Shell Fischer's Podcast

"Most of us need to be reminded that we are good, that we are lovable, that we belong. If we knew just how powerfully our thoughts, words, and actions affected the hearts of those around us, we’d reach out and join hands again and again.” ~ Tara Brach

The Buddha taught that our deepest suffering comes from a sense of feeling separate, alone, isolated from the whole. Yet, he also taught that the key to unlocking more freedom and joy in our lives is for us to recognize this illusion for what it is, and to learn to claim, cultivate, and honor our true, innate belonging with all things. This talk explores the benefits that come from recognizing and experiencing that connection, more and more.

"There’s that vast, tender, empty heart of bodhichitta, your awakened heart. Right in the pain there’s a lot of room, a lot of openness. You begin to touch in on that space when you relate directly to the messy stuff, because by relating directly with the messy stuff you are completely undoing the way ego holds itself together.” ~ Pema Chodron 

This talk explores how we can use the ancient practice of tonglen to courageously open up to what’s difficult, and offer out what’s most needed – for both ourselves, and others – as a way of softening and expanding our hearts.

“If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.” ~ George Eliot

This talk explores how we can cultivate a deeper sense of sustained silence and presence through meditation practice, and how, more and more, as this silence deepens, we can begin to let go of words and concepts and preconceived notions, and go right to direct experience.

Whenever we put on our “wanting” or “desire” or “grasping” glasses, we’re essentially choosing to view the world with a kind of tunnel vision, boxing ourselves in to a very limited perspective. This talk explores the many blessings that come with using our practice to cultivate an attitude of letting go – learning to allow and receive each moment, just as it is, rather than trying to control the natural flow.

Like the famous bumper sticker declares: “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.” The way we think about things not only affects our physical bodies, but also shapes our current perception of what we consider reality (which may not in fact be true) – and, this especially includes how we view our sense of self. This talk explores how we can use our practice to begin to question not only our habitual beliefs, but our conditioned perceptions as well. (It includes a brief meditation at the end.)

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” ~ Victor Frankl

This talk explores how, through our mindfulness practice, we can better access what has often been called “The Sacred Pause,” to create more calm, ease, balance, and grace in our lives.

This talk includes a variety of different ways we can use our mindfulness practice to start to more clearly recognize when we are tangled up in a net of negativity, and learn to free ourselves from its grip

When we’re deeply listening, we’re using the tuning fork of our hearts, if you will, to bring ourselves into sympathetic relationship, or harmony and accord, with whoever we’re listening to … Yet when we have too much music or noise in our own heads, it’s really difficult to use our inner tuning fork. This talk will address how we can more consciously sharpen our listening skills through mindfulness practice.

This talk explores a variety of mindfulness methods that can help us nurture and cultivate more metta (loving-kindness) for ourselves, others, and all the situations we might find ourselves in; practices through which we might live more fully and authentically from this state of unconditional friendliness.

"If you don't become the ocean, you will be seasick every day." ~ Leonard Cohen

This talk explores a variety of different mindfulness methods we can use to approach and re-discover the calm, peace, and ease of equanimity - or balanced awareness - in the face of what are often called the 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows that make up all the days and moments of our lives.

It shows how, through our practice, we can begin to tap in to the many ways in which we can learn to accept and welcome each moment - life as it IS - with as much peace, compassion, and kindness as we can muster, without falling into despair and resignation, and without making anything wrong - especially ourselves.