Shows
Writers at the WellNovelist Paula Saunders on Starting from Here, and Writing as an Act of CompassionJoin novelist Paula Saunders as she discusses her moving autobiographical novel Starting from Here, just out from Penguin Random House. A stand-alone sequel to The Distance Home, the novel follows 15-year old René through the challenges of adolescence within the pressure cooker of cultural and socioeconomic stressors. Saunders draws from her own experiences as a ballet dancer. She shares her spiritual journey, particularly her practice of Buddhism, and references beloved teachers teachers Toni Morrison, Doug Unger, and Tobias Wolff. Paula describes how writing has helped her integrate the past, and instilled in her a more compassionate relationship to her y...
2025-08-2648 min
Heart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 9: Seeing through the Eyes of Your HeartAs part of an ongoing series of short awakening practices, this meditation focuses on devotedly abiding in the silent presence of the heart. It can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct...
2025-06-0910 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 8: Flowering HeartThis is part of an ongoing series of short awakening practices. This particular practice helps you connect not just with your emotional heart--which opens and closes--but with your spiritual heart, the sacred heart, that is always open and vast as awareness itself. The sacred heart connects us all. Use this meditation in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of...
2025-06-0409 min
Writers at the WellNovelist Karen Dukess on Writing with a Spirit of PlayNovelist Karen Dukess talks about daring to write with joy and the fun she had with her new book, Welcome to Murder Week. Karen is the author of The Last Book Party and Welcome to Murder Week, (6/10/25). She contributed to the forthcoming anthology Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen's Unsung Characters. Karen lives outside of New York City and in Truro on Cape Cod, where she interviews some of today’s most acclaimed writers as host of the Castle Hill Author Talks for the Truro Center for the Arts. Find Karen on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and her we...
2025-06-031h 02Heart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 7: Open and Relax into BeingThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke...
2025-05-2508 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 6: Your Fundamental BeingThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke...
2025-05-1807 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 5: Making Eye ContactThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...
2025-04-1605 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 4: Embracing the "I Am"This is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...
2025-04-0905 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 3: The Light of the WorldThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...
2025-03-3107 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 2: Mind Like SkyThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...
2025-03-2405 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 1: Effortless AwarenessThis is part of a series of awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke...
2025-03-1705 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practices: IntroductionThis is an introduction to a series of short practical meditations I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...
2025-03-1302 minHeart Haven MeditationsDr. Samra Zafar on Attuning to the Voice of LoveInternationally renowned speaker, physician, and author Dr. Samra Zafar speaks with Tess about her new book Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future, which explores breaking free from old conditioning and embracing self-acceptance. She shares her journey from an abusive marriage to building a better life, emphasizing the importance of meditation, visualization, and unlearning. Zafar highlights the concept of "parts work" therapy to understand and heal different aspects of oneself. She stresses the significance of solitude, self-compassion, and community in personal growth. Zafar also underscores the power of self-trust, mentorship, and the courage to pursue dreams, despite...
2025-02-021h 08
Writers at the WellDr. Samra Zafar on Breaking Old Patterns to Transform Your FutureInternationally renowned speaker and physician Dr. Samra Zafar speaks with Tess about her new book Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future, which explores breaking free from old conditioning and embracing self-acceptance. She shares her journey from an abusive marriage to building a better life, emphasizing the importance of meditation, visualization, and unlearning. Zafar highlights the concept of "parts work" therapy to understand and heal different aspects of oneself. She stresses the significance of solitude, self-compassion, and community in personal growth. Zafar also underscores the power of self-trust, mentorship, and the courage to pursue dreams, despite fear...
2025-01-291h 09
Writers at the WellAuthor Laura Munson on Opening to AweBestselling author Laura Munson talks with Tess Callahan about her new book, THE WILD WHY: STORIES AND TEACHINGS TO UNCOVER YOUR WONDER, which she describes as a "teaching memoir" designed for people who think they are not creative. She discusses the value of intuition and wonder both in the writing life and everyday living. She offers tips for managing empathy and cultivating a firm but friendly relationship with one's inner critic. Laura shows us how wonder and awe are the wellsprings of creativity. She shares examples from her life, including a time when patience and curiosity led to a...
2025-01-131h 03Heart Haven MeditationsCalm Clarity: Guided MeditationIn moments of personal or collective anxiety it is easy to feel thrown. This meditation offers an opportunity to cultivate calm clarity through attuning to your heart. Life requires us to walk through many portals, some more challenging than others. Hard times allow us to discover who we are, to find our mettle. This meditation invites you to open to whatever life presents you in this moment, to feel the weather in your heart, to be curious. When we allow the inner waters to become still, we find the clarity we need to respond to life with wisdom and...
2024-12-0531 minHeart Haven MeditationsInterview with Writer Manda Scott: Shamanic Practice, Creative Vision & Systemic ChangeAward-winning novelist, teacher, and podcaster Manda Scott talks with Tess Callahan about her shamanic spiritual practice, her new Thrutopian novel ANY HUMAN POWER, and her highly acclaimed podcast Accidental Gods. Tess and Manda discuss dreams, visions, and the liminal states between waking, sleeping, life, and death. Manda encourages writers to create new narratives that will pave the way to the systematic changes our world needs.Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, Manda's previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards, and won the McIllvanney Prize. Her latest novel...
2024-11-271h 06
Writers at the WellNovelist Manda Scott on Thrutopian Fiction and Creating a Roadmap for the FutureAward-winning novelist, teacher, and podcaster Manda Scott talks with Tess Callahan about her shamanic spiritual practice, her new Thrutopian novel ANY HUMAN POWER, and her highly acclaimed podcast Accidental Gods. Tess and Manda discuss dreams, visions, and the liminal states between waking, sleeping, life, and death. Manda encourages writers to create new narratives that will pave the way to the systematic changes our world needs.Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, Manda's previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards, and won the McIllvanney Prize. Her latest novel...
2024-11-211h 07
Writers at the WellSculptor/Poet Don Freas on Taking Creative LeapsJoin sculptor/poet Don Freas, author of In-Between: Creativity Set Free and Swallowing the World: New and Selected Poems, in a rich exploration of the relationship between meditation and creativity. Don takes us on a deep dive into the “material meditation” of making art. “When you look back,” he says, “your own accrued shape appears in the spaces between the things you’ve fashioned.”Don holds an MFA in Poetry from Bennington College and lives in Olympia, Washington, where he exhibits at Childhood’s End Art Gallery. Visit www.DonFreas.com to learn more and follow Don on instagram@don...
2024-11-071h 08
Writers at the WellNovelist/Essayist Mar'ce Merrell on Daring Yourself in Life and on the PageJoin novelist, essayist, and canoe adventurer Mar’ce Merrell as she unpacks her spiritual and creative toolbox, sharing how she uses meditation to move through stuck places in life and on the page. Mar’ce describes some of her extraordinary life-and-death moments in the canoe, how she learned to work with water and not against it, and how her life has unfolded in the gap between the impossible and the possible. Mar’ce is the author of the YA novel Wicked Sweet. Her stories and essays include: “Water Calls, Water Holds” (Embrace Your Divine Flow), "Architecture as Reconciliat...
2024-10-241h 19Heart Haven MeditationsInterview with Writer Alan Watt: Evolving through Meditation and WritingNovelist, screenwriter, and founder of LA Writers' Lab Alan Watt tells host Tess Callahan his extraordinary experience of recovering a childhood memory through meditation. This memory from infancy, preverbal and terrifying, had already begun to surface through the writing of his novel, Diamond Dogs. Watt asserts that the desire to write is connected to the desire to evolve. He first began meditating decades ago to help with insomnia. His practice calmed his nervous system, lessened anxiety, and helped him sleep. With his mind stabilized, the repressed memory was able to surface and be healed. In spirituality and in writing...
2024-10-2350 minHeart Haven MeditationsHeart Alchemy MeditationDrawing from ancient wisdom traditions and inspired by Ram Dass, this timeless meditation invites you to bathe in liquid love, release sadness and loneliness from your heart, and become an instrument for peace, light, and love. The meditation begins with a relaxing body scan before focusing on the heart. You are invited to visualize a wisdom figure whose heart connects to yours. This being lovingly receives any old energies and patterns you wish to let go of. The meditation ends with a lovingkindenss practice. Relax and enjoy this gentle alchemical experience. Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke....
2024-10-1725 min
Writers at the WellScreenwriter/Novelist Alan Watt on Writing as a Desire to EvolveNovelist, screenwriter, and founder of LA Writers' Lab Alan Watt talks with host Tess Callahan about his creative process, meditation, and the meaning he finds in teaching. He discusses the writing of his award winning novel Diamond Dogs and his many popular books on writing. Watt asserts that the desire to write is connected to the desire to evolve. In both his writing and meditation practices, Watt is all about inquiry. In this interview, he encourages you to give yourself permission to write, to exorcise whatever within you wants to be freed, to assert your boundaries, and to release...
2024-10-1650 min
Heart Haven MeditationsCan Life Meditate Us? A Talk on the novel DAWNLANDFriends, this episode is a departure from my usual offerings. I will return to meditations and occasional interviews after my mini book tour, but today I'm talking about my novel DAWNLAND, and what IT has to do with meditation, particularly the question: Do we sometimes meditate by accident? And if so, what’s happening there? Inadvertent meditation might seem like an oxymoron. We usually associate meditation with intention and focus. Even devotion. But I think there are moments when life meditates us. And the more we practice, the more we open ourselves for this to happen spontaneously. The characters in...
2024-09-0309 minHeart Haven MeditationsCreativity as Divine Play: Talk & Meditation on LilaCreativity flows when our hearts and minds are open, and tightens when we grasp onto particular ideas of outcome. It tends to hide from us when we take ourselves too seriously. Lightness of spirit is key. "Lila" is a Hindu term that has many layers. It describes the effortless play between the relative world and the absolute. Lila manifests when when fullness, unable to contain itself, spills over into creation. This episode includes a 7-minute talk about creativity that alludes to Carl Jung's method of Active Imagination and the benefits of paying attention to our dreams. If you wish...
2024-07-2916 minHeart Haven MeditationsOpen Awareness Ocean Expanse MeditationOpen awareness is a non-referential meditation, meaning you don’t use any reference point such as the breath or the body to keep your mind focused. Those focal points are useful as first, but as you progress, they can hold you back. In open awareness, your attention rests with everything that’s happening. To this end, you meditate with your eyes gently open. Normally our eyes are trained to focus on a single object. Here, you softly take in everything in your field of vision simultaneously, particularly the periphery, the way you might gaze at a wide expanse of ocea...
2024-05-1521 minHeart Haven MeditationsInterview with Writer Mar'ce Merrell: Bridging the Gap Between the Impossible and the PossibleJoin novelist, essayist, and canoe adventurer Mar’ce Merrell as she unpacks her spiritual and creative toolbox, sharing how she uses meditation to move through stuck places in life and on the page. Mar’ce describes some of her extraordinary life-and-death moments in the canoe, how she learned to work with water and not against it, and how her life has unfolded in the gap between the impossible and the possible. Mar’ce is the author of the novel Wicked Sweet, a Barnes & Noble Best Summer Read pick for Young Adults. Her stories and essays include: “Water Calls, Wat...
2024-04-291h 11Heart Haven MeditationsTranquil Shamatha Short VersionThis is a shorter version of Episode 71 "Tranquil Ocean Shamatha," with a bit less instruction. Shamatha or “peaceful abiding” helps stabilize the mind by cultivating a steady awareness of the object of meditation, in this case, the breath. You can do the same practice using alternative anchors such as bodily sensations or sounds. Staying present to an anchor provides scaffolding or training wheels to help keep your mind focused. Over time, practicing Shamatha meditation steadies you inwardly. You learn to calmly witness your thoughts without being triggered by them. Eventually, this leads to a natural decrease in unhelpful thoughts. Very f...
2024-04-1815 min
Heart Haven MeditationsTranquil Ocean Shamatha Meditation Shamatha, which means “peaceful abiding” or “tranquility," is the foundational meditation of Buddhist practice. It helps stabilize the mind by cultivating a steady awareness of the object of meditation, in this case, the breath. You can do the same practice using alternative anchors such as bodily sensations or sounds. Staying present to an anchor provides scaffolding or training wheels to help keep your mind focused. Once you become proficient at Shamatha, you no longer need an object of meditation. Meditating without an anchor or reference point is known as Open Awareness. Over time, practicing Shamatha meditation steadies you inwardly. You learn...
2024-03-2227 min
Heart Haven MeditationsLovingkindness 10-minute MettaLovingkindness, also known as "metta," is a Buddhist practice of cultivating good will and positive regard toward yourself and others. The practice invites us to expand the good will of our hearts to reach ever widening circles, extending to loved ones, neutral acquaintances, difficult people, animals, and the planet itself. A longer version of this meditation can be found under the title "Lovingkindness Deep Immersion." Whether done on the meditation pillow or spontaneously in the course of a day, metta has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety and increase compassion for oneself and others. It is a powerful...
2024-02-2109 min
Heart Haven MeditationsInterview with Sculptor/Poet Don Freas: Meditation and the Creative LeapJoin sculptor and poet Don Freas, author of In-Between: Creativity Set Free and Swallowing the World: New and Selected Poems, in a rich exploration of the relationship between meditation and creativity. Don describes how his practice of Liangong, a form of Qigong, deepens his somatic awareness in the studio and in life. He explains how his process of journaling, partly inspired by Robert A. Johnson’s book Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth, has deepened self-inquiry, and thereby, self-compassion. Don lets us in on his decades-long conversation with an inner wisdom figure he calls Sophie, a...
2024-02-141h 06
Heart Haven MeditationsLovingkindness Deep ImmersionMetta is a Buddhist practice of cultivating good will and positive regard toward yourself and others. A Pali word, metta means lovingkindness. The practice invites us to expand the good will of our hearts to reach ever widening circles, extending to loved ones, neutral acquaintances, difficult people, animals, and the planet itself. Whether done on the meditation pillow or spontaneously in the course of a day, metta has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety and increase compassion for oneself and others. It is a powerful life affirming practice. Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.
2024-02-0628 min
Heart Haven MeditationsNDE Guided VisualizationA rerecorded, remastered version of Episode 41, this guided visualization is based on a near-death experience described by Carl Jung in his memoir Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. Jung experienced this vision as he hung on the edge of death after a heart attack. Following a brief relaxation exercise, you will be guided through this vision as if you are experiencing it for yourself. Feel free to replace the particularities of this vision with your own and let it unfold as it wishes. This meditation is a deep dive to be undertaken with care. If you have a history of schizophrenia...
2024-01-3033 min
Heart Haven MeditationsWaking Dream Guided MeditationInspired by the work of Carl Jung, this practice of cultivating a "waking dream" helps you to access the wisdom of your subconscious. In Jungian psychology, this technique is called “Active Imagination." Episode 6 of this podcast offers a similar version of this guided visualization with different music. Jung recorded his waking visions in his extraordinary illustrated journal, The Red Book. His meditative technique was recreated by MJ Dorian on his podcast Creative Codex. For deeper instruction, read "Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth" by Robert A. Johnson. This meditation is a deep dive to be un...
2024-01-2331 min
Heart Haven MeditationsHeart Coherence Meditation 3: HealingThis is the 3rd of three progressive meditations inspired by Dr. Patrick MacManaway’s book Cultivating Your Light Body. It builds on the strength and stability developed in the first and second practices. Here, we continue cultivating heart-centered awareness in a cycle of witnessing, blessing, and renewal, and we take the further step of using these qualities to restore right relationship to current challenging issues in our lives. We restore a healthy relationship in the pathways of energy that connect us to other people, places, and times. This practice can be demanding on your energy and attention, particularly if it...
2024-01-1627 min
Heart Haven MeditationsHeart Coherence Meditation 2: Synchronizing This is the 2nd of three progressive meditations that build on each other, though each can also be done separately. They are inspired by practices taught by Dr. Patrick MacManaway in his book Cultivating Your Light Body. In this meditation we develop our awareness of heart-centered consciousness to include our primary alignment, the center spindle, or vertical axis of our personal globe of consciousness and intelligence, connecting those parts of us that belong to the realms above and below, these energies align and center themselves in our heart, and when in alignment and dynamic balance, k...
2024-01-0928 min
Heart Haven MeditationsHeart Coherence Meditation 1: Tuning InThis is the first of three progressive meditations that build on each other, though each can be done separately. Inspired by a practice taught by Dr. Patrick MacManaway in his book Cultivating Your Light Body, this initial meditation is simple and introductory in nature, but subtle and profound in effect. It is designed to guide your awareness toward the heart, and then to bring your awareness within the heart. From this point of source radiance, the practice then expands and integrates your awareness of self throughout your body and into your personal energetic space around you. It’s designed to...
2024-01-0224 min
Heart Haven MeditationsNew Beginnings: Affirmations for Inner SovereigntyInspired by Byron Katie, Al-Anon, and 12-Step, these simple affirmations encourage a fresh rewiring of old conditioning. Making the quality of your consciousness your highest priority is the most life-changing action you can take. Moment to moment, are you on autopilot or responding with intention and presence? The more we stop wasting energy trying to control others, the more personal agency is available to us, offering greater clarity and autonomy over our choices and habits. We stand in our own sovereignty--a powerful place to be.Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Audio Engineer: Eric Fischer of audio-refined.com.
2023-12-3107 min
Heart Haven MeditationsThrough the Veils to Your True Essence: Guided VisualizationIt's easy to forget who we really are, to rush through life without pausing to experience our true essence. Yet when we take this pause, we gain clarity, groundedness, and wisdom from which to respond to life wisely rather than reactively. Eckhart Tolle uses the phrases “Little Me” and "Deep I" to distinguish the part of you that runs around on the surface of life from the timeless presence at the core of your being. This guided visualization leads you down a hall of sheer silken rainbow veils that gently peel away the outer trappings of life and lead you...
2023-12-2023 min
Heart Haven MeditationsBedtime Gratitude MeditationSlip into sleep bathed in the golden light of gratitude. Collect and savor three small moments from your day. Studies show that a simple practice of gratitude can improve well-being, increase resilience, strengthen relationships, and reduce stress and depression. Plus, it's a sweet way to drift off to sleep! Relax and enjoy.Music and Audio by Eric FischerSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight Timer
2023-12-1109 min
Heart Haven MeditationsYoga Nidra Luminous Deep SleepThis luminous Yoga Nidra practice invites your body into deep restorative sleep while your mind, like a night-blooming flower, opens to formless awareness. Based on a similar meditation offered by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, this includes a complete body relaxation, 61-point exercise, and ascending breath practice. Yoga Nidra deepens meditation and unhooks the neuro-conditioning that keeps you stuck. Studies show regular practice alleviates stress, PTSD and improves wellbeing.Music: Christopher Lloyd ClarkeAudio Engineer: Eric Fischer of audio-refined. com Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Wr...
2023-12-011h 01
Heart Haven MeditationsRandom Gratitude: TalkStudies show that a practice of gratitude greatly enhances overall wellbeing. This talk offers a simple on-the-spot way to bring yourself into a state of grace, of flow, of alignment, whenever you need it in the midst of your day. I learned this technique from a teacher named Patrick MacManaway, and I heartily encourage you to give it a try. It is surprisingly powerful!Inspiration: Patrick MacManaway: https://patrickmacmanaway.com/Music: "When the Trees Sleep" by Six MissingAudio Engineer: Eric Fischer of audio-refined.com/Support the showH...
2023-11-2007 minHeart Haven MeditationsTrust Your Journey: TalkFriends, I'm taking a short break from posting meditations as I work on a deadline for my novel, DAWNLAND, due out next year. During this hiatus, I will post short talks from time to time when the spirit arises, inspired by whatever I happen to be grappling with at the moment. I wish you well.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke. Photo by Mario Dobelmann.Audio Engineering by Eric Fischer.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers...
2023-11-0803 min
Heart Haven MeditationsThe State of Your Heart: TalkFriends, I'm on a little break from posting meditations while I finish edits on my forthcoming novel, Dawnland, but will post talks from time to time. This short encouragement offers a simple way to check in with your heart as you endeavor to process difficult events in the world or in your life. I invite you to be gentle with the movements of your heart. Be kind to yourself.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke. Audio Engineering by Eric Fischer of https://www.audio-refined.comSupport the showHost:
2023-11-0307 min
Heart Haven MeditationsMorning PrayerThis morning prayer invites you to delight in your human existence and to freely call out for divine assistance. It is based on a Tibetan Buddhist daily practice called "Nectar of the Path" taught by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. It includes The Four Thoughts, Refuge & Bodhichitta, and Guru Yoga. In some cases, I have put the prayers into my own words to make them relatable to a non-buddhist. The original text is available through Tergar.org. Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Photo: Nick Fewings.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanS...
2023-06-1210 min
Heart Haven MeditationsExpansive Wings: Guided VisualizationThis guided visualization invites you to call to mind a wisdom figure or spiritual guide, to merge your heart with theirs, and together to take wing over the many landscapes of the planet for a soaring experience of expansiveness and gratitude. Bless the land, bless others, and bless yourself in this journey of intimate connection.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on ...
2023-06-0521 min
Heart Haven MeditationsEmerging Into Who You Are: Adyashanti Inspired MeditationInspired by Adyashanti's book "Guided Meditations" this compliments the earlier "Pure Potentiality" & "Divine Ground" meditations. Using a background of Tibetan om chanting, it is designed to evoke awareness of the divine ground of your being as it emerges into form with each breath you take. If you like this meditation, I highly recommend Adyashanti's books. He has been an important teacher for me. I wish you a full heart and grounded spirit.Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the...
2023-05-2934 min
Heart Haven MeditationsYour Unknown Self: Adyashanti Inspired MeditationThis is a shorter version of my meditation "Pure Potentiality" inspired by Adyashanti's audiobook, "Guided Meditations." Recorded during a group meditation, it is designed to evoke awareness of the divine ground of your being, which Adyashanti calls the "unknown self." If you like this meditation, I highly recommend his books and teachings.Music by Christopher LLoyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight Timer
2023-05-2222 minHeart Haven MeditationsHeart Coherence Basic MeditationBased on a practice taught by Dr. Patrick MacManaway, this meditation attunes you to the magnetic field of your heart, which not only envelops every cell of your body but has been shown by sensitive magnetometers to extend out in all directions into the space around you. It influences your environment and those around you. Through meditative stillness, you can experience this energy field, bless it with your love, and bring greater coherence to your life. Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers...
2023-05-1521 min
Heart Haven MeditationsPema Chodron Inspired Simple MeditationBased on the teachings of Tibetan Buddhist monk Pema Chödrön, this meditation builds your capacity to cultivate stability and foster a friendly relationship with your mind. It uses breath, posture, and mindful awareness to strengthen your inner stability and wellbeing. I highly recommend all of Pema Chodron's books. Relax and enjoy.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clark.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight TimerMe...
2023-05-0809 min
Heart Haven MeditationsOpening to Love: Adyashanti Inspired MeditationBased on a meditation in Adyashanti's "Guided Meditations," this offering evokes heart connection, restoration, and remembrance of who you are. Adya says "redemptive love comes from the dark womb of the unknown and flows into the core of our being as redemptive grace." He invites us to meet all life, all sorrow, with love. The key to this meditation is to relax into a receptive mode. Simply let the words wash through you, restoring you to wholeness.Music: C. Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack...
2023-05-0118 min
Heart Haven MeditationsMeditation for Lucid DreamingThis meditation offers guided spiritual hygiene to purify your heart and mind for sleep, followed by the setting of an intention for a lucid dream, and ending with a 21-breath sequence to help you drop off to sleep effortlessly. Inspired by lucid dreaming teacher Andrew Holecek, the combined practices do not guarantee lucidity on the first try, but over time they will cultivate deep restorative sleep and greater lucidity in life and in sleep. Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the Well
2023-04-2426 min
Heart Haven MeditationsIndra's Net Guided MeditationIndra’s Net is a Buddhist metaphor for the interconnectedness of the universe, or what modern physics might call the quantum field. Alan Watts said: “Imagine a multidimensional spider’s web in the early morning covered with dewdrops. And every dewdrop contains the reflection of all the other dewdrops. And so ad infinitum." Meditating on Indra’s Net reminds us of our unity with each other and all of creation. Let yourself bask in this deep connection.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack...
2023-04-1715 min
Heart Haven MeditationsHealing Energy for a Loved One: Guided MeditationThis practice transforms the corrosive aspects of worry into healing energy for you and the person you worry about. It is useful when you feel helpless to relieve their pain, and invites you to notice your projections around it. The practice can be used to offer healing energy to a family member, friend, stranger, pet, landscape, or the planet itself. Drawing from the teachings of Adyashanti, the key is to radically trust the other’s journey as well as your own.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Te...
2023-04-1014 min
Heart Haven MeditationsSpread Love: Guided MeditationThis simple meditation is designed to spread love within and around you. Relax into this healing experience. Enjoy.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight TimerMeditations on YouTubeTess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd ClarkAudio Editing: Eric Fischer
2023-04-0315 min
Heart Haven MeditationsTonglen Pema Chödrön Inspired MeditationIn the Tibetan Buddhist practice of Tonglen, “taking and sending,” you visualize taking in the pain of another on the in-breath and sending out healing energy on the out-breath. The process deepens your heart, widens your circle of compassion, and frees you from the mire of pity. You cultivate love, and begin to access the open dimension of your being. This meditation emulates the style of Tonglen taught by Pema Chödrön.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Audio Engineering by Eric Fischer.Support the showHost: Tess Callah...
2023-03-2713 min
Heart Haven MeditationsPure Potentiality: Adyashanti Inspired MeditationThis meditation is inspired by one in Adyashanti's audiobook, "Guided Meditations." Using a Tibetan singing bowl and gentle words, it is designed to evoke awareness of the divine ground of your being, which Adyashanti calls "pure potentiality" or the "unknown self." If you like this meditaion, I highly recommend his books. He has been an important teacher for me. I wish you a calm mind and an awakened heart.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke. Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast
2023-03-2035 min
Heart Haven MeditationsEverything is in You: Guided MeditationThis track includes a 2-minute introduction followed by a meditation on your intimate connection to the Earth and your part in the unfolding consciousness of the planet. It includes a quote from Eckhart Tolle adapted from the 12th-century mystic Ibn Arabi. When challenges arise, it's useful to remember your connection to the greater fabric of life. Relax and enjoy.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clark Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on
2023-03-1516 min
Heart Haven MeditationsLet Your Heart Bloom: Guided MeditationLet your heart bloom with life. This healing meditation is inspired by the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. It invites you to feel more alive today than yesterday and to never forget that you are a divine being waking up in this lifetime. The lines from Rilke are translated by Joanna Macy. Relax into the healing theta binaural beats. Enjoy.Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on
2023-03-1315 min
Heart Haven MeditationsCarl Jung Inspired NDE Guided VisualizationThis guided visualization is based on a near-death experience described by Carl Jung in his memoir Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. Jung experienced this vision as he hung on the edge of death after a heart attack. Following a brief relaxation exercise, you will be guided through this vision as if you are experiencing it for yourself. Feel free to replace the particularities of this vision with your own and let it unfold as it wishes. Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast
2023-03-0627 min
Heart Haven MeditationsStillness as a Portal to Awakening: Adyashanti Inspired MeditationStillness of the body invites stillness of the mind. Inspired by a breath practice taught by Adyashanti in his audiobook, "Guided Meditations," this style of meditation has been used by humans for thousands of years. It is extraordinarily simple, yet yields profound inner peace, clarity, and ultimately enlightenment. Practiced daily with or without the recording, the effect on your inner life and consequently your outer life will be transformative. Give yourself this gift. Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the Well
2023-03-0118 min
Heart Haven MeditationsFind Stability Like a Tree: Guided VisualizationUse this guided visualization to move effortlessly into your own innate stability and groundedness. Let the deep unshakable rootedess of a tree guide you to the peace at the core of your being. From this place of calm stability, you will be more able to respond wisely and effectively to life's challenges.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight Timer
2023-02-2215 min
Heart Haven MeditationsQuietude Deep Sleep MeditationAccess the stillness and serenity already within you. Let this calming body scan sink you into gentle relaxation for deep restorative sleep.Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight TimerMeditations on YouTubeTess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd ClarkAudio Editing
2023-02-2022 min
Heart Haven MeditationsRelaxing Into Love: Guided MeditationNotice, savor and bask in the love that resides in your heart. Inspired by Dr. Joe Dispenza's heart coherence work and psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson's research on self-nurturing, this practice invites you to reach through time to support yourself at difficult moments in the past and future, bathing yourself in tender awareness when you need it most. The ocean of love that dwells in your heart wants to be noticed. When prompted to call to mind a person you love a pet works equally well. Relax and enjoy. Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the show
2023-02-1421 min
Heart Haven MeditationsBuidling Balance through Equanimity: Guided MeditationStrengthen your inner balance and deepen your sense of interconnectedness through the practice of equanimity. This meditation draws from the Buddhist teachings of Alan Wallace and Jack Kornfield. It includes a short breath practice, a guided visualization to expand consciousness, and ends with a prayer from the Christian mystic Teresa of Avila, "Let Nothing Disturb You." Relax and enjoy.Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on
2023-02-0615 min
Heart Haven MeditationsThree Questions to Grow Your Future: Alan Wallace Inspired MeditationSeed your future with three questions: What would I love to receive? Who do I want to become? What mark do I want to make on the world? Based on a loving-kindness meditation from THE ATTENTION REVOLUTION by Buddhist scholar Alan Wallace, this practice invites you to visualize and step into a more intentional and fulfilling life. Music: Christopher Lloyd Clarke: https://enlightenedaudio.com/Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on
2023-02-0115 min
Heart Haven MeditationsSeeing Your Life in Reverse: Guided MeditationHave you ever had your life flash before your eyes? This meditation gently invites you into that experience not by chance, but by choice. With intention, curiosity, and compassion, witness your life in reverse, reaching back through time to offer your younger self some loving support. If you do this practice regularly, you will likely find different memories arising each time. Enjoy the ride.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers...
2023-01-3020 min
Heart Haven MeditationsFree Old Patterns: Guided MeditationNotice your habitual mind state operating below conscious awareness. Once seen, old emotional patterns circling within you like eddies in a river can be freed. By reclaiming energy spent on anxiety and despair, you strengthen your life force and invite wisdom and clarity. This meditation invites you to offer this practice for yourself and others. It is partially inspired by a compassion exercise in the book THE ATTENTION REVOLUTION by Alan Wallace.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke. Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the Well
2023-01-2514 min
Heart Haven MeditationsExpansive Love: Guided VisualizationThis guided visualization invites you to call to mind a wisdom figure or spiritual guide, to merge your heart with theirs, and together to take wing over the many landscapes of the planet for a soaring experience of expansiveness and gratitude. Bless the land, bless others, and bless yourself in this journey of intimate connection.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight Timer
2023-01-2321 min
Heart Haven MeditationsLove Note from Your Inner CouncilEnjoy this invocation from your "Inner Council" to wake up, take heart, and trust yourself. This meditation was indirectly inspired by the poet Joy Harjo's mention of her "inner council" to author Cheryl Strayed on the podcast Dear Sugars.Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight TimerMeditations on YouTubeTess's novels: https://tesscallahan...
2023-01-1907 min
Heart Haven MeditationsSolstice MeditationDesigned for the solstice, this meditation can be enjoyed anytime you wish to offer healing energy to the Earth, and feel her healing power in return. Inspired by a Marko Pogacnik LifeNet Telepathic Workshop, the practice invites you to connect your heart and mind with others across space and time in a gesture of love for the planet and all its beings, human, animal, elemental, and angelic. Relax and enjoy.Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview...
2022-12-2019 min
Heart Haven MeditationsVoicing Your Desire: Eckhart Tolle & Clare Dimond Inspired MeditationA clean request generates its own organizing power. When your desire aligns with your soul's purpose, the universe wants to conspire. But you must ask in order to receive. Inspired by Eckhart Tolle's conscious manifestation teachings and Clare Dimond's "Three Principles" work, this meditation opens your heart to germinate the abundance already within.Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight Timer
2022-12-1419 min
Heart Haven MeditationsYoga Nidra 61-Point Sleep RelaxationYoga Nidra relaxes your body into restorative sleep while your mind, like a night-blooming flower, opens to formless awareness. Based on the teaching of Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati this short version offers a 61-point body scan. See the long version if you also want the additional practices. Yoga Nidra deepens meditation and unhooks the neuro-conditioning that keeps you stuck. Studies show regular practice alleviates stress and improves wellbeing. Enjoy.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast
2022-12-0742 min
Heart Haven MeditationsConnect to Your Inner Wisdom: Jack Kornfield Inspired MeditationThis guided visualization invites you to rest in a peaceful garden deep in your heart. In this tranquil protected place, you may call upon an inner wisdom figure to offer you insight or simply be present with you in the beauty and stillness. Rest, relax, and drink deeply from your own innermost wisdom.Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview Podcast: Writers at the WellMeditations on Insight Timer
2022-12-0514 min
Heart Haven MeditationsDecision Making: Jon Kabat-Zinn Inspired MeditationDrawing from Adyashanti, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Ira Progoff, this technique for decision-making and inquiry embraces Einstein's premise that no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. Here you will identify a question you've been carrying and drop into the depths of your inner well. When the analytical mind exhausts itself, the deep waters of intuition can yield spontaneous insights when and where we least expect.6HZ Binaural music.Support the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack: Writers at the WellInterview...
2022-11-3014 min
Heart Haven MeditationsRestorative Meditation for Stressed Out MomsLife asks a lot of mothers. This short practice is meant to support you at your weariest and most demanding moments. It can be practiced on the meditation pillow or in the midst of the day. By offering yourself compassion, you gradually shift from reactivity to responsiveness as you meet each new parental challenge. Quoting Thich Nhat Hanh, this meditation encourages you to tend to your own flame in order to nurture your child’s. May this practice offer you strength, serenity, and sustenance.Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the show...
2022-11-2805 min
Heart Haven MeditationsI Am Enough: Fullness MeditationThis gentle relaxation practice supports your sense of wholeness and helps you taste the fullness at the core of your being. When you are in touch with your true essence, you no longer reach for that which can never fill you. Your soul is vast, radiant, and lacks nothing. Give up bottomless cravings and let yourself taste the splendor at the core of your being. Once you see the fullness within, you can never un-see it.Music by Christopher Lloyd ClarkeSupport the showHost: Tess CallahanSubstack...
2022-11-2221 min