a place of practice. What a great piece of wisdom. Learn more about your ad choi

Dr. Joe Dispenza, a New York Times bestselling author, researcher, and educator is driven by the conviction that each of us has the potential for greatness and unlimited abilities--including the ability to heal ourselves. He shares how he healed himself after a devastating bike accident and the mind-body work he's continued to do to help others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Marisa Franco is a New York Times bestselling Author, Professor, Psychologist, and self-proclaimed friendship expert. Marisa discusses the science of connection — and the importance of platonic friendships. Her new book is called Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends. She believes friendship is the single best action a person can take to live a longer life, take the edge off depression, flourish and even revitalize a marriage. She challenges the notion that friendships should be at the bottom of the relationship totem poll.  Her mantra is — Never stop cultivating friendships and connections.  She gives us many reasons to prioritize platonic love and bring more friends into our life, nurture the ones we already have and keep building community. If we do these things, we’ll always be surrounded by love —whether or not we choose a romantic relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Adrian Owen, a renowned neuroscientist, discovered that individuals in a persistent coma could still communicate- and he went one step further and listened to what they wanted to say. He’s also performed the largest sleep and cognition study in the world, and demonstrated why brain training apps are bunk, and what we can do to sleep better and improve our own conscious function. Encore Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristin Neff is an extremely well-regarded expert and pioneer in the field of self-compassion. Her most recent book is called Fierce Self Compassion: How Women can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim their Power and Thrive. She discusses how self-compassion allows us to be tender with ourselves in difficult situations, but also that it sometimes needs to be fierce — like the mama bear energy that comes from a place of love, service, and a desire to reduce harm. We must, she says, act courageously to protect ourselves from harm and injustice — and to motivate necessary change in ourselves and society. Her message…women can be fierce and tender. Best quote from the book: "Tender Self-Compassion harnesses the energy of nurturing to alleviate suffering while fierce Self-Compassion harnesses the energy of action to alleviate suffering." We need both. Encore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Steven Gundry MD shows us how the trillions of bacteria in our microbiome dramatically affect our levels of energy and our mood and even our weight loss. He shows us how to keep them fed and happy to keep us literally happy and functioning optimally. In this very fun and informative episode, Dr. Gundry walks us through the fascinating science of how exactly it is that the “farts” from the miniature organisms in your gut improve the function of your brain, and how and why you should care for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebel entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author with five books published so far, Chip Conley disrupted the hospitality industry at age 26. With confidence from his education at Stanford University and his entrepreneurial spirit, he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality — transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. Next, after some interesting experiences he shares, he served as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy for four years.  NEXT…in his early 50’s,  he went on to found the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), where he and his team have developed a new roadmap for midlife that is offered at an oceanfront campus in Mexico, and online. Transitions happen for all of us…often.  While his focus is on mid-life — there is much to be gained for those of us at any age. You can check out Chip’s Modern elder academy 8-week online course with over 30 experts, covering how you can live and work with more purpose….starts October 15 — register at modernelderacademy

Psychadelic Assisted Therapy has the potential to help us overcome our fears and learn from the contents of our subconscious. Dr. Rick Doblin, the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), is at the forefront of this research and advocacy, and working with the FDA to bring psychedelics to legalization. He shares beautiful insights about the mind, fear, war, and how he sees that psychedelics can save us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Dr. Shauna Shapiro.  Shauna is a best-selling author, professor, clinical psychologist, and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and self-compassion. She has spent two decades studying the benefits of mindfulness and compassion, publishing over 150 papers and three critically acclaimed books. Her TEDx Talk, What You Practice Grows Stronger, has been viewed over 3 million times, and this concept is key to her philosophy.  Her book, Good Morning, I love you…encompasses the full range of practices that help us to grow both our meditation and compassion practices. I think you’ll find it interesting to learn how she decided to name her book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manifesting what you want in life is a tantalizing prospect. Danette May shares her amazing story of how her mindset, process, determination…. and some manifestation, made profound changes in her life. She shares her process of how to shift your own mind to manifest what you want. In the following episode, we explore what might be going on scientifically in the experience of manifestation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle Rand founded a company called Rendever, which uses Virtual Reality technology to deliver experiences that help reduce social isolation and loneliness in the aging population.   They have created a large library of content from travel to symphonies to meditation and so much more. The experiences are transformative and they’ve been able to validate the effectiveness with data that shows its positive impact.  Kyle grew up volunteering in a senior living community — which has inspired this work —  and he went on to study the cognitive decline in the aging population. His neuroscience research was largely focused on the link between functional structural changes in the brain that happen as you age. That said, we think his technology and content have the potential to help many populations. Kyle was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019 and Rendever was recently honored on the 2022 TIME list of 100 Most Influential Companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Campbell, two Zen Buddhist practitioners in Manhattan, talk about what led them to their meditation practice, their work in end-of-life care, and their new book, "Awake at the Bedside". They share why intimacy with others is at the heart of contemplative care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices