Peter McEwen is an ordained Nyingma yogi, meditation coach, and founder of The Field, an organization teaching tantric methods to practitioners navigating contemporary life demands. Since 1993 he has studied under Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Tulku Orgyen P'huntsok, Lama Pema Dorje Rinpoche, and Bruce Tift, and has completed the traditional Vajrayana three-year retreat curriculum. Peter writes The Current on Substack, sharing essays and tools from thirty years of integrating contemplative practice with daily life. His work focuses on embodied presence and nervous system fluency, offering methods that survive the actual pressures of work, relationships, and daily complexity.
In this conversation, we explore Peter's initial experiences of awakening and getting into Buddhism, balancing personal, interpersonal, and spiritual work, and the impact of working closely with Bruce Tift.
We get into what Tantra actually is, selecting the appropriate practice for your developmental stage, and what Tummo is and how it works as an inner fire practice — including Peter guiding us through a live Tummo meditation.
We also explore how Tummo focuses the mind, visualization vs feeling in Tummo practice, what Deity yoga is and how it works, and whether traditional deity forms translate for Western minds.
We close with practical guidance on how to get the most out of practice as a householder and a look ahead at Peter's upcoming Tummo course.
🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗
🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️
0:00 - Introduction
2:38 - Initial experiences of awakening and getting into Buddhism
8:01 - Balancing personal, interpersonal, and spiritual work
23:17 - The impact of working with Bruce Tift
27:15 - What is Tantra?
34:59 - Selecting the appropriate practice for your developmental stage
44:32 - What is Tummo and how does it work? — inner fire practice
54:45 - Peter guides a Tummo meditation
1:10:25 - How Tummo focuses the mind
1:12:28 - Visualization vs feeling in Tummo
1:16:00 - What is Deity yoga and how does it work?
1:22:22 - Do traditional deity forms work for Western minds?
1:28:51 - How to get the most out of practice as a householder
1:41:49 - Peter's upcoming Tummo course
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