In this episode of the Mindfulness Exercises Podcast, Sean Fargo explores how to lead trauma-sensitive body scan meditations with compassion, choice, and safety. Designed for mindfulness teachers, coaches, therapists, and wellness professionals, this session offers practical tools for guiding clients who may carry trauma in their bodies.

Discover how to balance awareness with grounding, introduce choice and agency, and cultivate safety in every meditation experience. Sean also walks you through a full trauma-sensitive body scan practice—helping you embody these teachings yourself before sharing them with others.

If you’re a mindfulness or meditation teacher, this episode will deepen your understanding of how trauma impacts the body and how to create inclusive, healing spaces for your clients.

• 00:01 — Introduction: Why trauma-sensitive practices matter for mindfulness professionals
• 01:30 — The Impact of Trauma on the Body: Understanding vigilance, numbness, and tension
• 02:40 — Gratitude & Self-Compassion: Gentle practices to shift from scarcity to abundance
• 03:54 — Mindful Movement: How physical awareness supports grounding and safety
• 05:35 — Preparing for the Body Scan: Setting up comfort, safety, and empowerment
• 06:25 — Guided Body Scan Begins: Step-by-step awareness from head to toe
• 11:08 — Grounding & Safety Techniques: Using breath and gravity as anchors
• 13:30 — Pendulation: Moving between comfort and discomfort with care
• 14:43 — Empowering Client Choice: Restoring agency and safety in the body
• 15:59 — Working with Emotions: Welcoming sensations with curiosity and compassion
• 19:02 — Titration & Pacing: Introducing small doses of attention safely
• 20:32 — Rupture & Repair: Reestablishing trust when difficulty arises
• 22:44 — Subtle Energy Awareness: Sensing life force within the body
• 23:22 — Integrating Practice into Daily Life: Micro meditations and mindful pauses
• 24:47 — Closing Reflections: Healing as integration, not erasure
• Trauma-sensitive mindfulness prioritizes safety, choice, and empowerment.
• Techniques like pendulation and titration help clients regulate and stay present.
• Your own embodied awareness is essential to guide others effectively.
• Healing is not about erasing the past—it’s about integrating and transforming it with compassion.

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When pain shows up in practice, it can feel overwhelming but it can also be a doorway to deeper awareness.

This is an excerpt from our Community Gathering wherein a student opens up about the challenge of neck pain becoming overwhelming during meditation. Rather than offering a quick fix, Sean Fargo invites a gentler approach: turning toward discomfort with curiosity and compassion instead of resistance or judgment.

This conversation is a reminder that pain in meditation isn’t a barrier to practice, but an opportunity to deepen presence, patience, and care.

Chapters

00:00 – The Question

01:51 – Resources for Pain & Mindfulness

03:27 – Pain vs. Suffering

04:54 – Approaching with Gentleness

06:48 – Exploring the Geography of Pain

08:50 – Visualization & Self-Compassion

10:41 – Movement Practices

11:48 – The Mantra of Softening

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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In this powerful conversation from the Mindfulness Exercises Podcast, Sean Fargo speaks with Julie Lythcott-Haims — New York Times bestselling author, activist, politician, and former Stanford dean — about how mindfulness can help us face shame, rewrite old stories, and create space for authentic belonging.

Julie shares how she first discovered mindfulness in her 30s, how body awareness helped her get out of her own way, and how storytelling became a tool for healing unprocessed pain. She reflects on writing Real American, her memoir on race and belonging, and the liberation that came from releasing stories she had carried for decades.

⏱️ Chapters 

00:00 – Intro 

04:11 – mindfulness as a path to self-awareness

06:40 – Writing as emotional release 

10:35 – Holding space with compassion 

14:41 – The courage of vulnerability 

21:16 – Helicopter Parenting: lesson in parenting and self-growth 

30:25 – Post-It notes of connection 

33:00 – Freeing others through your story

36:57 – Releasing fear and finding courage to be seen

38:25 – A moment of belonging with a taxi driver

41:03 – Building bridges across difference 

46:25 – Living authentically with compassion

🔗Know more about Julie

• Julie Lythcott-Haims: julielythcotthaims.com
• Substack: julielythcotthaims.substack.com
• TED Talk: How to Raise an Adult
• Books: How to Raise an Adult, Real American, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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At some point in practice, many of us wonder: Why does it feel like I’m not growing anymore? 

In this excerpt from our Community Gathering Q&A, a student opens up about reaching a plateau after years of mindfulness and healing work.

Sean Fargo offers a compassionate reframing that feeling stuck is not failure, but often a sign that something deeper is asking for attention. Along the way, he shares practical ways to soften this stuckness — from grounding in nature, to seeking help and support, to practicing forgiveness and self-compassion.

This conversation reminds us that plateaus are not the end of the journey, but turning points that can open us into greater freedom, resilience, and wholeness.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:32 – Updating the Blueprint

02:26 – Stuck Energy

03:30 – Asking for Support

04:40 – Grounding & Renewal Practices

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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In this episode of Mindfulness Exercises, Sean Fargo and Loch Kelly explore the essence of effortless mindfulness—a direct shift into awake, loving awareness that doesn’t rely on heavy concentration. 

Loch shows how quick “glimpses” can reset us, how flow isn’t the same as hyper-focus, and how using visual, auditory, or felt cues helps mindfulness land in everyday life and teaching.

Whether you’re a mindfulness teacher, therapist, coach, or a practitioner navigating stress or attention challenges, you’ll get clear language, quick practices, and compassionate tools to bring mindfulness into daily life and share it with integrity.

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Intro

06:18 - Catching "glimpses"

16:14 - Effortless mindfulness

19:18 - Going back to your ego center

24:55 - Guided Glimpse Practice

32:22 - What's doing the glimpsing

41:01 - How to release your barriers?

49:58 - Shortcut to understanding the mind

1:09:08 - Imposter Syndrome as a facilitator

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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In this episode, Sean Fargo explores the deep relationship between mindfulness and concentration — two practices that are often taught separately but in reality support and sustain each other. 

Drawing inspiration from his teacher Ajahn Chah, Sean reflects on how concentration serves as the foundation that allows mindfulness to stay steady with the unfolding present moment.

Through personal stories from his years as a Buddhist monk and practical concentration exercises, Sean highlights how simplicity, stillness, and focus can help us extend the duration of our presence. 

From visualizations in the belly to counting breaths, focusing on external objects, or repeating loving-kindness phrases, concentration practice becomes a refuge from the busyness of modern life and a gateway into joy, clarity, and perspective.

Listeners are invited to experiment with lengthening their meditations, stringing together multiple sessions, or even holding mini at-home retreats. 

Sean Fargo also shares candid reflections on challenges like the five hindrances, the difference between grasping and genuine focus, and how deep concentration can lead to profound insights, stillness, and even some of life’s happiest moments.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why mindfulness and concentration are “two ends of the same stick”
• Practical techniques to stay present longer, from breath counting to visualization
• How concentration fuels mindfulness and supports choiceless awareness
• The role of concentration in overcoming the five hindrances
• Insights into stillness, joy, and clarity that arise with deeper practice

Resources & Links:

• Watch the full session on YouTube: Staying Present Longer
• Learn more about Ajahn Chah’s teachings: ajahnchah.org
• Explore free meditations, courses, and trainings at MindfulnessExercises.com

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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One of the biggest questions new mindfulness teachers face is simple but daunting: Where do I even begin?This episode comes straight from a live Zoom call with Sean Fargo and his students, Sean Fargo responds to a heartfelt question: “When you’re just starting out, how do you know what to teach first?”

Sean shares his own journey of finding direction as a new teacher, including moments of fear, uncertainty, and surprising inspiration — from teaching mindfulness in prisons, to healthcare, to corporate boardrooms. Rather than following a rigid curriculum, he emphasizes starting with who your heart feels called to help.

Whether you’re just starting to guide mindfulness or refining your teaching path, this conversation offers heartfelt encouragement: you don’t need to have it all figured out before you begin.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:37 – Sean’s First Advice

03:05 – Teaching from Shared Struggles

04:17 – Early Teaching Story

05:59 – Following Opportunities

07:17 – Letting Your Practice Lead

09:14 – Finding Your Niche

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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In this guided meditation, Sean Fargo leads us into the heart of concentration practice by inviting a sense of safety, openness, and gentle presence. 

Drawing from his training as a Buddhist monk and his years of teaching mindfulness, Sean introduces simple yet profound ways to steady the mind and deepen focus — beginning with the breath, moving through sound and sight, and resting in the body, heart, and mind.

This practice emphasizes the importance of feeling safe enough to let go of distractions and place attention on just one aspect of experience at a time. 

Along the way, Sean integrates reflections on goodness and gratitude, loving-kindness phrases, and visualization techniques to gladden the mind and open the heart.

Whether you are new to meditation or seeking to strengthen your ability to stay present, this session offers practical tools for cultivating concentration and stillness in daily life.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why a sense of safety is foundational for concentration
• How to use breath, sound, and sight as anchors for awareness
• Ways to gladden the mind and open the heart through gratitude
• A step-by-step practice to gently return attention when the mind wanders

Tune in to experience a calming, heart-opening journey into concentration meditation.

Want to deepen your mindfulness or mindfulness teaching journey? Schedule a free Zoom call with Sean here: https://calendly.com/sean-108/certification

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Resources & Links:

• Watch the original session on YouTube: Rick Hanson’s Wednesday Meditation Series
• Learn more about Rick Hanson’s weekly meditations: rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson
• Explore teacher trainings, guided practices, and more at MindfulnessExercises.com

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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In this gentle bedtime practice, Sean Fargo guides us through a soothing meditation to unwind the nervous system and soften into rest. Rather than trying to fix or change anything, this meditation invites you to allow what’s here and let it be held in a space of kindness.

Whether you’re lying down for the night or simply seeking a few quiet moments to reset, this practice supports a natural shift into stillness and safety. There’s nothing to solve or get right—only an invitation to breathe, relax, and be.

💭 What You’ll Experience

• A slow, spacious invitation into rest
• Guidance that welcomes whatever sensations, thoughts, or feelings arise
• A reminder that you don’t need to be “calm” to allow calmness
• A deeply relaxing pause to end the day with care

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

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In this episode of the Mindfulness Exercises Podcast, Sean Fargo sits down with Dr. Steve Haberlin—educator, mindfulness teacher, and researcher dedicated to helping aspiring teachers share mindfulness with authenticity and confidence.

Sean and Dr. Haberlin explore the unique challenges facing today’s college students — from stress and distraction to the mental health crisis on campuses. Steve shares how he began weaving mindfulness into the classroom, what the data says about its benefits, and why practices like breathwork, box breathing, and loving-kindness can help students regulate stress and unlock their potential.

His research and teaching reveal both the opportunities and barriers to bringing mindfulness into academic settings, offering insights for educators, parents, and students alike.

Whether you’re a mindfulness teacher, a college educator, or simply someone navigating stress, this episode offers practical strategies and inspiration to bring mindfulness into everyday life.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro

02:42 – Discovering meditation at age 12

06:34 – How practice evolved into daily life

10:02 – Bringing mindfulness into classrooms

15:54 – Research findings: stress, anxiety & student well-being

18:54 – Barriers students face with mindfulness

21:31 – What practices work best (MBSR, loving-kindness, box breathing)

23:40 – Risks of pushing practices too far, too fast

32:25 – Mindfulness tech: apps, neurofeedback, and AI

🌿 Tune in to learn how to move beyond self-doubt, step into your voice, and share mindfulness in a way that feels authentic and sustainable.

🔗Know more about Dr. Steve Haberlin

Email: [email protected]Workshop📖 Books:

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Reduce Chronic Pain: Pain.MindfulnessExercises.com

Email: [email protected]