Shows
Preachers in TrainingThings I Didn't Learn in Preaching School - with Wayne JonesIn this episode of Preachers in Training, Robert is joined by Wayne Jones, president of the Bear Valley Bible Institute and host of Authentically Adam here on The Light Network. Wayne brings decades of ministry experience and leadership insight to the conversation as he reflects on the lessons he’s learned beyond the classroom.While preaching schools and Bible institutes provide excellent foundations in Scripture, theology, and communication, there are some lessons that only real-life ministry can teach. Wayne shares with honesty and wisdom about the realities of preaching that he didn’t fully gras...
2025-09-0441 min
Awaken EngageLike One Crabapple Petal (57)Excerpt: "And then, I saw a petal fall from one of the blossoms on the crabapple tree.
And I was that petal.
Falling gently toward the ground."
2024-03-2902 minAwaken EngageRehearsing Scenes (56)Excerpt: "But what I am noticing as I am becoming more and more present with my body in this moment — not the simulated moment — is that I am at ease, at peace.
I really do have the right response to every situation.
My loved one has the right response to every situation.
Life is only unbearable when we demand it change.
We can be with this situation in a wise and dignified and whole way.
And our ability to be with this life situation has nothing to do with what is actually happening or what we would like to happen.
We c...
2024-03-2808 minAwaken EngageReminders (55)Excerpt: "...The calling right now is to be still.
And to be thankful.
To remember to be thankful.
I recall the day.
A reminder arrives in my email inbox:
“Hi Professor Jones!!! I just wanted to check up as well as update you on how much you have impacted me. Taking your class has been one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had….”
2024-03-2703 minAwaken EngageThe Way of Things (54)Excerpt: ..."We go on the journey to find the treasure that is hidden within us, that has been ours all along.
But this truth can only be realized as we commit to the journey - to a journey.
Otherwise, it lies buried within us, under layers of complacency, self-doubt, lack of perspective, laziness, jealousy, fear, pride, and even ignorance.
We write to realize we are writers.
We run to realize we are runners.
We act to realize we are actors.
We lead to realize we are leaders.
We create to realize that we are creators.
We live to realize we...
2024-03-2606 minAwaken EngageWhen I Lose My Way (53)Excerpt: ..."I remember the terrible weight that overwhelmed me one night when I realized that my parents couldn’t help me. My sleeplessness had been going on for many, many nights and they had to sleep. It wasn’t going to work if none of us slept. So, my mom closed their bedroom door and I was left standing in the hall outside my bedroom.
Nobody could help me.
No one could be with me through every night of not sleeping.
Interestingly enough, it was that same moment of feeling overwhelmed in the hall of our farmhouse, feeling on my own...
2024-03-2508 minAwaken EngageExpert (52)Excerpt: "...Mindful living saved my life at the end of the year in 2015 when I worked with an Occupational Therapist at our local concussion clinic and she introduced me to the world of iRest, or Integrative Restoration - a school of Yoga Nidra and mindfulness meditation developed by Dr. Richard Miller.
I found unexpected hope in that first session when I experientially realized that I wasn’t in an inescapable bubble of unending pain but rather that there were sensations of pain happening in specific parts of my body.
I experienced the reality that I could be with the ebbs an...
2024-03-2406 minAwaken EngageComings and Goings (51)Excerpt: "...Spring flowers. Fall leaves. Summer green. Winter white. Sunrise. Sunset. Full moon. New moon. Waxing Moon. Waning Moon. Morning. Evening. Day. Night. Noon. Midnight. Inhaling. Exhaling.
Every “thing” that comes, goes.
But who is it that things come and go “in” and “through” and “to” and “by”?
Who is it noticing the comings and goings?
Who is the subject noticing the objects?
What is that “Who” like?
Where is that “Who”?
Who is that “Who”?
When is that “Who”?"
2024-03-2303 minAwaken EngageWe’re Quite Stretchy (50)Excerpt: "The last glimpse I had of them before I drifted into dream land was of them gleefully and joyfully and effortlessly and playfully pulling on the tissues and tendons and ligaments in my head and neck and back as if they were made of taffy. I chuckled good-naturedly at the sheer ridiculousness of the scene.
When I awoke in the middle of the night, I realized that my neck had no pain whatsoever and almost complete mobility.
This morning, more of the same.
For two days, walking has been one piercing stab after another.
Today, I not only hiked th...
2024-03-2203 minAwaken EngageI Will Carry You with Gladness (49)Excerpt: "Of all the lessons of the TBI recovery, none have been so important to me as the reality that life doesn’t have to change in order for me to live fully.
I can be with life as it is as I am.
Two of the maxims that experientially moved me from resisting life and wanting to just die during the it-looks-like-you’re-not-going-to-get-better years of my post-TBI recovery read as follows:
“Life is only unbearable when I demand it change.”
and
“That which we welcome cannot bind us.”
This morning, today, right now, here is the lesson again, deepening and validati...
2024-03-2114 minAwaken EngageImportant Work (48)Excerpt: "What I am finding quite fascinating is that my life has already begun the shift to the kind of practice that Godin describes, particularly my attitude toward results and feedback.
As I’ve mentioned before, “positive” feedback is nice, but I don’t actually care all that much right now. I am doing the work that I am doing for its own sake, for my own sake, and out of a deep sense of trust that I have cultivated with my self and others around me.
Applause? Great. Crickets? Great. Nothing guaranteed? Great.
Still, I must create. I am an artist.
I...
2024-03-2010 minAwaken EngageNot too Late (47)Excerpt: "...A wave of shame and guilt pummeled me and I found myself struggling to find air.
These are old stories for me and old ways of doing things.
A decade ago, I would have gotten caught in a shame cycle and made things worse and worse.
But that is not who I am anymore....
2024-03-1911 minAwaken EngageRemembering (46)Excerpt: I found these entries scattered around a symptom journal that accompanied me to doctor’s visits, visits that were becoming increasingly discouraging as “We don’t know what to do, so let’s try…” became the constant refrain. I fairly despised having to keep the symptom journal because it felt like I was looking for things that were not going right, putting so much energy into trying to prove myself and explain myself.
Invisible injuries like TBIs are especially challenging to navigate. I do know that I wrote much about the challenge of looking fine on the outside and feeling that...
2024-03-1807 minAwaken EngageWriting the Words (45)Excerpt: "While not the exact opposite, my original plan for this essay was to write about the Dark Night of the Soul. I had already selected a wonderful Michael Meade quote from his most recent episode of Living Myth. But while I was sitting in my chair next to the bookshelf, Gibran’s little book of aphorism, poems, and fables caught my eye.
I turned a couple of pages and saw a line that fit in so well with my intended theme.
It said, “One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night” (p. 8).
What an amazin...
2024-03-1707 minAwaken EngageShedding Layers (44)Excerpt: "s I watched the couple walk ahead of me, they slowed to join a party of similarly aged and dressed folks. A group of beautiful people who, by all appearances, have plenty of whatever they want and need. The kind of look that says that you made it in life and are now going to enjoy what’s left of it.
For whatever reason, a sad story arose into my awareness. Several years ago, I was volunteering at a memory care facility, playing music for the small group who lived there, getting to know them and their families, and ex...
2024-03-1605 minAwaken EngageDimmer Knob (43)Excerpt: What required the most will power, the most strength, the most wisdom this morning was choosing to listen to the wisdom of the body and to take a day to rest.
So, I did.
Gentle warrior wisdom.
Deciding what to do was less of choosing this/that like an on-off switch and much more like I had my hand on a dimmer knob and was experimenting with it, turning it this way and that, noticing what the mix of sensations, thoughts, and beliefs felt like until I found just the right spot for the moment.
That felt good.
I...
2024-03-1505 minAwaken EngageIntensely Unproductive (42)Excerpt: Earlier today, I went upstairs after what felt like a half day of spinning my wheels on tasks that I either couldn’t complete, didn’t complete, or forgot that I was even trying to complete. Walking by my wife, I said, “I feel intensely unproductive.” She said, “Do you need to rest?” I said, “Of course, not. I have too many things to do.”
And then I went back downstairs to spin my wheels some more.
Because, at least if I’m spinning my wheels I feel like I’m doing something.
I realize that is a laughable statement, but likel...
2024-03-1406 minAwaken EngageLetting Go of the Outcome (41)“Do your best and let go of the outcome.” This was the advice of my fellow teacher and good friend, Jeff Goldman, as we were navigating what seemed like the impossible demands of our school in Washington, D.C. Jeff was older and wiser and lived a much more balanced life than I did at that time. I was finding myself burning out because I couldn’t do everything I was being asked at 100%. No one could.
At the time, I think there was at least a part of me that heard Jeff’s advice and felt like he didn’t care as...
2024-03-1304 minAwaken EngageAwaken (40)“Ultimately, what stands against the storms of extremism, the spread of untruths, and the threat of nihilism, is the awakened individual. Unless we find the inner truths of our own lives, and the underlying sense of unity that is secretly present in each soul, we inadvertently add to the growing darkness, divisions, and confusion that already threaten the world.
The uniqueness of each individual life is the treasure hard to find. It’s the secret of the elixir in the individual. It’s the eternal thread that secretly weaves through all living things.
The awakening, the healing, and the blossoming of our...
2024-03-1208 minAwaken EngageIn Praise of Consistency and Commitment (39)Excerpt: Commitment and consistency have been keys to countering this natural negativity bias, gaining new perspectives, building resilience, moving out of reactivity, and developing the cognitive/emotional/somatic awareness to respond to life in ways that are more loving, wiser, and creative.
For much of my life, I poo-pooed routine and consistency because they felt legalistic, formulaic, and too restrictive for my free spirit that loves to trust its intuition, act spontaneously, and not be fenced in.
The irony has been that my commitment to daily routines (such as ice baths, sitting meditation, breath retention, exercise, and writing) has helped free...
2024-03-1105 minAwaken EngageWhite Chocolate Badger (38)Excerpt: Editor’s Note: Our family plays a version of Uno that came to be called “White Chocolate Badger.” Here is the story behind the name, a story that was first told on an Idaho mountain summer morning to a young boy asking for a tall tale while waiting for the sun to rise.
Once upon a time, there was a lonely albino badger. He lived in a badger community with a badger family, but never seemed to fit in like the rest of the badgers.
2024-03-1003 minAwaken EngageSimply Becoming (37)Excerpt: "I’ll begin with the disclaimer that this piece should probably begin where it is ending, but it doesn’t, so here we go. Let’s see what happens.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “I’m simply interested in what is going to happen next. I don’t think I can control my life or my writing. Every other writer I know feels he is steering himself, and I don’t have that feeling. I don’t have that sort of control. I’m simply becoming. I’m startled that I became a writer.”
Studying literacy and composition in my undergrad, Vonnegut was a writer...
2024-03-0904 minAwaken EngageFinding Our Light Together (36)Excerpt: “A strong community helps people develop a sense of self, for only in community can the self exercise and fulfill its nature: giving and taking, listening and speaking, being and doing. But when community unravels and we lose touch with one another, the self atrophies and we lose touch with ourselves as well. Lacking opportunities to be ourselves in a web of relationships, our sense of self disappears, leading to behaviors that further fragment our relationships and spread the epidemic of inner emptiness” (Palmer, 39)
Parker Palmer penned these words in A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life in 2...
2024-03-0910 minAwaken EngageTarget Unlocked (35)I also noticed that my mind allowed itself to unlock from the targets. I didn’t try to figure out why I was thinking the way I was or solve any problems or write any new stories.
As soon as I felt into the sensations, they morphed, and the attached thoughts morphed with them. I noticed a whole world of possibilities within my cognition and belief systems that literally had not existed in my awareness 5 minutes before.
The creative unconscious at work.
Wow.
Jack Kornfield says, “If you become aware of your feelings, they don’t last very long. We feel lik...
2024-03-0705 minAwaken EngageUnilateral Virtue (34)Hanson says, “Virtue sounds lofty, but it’s actually down to earth. It simply means living from your innate goodness, guided by principle. When you are virtuous no matter what other people do, their behavior is not controlling you.
He continues, “As a therapist, I’ve seen many couples in which each person says essentially the same thing, “I’ll treat you well after you treat me well.” They’re stuck in a standoff — which neither of them truly wants - because they’re each letting the other person determine their behavior.
2024-03-0608 minAwaken EngageLet it Rise (33)February 13, 2016
St. Gertrude’s Spirit Center
On Retreat with Emily
“Each scene is beautiful, no matter what.” Sister Jerri as she was looking out over the Camas Prairie on a cloudy morning in which the sunrise was hidden from view.
2024-03-0503 minAwaken Engage(My)graine Story (32)During perhaps the third cycle of 4-7-8 breathing, I could feel deeper and deeper into the brain, which was like dry ramen noodles closely bunched together.
As soon as I noticed this felt image of “ramen-ness,” warm fluid began to flow into and around the dry noodles, loosening them, and softening them until they were saturated with liquid and flexible to all subtle movements.
At this point, my consciousn awareness gave way to the deep unconscious awareness and, while I was very awake and alert in this state of consciousness, I was there as an observer rather than an acti...
2024-03-0405 minAwaken EngageTime Passing Us By (31)I was surprised by it.
I know we are all getting older and I like how I am aging and how I am with this process. I am friends with death and have made my peace with it whenever and however it takes this body.
But there was something that caught me off-guard tonight.
2024-03-0304 minAwaken EngageNot a Tie Game (30)As we sat waiting for the overtime period to begin and I looked at the score tied at 49-49, I found myself thinking about how in less than 20 minutes one of these groups of teenagers would be filled with elation, excitement, joy, happiness, and all that comes from accomplishing a big goal.
And the other group of teenagers would be on the opposite side of that emotional spectrum, filled with disappointment, anger, jealousy, sadness, regret, remorse, longing, and disbelief.
And we, as sort of neutral spectators, were getting ready to witness these pairs of opposites played out in front of...
2024-03-0204 minAwaken EngageSomething in the Air at the End of this Road (29)In addition to the feeling in the air, today marks the end of this month’s challenge of writing a daily essay and podcasting it. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I have learned a lot. I am enjoying it. I am learning.
I never stopped doing ice baths. Today was 60-something in a row. Maybe I’ll just keep writing and podcasting, too. We’ll see. I’ll see.
What’s the next month-long challenge?
I’m not sure, yet.
2024-03-0103 minAwaken EngageLet’s See How This Goes (28)...a story that is unfolding in a brain that is whole and full and beloved and loved and lovely and healing and healed and ready to accept more and more this wave of life that caught it up and broke left when it was expected to break right, but broke Right when it broke left and somehow never really broke at all except to be emptied and filled up with the ocean of life and love that is always waiting to fill the vessel, Love that enjoys mixed metaphors, laughs extravagantly, despairs openly, lets the fires of existence burn hotly...
2024-02-2902 minAwaken EngagePower of Imagination (27)If we can create ulcers and myriad other diseases in our bodies from worrying and being in an anxious state of being, what can we “create” in our bodies from using the power of our imagination in positive ways and living out our lives from a place of equanimity, spacious awareness, welcoming presence, love, and joy?
2024-02-2802 minAwaken EngagePain, Numbing, and Welcoming Presence (26)Richard Miller, the founder of iRest Yoga Nidra, says, “Psychological, physical, and spiritual integration unfolds naturally when we cease trying to rid ourselves of our experience and instead open to the full spectrum of opposites.” (Yoga Nidra, p. 76. 2022).
Working with opposites, I would invite both sensations into awareness at the same time and then I would be daydreaming about something until my mind would come on and say, “Hey! Isn’t this supposed to be excruciating?”
To which the body would reply, “I’m not sure what you call it, but it is present. And, also present is such and such and such…Fe
2024-02-2709 minAwaken EngageSitting with My Teacher (25)ne night, one of my teachers and I sat on a bridge above a river. We watched thoughts coming and going.
All through the night.
As the thoughts came and drifted closer and became clearer, my teacher would say,
"Well, are you going to go for a ride on this one? Or let it pass you by?”
2024-02-2601 minAwaken EngageThe Pause that Refreshes (24)Akin to the ideas of relax/release and noticing the opening/closing of the heart, the pause that refreshes is a staple of recovery and continual healing.
It’s a simple concept, but not an easy practice.
2024-02-2503 minAwaken EngageBeyond the Cage (23)Right now, I’m feeling and being while thinking and doing.
They’re not really two sides of a see-saw.
I don’t have to get off of one side and watch the other side plummet to the ground.
They are kind of inseparable while we live in these bodies.
I am feeling and being while I am thinking and doing.
“Just as a desire leaps up,
And you perceive the flash, the sparkle,
Quit from its play,
And maintain awareness
In that clear and shining place
From which all desire springs.” (Radiance Sutras, p. 108)
2024-02-2405 minAwaken EngageHealing Sound (22)I don’t have the ambition to be a famous or renowned player. I don’t have the symptoms I used to have that drove me toward it.
What do I have?
I was wondering this and as I just sat with the uncertainty, the one passion that was the beginning passion re-emerged: these are healing vessels to be used to facilitate the awakening and healing and comforting and transporting of self and others.
A warm smile moved across my whole being as I felt the deep resonance with my heartfelt desire to be with others as they wake up to w...
2024-02-2305 minAwaken EngageWelcoming Presence (21)“We’re not coming together to help one another. We’re coming together to be with ourselves and with each other as we are, knowing that when we are with ourselves and others as we are, we cannot help but change.”
Truly, welcoming presence is at the heart of personal and interpersonal change.
As students are learning what it is like to be welcoming presence, they are watching themselves gradually change their relationships with fear, trauma, anxiety, depression, self-sabotage, habits, compulsions, sleep issues, relational issues, and life in general.
2024-02-2207 minAwaken EngageAhhh…the Breath (20)It is, during this small sample size, the most life-giving practice I have ever done upon waking in the morning. Even the ice baths have not energized my system like this. In so many ways, I have experienced a deep sense of equanimity (i.e., literally “even” “mind”) during this practice that is exquisite in its sensations and lasting effect on my being throughout the day.
Not to mention that my core temperature stays pretty much the same inside or out of the ice.
As I mentioned, I’m on my 16th day of this practice, and it continues to light me u...
2024-02-2107 minAwaken EngageReady and Willing (19)Reflecting back is different than processing in and through.
I haven’t read those journals since I wrote them. But I know they are raw and real and that they hold moments and anecdotes and breakthroughs and breakdowns that others need to hear who are on a similar journey or are walking alongside someone in such a place.
Soon, I will begin the project of bringing that journey to life and sharing a story that is universal in its message but also distinctly mine.
2024-02-2004 minAwaken EngageRhythm (18)This composing music and writing and, well, living is all kind of a great science experiment to me these days. And that science experiment is much about rhythm.
There is a certain music and rhythm playing in the background of this experiment and it is a combination of even and odd meters, fast and slow tempos, and filled with dynamic range.
It is a flexible rhythm that seems to be what I need it to be when I need it to be.
2024-02-1904 minAwaken EngageEvery Moment, New (17)What if we don’t have to wait until later to live the life we’re waiting to live?
2024-02-1804 minAwaken EngageI’m Proud of You (16)It is monumental, my friends. The change. The recovery. The healing. The incredible amount of work that I have personally put in to get here. The choice to live a different life than the one my brain looked like it could live.
I am here, being and doing. It is grace and it is effort. They go together.
2024-02-1705 minAwaken EngageTo Build a Swing (15)In choosing to be with life as it is as we are, we begin to know ourselves more deeply, we begin to remember who we are and what we have, and we begin to see that what we need is here, now, waiting for us to mix it, to choose it, and to experience a joy and wholeness and peace and love that is beyond the changing phenomena of this world.
2024-02-1605 minAwaken EngageI Feel Ya (14)And the way back here is always through the senses in some way or another. These bodies are exquisite in their wisdom and in helping us return Home when we have gotten lost in the labyrinthian corridors of the mind.
Since we cannot think and feel something at the same time, the quickest way to step back from the mind and release my hold on it is to just feel the senses.
2024-02-1504 minAwaken EngageTapping Out (13)"By far, the most courageous moments in my life, the ones that required the most strength, the ones that required the most will power were the moments when listening to wisdom meant tapping out."
2024-02-1403 minAwaken EngageBeing With What Comes Next (12)Navigating the intersection of living in the present and preparing for the future, the author explores the challenge of maintaining a restful presence amidst struggles like chronic pain or terminal illness. Reflecting on ice bath meditations, a moment of clarity emerges: one can only tackle challenges one at a time. This realization brings a visceral sense of relief and allows the author to stay present, coping with worry and planning by embracing the here and now. This insight echoes Nkosi Johnson's ethos—doing what one can with what they have in the given moment.
2024-02-1305 minAwaken EngageTake a Step Back (11)During the Super Bowl, the writer practiced the self-awareness technique of "taking a step back" to observe their reactions and maintain an open heart amidst emotional investment in the game. Noticing physical cues of reactivity, the writer found the experience enriched by being consciously present rather than reactive, leading to deeper enjoyment with family. The practice highlighted the transience of such events and the benefits of mindful engagement.
2024-02-1204 minAwaken EngageThe Long Game (10)Once mesmerized by the immediate triumphs of short sports events, the writer now values the long game, recognizing the significance of lifelong consistency and commitment. They have learned to appreciate the daily grind and making the most of the present, embracing the rewards of enduring the mundane. This perspective extends to their writing process, acknowledging the personal growth that comes from perseverance despite discomfort, as articulated by Oliver Burkeman. The realization that the most rewarding outcomes are a result of sustained effort reflects lessons from a farming upbringing, where success is a collective, long-term endeavor.
2024-02-1104 minAwaken EngageTake This From You (9)Reflecting on a phrase commonly said by his parents, the writer grasps its profound meaning after becoming a parent himself: the desire to absorb loved ones' pain. He recognizes painful experiences as necessary for growth, akin to the butterfly's struggle out of its cocoon. While yearning to shield his children from adolescent hardships, he acknowledges these challenges are essential for their development and independence, yet reassures them of his unconditional support.
2024-02-1003 minAwaken EngageFear is a Thing (8)A survivor of an early COVID-19 infection, the author recounts a harrowing night of repeated suffocation without medical care, leading to PTSD. Encountering fear as an object, they embarked on a transformative journey. Utilizing practices like Yoga Nidra and Wim Hof's breathing exercises, the author learned to manage fear, viewing it as a passing thing, shedding its remnants, and embracing a secure sense of self. Echoing Michael Meade's words, they acknowledge fear as a guide towards self-discovery and growth, learning to let go and welcome life's lessons.
2024-02-0906 minAwaken EngageReady or Not (7)Writing and publishing a public-facing exhibit and podcast is more of a challenge than getting in a tub of icebergs. A little known way to completely quiet the mind of all sensical and meaningful content is to decide that you must write some of that content every day and share it. Thoughts be gone. I’m now setting a writing timer for 15 minutes to up the ante here. I now have 14:22 left. I began the day by taking a photo of an almost-empty peanut butter jar, feeling it had something to do with what needed said. Well, I think
2024-02-0804 minAwaken Engage”Quiet Here” (6)As I write today, my mind is quiet and still, like a placid lake on an early summer morning right before the sunrise. Very still. Very quiet. Smooth. Indistinct. Undisturbed. Gentle. Calm. At ease. There’s not much to say. It’s quiet in here today. Very quiet. Very still. Smooth. Indistinct. Spacious. Open. Like a pebble plopping, a thought drops. And is immersed and surrounded by spacious, quiet waters. Pebble plops. Thought drops. Now floating down until it rests on the lake floor. A few ripples begin their journey outward in all directions. But they are small, quiet, easy, ripples. An
2024-02-0704 minAwaken EngageI Am Enough (5)On day 5 of a 30-day writing and podcasting challenge to foster growth, the author reflects on self-compassion developed over 8 years and recovery from brain injury. They describe a past filled with self-criticism and seeking external validation, now replaced with self-love and healthier relationship dynamics. Writing meets the challenge's criteria of resistance, daily effort, and action, aligning with their commitment to continual growth and self-acceptance.
2024-02-0605 minAwaken EngageSpotted Tigers (4)Encountering a majestic spotted tiger while retrieving a basketball, the writer experienced an unshakeable inner peace, contrasting with years of sleep paralysis characterized by terrifying visions. Facing these fears led to an awareness of an unwavering loving presence within. This realization, likened to equanimity, outlasted the encounter and transformed the author's perspective on fear and existence.
2024-02-0503 minAwaken EngageOthers (3)The author reflects on accepting oneself and the world, highlighted by their yoga teacher’s poignant reminder that while each person is special, they are not separate from others. This lesson is threaded through their experiences, particularly during their daughter’s volleyball game, where competitive emotions stirred old rivalries and judgements. The story evolves into a metaphor of water and waves to illustrate individual uniqueness within the collective whole, emphasizing the importance of competition alongside kinship. This balance is crucial for meaning and connection.
2024-02-0409 minAwaken EngageInner Voices (2)Begun as a challenge to write and publish daily, the author reflects on the phenomenon of the internal narrator, originally triggered by audiobook exposure in their pre-teens. They describe how this narrative voice grew intrusive, recounting every life experience. The author highlights the importance of mindfulness and being selective about sensory input. Their morning ritual—including an ice bath and meditation—illustrates a newfound ability to manage the narrator, finding peace in the clarity and stillness that comes from being present and engaged with life directly, rather than through constant internal commentary.
2024-02-0306 minAwaken EngageLet it Be (1)The Ice Bath Meditations challenge ends, and the writer embarks on a new task to script and share a short musing daily, even as they navigate feelings of life being adrift. The day's theme revolves around accepting the rainy present instead of longing for spring, leading to contentment and an appreciation for the natural cycle of life.
2024-02-0303 minAwaken EngageCatching the Morning LightCatching the morning light. Today was the first day post-Ice-Bath-Meditations. I didn’t really have a plan for this morning except to listen and watch. When I awoke, it was still in the 4 a.m. range. So, I sat in silence for a bit, put on my shorts and flip flops, walked outside, and then sat in the ice bath for awhile. Just feeling. Just experiencing. Just being so thankful for all that was passing through my awareness. Relax and release. Let it Be. Let it Go. Let it In. Step out of reactivity and step into life as it is
2024-02-0102 minAwaken EngageDay 31: Ice Bath Meditations (finale of the series)Day 31: (Air: 40° / H2O: 45°) I step out of reactivity and I step into the ice bath, allowing myself to accept and feel what is in my body. I embrace what is present. I step out of reactivity and into life, here and now. I step into this moment. Here I am now I am here I am now I am here I am… Being with life as it is as I am.
2024-01-3105 minAwaken EngageDay 30: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 30: (Air: 35° / H2O: 45°) Attitude of Gratitude 😊😊 Being with life as it is as I am Eyes of a child Wonder and awe Releasing labels and judgment Seeing and feeling for the first time Welcoming and inviting opposites Pairing Loving Awareness with each moment
2024-01-3006 minAwaken EngageDay 29: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 29: (Air: 34° / H2O: 46°)Embracing vulnerabilityPracticing stepping into the clearingBeing welcoming, loving presence to all that arisesWorking with opposites/polaritiesCore human needs: to be seen, heard, connected, belongGentle WarriorStand in the clearing and do not defend myselfI am safe with myselfWelcoming all that arisesI am unchanging loving awarenessHere I am now I am here I am now I am here I am…
2024-01-2909 minAwaken EngageDay 28: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 28: (Air: 38° F / H2O: 35° F)Feel it“I didn’t quit. I’m just not smoking today.”Echoes. Connection.Hear. Speak. Remind. Forget. Hear. Speak….I can’t take tomorrow’s ice bath, today.Do I have what it takes to be with life as it is as I am, right now?I am safe with myself.I am here, now.Here, now is the only place/time I can ever Be.Sitting in the seat of conscious awareness.I am aware that I am aware.Life is. We are.Here we are now we are here we are now we are…
2024-01-2808 minAwaken EngageDay 27: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 27: (Air: 39° / H2O: 35°)Here I am now I am here I am now I am…Come to your sensesBeing welcoming, loving presenceBeing with life as it is as we arePracticing presenceLearning to trust ourselvesI am safe with myselfHafiz #mindfulness #coldtherapy #yoga #awakenengage #fullypresentfullyalive #icebath #yoganidra #nsdr #irest #irestyoganidra #amrityoganidra #loveyourbrain #integrativerestoration #resiliencytraining #tbisurvivor #concussionawareness #concussiontreatment #coldplunge #coldplungetherapy #brainhealth
2024-01-2707 minAwaken EngageDay 26: Ice Bath MeditationsIn March of 2020, I was on my way to ending my life. As I drove toward the backcountry, despair gripped my whole being and I had decided to make it all just stop. In the midst of my desperation, I heard the words of one my teachers, Richard Miller: “I always have the right response to every situation.” It wasn’t just his words that appeared in that moment, it was his presence. I stopped the car, got out, and felt the crunch of gravel underneath my feet. I heard the gentle babbling brook. I felt the cool crispness of
2024-01-2604 minAwaken EngageDay 25: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 25: (Air: 36° F / H2O: 33° F)Intention guiding and supporting commitmentStay awake, alert, and openNoticing and being with the present experienceWorking with the past and future in the presentSitting in the seat of conscious awarenessBeing with life as it is as I amHands and feet are adjusting to the coldStay open. Just don’t close.I am aware that I am aware.
2024-01-2505 minAwaken EngageDay 24: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 24: (Air: 33° F / H2O: 33° F)GratitudeLoved and LovingWho am I? Where am I? When am I? What am I?Watching the mind, feeling the body.Who is watching? Who is feeling?I am unchanging loving awareness,in which the ever-changing flow of life arises.
2024-01-2406 minAwaken EngageDay 23: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 23: (Air: 36° F / H2O: 33° F)Step out of reactivity and into the moment.Accept and feel what is in the body.Embrace what is present.Breathing in, I calm myself; breathing out, I smile.Unconscious incompetence.Conscious incompetence.Conscious competence.Unconscious competence.
2024-01-2305 minAwaken EngageDay 22: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 22: (Air: 37° F Rain / H2O: 33° F)Lesson Learned 🥶😬Enacting the will / Visualize it / Do itIntention: Step out of reactivity andallow myself to accept and feel what is in the body.Acknowledge feelings. Feel them.Embrace what is present.Engaging with my curriculum.Wake up. Love. Live.
2024-01-2203 minAwaken EngageDay 21: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 21: (Air: 39° F / H2O: 32.6° F)Stay open. Just don’t stop it. Just don’t prevent it.That which we welcome cannot bind us.We have the right response to every situation.Giving/Receiving. Exhaling/Inhaling.The breath is our teacher and guide.Moving from thinking and doing to feeling and being.
2024-01-2107 minAwaken EngageDay 20: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 20: (Air: 31° F / H2O: 32.2°)Being with what isFeeling sensationHarnessing the power of the thinking mindSitting in the seat of conscious awareness4:7:8 BreathPhysiological BreathActivating the PNS (relax and release)
2024-01-2007 minAwaken Engage”Hang Loosed”“Hang Loosed” is an original composition…in progress 😁😁. I think you’ll need 🎧🎧 to enhance the enjoyment. Played on a PanArt 2nd Gen Hang Kurd
2024-01-2005 minAwaken EngageDay 19: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 19: (Air: 29° F / H2O: 32.2° F)Step out of the “cascade” of negativityDo this thing and the next thing the right wayTapping into self-compassion and will powerBreathing in, I calm myself;Breathing out, I smile 😁Moving from thinking and doing toFeeling and Being.Bliss. Senses wide open.
2024-01-1905 minAwaken EngageDay 18: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 18 (Air: 22° F / H20: 32° F)Autogenics (Schultz and Luthe, 1969) It is in the present that we experiencereal peace, love, and wisdom (Hanson) Joy doesn’t hibernate (Blair) Learning how to be with life as it is as I am. I am safe with myself.
2024-01-1806 minAwaken EngageDay 17: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 17: (Air: 15° F / H2O: 32.2° F)Conscious AwarenessSitting in the Seat of Conscious AwarenessFeeling and Being / Thinking and DoingNoticing When in the SimulatorSeries of Scientific Inquiries and Experiments
2024-01-1703 minAwaken EngageDay 16: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 16 (Air: 2° F / H20: 32.2° F)Feels like: -6° F Wind Chill Working with Anticipation of UnknownFun Series of Experiments and InquiriesWelcome What ArisesDo ItWe Have the Right Response to Every SituationUsing the Practice to Be Aware in the PresentI Am Safe with MyselfSo Good. So Thankful. ☺️🤲🏽
2024-01-1603 minAwaken EngageDay 15: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 15: (Air: 5° F / H2O: 32.4° F)Welcoming and Feeling What ArisesDeeply Acknowledging What is PresentCompassion Leading to Wisdom and ActionAllowing Life to Live Through MeLoving Self and OthersTrue Self and Transformation
2024-01-1505 minAwaken EngageDay 14: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 14: (Air: 15° F / H2O: 32.2°)Finding and Following the BreathBeing “With” and Not Just Pushing “Through”Listening, Welcoming, Responding with WisdomBreathing in, I Calm Myself; Breathing Out, I SmileNoticing that Which is Constant
2024-01-1404 minAwaken EngageDay 13: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 13: (Air: 6° F / H2O: 32.4° F)Let it Be What it IsComing to the SensesMoving Away from JudgmentMoving Toward CuriosityBeing Welcoming Presence
2024-01-1304 minAwaken EngageDay 8: Ice Bath MeditationsDay 8: (Air: 19°F / H2O: Ice 🧊😂)SmileBreathing in, I calm myself; breathing out, I smile.It is well with my soul.I am unchanging loving awareness in which the ever-changing flow of life arises.May we be the love we seek to find in our world.
2024-01-0803 min
Awaken Engage"Land of Magic" on CFoulke Magic VoyaGe(r)"Land of Magic" is an improv piece inspired by Carlos Rodrigues (Kabecao). I love the chilled out vibe of this rhythm when used slowly and with lots of room to breathe. Seems to work really well with this pan.
Pantam: CFoulke Magic VoyaGe(r)
2023-03-2402 minAwaken EngageA Practice of Letting Go and ReceivingLa Illaha. Il Allahu. A practice that helps us give back what we no longer need and to receive what is present in the moment. Each moment. Every moment. Each breath. Every breath.
2019-12-1900 minAwaken EngageLongest Night“Can you endure silence? Are you a night fighter? Or more a child bored with outgrown toys trying to win at tip-the-cat?” ~ Rumi This composition arose during a long night and celebrates the long nights of our souls as we approach the longest night of the year. A night that corresponds with a very … Continue reading "Longest Night"
2019-12-1600 minAwaken EngageLongest Night“Can you endure silence? Are you a night fighter? Or more a child bored with outgrown toys trying to win at tip-the-cat?” ~ Rumi This composition arose during a long night and celebrates the long nights of our souls as we approach the longest night of the year. A night that corresponds with a very difficult time of the year for many, even as celebrations and festivities are in full swing. Follow the composition’s ebbs and flows: Deep thuds of the beating heart fill space as they communicate with the mind’s chorus…and then all dissolves into silence and spaciousness
2019-12-1600 min2019-12-1200 min2019-12-1200 min2019-12-0900 minAwaken EngageFoglifter🎧 Early one autumn morning, I stood next to my son watching the fog lift off of Payette Lake. A sacred moment. Today, I sat at the handpan and breathed and listened and let the rhythm of the moment move my hands. As soon as I finished, I thought of my son, the cool early … Continue reading "Foglifter"
2019-12-0800 minAwaken EngageFoglifter🎧 Early one autumn morning, I stood next to my son watching the fog lift off of Payette Lake. A sacred moment. Today, I sat at the handpan and breathed and listened and let the rhythm of the moment move my hands. As soon as I finished, I thought of my son, the cool early morning air on that autumn morning, and the fog’s mystical dance. Enjoy. Listen with headphones or on a quality stereo system if at all possible. 🎧☺️🎧🙏🏽🎧☺️🎧
2019-12-0800 minAwaken EngageUnmasking OurselvesA reflection and guided meditation…and some handpan ☺️. Note: If you just want the Guided Meditation, scrub to 8:50 on the audio track. What masks do you wear? What do you see in the mirror? Who do you see in the mirror? How can you live from your fullest and truest self throughout the day? … Continue reading "Unmasking Ourselves"
2019-12-0800 min2019-12-0700 minAwaken EngageThe Practice of NoticingWhat is asking for your attention today, right now? What wants to be seen, heard, connected with, and noticed? What do you do with “unwanted” sensations, feelings, and thoughts? If we want to live in the present, this is a muscle we have to develop.
2019-12-0700 min2019-03-1200 min2019-03-1200 minAwaken EngageGene’s Song: A Farewellhttps://youtu.be/3BY7CmQWOf4
Gene’s Song While playing at the assisted living center this morning, one of our friends was passing away in his room. It is hard to describe the emotions from that scene. As we sat together, watching the flow of friends and family coming to pay their respects, a song emerged for the moment. This is our song, Gene’s Song. So often, in our culture, death is hidden away from public view and we have few experiential “muscles” to help us through these times until we are faced wi...
2019-03-0700 min
The SURVIVAL SHOW#012 Survival Fitness - Get Strong - Stay Strong with Special Guest Dr. Brian JonesHow Physically Fit Are You? Do You Have the Endurance and Strength to Survive a Disaster? Let's Talk Fitness with Dr. Brian Jones Our Special Guest. Grab Your Tiny SURVIVAL Guide Here: https://kck.st/2Hj3Xig
Get the Show Notes HERE: @ TheSurvivalShow.com
EXCLUSIVE - A Limited Number of Tiny SURVIVAL GUIDES Are Available to Patreon Subscribers (Shipping NOW!): www.TheSurvivalShow.com
Additional Resources - From David and Craig...
Live Training Classes @ Nature Reliance School: www.NatureReliance.org (Craig’s School)
YouTube - Nature Reliance School (Craig’s Channel)
YouTube - Ultimate Survival Tips (David’s Channel)
MSK-1 Survival Knife...
2019-02-1052 minAwaken EngageMountain WeatherMountain weather. Few things have helped me more than mountain weather to find my way through the myriad seasons of life. Why? Mountain weather viscerally reminds me of who and what I truly am: unchanging awareness in which the ever-changing flow of life arises…and falls away…and arises…and falls away. Dark clouds. Sunlight. Fog. Mist. Rain. Wind. Calm. All in a 5-minute span. Thoughts. Emotions. Beliefs. Physical sensations. All come. And all pass through us and away. What is it that they pass through? How do we connect to what is unchanging and enduring and whole and full of hop...
2018-11-0500 minAwaken EngageRehab and Restoration: A Story of WholenessA practice called Integrative Restoration (also known as iRest) saved and transformed my life. I recorded this off-the-cuff almost a year ago for a group of friends, leaders, businessmen, athletes, and family who were interested in the practice. It is my deeply personal and highly practical account of rehabilitating from brain damage, a process that continues to this day. If you are in rehab, struggling in life, dealing with anxiety, sleep deficient, unable to focus/concentrate, or just want to live a more full, whole, joyful, loving, and happy life, I think you will greatly benefit from this podcast and...
2017-08-3100 minAwaken EngageConfessions of a Claustrophobe: The Real Story Behind My MRII don’t like tight spaces. Never have. As a kid on the playground, I was one of those children who would absolutely, completely lose it if I was on the bottom of a dogpile. I’d access craziness in a way that would have landed me a leading role in Mad Max. I still stop breathing every time I see a dogpile. In fact, a friend was recently asking me about going rafting. No thanks. I’m not a fan of water. Why? Being underwater has to be one of the biggest fears of a claustropobe. You’re completely and utte...
2017-06-1000 min
Red Bull Music AcademyWilliam Basinski - For David Robert Jones [LAndscape Premiere]None may be better suited to crafting eulogies than William Basinski. The composer who graced us with the melancholy masterpiece Disintegration Loops now turns his gaze to David Bowie. Today marks the one year anniversary of Bowie's passing and so we humbly premiere Basinski's tribute 'For David Robert Jones.' This hymn for the music hero will be released January 20th on Temporary Residence Ltd. Keep your ears on RBMA Radio because Los Angeles resident Basinski will soon appear as a guest on Frosty's weekly LAndscape program.
@william-basinski
@temporary-residence-ltd-1
rbmaradio.com/shows/landscape
redbullmusicacademy.com
2017-01-1020 min