The Meditation Podcast

The word "renew" means "to begin again". Whatever changes we wish to make in our lives, the renewal starts within. As we release old habits and emotions, we make room for powerful healing and regeneration. In this meditation we refresh ourselves in body, mind, and spirit, allowing us to truly begin again. As always, this podcast uses audio technology that affects the brain. Please use headphones, and do not use this podcast while driving or operating machinery. Finally, we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health benefits from using this podcast. You are responsible for your own health. And now, let's begin.

In any art or occupation, it's a good idea to go back to basics from time to time. The art of meditation can be a lot of things, but in its most basic sense it is just sitting still and breathing. This, all by itself, can be a profound experience, and it builds a safe and solid foundation for more advanced techniques. More than anything else, we take our breath for granted. It's the activity that we need most to survive, we can start or stop it at will, and yet most of the time we do it without even noticing. Noticing a thing, without adjusting, is an important part of self acceptance. The intent in today's meditation is to notice the breath, just as it is, without trying to adjust or improve it. While sitting still, just notice your posture, without trying to make it "better". As the mind races, thoughts distract us, and we are not trying to "improve" with a mantra or focus - just gently returning to the foundation: Sit Still and Breathe. Please note that we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health benefits from using this podcast. You are responsible for your own health! As always, this podcast uses sound technology that affects the brain, so please use headphones, and do not listen while driving or operating machinery. Now, let's begin.

Use this meditation after sleep to help bring yourself into a state of wakeful awareness. It is a short meditation, a companion to Episode 14, Rejuvenating Sleep. The Wake Up meditation can also be used on its own. Please note that we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health benefits from using this podcast. You are responsible for your own health! As always, this podcast uses sound technology that affects the brain, so please use headphones, and do not listen while driving or operating machinery. Now, let's begin.

In our busy lives, many of us have trouble sleeping. We awaken feeling tired, overwhelmed. This is because many of us have suppressed our bodies' natural ability to renew ourselves. This meditation is designed not only to help you fall asleep, but to enter an inner world of peaceful rest. This meditation is open-ended, without the usual "return" to wakeful awareness, so it is highly recommended that you use the companion Episode 15 - Wake Up, after you wake up from using this one. Even during our long absence from The Meditation Podcast, we continued to receive donations and emails from all over the world, and we want to thank all of you for your ongoing support! It means a lot to know that our podcast is making a difference in people's lives. If you feel that The Meditation Podcast has benefitted you in some way, please let us know about it, and consider making a donation at The Meditation Podcast dot com. Please note that we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health benefits from using this podcast. You are responsible for your own health! Finally, this podcast uses sound technology that affects the brain, so please use headphones, and do not listen while driving or operating machinery. Now, let's begin.

Through the course of our daily lives, it's possible for us to forget how to express our true selves. This can manifest as shyness, sore throat, vocal polyps, even a complete loss of the speaking or singing voice. In today's meditation, we make sound in our bodies, allowing our vocal cords to simply vibrate. The intent of this meditation is to align the expressive functions of the body and mind, to create a healthy path for voicing one's thoughts and feelings, and to release any unexpressed thoughts or feelings, transforming them into Unconditional Love. At a point in the meditation, you will be guided to make vocal sounds. Please note that the vibration in your body is more important than the quality of the sound. It doesn't matter if it's loud or soft, high or low, pretty or ugly, just make a sound that you can feel vibrating somewhere in your body. As always, this meditation uses special sound technology to help move the listener into a meditative state. Thus, please use headphones when using this podcast, and please do not listen while driving or operating machinery. Finally, please remember that we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health effects from using this meditation. This podcast is for educational use only, not as a replacement for professional medical treatment. You are responsible for your own health! With that, let's begin.

Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern, the podcast that helps you benefit from meditation in your everyday life. We give the podcast freely, as a way to give back for all of our blessings. Donations are welcome, in any amount, as they help us cover our studio and web hosting costs. Please visit The Meditation Podcast dot com for details and past episodes. You can also subscribe for free at iTunes. This podcast uses technology that affects the brain, so please use headphones, and please do not listen to this podcast while driving or operating machinery. Is there someone or something in your life that's driving you crazy? We all experience tension and frustration from time to time, whether it's with a person -- a family member, a co-worker, a spouse, a friend -- or a situation -- like driving to work or waiting in line. Even if that person or situation never changes, it is possible to change the way we experience it. Today's meditation is about creating peace, and allowing that peace to extend beyond ourselves. So, let's begin.

Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern, a podcast that will help you benefit from meditation in your everyday life. We're back and, before we begin, we'd like to thank everyone for your patience, emails, and continued donations and support. To those joining us for the first time, we give the podcast freely, as a way of giving back for all of our blessings. Donations are welcome, in any amount, as they help us cover our studio and annual web hosting costs. Please visit themeditationpodcast.com for details, or subscribe at iTunes. Today's meditation is the Healing Smile. This is based on a Chinese qigong meditation, which I first learned in Kenneth Meadows' book Shamanic Experience, and which he called the Inward Smile. By directing a smile inward, we send gentle, loving, accepting and healing energy to every organ in our bodies. Remember that this podcast uses sound technology that affects the brain. It works best with headphones, and should not be used while driving or operating machinery. Please bear in mind, we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health effects from using this meditation. This podcast is for educational use only, not as a replacement for professional medical treatment. You are responsible for your own health! With that, let's begin.

Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern. Jesse and I want to thank you all for your patience and generosity. We have had a lot of activity in our lives - all very good. However, it has delayed our steady delivery of meditations. Your emails and letters have shown us how much the meditations have helped you in your lives. We want to continue to help. As children, we know no fear. We run, we jump, we play, without thinking about any consequences, or being hurt. However, as we grow, we start to experience fear. Things we have heard or seen, or maybe our own personal experiences, leave us traumatized and frightened. Most of us want to move forward, build our dreams, but we feel stuck, paralyzed. This meditation helps us break down the walls of fear so that we can reach our dreams, and become who we truly are. Releasing Fear Find a quiet spot to sit or lie down where you are not likely to be disturbed. Remove or loosen any uncomfortable clothing. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin.

Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern. There are different ways an addiction can begin. It may start as recreation, medical necessity, relaxation or comfort. Addiction can take the form of food, alcohol, drugs, sex and more. The common thread is the desire to fill a void, especially when situations are beyond our control. Eventually addiction grabs hold in the subconscious mind, and the void becomes a physical dependency. It is possible to break this dependency in the subconscious. In this meditation, the focus will be on releasing the mental hold of addiction, and finding a safe and peaceful place within. Please note that we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health effects from using this meditation. This podcast is meant for educational use only, and not as a replacement for traditional professional medical treatment. It is simply to enhance and support one's journey toward recovery. Addiction Find a quiet spot to sit or lie down where you are not likely to be disturbed. Loosen or remove any uncomfortable clothing. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin.

Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern. Anxiety, anger grief and fear are examples of persistent emotional states that linger because of our unwillingness or inability to let go of past experiences. In this episode, we use breath and 'relentless self-acceptance' to help work our way through these states. Please be advised: This meditation may produce strong emotional release. Please consult your health care professional before using it. We are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health effects from using this meditation. This podcast is meant for educational use only, and not as a replacement for traditional professional medical treatment. Finally, for those using this podcast for the first time, the audio contains sound technology known as 'binaural beats' to help the listener enter a deep state of meditation and relaxation. Please use headphones, and do not listen to this podcast while driving or operating machinery. Transformational Breathing Find a quiet spot to sit or lie down where you are not likely to be disturbed. Loosen or remove any uncomfortable clothing. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin.

Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern. First of all, we apologize for our April episode coming out so late. Our only excuse is that we've been extremely busy, and Jesse just got back from overseas. We also had to change web hosts. To make a long story short, thank you all for your patience. We'll do our very best to catch up! This month's episode is about regeneration in your Sacred Space. We will guide you through a technique that takes you into a sacred place - your own inner sanctum or sacred grove. In this place, you can regenerate your energy, renew your creativity, and gain a new perspective on choices you may have to make. Remember that while this podcast uses guided imagery, it also uses sound technology that affects the right and left sides of the brain, to help us enter a deeper state of relaxation and meditation. Thus, it works best with headphones, and should not be used while driving. The Meditation Podcast is produced by Jesse and Jeane Stern, and is available at The Meditation Podcast dot com. Music from the podcast is from the Nine Lives of a Healer CD, which is available at NineLivesofaHealer.com. If you feel that you've benefitted from this podcast, please consider making a donation, or a voluntary subscription, through out web site. Your Sacred Space Find a quiet spot to sit or lie down where you are not likely to be disturbed. Loosen or remove any uncomfortable clothing. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin.

Thanks to you, our listeners, our new site is ready, and or forums are up and running! Check it out at TheMeditationPodcast.com. And be sure to log in to our forums, at forum.themeditationpodcast.com. (Ed. note: the forums have since been removed.) Want to hear the tones from the podcast, without the voices? We now have Binaural Theta Meditation, Volume 1, a CD using the tones and sounds from the first five episodes! The specific tones are designed to promote overall well-being and peace. Visit our web site for details. We are planning a 'thank you' page for everyone who donated. If you have donated, please let us know if we may use your full name, or first name, on the thank you page; otherwise you will be listed as 'anonymous'. Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern, a podcast that will help you benefit from meditation in your everyday life. Many of us have trouble falling asleep. We go to bed tired, but then lie awake fidgeting, or consumed with anxiety. We deprive ourselves of the rest and regeneration we need for healthy, productive lives. This meditation uses a new set of tones, designed to aid the listener in falling asleep, and to experience a deep, peaceful rest. This style of meditation is non-denominational, and we believe it can be used in conjunction with - or separate from - any set of religious or spiritual beliefs. The Meditation Podcast is produced by Jesse and Jeane Stern, and is available at The Meditation Podcast. Music from the podcast is from the Nine Lives of a Healer CD, which is available at NineLivesofaHealer.com. If you feel that you've benefitted from this podcast, please consider making a donation, or a voluntary subscription, through out web site. Falling Asleep Listen to this meditation after you've prepared yourself for bed. Loosen or remove any uncomfortable clothing. Turn off or silence your phone. Lie on your back, with your hands resting at your sides. Now, let's begin.

This meditation is part two of our series on deep-level healing. As we continue to heal our consciousness of past anger, resentment or guilt, we can begin the healing process on a physical level. We can now visualize whole health in the areas of our bodies that have been afflicted with ailments and diseases. It is important to understand that this is not an instant cure, but a process which can be done daily. This style of meditation is non-denominational, and we believe it can be used in conjunction with - or separate from - any set of religious or spiritual beliefs. Please be advised, we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not guarantee any specific health effects from using this meditation. This podcast is meant for educational use only, and not as a replacement for traditional professional medical treatment. Remove or loosen any uncomfortable clothing. Find a comfortable, quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin....

Before we begin, we would like to again thank everyone who donated and sent in their suggestions, and to share a few of our plans for the podcast. First, thanks to your donations, we will be able to set up a hosted web site, and we plan to have the new site up and running by the end of February! The new site will have a community message board, as well as a full archive of episodes and transcripts! For the technophobe, we have been thinking about offering limited-edition CD's for every 3 episodes of the podcast - 1-3, 4-6, and so on. Please let us know if you'd be interested! Finally, many of you have expressed that you would like to hear interviews, but also to continue the guided meditations. So, we plan to keep guided meditations as the main focus of the podcast, and to add interviews as bonus episodes. Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jesse and Jeane Stern, a podcast that will help you benefit from meditation in your everyday life. This meditation is part One of a series that focuses on deep-level healing. Healing begins in our consciousness. Our mental and emotional states play a big part in our health. It is natural to feel a full range of emotions. However, when we hold onto anger, resentment or guilt, and these feelings are not processed and released, they stagnate within the body, causing illness and dis-ease. This meditation, which can be used daily, can help you process these feelings, and bring about total well being. This style of meditation is non-denominational, and we believe it can be used in conjunction with - or separate from - any set of religious or spiritual beliefs. Remember that while this podcast uses guided imagery, it also uses sound technology that affects the right and left sides of the brain, to help us enter a deeper state of relaxation and meditation. Thus, it works best with headphones, and should not be used while driving. Please be advised, we are not licensed health care practitioners, and we do not claim any specific health effects from using this meditation. This podcast is meant for educational use only, and not as a replacement for traditional professional medical treatment. Remove or loosen any uncomfortable clothing. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, where you are not likely to be disturbed. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin....

Before we begin, we would like to thank everyone who has emailed us and reviewed the podcast. We appreciate your support! Also, please let us know what you would like to hear in future episodes of The Meditation Podcast. We have several guests in mind for 2007. Would you like to hear interviews about meditation? Stories about how meditation has affected people's lives? Would you like to learn about meditation from different cultures and traditions? Would you like to hear conversations about meditation from around the world? Please email your comments and suggestions for future episodes to themeditationpodcast at gmail dot com. As a last-minute update, I fixed the Donate button on our web site, so that you can donate any amount (it was stuck at 30)! Thanks to isa-lee for bringing this to our attention! I will mention it out loud on the next episode. Welcome to The Meditation Podcast, with Jeane and Jesse Stern, a new podcast that will help you benefit from meditation in your everyday life. This month, we will focus on healing through visualization. Each of us, whether we realize it or not, abides by a universal law of attraction. What we think about, and talk about, we attract into our lives -- no matter whether we think about wanting it, or not wanting it. Therefore it is very important to think constructively. So rather than saying, 'I don't want to have these health problems anymore,' say 'I'm so glad to be healthy!' or 'I want perfect health.' Instead of trying to get out of debt, try to attain prosperity. Don't anticipate conflict with your loved ones or co-workers -- instead, imagine what it would be like to be in total harmony with them. If you hate war, try loving peace instead. This concept may seem strange at first, but it's a very powerful exercise. When we began doing it, we noticed major changes in every area of our lives. Even if a positive thought or feeling doesn't seem true for you, just try imagining 'what would it be like?' or 'wouldn't it be nice?' Remember that while this podcast uses guided imagery, it also uses sound technology that affects the right and left sides of the brain, to help us enter a deeper state of meditation and relaxation. Thus, it works best with headphones and should not be used while driving. Remove or loosen any uncomfortable clothing. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, where you are not likely to be disturbed. Turn off or silence your phone. Now, let's begin....