Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #24. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

Torsten from Berlin raises an excellent question, one for the ages. If mindfulness is about being present, how is a practitioner supposed to plan for the future? Remember the past? Are planning and memory inconsistent with mindfulness? In this week’s answer I offer some insights. Enjoy! And please feel free to ask me your question about meditation, mindfulness, spirituality, relationships, or anything I might be helpful with. Leave me a message here .

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

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The post How can I plan for the future and think about the past when I’m supposed to be in the present moment? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #23. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

Katia’s question is about figuring out the balance between kindness toward others and self-care. In this answer, I discuss the real meaning of compassion (spoiler alert: it doesn’t mean being nice), how compassion for self naturally blossoms into compassion for others, and the two forms of compassion, according to Buddhist thought: relative and absolute. I also share a little bit about my personal system for when I feel like I’m being overwhelmed by someone else.
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Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.

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The post How can I have compassion for others without ignoring my own needs? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #21. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

This week’s question is truly fascinating. Our questioner has discovered that since beginning a meditation practice, his mind keeps trying to stay awake, even as his body is trying to fall asleep. Interesting! Irritating! All of the above. In this episode, I offer a few thoughts and also refer him to the work of Andrew Holocek who has expertise on dreaming and meditation that I do not possess.

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post Could meditation be giving me insomnia? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #20. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

This week’s excellent question is about equanimity. Our lovely questioner wants to know how she can remain equanimous when she investigates emotional pain. A key question for us all.

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post How can meditation help me with heartbreak? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #19. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

Ashley is planning to come on one of my retreats. YAY! This is her first-ever meditation retreat and she was wondering what she could do to prepare.

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post What is the best way to prepare for a meditation retreat? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #18. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

I love, love, love this question from Paula. Thank you, Paula! She has been meditating for several years but still finds the practice to be boring. It’s uncomfortable. Should she exchange the breath for another object of meditation? She finds that midway through a practice session, she switches attention away from breath and does a body scan. Is that okay? (Spoiler alert: Boredom is not the problem…Paula is actually doing a fantastic job.)

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post Meditation is very boring. What am I doing wrong? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #17. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

Hillary is accustomed to an eyes-open practice (as I teach it). But she finds it very uncomfortable and ends up spending the whole meditation peeved. She understands that meditation is a practice of wakefulness–but can she still accomplish this if her eyes are closed?

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post I find meditation to be irritating! My eyes feel dry and uncomfortable. Can I still get the benefits of wakefulness if I meditate with my eyes closed? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #16. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

This week’s question is about becoming a Buddhist. The ceremony for doing so is called “taking refuge”. What does this even mean? Our questioner wondered how I knew this was the right thing to do and what it meant.

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post How and why would anyone become a Buddhist? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #15. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

Victoria from England is really interested in two different but equally meaningful spiritual practice. How important is it to focus on one? Spoiler alert: My answer is more related to the world of dating than dharma…

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
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The post How do I know if this practice is “the one”? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

 Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #14. 

I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question.

Fiona from Australia wonders what is going on when she feels a mix of panic and freedom while meditating. Meditation feels wonderful, but also a bit frightening. Is this what Buddhists mean by “groundlessness?” If so, what can she do to hold on to the freedom but let go of the fear?

 
 
Look for the ‘Ask Susan’ episodes as part of the Open Heart Project podcast; available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, doubleTwist, FMG and more…

GET FREE WEEKLY MEDITATION VIDEOS

The only way to understand meditation is by doing it yourself, and I’m here to help. Sign up and I’ll email you a new meditation video every week. FREE.
 
Subscribe
 

The post Meditation makes me feel unsteady. Isn’t it supposed to do the opposite?! appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

The meditation begins at 6:18 Audio only version is here. Hello, excellent meditator. Before this week’s practice, I have the delight of continuing to answer the questions you have submitted to... READ MORE

The post Thoughts are endless and keep distracting me when I meditate. How can I have less? appeared first on The Open Heart Project.