We've probably all wished we had more time for spiritual practice, and you might have made a resolution to meditate (or journal, pray, etc.) more this year.   

But what do we have to give up to make space for what's most important?  

In this video, I share a big lesson from grad school that helps me prioritize what's most important... with some help from Marie Kondo!  

Happy New Year.  :)  

If you enjoyed these reflections, please share this episode and subscribe!  

To learn more about Buddhism through my free courses, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses   

Or get my book for beginners, The Buddhist Path to Joy, here: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy  

May you and all beings be well.

This meditation uses the imagery of descending into a sacred pool inside a sacred cave to offer an opportunity for renewal: letting the ego self dissolve to light, then emerging again and deciding which parts of our ordinary sense of self we want to keep carrying.

My friend Dent Gitchell, PhD, an educator, author, and meditation teacher in Arkansas, joins me today to bring a different perspective on reincarnation cases. After a childhood of being open to the unseen aspects of reality, Dent trained with Roger Woolger, a pioneer in past life regression therapy, which helps people recover from previous life traumas that are holding them back from healing and freedom in this life. Now, I’m not sure that all memories that come up in this form of therapy refer to actual previous lives, but many people find tremendous healing from it, and as you’ll hear, Dent found it helpful. This conversation also makes some connections between Buddhist teachings on karma and the previous lives Dent experienced.

To learn more about Dent, to find his book, and to learn more about the psychotherapy he offers, check out his website: http://www.dentgitchel.com

To find all my free courses on Buddhism, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses

May you and all beings be well.

Dent Gitchel is a therapist, educator and meditation instructor. He is a long-term meditator, primarily in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has a strong interest in the intersection of traditional contemplative practices and modernity. He has formally trained in and been certified several meditation teacher training programs including Mindfulness Based Emotional Balance (MBEB) , Stanford's Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher program. He is the author of Pursuing Purpose: Finding meaning Through Meditation.

I first met my guest today, Jake Loveland, when we recorded an interview for his podcast, Tenaciously Human, about the connections between Buddhism and success in life. (You can find that episode here: https://geni.us/mPbVnik.)

One thing Jake mentioned in that first conversation was that he’s a big fan of the Jewish and Christian idea of the Sabbath, and as I took time off this summer, I found myself thinking again and again about how rest and relaxation open more space for creativity. So why are these practices often so difficult?

Jake and I will discuss the Sabbath – and how we can work some Sabbath attitude into the rest of the week – as well as the Buddhist idea of retreat. I hope you enjoy and feel empowered to take time to rejuvenate in your own life. Here’s a link to Jake’s site: tenaciouslyhuman.com. Or find him on social media: @loveland_jake.

And you can find my free intro to Buddhism courses here: https://geni.us/freecourses

Jake Loveland is a business coach and the Host of Tenaciously Human Podcast. As a husband, father of 5, and former executive of a multimillion dollar company, he is primed to help leaders get out of the day-to-day so they can maximize the year-over-year - all while prioritizing faith and family.

May you and all beings be well.

Hi, friends, I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Dent Gitchell, an educator, author, and meditation teacher – a guy with a lot of credentials and a lot of expertise. But what I recently learned about him is that he’s been a fan of The Grateful Dead since he was young, and along with that came a lot of consciousness-expanding experiences with psychedelics.

In this conversation with Dent, we’ll dive into those early experiences and how they’ve shaped the wise and kind teacher he’s become. To learn more about Dent, who’s a psychotherapist living in Little Rock, Arkansas, check out his website: http://www.dentgitchel.com

For a list of all my free courses on Buddhism, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Dent.

May you and all beings be well.

Dent Gitchel is a therapist, educator and meditation instructor. He is a long-term meditator, primarily in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has a strong interest in the intersection of traditional contemplative practices and modernity. He has formally trained in and been certified several meditation teacher training programs including Mindfulness Based Emotional Balance (MBEB) , Stanford's Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher program. He is the author of Pursuing Purpose: Finding meaning Through Meditation.

If you've heard of the three types of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana), you might wonder: What are the origins of Vajrayana Buddhism? How is it similar to and different from Mahayana and Theravada? What are the practices and beliefs of Vajrayana Buddhists?

In this video, I'll cover the historical origins of the Vajrayana forms of Buddhism and talk about the one region where this type of Buddhism is dominant: Tibet and the Himalayan regions. If you’ve ever wondered what Buddhist tantra is, you’re in the right place because it’s Vajrayana Buddhism. But there’s no sex involved, lol!

I recorded this video from a live Insight Timer teaching; you can find me there and get notified of future talks: http://insig.ht/clairevillarreal

To get the resources associated with this teaching series on types of Buddhism and get notified of upcoming live events, join this mailing list: https://bit.ly/typesBuddh

May all beings be well.

We’ve all heard of “enlightenment” in the context of spiritual practices like Buddhism. But in this episode, my colleague Deborah Eden Tull walks us through the equally important practice of “endarkenment” and other wonderful explorations from her new book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown. I very much enjoyed reading this book and appreciated her invitation to explore the realms of mind outside of our “daytime” consciousness as we practice receptivity and learn to be more comfortable as we encounter what’s unknown to us.  

Buy the book today on Shambhala’s site: https://www.shambhala.com/hello-darkness.html 

Or find it on Amazon: https://geni.us/5cqQ 

Read the transcript here: https://www.clairevillarreal.com/post/luminous_darkness

May you and all beings be well.

Y'all, get ready to meet a good friend and dharma sister of mine, Pam Stockton, as we discuss psychedelics and how they can be helpful on the spiritual path—in the right context, with the right preparation, for folks who can benefit from them, which isn't everyone. You can learn more about Pam at her website, which is linked below. And if you'd like to learn more about the basic teachings of Buddhism, there's a link to my free courses, too.

Pam Stockton is licensed as a professional counselor in Texas and New Mexico, and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in private practice. Formerly a business lawyer, she was certified by Grof Transpersonal Training as a practitioner of Holotropic Breathwork in 2009 and is now a Grof Breathwork practitioner. In addition to degrees in law and counseling, she holds a Master of Theological Studies degree and Certificate in Women’s Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

More about Pam: https://www.pamelastocktonlpc.com

Check out my free courses on Buddhist basics: https://geni.us/freecourses

May you and all beings be well.

Y'all, I'm so happy to share a conversation I had with Emily Anchia, the Digital Manager at my home sangha, Dawn Mountain. Her degree is in personal finance, so we talked money stuff, and she comes at the topic from a more spiritual angle that reminds me of Marie Kondo more than the finance bros on YouTube.  

If you'd like to learn more about the basics of Buddhism, please see the links below to my free courses for beginners and to my favorite comprehensive intro courses on Buddhism and Buddhist meditation.  

Emily is the manager of all things digital and broadcast at Dawn Mountain Buddhist Temple. She facilitates spreading the dharma as a profession, but she also has a passion for spreading financial literacy! She loves the art of storytelling in every form and especially all things spooky.  

You can find her on a Dawn Mountain livestream: dawnmountain.org  

Free mini-courses on Buddhist basics: https://geni.us/freecourses 

Great intro to the Buddhist traditions: https://geni.us/BSO101 

Similarly great intro to Buddhist meditation: https://geni.us/BSO102 

May you and all beings be well.