Dr. Andrew Holecek covers a lot of ground, from describing finding his niche in sleep and dream meditation, to doing a three-year retreat, and his thoughts on the frequent scandals among dharma teachers.  Learn more about Andrew at www.andrewholecek.com.

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This episode touches on Christian practice, Adyashanti's lineage of Zen, and how to teach meditation from more of a non-doing, already-there perspective, rather than a technique-based one.

Dorothy Hunt is the founder of the San Francisco Center for Meditation and Psychotherapy, and serves as Spiritual Director and President of Moon Mountain Sangha, Inc., a California non-profit religious corporation. Dorothy currently offers meditation and satsang gatherings, awakening groups, weekend retreat days, and longer residential retreats.  Following a series of ever-deepening realizations, Dorothy was invited by her spiritual teacher, Adyashanti, to teach within his lineage. While Adyashanti was trained in the Zen tradition, Dorothy’s spiritual path led from Mother Teresa of Calcutta to the Advaita teachers, Ramana Maharshi and Ramesh Balsekar, and eventually to Adyashanti. Each one of her teachers appeared to her totally unexpectedly, yet profoundly.

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Shinzen Young is an American mindfulness teacher and neuroscience research consultant.

His systematic approach to categorizing, adapting and teaching meditation, known as Unified Mindfulness, has resulted in collaborations with Harvard Medical School, Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Vermont in the bourgeoning field of contemplative neuroscience.

Shinzen’s interest in Asia began at the age of 14 when he decided to attend Japanese ethnic school in his native city of Los Angeles.

Learn more at shinzen.org.

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Upali interviews Stephen Batchelor,  a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, a former monk best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism.  They talk about teaching Dharma (vs simply teaching meditation), finding authority through authorship, and plant medicine. Stephen teaches meditation around the world, and he is the author of such well-known books as Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, After Buddhism, and most recently The Art of Solitude.  You can learn more about Stephen at https://www.stephenbatchelor.org/

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Tucker interviews Stephanie Nash.  Stephanie has a psychology degree from Duke University and a Masters from Yale University.  In addition to her career as an actress, Stephanie has had the privilege of working closely with Shinzen Young and has been a facilitator with Vipassana Support International since 1999, teaching retreats.   In addition to a specialization in mindful eating, Stephanie has written several influential guides, including her well-known guide to meditation posture.  You can reach Stephanie over here.

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Upali interviews Tucker.  Dr. Tucker Peck is a meditation teacher and clinical psychologist whose specialties include working with advanced meditators and using meditation to help those suffering from psychological disorders.

Tucker began formal training in meditation in 2005 and has studied with Sharon Salzberg of the Insight Meditation Society and Upasaka Culadasa.

Tucker received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Brown University, and he received his Masters and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the College of Science at the University of Arizona. Tucker is a published author on the scientific study of meditation, focusing on how meditation affects the brain. He is a faculty member of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and he is the founder and former Director of Palo Santo Psychotherapy & Wellness.  He is the founder and board president of the Open Dharma Foundation, which provides scholarships to meditation retreats, and for four years served as the president of the Tucson Community Meditation Center.  His newest project is Drugfreesleep.com, an online course to overcome insomnia.

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Tucker interviews Jessica Graham.  Jessica is a meditation teacher, sex, relationship, and spiritual guide for couples and individuals, international speaker, and author of Good Sex: Getting Off Without Checking Out, which has been translated into several languages, and is a best seller in the Netherlands. She is also a contributing editor of the popular meditation blog, Deconstructing Yourself, and is certified in Grief Recovery coaching. Jessica can be found on many apps including; Simple Habit, Wise@Work, Emjoy, Breethe, and Sanity & Self. Jessica has offered workshops at various centers internationally, including Esalen Institute. She has been interviewed/quoted for such publications as, Women’s Health Magazine, Bustle, GOOP, Lion’s Roar, The Lilly, Health Magazine, and more. She is also included in The Great Courses’ Masters of Mindfulness.  In addition to this, Jessica is also an award-winning actor and filmmaker. You can connect with Jessica on Instagram @jessicaclarkgraham and at www.yourwildawakening.com. 

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Tucker interviews Michael Taft.  Michael is a maverick meditation teacher, bestselling author, and podcaster. As a mindfulness coach, he specializes in secular, science-based mindfulness training in retreats, groups, corporate settings, and one-on-one sessions. Michael is the author of several books, including the bestselling The Mindful Geek, Nondualism: A Brief History of a Timeless Concept, and Ego (which he co-authored), as well as the editor of such books as Hardwiring Happiness by Rick Hanson and The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young.

He has often taught meditation at Google, worked on curriculum development for SIYLI, and is currently core faculty at Wisdom Labs, in San Francisco. Michael is also a featured teacher on the Simple Habit app, and an official advisor to the Therapeutic Neuroscience Lab. He was previously editor-in-chief of Being Human, and was the long-time editorial director of Sounds True.

From Zen temples in Japan to yogi caves in India, Michael has been meditating for over thirty five years and has extensive experience in both Buddhist Vipassana and Hindu Tantric practice. Michael is a senior facilitator in Shinzen Young’s Unified Mindfulness system, and is a teacher of meditation groups around the Bay Area. He currently lives in Oakland, California, and is founding editor of the iconoclastic mindfulness meditation blog and podcast Deconstructing Yourself.

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A short episode where Tucker, Upali and Shinzen explain what the podcast will be about.

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