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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Bringing Meditation to Life with Neil McKinlay podcast

A Conversation With Life With Alaina Chambers

2022/06/22

In this episode, Alaina Chambers talks about her ongoing conversation with life. This is a relationship she describes as “unwavering” and “the most important (one) I have.” Within this continuing dialogue, meditation plays the role of enhancer - deepening a sense of connection that pervades every aspect of living.

The Power Of Pivot

2022/06/10

This episode considers the role words play in bringing meditation to life. Through connecting with words’ overt and covert potency, we can let meditation and daily living enjoy a more intimate and penetrating relationship with one another. Which encourages us to experiment with language while working with the dharma.

Exploration And Discernment With WendyLeigh White

2022/05/25

How do we practice in a manner that appropriately meets and respects the realities of both our immediate state of being and our lives more generally? In this episode, WendyLeigh White discusses the process of exploration and discernment that helps give shape to her formal and her informal engagement with meditation.

(Almost) Everything Changes

2022/05/12

The renewed practice of ocean dipping gives rise to some insights regarding impermanence and, through this, a sense of appreciation for our ever-shifting lives. This reflects the importance of asking ‘What is the value of this?’ when engaging the teachings of meditation. What is the value of a personal realization of this (almost) always changing world?

Being Natural With Rivka Simmons

2022/04/27

In this episode, Neil McKinlay sits down with fellow practitioner Rivka Simmons. Discussing the role of meditation in her life, a recurring theme involves the ways this practice helps Rivka discern between thoughts that are in alignment and those that are not. This discrimination is a big part of the process that she describes as ‘being natural’.

Pause, Reflection, And Other Voices

2022/04/11

This episode speaks to the pause and reflection Neil McKinlay has engaged since the start of 2022. In doing so, the core inspiration of this podcast - to connect meditation with daily living - is reaffirmed. A new interview-style feature is also announced. Beginning next time, the voices of other practitioners will be heard here, alternating with Neil’s usual contemplations.

A Conscious Relationship

2022/03/03

Through meditation we develop a more conscious relationship with life. Assuming this to be true, one might ask what value such consciousness has. Reflecting upon the relationship a local shop-keeper developed in his own neighbourhood, Neil McKinlay connects with the power of affection - our ability and capacity to affect one another.

Spring And Mulch And Wakefulness

2022/02/18

This world offers no shortage of chances for us to wake up and connect, for us to return to a sense of conscious relationship with the world of which we are part. In this episode, the familiar presence of fresh-laid mulch provides a pungent reminder of this fact. A reminder and, it is well worth noting, a sense of acknowledgement and appreciation.

What I Mean By 'Embodiment'

2022/02/02

A simple inquiry raised while readying a website leads to a relatively deep contemplation of the term ‘embodiment’. What exactly is meant by this commonplace word? What aspect of human experience is it pointing toward? And how might an understanding of ‘embodiment’ illuminate our sense of ‘embodied meditation’?

Reflections On 'The Road'

2022/01/20

The central dynamic of meditation - the act of placing one’s attention and welcoming what one finds - is not exclusive to formal practice. Here Neil McKinlay reflects upon the presence of stability and insight in Cormac McCarthy’s affecting novel, ‘The Road’. This book is considered as, among other things, a work of steady and unwavering attention.

The Object Of Meditation

2022/01/05

Identifying where we are going to place our attention in a practice session is an act so simple it often passes unacknowledged. Yet it is central to our work with meditation and very useful when we take this practice out into our lives. For this reason, Neil McKinlay identifies this as one of more helpful teachings he’s ever encountered.

Dylan, Sinatra, and Keeping It Fresh

2021/12/08

How do we stick with meditation over time? How do we keep our long-term engagement with this practice fresh and alive and dynamic? In this episode, Neil McKinlay affirms the value of having role models in these regards. Of being familiar with others who have stuck with something over time and managed to keep this tenure invigorated.