Heart Haven Meditations

Healing music designed to gently guide you into deep restorative sleep. Composed by the fabulous Eric Fischer, the notes are literally imbued with love. May you feel safe, protected, and free to relax into sleep.
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Host: Tess Callahan
Substack: Writers at the Well
Interview Podcast: Writers at the Well
Meditations on Insight Timer
Meditations on YouTube
Tess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/
Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd Clark
Audio Editing: Eric Fischer
By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show.
Thank you for listening!

DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to this recording. Use the material provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.

Alternate nostril breathing or Nadi Shodhana is breathing technique from yoga that promotes relaxation, clarity, and stress relief. It involves inhaling and exhaling through one nostril at a time, alternating sides, and can benefit the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems. It aids in lowering blood pressure, improving heart rate variability, enhancing lung function, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Mentally, it calms the mind, reduces anxiety, and improves focus. Spiritually, it balances the body's energy channels (nadis), promoting deep states of consciousness and transformation. Practiced correctly, it can lead to a calmer, clearer mind and better sleep.
Sound mixing by the fabulous Eric Fischer.
Support the show
Host: Tess Callahan
Substack: Writers at the Well
Interview Podcast: Writers at the Well
Meditations on Insight Timer
Meditations on YouTube
Tess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/
Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd Clark
Audio Editing: Eric Fischer
By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show.
Thank you for listening!

DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to this recording. Use the material provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.

Though Savasana (or shavasana), the “Corpse Pose,” is a relaxation practice often used at the end of a yoga session, it can be done anytime to cultivate rest, rejuvenation, and wellbeing. It invites you to release tension, surrender to gravity, and allow the body-mind to come into a state of ease. Imitating a corpse helps you to release your grip on the impulse to alter or fix the present moment in any way. By symbolically surrendering to death, you relinquish worry and relax into stillness. Savasana fosters inner peace that can stay with you long after the practice is over. I learned this version from my yoga teacher, Tony Rivers, who was a student of B.K.S. Iyengar. My sound engineer Eric Fischer gets credit for the deeply relaxing soundscape. I hope you enjoy. 
Support the show
Host: Tess Callahan
Substack: Writers at the Well
Interview Podcast: Writers at the Well
Meditations on Insight Timer
Meditations on YouTube
Tess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/
Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd Clark
Audio Editing: Eric Fischer
By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show.
Thank you for listening!

DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to this recording. Use the material provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.

Dr. Andrew Holecek discusses Dark Retreat—a Tibetan Buddhist practice of spending extended periods in complete darkness—and its transformative effects on creativity, healing, and spiritual insight. Dark Retreat is “big medicine” not to be undertaken lightly. Like any retreat, its power relies on its integration. His new book on the subject is: 
Total Eclipse of the Mind: Unleashing the Power of Darkness for Creativity, Healing, and Transformation
Dr. Holecek is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner in Tibetan Buddhism and other nondual wisdom traditions. He is the Resident Contemplative Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, and a research consultant for the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University. His work involves studies on dream yoga and the practice of dark retreat. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the author of nine books, and a concert pianist. He has completed the Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat and is a frequent subject in scientific studies on meditation and lucid dreaming. His work integrates ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary perspectives, aiming to help individuals navigate spiritual challenges and end-of-life experiences. He is currently writing a book on “gray” retreat—a more gradual approach to dark retreat. He holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery. You can find him at: https://www.andrewholecek.com/
Retreat Centers:
Sky Cave / Oregon: https://www.skycaveretreats.com/ 
Dark Havens / Vermont: http://www.darkhavens.org/
Chamma Ling / Colorado: https://chammaling.com/
Menla / New York (coming soon): https://menla.org/
Other Books by Holecek:
Dreams of Light
Dream Yoga
Lucid Dreaming Workbook
Preparing to Die
I'm Mindful, Now What?
Reverse Meditation
The Power and the Pain
Meditation in the iGeneration

Support the show
Host: Tess Callahan
Substack: Writers at the Well
Interview Podcast: Writers at the Well
Meditations on Insight Timer
Meditations on YouTube
Tess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/
Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd Clark
Audio Editing: Eric Fischer
By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show.
Thank you for listening!

DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to this recording. Use the material provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.

What if every meal began with a moment of intimate connection? In this episode, I offer a short practice for thanking your food, a blessing that moves through the plants, water, sun, animals, and human hands that brought your meal to you. Simple enough to carry in your mind, deep enough to quietly change how you eat. May it nourish your soul!
Music and sound mixing by Eric Fischer.
Support the show
Host: Tess Callahan
Substack: Writers at the Well
Interview Podcast: Writers at the Well
Meditations on Insight Timer
Meditations on YouTube
Tess's novels: https://tesscallahan.com/
Music (unless otherwise noted above): Christopher Lloyd Clark
Audio Editing: Eric Fischer
By tapping "like" and "follow" you help others find the show.
Thank you for listening!

DISCLAIMER: Meditation is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical healthcare or therapy. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to this recording. Use the material provided at your own risk. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment while listening. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.