Meditation in the City: A Shambhala Podcast

In this episode, you will become acquainted with obstacles to stillness such as speed of thought, habitual patterns, and highly-entertaining stories about the world and ourselves.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Gobsmacked by the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, P. Kevin Strader became a student of Buddhism when he first encountered these teachings 25 years ago. He’s since studied and later assisted with programs led by many inspiring and experienced teachers in the Shambhala tradition. In 2017, Kevin became a teacher in the Learn to Meditate program and is currently the holder of it. Professionally, P. Kevin Strader is a writer and creator of educational and entertaining television programs for children and has earned five Emmy nominations for his efforts.

A simple approach to confusion and challenge is to take a good posture and feel our soft spot. In this episode, will explore the power of synchronizing body and heart and the power of not doing so.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

John Rockwell has been on the path of dharma for 45 years. He met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1975 and studied and practiced the Buddhist and Shambhala teachings for 12 years with him, and in particular worked with him on translating Tibetan texts into English. For ten years, he studied and taught at Naropa University in the Buddhist Studies department. For many years, he served as an acharya or senior teacher for Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and also studied intensively with Khenpo (Sulstrim) Gyamtso Rinpoche. He has practiced Taoist qigong for 12 years with Eva Wong, who has authorized him to teach.

In this episode, we will explore the concept of sanctuary through the samatha practice of meditation, and how this practice can reunite us with the sanctuary of unconditional mind.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Laura Simms is an award-winning performer, writer, and educator advocating storytelling as compassionate action for personal and community transformation. She performs worldwide for adult and young audiences and is a senior teacher of Shambhala Buddhist meditation. She continues to work in Haiti with girls groups, is the author of two books, and serves on the UN NGO Council for Global Education. Laura is also the Co-director of Hands On Sierra Leone, and directs the Hans Christian Andersen StoryTelling Center.  She has been a student of Chogyam Trumpa Rinpoche since 1979.

We spend much time in our life struggling with our state of mind and emotions, our relationships, and the world altogether. This causes suffering for ourselves and others close to us. So how do we work with this struggle in our daily lives? Meditation is a way to work with and reduce that struggle and become more content with ourselves, others and life itself.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

John Sennhauser is a senior teacher whose involvement with Shambhala began in 1977 when he went to Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO to study in the dance and theater departments. He was at the time an attorney in Seattle representing Native Americans. He became a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and then after his death, became a personal secretary of the Sakyong, the current lineage holder of Shambhala. John teaches from a perspective of integrating his personal background and experiences with the traditional and innovative teachings of Shambhala Buddhism.

Working with the body through meditation doesn’t have to mean only observing. Sometimes, especially if there is pain or discomfort, just “noticing” can end up being a continuation of our habitual practice of judging and withholding compassion. In this episode, we will explore how we can practice embodiment and extend kindness to ourselves, especially during meditation, through an embodied lovingkindness practice.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Dan Cayer is a Westchester-based teacher and writer who is committed to helping others change habitual patterns, find freedom from pain, and create a sane relationship with their body. He is a longtime meditator and trained instructor. After a serious injury left Dan unable to work or take care of himself, he began training in the Alexander Technique. His return to health, as well as his deep experience with the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of pain and illness, inspired him to help others. Dan now teaches an integration of mindfulness and the Alexander Technique as a method of recovering balance and well-being. 

In this episode, we will explore sensations of disheartenment through the Buddhist teachings of Bodhicitta, or awakening heart. We learn to free ourselves of our own suffering by removing the fixation on ourselves, and through loving kindness aspiration.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Rick Redondo is a teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and leads meditation courses, retreats, and corporate workshops in New York City and around the Northeast. He co-founded the New York City Heart of Recovery group 9 years ago. He regularly appears on the “Meditation in the City” podcast. He is a Shambhala Mentor, selected and trained to work with students through in-depth, on-going, one-on-one sessions that include meditation instruction, path guidance and mindful living coaching. He is an active filmmaker, actor and musician. He enjoys bringing meditation and art to everyday life.

In this episode, we will explore the 6 Points of Mindful Speech, first introduced by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. As speaking is essential to communication, the way in which we speak can make all the difference. These six guidelines can be a tool to illuminate our habits, and invite us to fully engage body, speech and mind in our conversations. The world desperately needs true, clear and heartfelt exchange.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Shastri Elizabeth Reid is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. She started her path at the New York Shambhala Center which was located right at the end of her street. She later became a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and now studies under his son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. With a background in theater and dance and an ongoing relationship with photography, she is endlessly intrigued by the interplay between meditation and the arts. She has a private practice in NYC as a Nationally Certified Alexander Technique Teacher.

Happiness is something many of us spend our lives chasing.  The subconscious mind often says: “My real life will begin once this happens …” or “For now I am just preparing, I just need to get through this and then I’ll be happy…”. How do we finally catch the train?

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Vegan Aharonian, Ph.D., began studying Shambhala Buddhism in 1996. Originally from Armenia (the former Soviet Union), he came to the United States as a graduate student at Columbia University in 1991. In addition to teaching regularly in New York City, Vegan has also taught international Shambhala programs in Russia and Ukraine. 

Genuineness is being able to experience and express the truth of reality without getting caught in “fake news” arising from habitual storylines about ourselves and others. Meditation is training in genuineness — learning to simply and gently be with our body, senses and thoughts without manipulation, moment to moment. The power of practicing in this way opens up the possibility of having confidence in our own wisdom and communicating directly from the heart. In this episode, we will contemplate genuineness and deception, practice meditation, and explore the power of direct perception. This episode will begin with a guided meditation as a practice of genuineness.

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Eve Rosenthal has been a senior teacher in Shambhala for many years. Currently residing in Nova Scotia with her spouse, Basia, she is originally from New York City and was resident director of Shambhala Training in the mid 1980’s. Founder of Shambhala Online, she has worked in the technology sector on Wall Street and as a university professor. She is a long time practitioner and instructor of Tai Chi Chuan and enjoys playing the piano. 

The pandemic created so many different types of suffering and uncertainty, and it is difficult to hold all of them in our mind while also trying to maintain our own balance, health and safety. In this episode, we will explore and practice awareness and compassion. How do we continue to take care of ourselves as well as the world all around us after living through one year of a global pandemic?

Meditation In The City is the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York’s very own podcast!

Email us at [email protected].

Remember to tell all your friends about the podcast!

Acharya Eric Spiegel has been a student and teacher in the Shambhala tradition since his teens.  His teachings are filled with warmth, humor and precision.