At Dropping In we’ll explore diverse stories about identity. By listening to others talk about their own path, ours becomes less fearful. Where are we now and how do we meet the challenges? Dropping In is a place of discovery. We might believe that our life experiences are uniquely our own. Yet there’s a community of people that are here to bear witness, to relate to, link arms with and support us. They join us on Dropping In, tackling subjects like breaking into your dream business, cultural differences, child abuse, mental illness, shamanism, gender search, religious shunning, and fitting in as a marginalized outsider. These can feel like lonesome tasks. How do others find their power? Listening to their personal truths validates our own. Drop into the conversation to find the common threads, your uniqueness and our shared experience as humans.
In this episode from Omega's 2011 Living beautifully With Uncertainty and Change Retreat, Pema Chodron shares a 12-minute teaching on patience, coping with daily annoyances, and swimming in the middle of the river.
In this episode from Omega's 2005 Overcoming Obstacles Conference, the late Buddhist nun, Ani Trime, offers a 22-minute talk on coping with a complaining mind, followed by a 9-minute meditation practice to help release negative thoughts.
This offering from spiritual counselor, Sharon Landrith, is a 43-minute seamless, guided meditation where even the explanation at the beginning is part of the visceral experience. The excerpt is from Omega's 2018 'Love Arising From Stillness' Retreat.
In this potent 35-minute conversation, originally recorded at Omega's 2014 Women & Power Conference, Mallika Dutt, Tony Porter and Elizabeth Lesser share stories and perspectives on gender socialization in modern times. Mallika ends the episode by guiding you through a short visualization to promote interdependence.
In this episode from Omega's 2017 Being Fearless Conference, Professor Rhonda Magee shares a poignant 24 minutes of teachings honoring her African American heritage, finding collective worth in one's culture, and creating mindfulness around social justice. Later, she offers a 6-minute standing practice to help you honor your personal history.
Today, Roshi Joan Halifax offers a stirring 26-minute lecture on being a 'war baby', early lessons in unconditional love, and what it really means to be of service, all from Omega's 2013 Women and Power Retreat. Later, she leads a 14-minute body mindfulness practice, and shares her core teaching: cultivating a strong back, soft front.
Today, the cofounders of the Holistic Life Foundation begin this 38-minute conversation, originally recorded at the Making Peace with the Earth Conference in 2018, with a 13-minute lovingkindness practice. Later, they share the nature-based lessons from their childhoods that inform their work with underserved kids.
In this 12-minute episode, Jack Kornfield offers up a lovingkindness meditation from Omega's 2013 Neuroscience of Well-being, Mindfulness & Love Workshop in New York City.
Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei offers a 19-minute conversation about the illusion of separateness, originally recorded at Omega's 2015 Women & Power Conference, plus a 7-minute meditation practice to help you re-center (starting at 11:00).
In this 22-minute episode recorded at Omega's 2017 Being Fearless Conference, Jon Kabat-Zinn discusses how presence and wisdom must be cultivated—then offers a "dropping into being" practice.
This offering from Sharon Salzberg is a short, snackable, 8-minute lovingkindness meditation, excerpted from Omega's 2006 Women & Power Conference.
Native American activist, author and indigenous rights lawyer, Sherri Mitchell, considers the job of preserving her Wabanaki ancestry a sacred responsibility. In this bonus episode of Dropping In Mitchell recalls the community elders that nurtured her early potential, explains the spiritual significance of her tattoos, and shares her plea for humanity to honor Mother Nature. This bonus episode features audio recorded at Sherri Mitchell's Omega workshop interwoven with an intimate conversation with longtime public radio journalist, Karen Michel. Join Michel for each episode of Dropping In as she sits down with the great thinkers, creative talent, and social visionaries who teach at Omega Institute, to explore the many ways to awaken the best in the human spirit.
Nina Rao has her grandfather to thank for setting her on the path to sacred chant. It took many years and several professional pit stops—including commercial banking—before she found her way to kirtan and to becoming the musical assistant and business manager for Krishna Das (KD). In this bonus episode of Dropping In, Nina walks her students through the ancient verses of her favorite chant, Hanuman Chalisa, during her Heart Practice of Chanting workshop with KD at Omega. The episode also features a performance with Nina, as well as a visit from Krishna Das who muses about his early days in pursuit of enlightenment. Join Michel for each episode of Dropping In as she sits down with the great thinkers, creative talent, and social visionaries who teach at Omega Institute, to explore the many ways to awaken the best in the human spirit.
The name, Krishna Das, may very well be synonymous with sacred chant, or 'kirtan'. In this bonus episode of Dropping In, the Grammy-nominated musician, and longtime friend of Ram Dass, explains the power of repetition in chant for connecting with the divine and how the lack of early belief systems in his family shaped him. This bonus episode features insights and performances recorded at "KD's" Omega workshop interwoven with an intimate conversation with longtime public radio journalist, Karen Michel, at his home.
In his book, "The Five Levels of Attachment," Mexican-American author and shaman Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. describes the five guideposts for gauging how attached we are to any particular belief, whether ours or someone else'. In his Omega workshop, he encouraged participants to use these wisdom teachings to regain the power to make their own decisions.
Paul Hawken thinks we can solve the world's toughest climate challenges. He takes the stage at the Drawdown Learn conference, held in collaboration with Omega institute’s Center for Sustainable Living, to tell us how. Hawken talks about his entrepreneurial path from unfocused Northern California youth to to health food promoter to Project Drawdown, a global NGO aimed at literally fixing the world.
Paralympic athlete, Rhodes scholar and author Bonnie St. John knows about resiliency. She was born with one leg shorter than the other. And at the age of five, she made a tough decision to amputate it. After many surgeries St. John learned to live life to the fullest -- walking, running and skiing with a prosthetic limb. In her workshop at Omega she asked women look deep inside to see what they need to let go of to live their lives with purpose, creativity and passion.
Native American economist, ecologist, and activist Winona La Duke shares traditional teachings from her Anishinaabeg culture about the sacredness of water and the spirits who watch over them. With this wisdom, she encourages us to take responsibility and care for the precious resources of the planet.
Ayurvedic chef Richard La Marita leads workshop participants in the preparation of three meals while he shares the theory of the ancient Indian path to good health through food. As La Marita explains, diet is really just one aspect of the Ayurveda lifestyle.
Poet Anne Haven McDonnell says that encountering the natural world is encountering the mystery. In part two of our exploration of Orion Magazine's environmental writer's workshop, a bear peers in the window of the classroom at Omega. That close encounter with wilderness inspires McDonnell to read her own bear poem as well as others exploring the kinship between humans and animals.
Writing poetry about the environment can be a lot of things. In the first of 2 parts, we drop in on Orion Magazine's environmental writer's workshop and learn from distinguished poet Major Jackson. Jackson intertwines the rural, the urban, and the cultural into his work.
Do we all age like a fine wine, or do some of us turn to vinager? Harvard educated cell biologist and licensed psychologist Joan Borysenko explores the physical, emotional and spiritual factors to age with sass and class. Laughter, a sense of purpose, and eating chocolate slowly are some of the tools Borysenko recommends in the face of the very real challenges faced by an aging baby boomer generation.
Although Tim Olmsted looks like a preppy dad in a Ralph Lauren ad, he's actually a leading Buddhist teacher and President of the Pema Chödrön Foundation. For the premiere of Omega Institute's new podcast, Dropping In, Olmsted explores Siddhartha, our monkey mind, the four immeasurables of buddhist thought, and how meditation can change our world. This episode features audio recorded in Olmsted's workshop at Omega woven together with an intimate interview by host Karen Michel.
Omega Institute's new podcast drops September 23rd. Check out our trailer and subscribe now.
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
