As a boy in Oxford, Henry Shukman seeks refuge from a painful childhood by disappearing into poetry, immersing himself in nature. But the beauty and clarity he finds there is only fleeting. A series of visits with a mysterious old family friend help him to understand that experiencing beauty — and its extraordinary gifts — doesn’t have to be a chance encounter. In fact, it could become a guiding principle of his life. Through listening deeply, she shows him how to unlock beauty at every moment.

Listen to David Whyte’s episode of Meditative Story, "We become the places we love": http://listen.meditativestory.com/DavidWhyte_WW

Henry Shukman is a Zen Master in the Sanbo Zen lineage and is the Spiritual Director at Mountain Cloud Zen Center, and co-director of the Rio Grande Mindfulness Institute. Before this, he taught poetry at the Institute of American Indian Arts and Oxford Brookes University. He has written several award-winning books of poetry and fiction, including the memoir One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart. His new meditation program, Original Love, offers a broad, inclusive path of practice.

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

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Lehua Kamalu captains a vast, double-hulled ocean canoe crafted to the exact specifications of the seafaring vessels used by her ancestors. She and her crew are making a 2,500 mile journey between Tahiti and Hawaii, the same one original settlers of the South Pacific traversed, the same journeys historians once struggled to believe possible without today’s technology. The stakes are high and they sail the way their ancestors sailed, taking their cues from the water and wind. Lehua stays alert and patient hours on end. It’s only by being grounded in the signs that Lehua can anticipate the possibilities. And it’s only by staying present that Lehua can take in the magic of the open water — and draw from that magic to sustain herself when each journey ends, as they inevitably do.

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s episode takes you inside the intimate process behind creating a Meditative Story — and explores the musical wizardry behind each episode. 

We hear from storyteller Dallas Taylor, the host of the 20,000 Hertz podcast, who gives us a peek behind the scenes in which Dallas describes his collaboration with the Meditative Story team. This exclusive excerpt comes from his companion podcast, MicroHertz. 

Also, our host Rohan Gunatillake interviews our composer, Ryan Holladay, who shares how he approaches creating the music for Meditative Story.

Listen to Dallas Taylor’s episode of Meditative Story, “I focus on sensations that ground me”: https://listen.meditativestory.com/DallasTaylorMedStory

Listen to Dallas Taylor's podcast, Twenty Thousand Hertz: Apple | Spotify | Web

Listen to the companion podcast MicroHertz: https://glow.fm/20k/

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's storyteller Steven Ho grew up in a strict Vietnamese-American household where the stakes were always high. He felt an overwhelming pressure to walk the straight line set before him — a line of overachieving and excellence. As Steven grew up, he encountered places and circumstances that catapulted him into a deep curiosity and affection for the world around him. Steven began to wonder if there might be more than he could have ever expected, waiting for him outside the lines.

Listen to Steve Almond's episode of Meditative Story, "My roads diverging": http://listen.meditativestory.com/SteveAlmond_WW

Learn more about Steven: https://linktr.ee/steveioe

Find Steven on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveioe

Find Steven on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/steveioe

Find Steven on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@steveioe

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Morgan Harper Nichols is a songwriter, poet, artist, and musician who was diagnosed with autism as an adult. Growing up, she yearns to see the wider world outside her rural home, and to embark on adventures like Bilbo Baggins. When she spends a semester studying abroad, she finds herself surrounded by the unfamiliar — and feeling rejected and lonely sometimes. But by stepping into the unknown, she begins to discover what is most important to her — and finds a new path to belonging.

Listen to Mickey Guyton's episode of Meditative Story, "Lean into your uniqueness": http://listen.meditativestory.com/MickeyGuytonWW

Learn more about Morgan: https://morganharpernichols.com

Find Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganharpernichols/

Where to purchase Morgan's latest book, Peace is a Practice: https://morganharpernichols.com/preorder

Where to find Morgan's artwork: https://garden24.co

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Maya Shankar is a cognitive neuroscientist and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans. As a girl, she struggles with taking things too seriously: herself, the sufferings of others, the hypothetical misfortunes she imagines for the future. She turns to her father for perspective — and he takes her on a memorable walk, one that helps her understand her place in the universe (spoiler: it’s not not at the center of it). When her adult life brings a new and unexpected kind of sorrow, she turns to these lessons from her father again, to find a balance between the seriousness that comes with loving life and the wise perspective of knowing we're all just passing through.

Listen to Dr. Laurie Santos' episode of Meditative Story, "My monkey teacher": http://listen.meditativestory.com/LSantos_WW

Listen to Maya Shankar's podcast (selected as the Best Show of the Year by Apple in 2021), A Slight Change of Plans: https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/a-slight-change-of-plans

Follow Maya Shankar: https://www.instagram.com/drmayashankar/

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special episode, we spend more time with a storyteller who recently shared their Meditative Story with us, Sharon Salzberg. Rohan and Sharon wind their way back through Sharon’s story, exploring the key theme: Being kind, loving, patient with yourself. Together, they dive deeper into this idea, in a way that may just open up something special in you.

Did you relate to Sharon’s story? Email us at [email protected]

Hear Sharon's original Meditative Story: https://meditativestory.com/sharon-salzberg/

Learn more about Sharon: sharonsalzberg.com

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On his podcast and TV show Song Exploder, Hrishikesh Hirway digs deep into the creative process of legendary songwriters. But before Hrishikesh becomes a podcast creator, he's a working musician himself … who finds his ability to create being slowly drained away by self-doubt. He stumbles into a case of songwriter’s block that lasts him nearly seven years. Today, Hrishikesh shares the story of how he gets drawn back into creating music through an unexpected collaboration.

Listen to Andrew Bird's episode of Meditative Story, "Listening to the space around you": https://listen.meditativestory.com/AndrewBirdSpaceAroundYou

Learn more about Hrishikesh Hirway: https://hrishikesh.co/

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

By the time Sharon Salzberg is 16 years old, she knows the people around her don’t admit to suffering, much less talk about it. A year later, she makes a life-changing decision to travel alone to India to study meditation. It doesn’t all go as expected. Through the journey’s disappointments, discomforts, and surprise lessons, she finds an unexpected friend: herself. In today’s Meditative Story, Sharon talks about how being kind, especially to herself, became her biggest mountain to climb.

Listen to Pico Iyer's episode of Meditative Story, "A home that had been waiting for me forever": http://listen.meditativestory.com/IyerClassicWW

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

Learn more about Sharon:

Website: sharonsalzberg.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sharonsalzberg

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sharonsalzberg

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SharonSalzberg

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SharonSalzbergVideo

Medium: www.medium.com/@sharonsalzberg

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sharonsalzberg

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gordana Biernat grows up in a household full of mayhem and darkness. But there’s one saving grace: her grandfather, who spins legendary stories of the quirky folkloric magic he sees all around them. In today’s Meditative Story, Gordana talks about reopening herself to the unseen and the “funny rushes of surprise” she encounters all around her when she stops dodging fear and starts seeking new chances to grow.

Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com

Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe

Learn more about Gordana Biernat’s work at: www.mypowertalk.com

You can email her at [email protected]

Follow Gordana Biernat at:

https://twitter.com/MyPowertalk

https://www.facebook.com/SuperSoul100/

https://www.instagram.com/mypowertalk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordanabiernat

http://www.supersoul.tv/supersoul-100/soul-teachers/gordana-biernat

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.