The CyberSangha Podcast

The Power of Silence & Warmth of the Breath

Episode 47, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind"
Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche offered a spontaneous online teaching and guided meditation as part of the Month of Speech. This broadcast is part of “A Year of Body, Speech, and Mind,” a free 2021 online program of live teachings, practices, and science & spirituality dialogs. Learn more

How Breath Carries Mind: Ins and Outs of Breathing in Yoga and Meditation

Episode 46, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind"
Featuring: Judith Simmer-Brown, Shirley Telles, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
In the second of a series of 2021 Science & Spirituality Dialogs on wellness of body, breath, and mind, invited panelists discuss the importance and benefits of focused breathing in contemplative practices such as yoga and Buddhist meditation. The dialog is part of a free yearlong online program related to body, speech, and mind. Learn more

Meditation in Motion: Benefits of Yoga and Other Movement-Based Practices

Episode 45, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind"
Featuring: Lorenzo Cohen, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich
In the first of a series of 2021 Science & Spirituality Dialogs on wellness of body, breath, and mind, invited panelists discuss the mind-body connection in movement-based practices such as hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, and Tibetan yoga (tsa lung trul khor). How can such physical practices serve us in transforming our state of mind? How can the research inform our practice? The dialog is part of a free yearlong online program related to body, speech, and mind, known in the Tibetan tradition as the “three doors to enlightenment. Learn more

Finding Serenity Through Stillness

Episode 44, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind"
Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
What challenges are you facing right now? How well are you dealing with them? Whether you’re reacting in anger or accommodating your circumstances with serenity and joy, how you respond has everything to do with your sense of who you are. In a Facebook Live broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains how to distinguish your “pain identity” from your genuine self, and guides a meditation to help you find more serenity through awareness of stillness of the body. He also discusses suggested “homework” for the weeks to come.

The Flashlight, Floodlight & Juggler: Training Attention with Meditation

Episode 43, Series 2: "Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life"
Featuring: David R. Vago, Ph.D., Amishi Jha, Ph.D., Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D.
Can we live more fully just by paying more attention? Our panelists discuss the science behind attention, how mindfulness can help us achieve our greatest potential and strategies for being more present in each moment. Using metaphors from Dr. Jha’s recent bestselling book, Peak Mind, the panelists will discuss three subsystems of attention: the flashlight (selective focus), floodlight (receptive attention), and juggler (executive functioning). They will also discuss the similarities and differences between neuroscientific and Buddhist models of attention, plus recent findings from lab-based and field studies of contemplative training.

Balancing the Elements through the Breath

Episode 42, Series 2: "Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life"
Featuring: Menpa Phuntsok Wangmo, Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and Alejandro Chaoul
Join us for the public premiere of a recorded science/spirituality dialog featuring Menpa Phuntsok Wangmo, Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and moderator Alejandro Chaoul. The talk was first presented to an in-person audience at the Serenity Ridge Retreat Center (plus private online audience) during Serenity Ridge Dialogues, October 2022.
Certain breathing practices, such as the tsa lung exercises of the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition, can serve as a powerful tool for balancing the elements and winds of one’s body, speech and mind. Tibetan doctor and dzogchen practitioner Menpa Phuntsok Wangmo discusses the five elements from the perspective of Tibetan medicine, as well as the importance of breathing practice in balancing the elements and healing illness. Breath researcher and Kundalini practitioner Dr. Sat-Bir Khalsa Singh describes much of the research done on breathing practices and their health benefits. Dzogchen master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal describes the five elements from the perspective of the dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Bön Buddhism and responds to related research into the Tibetan breathing practices of tsa lung and trul khor (Tibetan yoga).
This dialog is a must watch for pranayama and tsa lung practitioners, as well as for those interested in the correlations between breathing practice and the five elements and their potential health benefits. It is presented here as part of the Month of Speech in the yearlong program “Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life.” Learn more about the yearlong program.

Realizing Your Full Potential: Speaking Your True Voice

Episode 41, Series 2: "Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life"
Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
“Speech” refers here not only to the words we speak, but also to the energy carried by our voice and our breath. The teachings, discussions, and practices of this month explore using speech, mantra, other forms of sound, and/or breathing practices to support us to connect with the pure, unceasing awareness of our true nature. Through allowing our voice to rest in silence, we draw attention to inner silence and continue to release effort that separates us from being fully present. A doorway to deep inner peace, resting in silence allows the light of pure awareness to dawn, awareness that illuminates the source of positive qualities within us and all beings. It helps us to realize our true voice.
In advance of his teaching, Rinpoche encourages creating a bit of space for meditation in your house — in a quiet, peaceful location where you can feel some sense of warmth and connection to yourself. You might provide a comfortable cushion to sit on, and a candle or stick of incense. A supportive outer space can support your inner space during meditation.

Mastering Living & Dying: What We Can Learn from Post-Death States of Advanced Meditators

Episode 40, Series 2: "Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life"
Featuring: Leslie Eisenberg, Ph.D.; Tawni Tidwell, Ph.D.; Geshe Tenzin Wangyal; and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D.
We all aim to live well, but little is understood about how to die well. Our expert panelists discuss research into tukdam, a post-death meditative state in which the bodies of advanced meditation practitioners show delayed signs of decomposition for as many as three weeks or longer. What insights into the dying process can this research provide for both the dying and their support communities? What are its implications for living and practicing well? What is the role of the physical body in meditation?