Living From the Heart: Recent Episodes
Zach Beach
A weekly podcast on cultivating love, led by yogi, meditation teacher, and love coach Zach Beach. Each session features an original poem by Zach, an inspiring talk with the world's greatest wisdom teachings, and ends with a fifteen minute meditation. Learn more at www.zachbeach.com and join the sessions live at www.zachbeach.com/live
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn this week’s talk, Zach encourages us to take the path to the heart by pointing out the uselessness of the mind. The mind is often on repeat and is strongly based on past conditioning. We all addicted to something, and everyone is addicted to their own way of thinking. Although the mind has brought […]
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn this week’s talk, Zach explores the dharma of our everyday lives. As soon as we become present, we know everything we need to know. Gaze deeply at a tree, a flower, or a stone, and you will learn all the truths of life. Zach demonstrates that even a cup can teach us dharma, as […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn Part II of this two-part talk, Zach explores the role of the breath in our meditation and yoga practice. The path of mantra yoga taps us into the energy of sound, and helps us to transcend the mind and discover something greater than the continuous movement of thinking. Learning Sanskrit is a beautiful practices […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn Part I of this two-part talk, Zach explores the role of the breath in our meditation and yoga practice. The breath is like a dewdrop on the tip of the lotus flower. Not only does it reflect the lotus flower, but the entire cosmos as well. The divine, love, and happiness, are already right […]
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn this week’s talk, Zach explores seeing the evolution of the entire universe as one that goes to more and more love. Because something cannot arise from nothing, the consciousness and intelligence that exists now has been there since the beginning. The mystics know we are not separate, and the divine love in ourselves reflects […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn Part 2 of this two-part talk, Zach explores the path of Karma Yoga to love and liberation. First, we must understand the nature of suffering. Then, we can set the intention and aspiration to free ourselves Schedule a session, purchase a book, and join Zach’s newsletter at www.zachbeach.com. Find all previous talks here: https://www.zachbeach.com/podcast/ […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn Part I of this two-part talk, Zach explores the path of Karma Yoga to love and liberation. We can take inspiration from Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva, and the Bhagavad Gita, the ancient path of selfless service is a sure way to love and compassion to all sentient beings. Schedule a session, purchase […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this week’s talk, Zach explores what it means to remember our true radiant nature. Great spiritual gurus tell us to look within. The path of discourse that brings us to self-discovery is known as the gyana path. The yogic path encourages us to stop our questioning altogether and rest in the truth of who […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes In Part II of this two-part talk, Zach explores what it means to find belonging with the Earth, and belonging with the divine. We must see this Earth as our home, and see it as a living and loving relationship. Finally, while the divine is ineffable, putting ourselves on the path is more than enough. […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explores one of the deepest human needs: the need for love, connection, and belonging. It’s normal to feel disconnected in our current isolated and atomized world. Our first step to cultivating belonging is by connecting to what is right here: our bodies and our hearts. Schedule a session, purchase a book, […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the power of kindness and explores different ways to cultivate our capacity to be kind. By recognizing the impact of our kind actions, setting an intention to be kind, and reflecting at the end of our day on how kind we were, our kindness blooms like a flower. Intro Poem, […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the power of thought, and how we can intentionally lay down positive mental patterns. Often our mind isn’t ready to hear the dharma, we need to prepare it first. Recognizing the limits of the mind, we can rest in the limitless heart. Intro Poem, Our Day Is Not Complete, part […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach continues to share some common Zen stories and interprets them on different levels. We learn from The Legend of Angulimala what it means to practice ahimsa, stop the mind, and end the criticism and war in our own minds. We can also see that the truth found by psychological science and […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach shares some common Zen stories and interprets them on different levels. Our mind is made for stories, and any good story can mean different things at different times in a person’s life. We can turn our life into an epic story, a poem, a song, a masterpiece. Intro Poem is unpublished. […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explores part two of his exploration of tapas, fire, burning, discipline, and purification on the spiritual path. We can also see the sun as the essence of tapas, providing the warmth and energy for life to continue on this earth. Finally, we can see a willingness to be with suffering as […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the power of words on the spiritual path. We must understand that words are a vehicle to greater understanding. But like any vehicle, we leave it beyond when we get to the destination. One powerful word and concept is tapas, which can mean fire, motivation, and discipline. Learn more at […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the practice of becoming nobody, and what it really means to “clear the mind.” Our meditation involves looking at our habitual reactions and cultivating response-ability, shifting from immediate reaction to calm responses. Introductory poem, Prajnanam Brahma, is unpublished, but based on the four Mahavakyas of the Upanishads. Learn more at […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach emphasizes that life is a gift and each moment is a miracle. Our spiritual task is to awaken to all the joys and wonders of life around us. The life of the Buddha teaches us that every step and every breath we take is a miracle. Intro Poem: part of the […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the metaphysics of love, and how the more love we give away, the more we have. Human beings long to connect, and the more open our heart is, the happier we will be. Intro Poem is part of the Pebbles poetry collection, click here to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Pebbles-Zach-Beach/dp/B0B2V3VYW6 Learn more at […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores all the ways to think about and cultivate compassion. We must look at compassion as a shared experience, that requires a movement of the heartspace. By being present to suffering and removing the armor around the heart, we naturally feel compassion for ourselves and all beings. Intro poem is part […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the sacred I-thou relationship, based on 1923 work of Martin Buber, Ich Und Du, meaning I and Thou, or I and You. While our modern capitalistic, materialistic, and nationalistic culture thrives on I-it relationships, we must bring our whole being to the I-Thou relationship to enter into a world of […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the unification of dualities, and how to live on multiple planes of awareness at the same time. We can simultaneously recognize we are both everything and nothing, both perfect and growing, both living and dying. Spirituality means releasing all rigid attachments to beliefs, thoughts, and opinions, and not clinging to […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explores all the many different meanings of the Sanskrit word “Dharma.” Like many Sanskrit concepts, there are many different translations of this word, including duty, purpose, path, teachings, method, law, Tao, and Cosmic law. While seemingly separate ideas, there is an underlying unity behind them all. Intro Poem is part of … 16 The Many Meanings of Dharma Read More »
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores seeing our spirituality as one of cultivating positive emotion and social connection. Although we say we want love, and spending a lot of time looking for “the one,” we often aren’t ready for it. Because love asks a lot of us, it requires us to look at our own stuff … 15 You Want Love, but Are You Ready for It? Read More »
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores what it means to shift our darshan, or worldview, to see through the heart. While the mind is logical and narrow, the heart is paradoxical and open. By seeing through the heart, we can live and experience the world in a completely new way. Intro poem, “What Are We?” is … 14 Seeing With the Heart Read More »
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explores the idea that understanding is the bedrock of love. The deeper the understanding, the deeper the love. We must understand ourselves if we are to love ourselves. Intimacy is “into-me-see,” it’s seeing deeply into another person and honoring, accepting, and validating who they are. Intro Poem part of the Pebbles … 13 Understanding Is Love’s Other Name Read More »
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach dives deep into a famous line from the Dhamma Pada, “Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.” 2,000 years later, humanity still hasn’t learned this law of the Universe. In a world with conflict, violence, and war, love is the … 12 Hatred Does Not Cease By Hatred Read More »
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach explains the three stages of connection. By understanding the other planes of awareness available to us, transforming our consciousness in such a way opens us up to a world of oneness, yoga, and love. Intro Poem: part of the 108 Savasana Poems collection, click here to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/108-Savasana-Poems-Blissful-Words/dp/1092978712/ Learn more at www.zachbeach.com … 11. The Three Stages of Connection Read More »
Reading Time: 2 minutes In this talk, Zach discusses the importance of embracing the mystery, and cultivating the beginner’s or “don’t know” mind. This life, ourselves, and the divine are ultimately unknowable, and we can rest in the great mystery of it all. Intro poem part of the 108 Savasana Poems collection, click here to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/108-Savasana-Poems-Blissful-Words/dp/1092978712/ Learn more … 10. Embracing the Mystery Read More »
Reading Time: 3 minutes In this talk, Zach explains how our attention matters more than anything. By bringing our attention to the present moment and dropping out of all conceptual thinking, we can touch reality as it is. Intro Poem, part of the Pebbles collection, click here to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Pebbles-Zach-Beach/dp/B0B2V3VYW6 Learn more at www.zachbeach.com Should I leave this burning … The Art of Paying Attention Read More »
Description: In this talk, Zach explains how we all interpret reality through different lenses. Although our culture tells us to see the world through the eyes of capitalism, materialism, the ego, and science, our spiritual path is one of seeing through the lens of love. When we finally do see with the eyes of our heart, the sense of separation dissolves and we feel a connection with all that is.
Intro Poem: Correspondence, part of the Drinking Roses on Sunday collection, click here to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Drinking-Roses-Sunday-words-heart/dp/1497489148/
You wouldn’t believe what once or twice I have seen. I’ll just tell you this: only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one. - Mary Oliver
Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed... - Thomas Merton
The art form is to stay wide open and vulnerable in life, and sit with the mystery, and with the awe, and with the pain...sit with it all. What the human condition is at the moment, has in it greed, it has lust, it has fear, it has anger, it has violence, it has all of that stuff; and it also has beauty, tenderness, care, joy, play. I'll tell you, if you think you can be happy by denying the pain and sadness in the world, I'll tell you that isn't true happiness. The cost of armoring your heart against what is, is more costly than you may appreciate. - Ram Dass
Learn more at www.zachbeach.com
In this talk, Zach discusses the long spiritual journey of eighteen inches: from the head to the heart. We have all been brought up to live in our minds and believe everything we think, including the belief of our ego as a separate entity. But once we tame the mind and drop into the nature of the heart, and undeniable love and joy naturally arises. We are able to feel both into our divine nature, and stay embodied in our physical lives.
There is a place in the heart where everything meets. Go there if you want to find me. Mind, senses, soul, eternity, all are there. Are you there? Enter the bowl of vastness that is the heart. Give yourself to it with total abandon…. Once you know the way The nature of attention will call you To return, again and again, And be saturated with knowing, “I belong here, I am at home here.” -Lorin Roche, Translation of The Radiance Sutras
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/n6qc4FD8htQ
Learn more at www.zachbeach.com
In this talk, Zach goes through our evolutionary history that wired us to empathize and connect with our fellow human beings. He then looks are how much of the ails of modern society reflect a disconnect in our love. If we are to heal ourselves, heal each other, and heal the planet, we must focus on healing our love.
Learn more at www.zachbeach.com
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/qn_c56dQ64s Everyone you see, you say to them, Love me. Of course you do not do this out loud; Otherwise, Someone would call the cops. Still though, think about this, This great pull in us To connect. Why not become the one Who lives with a full moon in each eye That is always saying, With that sweet moon language, What every other eye in this world Is dying to Hear. By: Hafiz
In this talk, Zach describes how the world is a reflection of us, just as much as we are a reflection of the world. By cultivating an awareness of our connection to all things, a natural love and compassion arises. We become more compassionate to ourselves when we discover our own common humanity, and more kind to others as we realize everyone is fighting a hard battle.
Learn more at www.zachbeach.com
Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. -Kindness, Naomi Shihab Nye
In this talk, Zach talks about the importance of finding balance in all areas of our life, and what it truly means to live in harmony. He discusses the importance of cultivating a strong back, a fierce heart, a discipline practice. Along with this we need to cultivate an openness to the unfolding moment, with a willingness to let go of our defenses and be changed by what appears around the bend. Learn more at www.zachbeach.com
In this talk, Zach explores all the ways we are disconnected in the modern world, including from ourselves, nature, and each other. By taking time to cultivate connection, we bring more love into the world and feel a sense of aliveness.
Quotes shared in the talk:
The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small. — Mother Teresa
The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substances of our bodies, making them glide and sing. - John Muir
Every day I see or hear something that more or less
kills me with delight, that leaves me like a needle
in the haystack of light. It was what I was born for— to look, to listen,
to lose myself inside this soft world— to instruct myself over and over
in joy, and acclamation. Nor am I talking about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful, the very extravagant— but of the ordinary, the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations. Oh, good scholar, I say to myself, how can you help
but grow wise with such teachings as these— the untrimmable light
of the world, the ocean’s shine, the prayers that are made out of grass? -Mary Oliver
A gentle world begins in the way you touch your heart. Be soft with the light inside you. caress your body with this breath. God is nothing else but the place where the sun comes up in your chest. You’re the glimmering destination. You’re the golden honey daubed on the bread of the ordinary. Whatever is perfect, whatever is heavenly begins here. -Alfred Lamotte, Gentle
"I breathe in the soft, saturated exhalations of cedar trees and salmonberry bushes, fireweed and wood fern, marsh hawks and meadow voles, marten and harbor seal and blacktail deer. I breathe in the same particles of air that made songs in the throats of hermit thrushes and gave voices to humpback whales, the same particles of air that lifted the wings of bald eagles and buzzed in the flight of hummingbirds, the same particles of air that rushed over the sea in storms, whirled in high mountain snows, whistled across the poles, and whispered through lush equatorial gardens . . . air that has passed continually through life on earth. I breathe it in, pass it on, share it in equal measure with billions of other living things, endlessly, infinitely." - Richard Nelson
In this talk Zach talks about the importance of choosing love, and what so often gets in the way. By setting an intention to love, we must recognize that love is a skills meant to be developed, not an out of control emotion that only results from finding the right person. To choose love we must understand how our limbic system hijacks our prefrontal cortex, and practice responding from a place of love rather than reacting from a place of anger. Learn more at www.zachbeach.com
"The mind makes us powerful, but the heart makes us human," Zach says in the first Living From the Heart Session. In this talk, Zach explores the importance of living from the heart, how we as a society have a lopsided development of the mind, and we have to live from our deepest value and what truly matters. Zach also explores the two wings of spiritual awakening, a statement from Holocaust survivors, and the paradox of loneliness. Learn more at zachbeach.com