Mindfulness+ with Thomas McConkie
255 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 523 ratingsMindfulness+ is no ordinary mindfulness. It is a sweeping vision of how mindfulness can help us grow and develop into the fullness of who we are meant to become. From examining the latest research in developmental psychology to plumbing the depths of the world’s wisdom traditions, Thomas McConkie offers a personal tour of body, mind and spirit through bite-size lessons and guided meditation.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 25: The Preciousness of Death
January 03, 2024 12:00 - 25 minutes - 58.5 MBYou’ve heard something like this before—without death, we could never know the preciousness of life. When a loved one falls ill, suddenly our relationship with them is imbued with an entirely new quality. But what happens when the loved one who falls ill isn’t human? What if it’s a lake whose life we mourn? In this season finale, Thomas shares about a close friend of his who initiated him in death, and Great Salt Lake, who is now in dangerous decline. He invites us all to reconsider what per...
Episode 24: Divine Confusion
December 27, 2023 13:47 - 22 minutes - 51.6 MBConfusion gets a bad rap. When we feel clear, when we know who we are and where our life is headed, we often suppose that this is a desirable way to be. On the other hand, when we feel confused, it’s as if we can’t quite relax. There’s a queasiness in our body that we long to get rid of. But what if clarity and confusion are just two facets of a single gem? What if we need confusion to truly be clear, and clarity to unlock the power of “divine confusion?” Have a listen to this episode and se...
Episode 23: How to Be Love
December 20, 2023 12:00 - 20 minutes - 46.2 MBA colleague of mine recently asked me, “How do we be love?” As soon as he asked, I felt any intellectual response buckle under the weight of his question. There were no words. But I walked around with the question, and let it in deep. The following meditation arose out of that inquiry, which I’m honored to share with you here. Love and Blessings on your day. -Thomas If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deduct...
Episode 22: The Metalineage of At-One-Ment (part II)
December 13, 2023 13:29 - 24 minutes - 56.9 MBWhat is Metalineage? Gloria Pak returns to the studios for part II of this lively conversation. How can we take the best from all our influences without sacrificing what we take to be essential? How can the lineages and traditions that speak to us individually bring one another to a greater fullness? The conversation culminates with a question for all of us: how is metalineage living through you? How will you express your highest values in this life, leaving nothing good behind? If you fe...
Episode 21: At-One-Ment
December 06, 2023 12:00 - 29 minutes - 68.5 MBThis is a special episode. Gloria Pak visits the Mindfulness+ studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts to engage Thomas in a conversation about his recent book, At-One-Ment: Embodying the Fullness of Human Divinity. What does it mean to belong to a tradition? What does it mean to leave a tradition? If we’ve left, are there meaningful ways to continue to embody and bring forth the best of the lineages that form us? How do we engage in our “local-ness” while also making way for the universal wonder ...
Episode 20: Of Hell Realms and Gods
November 29, 2023 12:00 - 23 minutes - 53.4 MBIn an immature contemplative practice, we tend to assume that the whole point is to learn to draw as much pleasure from each meditation session as we possibly can. As we become more experienced, however, we learn that it is natural to traverse many “realms” throughout the day and throughout our lives. The question becomes, can we remain as fully awake in the realm of the gods as we can in the depths of hell. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend...
Episode 19: Updrafting: The Art of Hitching a Free Ride
November 22, 2023 12:00 - 22 minutes - 50.9 MBIf meditation practice hinged solely on the effort we put into it, the hours and minutes we logged each day, we’d be in trouble. Sooner or later, we would exhaust ourselves from all our diligent efforting. But the deeper we move into this practice, the more we become aware of effortless practice—the free ride that Nature provides, if we know how to catch that updraft. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deducti...
Episode 18: Groundlessness
November 15, 2023 12:00 - 21 minutes - 49 MBIt is no secret that the Millennial and Gen Z cohort are losing their religion and seeking new ways to feel wonder and awe. But what is it about traditional religion that repels some? In a word, it may be certitude. What would it look like to honor all that our ancestors knew and realized, while being more open than ever to the Mystery and Unknowing of human life? The upcoming generations seem to be asking these questions intuitively, embodying new forms of wisdom on our planet. Listen to...
Episode 17: The Meditation Teacher Who’s Right For You
November 08, 2023 12:00 - 24 minutes - 55.7 MBSooner or later, if we get at all serious about integrating contemplation into our day to day life, we start to wonder what it would look like to have a bona fide teacher to guide us on the path. In this episode, Thomas articulates some of the principles that he has found most helpful in working with teachers of his own, as well as offering students guidance in calling in the right teacher at the right time. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend...
Episode 16: The Art of Waiting
November 01, 2023 11:00 - 21 minutes - 49.6 MBWaiting is something we end up doing just about everyday of our lives. And what makes waiting so difficult? Perhaps it’s the belief that if we could only be done waiting, then we would finally feel better. Given the situation, it would be wise to cultivate the art of waiting. That is, when we learn to bring our highest awareness to the experience of waiting, we discover that we will never need to wait again! If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend,...
Episode 15: Heartfulness
October 25, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 47.9 MB“Mindfulness” is a word. And words have their power. When we call this practice “mindfulness”, it sets us up to have a particular kind of experience which in some ways, can be limiting. In this extended meditation, Thomas uses the word “heartfulness” to turn the tables and open up a new dimension of experience that perhaps you wouldn’t have expected—the boundless Reality and Intelligence of the Heart. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leavin...
Episode 14: Unique Self
October 18, 2023 11:00 - 22 minutes - 50.9 MBOne of the great joys of contemplative life is that it teaches us to be who we actually are. By holding our attention inwardly, rather than being scattered about by a million different things, we nourish the best, most unique parts of ourselves. As the unique self comes into being, it becomes a gloriously original expression of Creation through which we can offer our fullest gifts to everyone and everything. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend,...
Episode 13: Soothing the Inner-Toddler
October 11, 2023 11:00 - 22 minutes - 51.6 MBWhen we are children, we get upset countless times a day. If we don’t get to play with the toy we want, if we don’t get to have a sugary snack on demand, we cry, we protest, we pout, we mope. In these moments, we need soothing from our caregivers to help our bodies reset. It turns out, we’re not so different as adults. We also get upset many times a day. The difference is that as adults, we often disconnect from the body through various avoidance strategies rather than just hold our “inner-t...
Episode 12: The Gift of Pure Listening
October 04, 2023 11:00 - 21 minutes - 49.1 MBWhen we think about getting to know somebody, our minds often go to spending time with them, asking them questions about their life, about what they value, what they love. But the beloved Sufi poet, Rumi, offers us a surprising nugget of wisdom in this regard: you truly get to know another by what you are able to say in their presence. Check out the show and start to put this timeless wisdom into practice today. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a fri...
Episode 11: The Taste of Freedom
September 27, 2023 11:00 - 22 minutes - 51.2 MBEvery few episodes, Thomas likes to take a break from the content and storytelling and get right into practice. Here he explores the way we can access a fundamental sense of freedom and joy by shifting attention in a slightly new direction. It’s so easy to do you almost won’t believe it. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deductible donation to Lower Lights School of Wisdom. We’re grateful for your support! ...
Episode 10: The Courage To Do Nothing
September 20, 2023 11:00 - 21 minutes - 48.1 MBBusyness is the fashion in our modern world—the default mode of being. No matter how much we’re doing, we can always do more. At least, that’s what many of us are taught to think. But what happens when we become willing to sit and do nothing? What if we don’t assume that doing something all the time is inherently productive or good? More radically, what if doing nothing is at the very heart of actually doing something real with your life? Start cultivating the courage to do nothing right now...
Episode 9: Grace and Works
September 13, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 56.2 MBDo we transform through consistent, effortful practice, or are we transformed by something more mysterious that we can’t control and can’t even properly understand at the end of the day? Even framing this question in terms of either/or causes us to miss the mark. Thomas shares in this episode an unexpected transformation he recently experienced in the kitchen, seemingly in spite of his years of meditation practice. Listen in and start to appreciate how profoundly things are already working o...
Episode 8: Every Idea You Have Is Inaccurate
September 06, 2023 11:00 - 20 minutes - 46.6 MBHave you ever noticed how many ideas you have about, well, everything? We can hardly help but form opinions, beliefs, even dogmas about virtually every aspect of life. In this episode, Thomas recounts meeting his first teacher, and the freedom he felt when his teacher nonchalantly declared that any thought he has about anything is fundamentally inaccurate. What role do thoughts and beliefs have in life if they’re all just “inaccurate?” Listen in to get a taste of this delightfully fertile po...
Episode 7: Great Loss, Great Gain
August 30, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 45.7 MBOften when we’re faced with a challenging decision, we have the experience of feeling stuck, or frozen, because we just can’t decide which direction is right for us. Thomas suggests in this episode that a powerful remedy for the feeling of stuckness in life is to more fully open up to the experience of loss. When we are willing to experience the inevitable loss that any given decision entails, we simultaneously open ourselves to the inevitable gain that comes from living the life we’ve chose...
Episode 6: Life Abundant: A Meditation on Vitality
August 23, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 52.6 MBIt is a common misunderstanding in our society that meditation is primarily a practice of learning to relax. While relaxation is very much one of the fruits of this practice, it is just the beginning of the profound gifts that flow from open mind and open heart. In this episode, Thomas leads a longer meditation and points out one of the qualities that naturally arises in awake awareness—the feeling of Life itself. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a ...
Episode 5: Reverse Meditation: A Conversation with Andrew Holecek
August 16, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 91.7 MBAndrew Holecek is an author, speaker, and humanitarian who offers seminars internationally on meditation, lucid dreaming, and the art of dying. Andrew’s books include Dreams of Light, Dream Yoga, and Reverse Meditation. He hosts the popular Edge of Mind podcast and is the founder of the Night Club community, a support platform for nocturnal meditations In this episode, Thomas and Andrew discuss lucid dreaming, dream yoga, pain, neuroscience, all in the context of what Andrew calls “reverse...
Episode 4: The Struggle to Not Feel
August 09, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 54.9 MBThomas reprises the ever-present theme of vulnerability in this episode. As we mature in life, our capacity to tolerate more disturbing experience tends to mature as well. We start to realize how much energy we’ve spent avoiding certain experiences that have been with us all along. Mindfulness practice reveals to us a deeper capacity we have to stay present and awake to whatever is arising. In this way, we begin to let go of the struggle to not feel. If you feel fed by the show, please sup...
Episode 3: Kindness of Rhythm
August 02, 2023 12:00 - 24 minutes - 55 MBWe all come with a particular disposition—a way we like to be and move in the world. Contemplative practice helps us attune to these subtle, soulful rhythms and move with greater kindness in our journey. Give yourself some space for this episode. Find a place where you can relax and just be. Savor the experience of coming home. If you feel fed by the show, please support Mindfulness+ by sharing with a friend, leaving a review or making a tax-deductible donation to Lower Lights School of Wi...
Episode 2: More Than Enough
July 26, 2023 13:00 - 21 minutes - 48.2 MBSometimes in life it can feel like what we need, what we’re searching and striving for is so hard to come by. Mindfulness practice reveals to us exactly the opposite truth: it does not take much at all to relax into a mindset of “more than enough.” Fully embodied, open-hearted and open to life, the contentment and fulfillment we believed was somewhere in the far-off future reveals itself to be always here and now. Want to practice with Thomas? Join on Zoom from anywhere in the world for a ...
Episode 1: The Tenderness of Life
July 19, 2023 15:00 - 22 minutes - 52.2 MBIn this and every moment, life invites us into a brand new experience at the edge of our knowing and our capacity. Too often we pretend like we know who we are and where we’re going. We then miss out on the precious experience of tenderness, where life reminds us that we have never, in fact, been here before. In this raw, exposed state, the possibilities are infinite. Want to practice with Thomas? Join on Zoom from anywhere in the world for a monthly mini-retreat. Feeling called to a reall...
Season 6 Trailer
July 12, 2023 13:32 - 49 seconds - 1.85 MBHello, Mindfulness+ fans! We're excited to let you know that Season 6 is coming next week! In the meantime, if you're looking for other supports to practice, Thomas offers a monthly mini-retreat on Zoom. And if you really want to go deep, join Thomas and Lower Lights for a 7-day retreat in Scholls, Oregon, August 10th-17th. Learn more here.
Sneak Peak at Season 6: Going to Boston!
June 01, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBHow do human beings transform and become what we’re meant to become? Thomas is taking this question to graduate school at Harvard University to ask some of the best minds in the world what practices can support us in living the good life. Drawing from ancient understandings from the Wisdom traditions to modern insights in developmental psychology and neuroscience, Thomas will continue to offer intimate, guided tours of cosmos, soul and psyche from his new headquarters in Boston! W...
Bonus Episode: Yoga Nidra with Kelly Boys
May 25, 2022 10:00 - 40 minutes - 56.2 MBKelly is a mindfulness trainer and author of The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What’s Right in Front of You. She has developed mindfulness trainings in diverse places from the United Nations to San Quentin Prison. In this conversation, Kelly exudes dharma from every pore and offers a direct taste of the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra. This one is a special treat. Want to leave a voicemail for the team? Ask Thomas a practice question? Request a special topic for a future episode?...
Episode 25: Mother of All Beings
April 27, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 45.1 MBIn our season finale, Thomas pays tribute to the recently deceased dharma master, Dr. Daniel Brown. Brown’s work is a superb example of Eastern practice meeting the psychological sophistication of the West. In this episode, taste what it means to re-parent the self, what it means to become the Mother of all beings.
Episode 24: Earth Day
April 20, 2022 10:00 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBIt’s common in the modern world to speak of the need to “return to nature.” But from a contemplative perspective, we are Nature. We cannot leave nature, but we can forget who we are. When we remember our nature, we naturally take better care of ourselves, and better care of the planet that sustains us all.
Episode 23: Fearlessness
April 13, 2022 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32.1 MBSo often in life, we tell ourselves that fear is a problem—that fear stops us from doing the things we most want to do. What about the wisdom of fear, though? Thomas shares a story of his friend who has made a living of encountering his fear everyday for over 40 years now. The result? Not a lack of fear, but the courage to act with fear fully present. Fearlessness.
Episode 22: Hosts, Hostages and Vagrants
April 06, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.3 MBWhat did the early Buddhists of China mean when they said, “Be the host of every situation?” In this episode, Thomas explores a sutra that likens mindful awareness to a “host” allowing innumerable “guests” to come and go through the inn. The trick: to let the guests who want to stay, stay, and to let the guests who want to go, go.
Episode 21: The Moving Target of Unknowing
March 30, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 30.5 MBThe mind prefers to have answers. When we don’t have answers, we feel anything from low-grade anxiety to full-blown panic. If we pay close attention to life, we find that no sooner do we know one thing than we realize there are even more things we don’t know. In short, the experience of “unknowing” is inescapable. What if, instead of spending all our energy avoiding the discomfort of unknowing, we opened up to it? What if unknowing is a gateway leading us to a new way of being human?
Episode 20: Giving Is Receiving
March 23, 2022 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBFrom an ordinary point of view, giving and receiving are opposites. In the “real world,” you give a little in order to get a little. Not so on the path of transformation. From a deeper perspective, giving and receiving are one reality, one movement. Listen to a moving account of citizens of the world giving to Ukraine with no hope of receiving something in return. In the words of Jesus, “if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit?”
Episode 19: Divide and Conquer
March 16, 2022 10:00 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MB“Overwhelm” is a technical term in mindfulness. It refers to the experience of not being able to mindfully process sensory experience moment to moment. When life gets too intense, our suffering multiplies. In this episode you can deepen your learning on the classic practice of “divide and conquer”: notice where the most overwhelm is occurring, make skillful adjustments, and you’re back in the game. For anyone serious about not suffering, this episode is a boon.
Episode 18: Hearing the Cries of the World
March 09, 2022 11:00 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MBWhen we open up to the suffering on the planet, we soon realize that we, the “small self”, are not nearly big enough to contain it all. To really hold suffering in our heart and help to relieve it, we must get bigger—a move from the relative to the Absolute. In Buddhism, there is a Bodhisattva, or awakened being, who models just this: Kuan Yin (Chinese translation). Her name means “she who hears the cries of the world.” As a new war wages in Ukraine, it is an especially important moment to l...
Episode 17: Building Heaven
March 02, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBAt a time in the not-so-distant past, you might have been involved in the building of a cathedral that took so long to complete, you would have never seen the finished product of your labors. Nevertheless, your participation was absolutely vital. This is a fascinating metaphor for the new reality humanity is giving rise to moment by moment. Thomas calls it “building heaven.”
Episode 16: Hold Stroke
February 23, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34 MBWhen life throws challenges at us, it tests our capacity to be open, clear and present. Thomas recounts his glory days as a high school swimmer in this episode to point out a helpful technique for practicing when the going gets tough. If we’re clear where our mindful awareness tends to break down, we can “train to remain” in a more intelligent way.
Episode 15: No Gaining Idea
February 16, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 30.3 MBIf you think about virtually everything you do in a given day, you may come to a realization: “I do what I do because I want to get something out it.” We work to earn money, we exercise to stay fit, we meditate to feel good…it seems harmless enough. But there is a more subtle path available to us as human beings. In Suzuki Roshi’s words, we can live our lives with “no gaining idea.” When we have no gaining idea, we taste what it means to express our true nature—to be truly alive.
Episode 14: Effectively Selfish
February 09, 2022 11:00 - 23 minutes - 32.7 MBIt’s not often you call someone “selfish” and mean it as a compliment. But prepare to be liberated from your misconceptions about what healthy selfishness actually is! In this episode, Thomas offers insights from the field of developmental psychology and coaches you on how to be the best kind of selfish in your life. You’ll be glad you listened. Interested in learning more about development? For information about an opportunity to join Thomas’s cohort program, go to www.lowerlightswisdom.org...
Episode 13: Who am I? An interview with Dr. Terri O’Fallon
February 02, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBOne of Thomas’s great pleasures in hosting Mindfulness+ is the opportunity to introduce listeners to some of the teachers who have changed his life. On today’s show, Dr. Terri O’Fallon shares a few of the dazzling delights from the field of human development. Terri is a renowned expert in this area, known for her spiritual depth, vision, and kindness. She ultimately points us to the great mystery, “who am I?” Learn about her latest offerings at stagesinternational.com. For information about...
Episode 12: Sit Like a Mountain
January 26, 2022 11:00 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MBIf you’ve been practicing meditation for some time, you may have heard the instruction somewhere along the way to “sit like a mountain.” But what does that mean? Is it just a nice metaphor? Thomas takes us right to the heart of our mountain nature in this episode, where there is always, right here, an abiding peace, stillness and stability.
Episode 11: Metalineage
January 19, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBSpirituality and human transformation are taking exciting turns in the 21st century. Never before have so many traditions been intersecting, influencing and evolving one another. How can we meet this moment with courage and curiosity? Thomas lays out a vision of “metalineage” in this episode—a way in which all of humanity can realize greater fullness and freedom. For a deeper dive, check out this immersive online experience, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the ...
Episode 10: “Only phonies don’t get enlightened.”
January 12, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 30.3 MBMindfulness practice is simple as it is difficult: we need to be willing to feel what we’re actually feeling. Easier said than done! In this episode, Thomas shares the experience of his grandmother’s recent passing, all that he wasn’t willing to feel, and what came on the other side of being honest with himself.
Episode 9: New, Gone
January 05, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBIn this episode, Thomas offers an extended, beginning-of-the-year meditation, inviting you to appreciate what has already passed—what is gone. The more fully we learn to welcome the “gone”, the greater the birth of something new in our lives.
Episode 8: On Being Complete
December 29, 2021 11:00 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBTo be a human being is to be incomplete—in process. No matter where we are in this moment, we are undoubtedly on our way to becoming something else, something new. How, then, do we manage the anxiety of being “in suspense and incomplete”? Thomas points to the part of us that is already complete in this episode, even as we are becoming something more. Also, check out this new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
Episode 7: What Survives
December 22, 2021 11:00 - 21 minutes - 29.6 MBFor those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re right on the other side of the winter solstice. Traditionally, this is a time when we hunker down, take an inventory on our lives perhaps, and sense into what survives the enveloping dark. When we pay close attention, we’re comforted to discover the light that the darkness never overcomes. Also, check out Thomas’s new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
Episode 6: Stop Lying
December 15, 2021 11:00 - 21 minutes - 29.1 MBThe path of waking up and growing up can be excruciating, even as it can be gentle and forgiving. We continue the meditation on Advent in this episode with a reading from the Gospel of Thomas. “Stop lying”, Yeshua says. What could this mean? Is there a truth we haven’t been willing to hear, or speak? Also, check out Thomas’s new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
Episode 5: Extraordinary Happiness
December 08, 2021 11:00 - 25 minutes - 34.5 MBIn the Buddhist tradition, we make the distinction between “ordinary” and “extraordinary” happiness. Extraordinary happiness, simply put, is a happiness beyond conditions. Thomas shares about this teaching in the context of Advent, a time when we can bring more awareness to our “distorted values” and let in greater Light. Also, check out Thomas’s new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
Episode 4: Sons and Daughters of Infinity
December 01, 2021 11:00 - 24 minutes - 34.3 MBWhat does the “+” in “Mindfulness+” mean again? Thomas takes us even deeper into the territory it points to in this episode. Drawing from the words of Aurobindo, he invites us beyond the “surface mind’s” idea of reality into something altogether Unnameable.