Most of us are well aware of the benefits of meditation, and new research is providing us with more and more evidence of what the world's spiritual traditions have known for years: meditation can positively impact every area of our lives.

So why do many of us struggle to make time for this powerful practice? Why do we so often wonder if we're doing it right? Or feel as if something more should be happening? 

In The Meditation Summit: Volume II, Sounds True publisher and founder Tami Simon speaks with ten leading meditation teachers about their personal understanding of this practice—each with a complete guided meditation. Practitioners of all levels will benefit from the abundance of insight and guidance provided by these diverse voices.
 
Volume II Guests and Topics:
 
“A Nourishing and Liberating RAIN” with Tara Brach, PhD
 
This talk explores the three primary components on a path to healing and freedom: inquiry into truth, remembering love, and embodying awareness. Dr. Brach also introduces us to RAIN, her acronym for an accessible and powerful way to strengthen and apply these domains of spiritual practice, along with a guided meditation.
 
“Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga” with Richard C. Miller, PhD
 
Yoga Nidra is a type of deep yogic meditation. Here, Dr. Miller and Tami discuss the core components of Yoga Nidra, including the easily accessible ways in which Yoga Nidra brings us to an embodied awakening of our essential nature. This presentation includes a guided meditation through all ten steps of the Yoga Nidra process.


“Effort and Release” with Rev. angel Kyodo Williams

Rev. Williams applies wisdom teachings and embodied practice to social issues and is a preeminent thought leader of transformative social change. Here, she talks with Tami about how meditation develops our capacity to be with the suffering in ourselves and others, awakening our warrior spirit and willingness to engage the world.


“Trusting the Buddha Within” with Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh illuminates how we can trust in the living presence of the Buddha as a guide for our daily practice. This session explores how to recognize an awakened being through the quality of their actions, letting the Buddha do the work for us when things get overwhelming, and a guided meditation for resting in the present moment.


“Mindfulness Meditation” with Joseph Goldstein

In this presentation, Joseph Goldstein guides us through the common stages in a mindfulness practice, including mindfulness techniques to transform our meditation experience and a guided meditation to help us release identification with the self and observe the changing nature of all that is.


“Tonglen Meditation: News We Can Use” with Pema Chödrön

Tonglen literally means “taking and sending,” and is a powerful Tibetan Buddhist practice for relieving the suffering of ourselves, others, and the world. Here, Pema illuminates this traditional practice with a discussion and guided formal tonglen meditation.


“Exploring the Mind” with Shinzen Young

In this talk, Shinzen examines our relationships with our thoughts and how we can use meditation as a gateway to create a healthier internal dialogue with them. He takes us through a unique guided meditation for parsing thought into mental images and mental talk, opening the way to states of creative flow and tranquil rest.


“Meditation in the Dzogchen Tradition” with Lama Surya Das

Lama Surya Das introduces the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition of meditation, discussing how we can create a better world through the wise action that stems from an expanded meditation practice, the idea of “non-meditation” and seeing through the illusion of separateness, and more.


“True Meditation” with Adyashanti

Adyashanti speaks of true meditation as a path for awakening to the truth of our being through a moment-to-moment state of discovery. With a discussion and guided practice of true meditation, he helps us free ourselves from agenda and technique, drop our preconceived ideas of what meditation should look like, bring awareness to our senses, and awaken to the present moment.


“Awake at Work: Mindfulness for Connection, Creativity, and Collaboration in the Workplace” with Anakha Coman

In this presentation, Anakha discusses how we can use mindfulness practices at work to bring forth our genius and create a culture of engagement, connection, and excellence. She teaches us easy-to-use mindfulness micro-practices that heighten mental clarity, insights, and creativity while on the job.

At perhaps no other time in history has there been such widespread recognition of meditation's potential to transform our lives. The physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of a regular meditation practice cannot be overstated. With The Meditation Experience, you’ll receive inspiration, guidance, and support from a diverse selection of leading teachers so you can develop your own consistent and nourishing meditation practice. And when you commit to a meditation practice, you commit to living a more engaged, meaningful, and joyful life.