Zen Commuter

Yesterday, surrounded by sunshine and vibrant autumn trees, I found myself missing my dad while also feeling happy and at peace. Sunday used to be our day together, and his absence was present alongside the beauty. Neither feeling canceled the other. There was room for both.

In today's episode, we explore how meditation can help us welcome feelings that seem contradictory. We don't have to push sadness away to appreciate joy, or feel guilty for enjoying life while missing someone we love. By noticing what's here without insisting it be different, we can allow our experience to be as full and varied as it is.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Have you ever been so focused on saying something impressive that you lost touch with what you wanted to share? Today on Zen Commuter, I explore "On Wanting to Sound Good" by Satya Robyn, from the Spring 2024 issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Through an encounter with her dog and an honest teaching from Shinran, Robyn recognizes how easily the desire to offer wisdom can become tangled up in wanting to be admired.

Her reflection invites us to meet those moments with humor and compassion. Recognizing our ego at work doesn't have to become another reason to judge ourselves; it can open us to kindness, connection, and the teachings within everyday life. Join me as we explore how acknowledging our imperfect humanity can loosen the need to impress and help us return to the moment with a more open heart.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

A missed day becomes a week, and before you know it, your meditation cushion feels like an old friend you've lost touch with. But returning to your practice doesn't require making up for lost time or judging yourself for stepping away. It begins with a willingness to sit again, even for just a few minutes. In today's episode, we explore how to restart your meditation practice with kindness, curiosity, and realistic expectations. Whatever brought you away, this moment offers a place to begin again.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

There was a word I knew, or at least I thought I knew; equanimity. For the most part, I got it right. But there was a deeper meaning that I was missing, so I figured we could learn about it together.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

What happens when our desire to enjoy something becomes a need to hold on to it? In today's episode, we explore Venerable Thubten Chodron's Tricycle article, "Taking the Ache Out of Attachment," and the ways clinging to people, possessions, and expectations can disturb our peace. Through thoughtful reflection on change and the stories we tell ourselves about happiness, we discover how loosening our grip allows us to appreciate what we have, cultivate compassion, and meet life with greater balance.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

An airport might seem like an unlikely place to find stillness, but meditation doesn't require a quiet room or perfect conditions. In today's episode, we explore how the bustle of travel can become an invitation to practice—listening to the sounds around us, noticing our reactions, and returning gently to the present moment. Whether we're waiting at a gate or sitting at home, we can meet what's happening with awareness and discover that a place to practice is wherever we happen to be.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Our culture tells us that happiness and joy are to be chased…are acceptable, and that anything that is not those things should be avoided or changed. Today I talk about being okay with not be "okay".

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Life brings challenges, and meditation can help us meet them with greater awareness, steadiness, and kindness. In today's episode, we explore how our practice supports resilience by helping us recognize stress sooner, create space before reacting, and allow difficult feelings without becoming lost in them. Each gentle return to the present is an opportunity to practice beginning again—a skill we can carry into the moments when life asks us to find our footing.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Grief is deeply personal, and there is no single right way to experience it. In today's Zen Commuter, I share "Approaching Grief" by Roy Remer, from the Summer 2026 issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Through his compassionate insights and my own reflections, we explore how awareness can help us recognize our responses to loss and meet ourselves with greater kindness. This episode is an invitation to give yourself time, honor your experience, and consider what it means to make room for grief in your life.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Calm often begins with coming back to where we are. When our minds are caught up in yesterday's conversations or tomorrow's uncertainties, we can miss the quiet moments available to us right now. In this episode of Zen Commuter, we explore how present moment awareness can help us loosen our grip on those thoughts and meet life with greater ease. By gently noticing our breath, our surroundings, and the sensations in our bodies, we give ourselves a place to rest our attention—and an opportunity to respond to life with more clarity, kindness, and calm.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Become a Super-Fan of the Show If this conversation inspired you, please share it using the social media buttons on the page.

Be a part of the show! 🎙 Send me a voice message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter 📧 Email: [email protected] 📱 Instagram: @thom_walters 🐦 Twitter: @thom_walters 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/zencommuter Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify