Meditation with Ashley Brown

What if the natural state of your mind was actually peace?

For many of us, this can be difficult to imagine when so much of our daily experience is dominated by worry, overthinking and endless mental activity. In this episode, we explore the yogic principle of Sattva and how understanding the nature of the mind can help us reconnect with its innate qualities of clarity, balance and peace.

In this episode, we explore:

How the mind shapes our perception of reality

The Three Gunas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas

What Sattva reveals about our natural state of peace

Why meditation reveals rather than creates inner peace

Practical ways to cultivate Sattva in modern life

Finding balance without becoming attached to peace

Ultimately, Sattva isn't about creating a perfect mind or a life free from disturbance. It's about cultivating the clarity and inner balance to meet life as it unfolds, without losing ourselves in the process. Through meditation and conscious living, we rediscover the peace and awareness that have been there all along.

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Why does the mind feel clear and peaceful one day, restless and driven the next, and heavy or unmotivated another?

In this episode, we begin exploring one of the simplest and most powerful frameworks from ancient Indian philosophy for understanding our changing mental states: The Three Guṇas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. 

These three qualities are said to be woven through all of nature, influencing not only the movement of the mind, but also our moods, motivations, environments, relationships, food, movement and the way we express ourselves in the world. 

We explore:

We’ll also look at practical examples of the guṇas through food, exercise, relationships and everyday environments, so these ancient ideas become something you can actually observe in your own life. Pasted text

This is Part 1 of a series exploring the three qualities of mind in much greater depth.

I hope you enjoy!

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In this episode, I’m joined by one of Australia’s most loved yoga and meditation teachers, Ryan Mannix, for a deep conversation on Buddhist meditation, mindfulness, presence and the nature of the self.

Ryan was actually one of my very first mentors when I stepped into yoga and meditation more than 10 years ago, so this conversation felt particularly special.

Together, we explore how Buddhist teachings can help us understand the mind, relate to ourselves with more compassion, and live with greater presence and awareness.

• Ryan’s journey with meditation

• Why Buddhism resonates with him

• What meditation is

• How mindfulness works

• Emptiness and no-self

• The power of presence

• Making friends with the mind

• Common misconceptions

• Attachment and letting go

• Why compassion matters

• How to build a meditation habit

If you’re interested in Buddhist meditation, mindfulness, presence, meditation for beginners, or simply understanding yourself and your mind more deeply, this episode is for you.

Enjoy the conversation with Ryan Mannix.

🙏 Connect with Ryan Mannix

🌐 Website: https://online.itsallyoga.com.au

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In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Bunn, a former professional AFL footballer, Ayurvedic health practitioner, Transcendental Meditation teacher, three-time bestselling author of Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health, leading corporate wellbeing speaker, and former CEO of the David Lynch Foundation Australia.

Mark has spent decades exploring the relationship between meditation, Ayurveda, consciousness and the natural laws that govern human health and wellbeing.

Together, we unpack meditation from a simple and accessible perspective, exploring what actually happens when we meditate, why the mind behaves the way it does, and how learning to work with our nature rather than against it can transform the way we practise and live.

Topics covered:

• What meditation actually is

A beautiful conversation for anyone wanting to understand meditation more deeply, while keeping the practice grounded, simple and applicable to everyday life.

🙏 Connect with Mark Bunn

🌐 Website: https://dharmicliving.com

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Here is a simple 5-minute timer to support your own self-guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads ... just a gentle structure to help you drop in and stay present.

One gong marks the beginning of your practice, followed by two gongs at each interval to gently orient you in time. Three gongs signal that your practice is complete.

Enjoy the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

Here is a simple 15-minute timer to support your own self-guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads... just a gentle structure to help you drop in and stay present.

One gong marks the beginning of your practice, followed by two gongs at each interval to gently orient you in time. Three gongs signal that your practice is complete.

Enjoy the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

Here is a simple 10-minute timer to support your own self-guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads ...  just a gentle structure to help you drop in and stay present.

One gong marks the beginning of your practice, followed by two gongs at each interval to gently orient you in time. Three gongs signal that your practice is complete.

Enjoy the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

Here is a simple 5-minute timer to support your own self-guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads ...  just a gentle structure to help you drop in and stay present.

One gong marks the beginning of your practice, followed by two gongs at each interval to gently orient you in time. Three gongs signal that your practice is complete.

Enjoy the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

There are many different ways to practise mantra, and each one works with the mind, sound and attention in a slightly different way.

In this third and final episode of our three-part series on Mantra Meditation, we move from philosophy into practice. We explore some of the most common forms of mantra, from the repetition of a mantra using mala beads, to seed sounds, devotional chanting, deity mantras and silent meditation.

Topics covered:

✨ Japa Mala and the power of repetition

✨ Bīja Mantras and the seed sounds of the chakras

✨ Kirtan, Bhakti Yoga and devotional chanting

✨ Deity Mantras and invoking qualities of consciousness

✨ Transcendental and Vedic approaches to mantra meditation

✨ Sahaja Mantra and silent mantra practice

At the heart of mantra practice is the understanding that what we repeatedly place our attention upon, we begin to strengthen within ourselves.

Whether mantra is used to steady the mind, cultivate concentration, open the heart, awaken a particular quality, or guide awareness into deeper states of meditation, it gives us a way to work intentionally with the thoughts and vibrations we introduce into our internal world.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashbrown.meditation

Mantra is one of the most ancient and widely practised tools in the world of meditation, but how does it work? What makes it so powerful? 

In this second episode of our three-part series on Sanskrit and mantra, we explore the philosophy behind mantra, the nature of vibration, and how sound can influence not only the mind, but our entire internal experience. 

Topics covered:

✨ What does the word mantra actually mean?

✨ Mantra as a tool and vehicle for the mind

✨ Spanda and the vibrational nature of consciousness

✨ The three levels of mantra recitation

Mantra offers us a way to consciously work with the movements of the mind rather than simply being carried by them. Through sound, repetition and increasingly subtle levels of awareness, mantra can become a powerful doorway into greater presence, stillness and inner freedom.

In the next and final episode of this series, we’ll explore the practical side of mantra and the different ways we can work with it to cultivate more harmonious internal states.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashbrown.meditation