Suffer Less

This is the final podcast of Suffer Less with Mindfulness, in which we explore the boundless quality of equanimity, and how and why to cultivate it in this challenging time. From a personal healing journey to the polycrisis of planetary collapse, equanimity and compassion can be our guides and our solace. Death is certain, time of death uncertain: how then shall we live?

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it now to make sure you can continue to access it.

I'm profoundly grateful to kgmr for her lovely song St. Roch which has been our theme song from the beginning.

• kgmr music

I'm grateful for a wonderful course in Equanimity from jonathan walker of Modestly Mindful. The meditation is my rendition of one that he leads.

• Modestly Mindful

How do we know what to do when? Practicing integrating attention with values leads to wisdom. Tuning into our bodies and learning to listen to their wisdom helps us discern what's healthy and helpful. Bringing gentle curiosity to our thoughts, choices, and physical experience helps us cultivate the skill of wise discernment. A short talk followed by a guided meditation toward ease in the body.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

We humans are storytelling beings. By understanding this propensity, we can see ourselves more clearly, and choose more wisely, as we write the ever-changing story of our lives, as we live them. Meditation and mindfulness help us be more aware and resilient in the present moment.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

Pausing is an essential mindfulness skill. We can only pause in the present moment, not in the past or the future. If you can incorporate a tiny pause before you leave the house, or move from any place or part of your day to the next, just long enough to review where you are and what you're doing, you'll find that you can both slow down and save time. This is the gift of simply being present in the moments of your precious life. When we can pause, we can choose wisely rather than react. A short introduction to the skill of the pause, followed by a 40 minute meditation.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

In mindfulness practice we emphasize allowing things to be as they are, not resisting reality. Accepting what is reduces suffering and leads to the clarity to act to make change. But sometimes, Wise Resistance is exactly what's needed, for example toward the current political regime in the U.S. Finding the balance between not resisting on a personal level, and wise resistance in a political context means taking what action you're able to and also taking care of yourself. The guided meditation helps you to relax, open your awareness, and let go into the wholeness of your being without resistance.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

We all have preferences, all the time, from unconscious to passionate, and it's perfectly natural to prefer one thing, person, thought over another. However, strong attachments to these preferences can lead to unnecessary suffering. Can we recognize just how much of our attention is about our preferences? Can we learn to let go of attachments to our preferences and thereby suffer less?

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

Many mindfulness practices can help mitigate the crushing grief of loss. A dear friend is dying: How am I able to still find joy and beauty in the world around me? Expanding our perspective, offering compassion to ourselves, helping to others, and accepting the truth of impermanence can all help to take the edge off of grief. Not numbing or pushing it aside, but spreading it out, holding its hand. Plus "Just Like Me" meditation.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

What is contentment? What practices can help us cultivate contentment, and how can we find peace within our own lives in light of the larger suffering in the world? No absolute answers, just some helpful suggestions.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

It's human nature to want things to be different than they are. In our day to day existence, we want many things to be different than they are, little things, big things. But we suffer less when we learn to let go of things we can't control, like the past and other people; and when we learn to let go of things we can control, including unhealthy habits of mind and body. What does it feel like in the body to allow things to be just as they are in this moment?

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.

Any type of meditation relies first and foremost upon the ability to train the unruly mind to concentrate and focus on that which you have chosen to meditate on. Mindfulness of Breath meditation is the most commonly used meditation to develop concentration. Here we touch on the importance of breath, and offer a guided meditation with a number of different ways to facilitate holding the attention on the breath.

Distribution of this podcast will be limited starting September 12, 2026. You're invited to download it to make sure you can continue to access it.