Jen wraps up her partial series on the Brahma Viharas with Mudita, commonly translated as "sympathetic joy." With Mudita, we're asked to rejoice in the good fortune of others, admittedly not easy.This is why Jen likes to think of Mudita as "del

#96 Portals of Mindfulness Guided Practice

Sep 1st, 2023 12m 27s

Have you ever caught yourself (or been caught by someone else) with your head buried in your smartphone while doing something mundane like brushing your teeth or walking through your home?If so, you can probably relate to the lure of distractio

#95 Tonglen Guided Practice

Aug 18th, 2023 15m 40s

Continuing her mini-series on the Brahma Viharas, the Four Immeasurables, Jen shares the Tibetan practice of Tonglen. This training in compassion is an inner alchemy where the practitioner seeks to transmute the suffering of others. Tonglen tea

#94 Drawing A Line Guided Practice

Aug 4th, 2023 12m 10s

It’s counterintuitive but essentially true: all phenomena itself is neutral, including people and events, and they have equal capacity to provoke suffering or ease alike – it all depends on how we meet the moment.As we continues our series of p

#93 Loving-Kindness Guided Practice

Jul 21st, 2023 23m 11s

Some of the most treasured and widely-practiced Buddhist Teachings are the Brahma Viharas (The Four Immeasurables). They also appear in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras as one of the many practices that settle mind. Sometimes referred to as "The Four Fa

#92 Mundane Ecstacy Guided Practice

Jul 7th, 2023 12m 3s

The old Zen proverb that says “before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water” is a gentle reminder that chasing the ecstatic will ultimately let us down. Instead, if we can stay close to the ordinary

#91 Mindfulness of Four Elements of the Body Guided Practice

Jun 23rd, 2023 14m 37s

In the last of our series on the less common practices of the First Foundation of Mindfulness (Mindfulness of the Body), Jen shares a practice of contemplating the four elements of the body: earth, water, fire, and air. Because everything in th

#90 Yoga Beyond Asana

Jun 9th, 2023 48m 44s

Could you imagine a yoga class without postures? In fact, millions of dedicated yoga practitioners don't practice asana at all. In this episode, Annie and Jen discuss ways to engage with the teachings separate from asana, drawing on guidance f

#89 Mindfulness of Skin, Flesh, & Bones Guided Practice

May 26th, 2023 19m 17s

In the First Foundation of Mindfulness, the Buddha shared several practices that were intended to help practitioners release their attachments to the body. Whether we are concerned about it's size and shape, the body's age, specific parts... we

#88: A Conversation with Sarah Powers on Embodying Love & Compassion

May 12th, 2023 56m 48s

We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Powers, author and co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute, onto the show to talk about embodying the qualities of love and compassion. This is the "finale" episode our series on the 12 Embodiments of Yoga. Sar

#87 Mindfully Eating an Orange Guided Practice

Apr 28th, 2023 14m 10s

While we may train up mindfulness in formal settings, our true aim is to become present and aware all the time. So, at some point, we must take the practice off the cushion or mat and point it towards the everyday things that we usually take fo

#86 Embodying Kindness & Generosity

Apr 17th, 2023 39m 32s

In their continuing exploration of Annie's 12 Embodiments of Yoga, in this episode, Annie and Jen discuss the nuances of Kindness and Generosity. While this may seem like a breezy topic, these qualities (and their corresponding actions) ask of

#85 Mindfulness of Standing Guided Practice

Mar 31st, 2023 10m 51s

Jen continues her series on Mindfulness of the Body variations with an exploration of standing, one of the four traditional meditation postures. Standing practice can be a respite for many who find sitting for long stretches uncomfortable. And

#84 Embodying Wonder & Whimsy

Mar 17th, 2023 39m 35s

We're back from an unplanned hiatus with our continuing series on Annie's Twelve Embodiments of Yoga. This month, Jen and Annie are chatting about the role of wonder and whimsy in practice. Jen is a little skeptical, especially with whimsy, hav

#83 Mindfulness of Body Posture Guided Practice

Mar 3rd, 2023 25m 35s

Jen's back with a series new series of guided practices exploring different ways of working with the body to establish mindful awareness. Pulled from teachings in the Buddha's Four Foundations of Mindfulness, our hope is that cultivating mindfu

#82 Restoring Balance Guided Practice

Feb 3rd, 2023 13m 20s

Unlike all other biological organisms who have built-in mechanisms to maintain homeostasis, human minds are at the mercy of themselves. They gallivant around, unchecked, until we choose to rein our own thoughts in. In this guided practice, Anni

#81: Embodying Sacrifice & Spaciousness

Jan 19th, 2023 29m 3s

Continuing with our exploration of Annie's 12 Embodiments of yoga, Jen and Annie chat about sacrifice and spaciousness. With Jen feeling like sacrifice is a loaded term, they spend some time unpacking what is really expected of us when it comes

#80 Laser Focus & Bright Light Guided Practice

Jan 5th, 2023 13m 35s

In this guided practice, Annie shares inspiration from recent scientific breakthroughs in nuclear fusion.She suggests that we can turn simple inward focus into bright, shining energetic presence to generate our own little sunbursts of kindness,

#79 Making Room for Other Guided Practice

Nov 23rd, 2022 13m 3s

In this meditation, Annie guides you through a practice of making space for others, especially those who share different philosophical or political beliefs or who we find emotionally activating. Instead of trying to find common ground, Annie of

#78 Embodying Courage & Practice

Nov 7th, 2022 37m 36s

Continuing our exploration of embodied qualities of Yoga, Jen & Annie discuss the nuances of Courage and how it's a necessary ingredient for our Practice. They also share how they're getting ready for the Winter season. ~ ~ ~Reach out to us on

#77 Embodied Simplicity Guided Practice

Oct 14th, 2022 10m 44s

Dovetailing on our conversations on embodiment, Annie's back with a guided practice that reframes distracting thoughts by laying a simple and straightforward path an easy breath. In this practice, Annie share's the mindfulness technique of noti

#76 Embodying Quiet & Attention

Oct 13th, 2022 41m 30s

In this episode, Jen and Annie take a look at two of Annie's 12 Embodiments: quiet and attention. The sweeping conversation covers a lot of ground from inner spaciousness, meeting emotions with compassion, quietude in relationship, beginners mi

#75 Embodied Listening Guided Practice

Sep 15th, 2022 16m 25s

Join Annie Moyer as she guides you through an exploration of embodied listening, connecting you to the subtle vibrations of sound that can be felt throughout the body. ~Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen int

#74 What do we mean by "embodiment?"

Sep 1st, 2022 53m 6s

The word embodiment is becoming as ubiquitous as mindfulness these days. Wondering if the word is drifting in meaning, Annie and Jen look at what embodiment is through several lens including spirituality, philosophy and psychology. They also po

#73 Yin Short for the Upper Back Guided Practice

Aug 18th, 2022 18m 11s

In our fifth and final Short Yin Yoga Practice Snack, Jen shares offers some relief for the upper back, a common area of tension for a lot of people. Throughout the practice, she'll also help you mindfully attend to your breath as a way of gath