Best Jonathan Foust Podcasts (2025)

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The Anatomy of Now: A Somatic Pathway to Awake Awareness 32:30

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13d ago32:30

32:30

This talk explores the radical simplicity and depth of awakening to the present moment. Drawing on early Buddhist teachings and modern somatic inquiry, we'll investigate the building blocks of experience — sensation, feeling tone, perception, and awareness — to understand how the mind creates "now" and how freedom is discovered in direct experience…

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Your Obstacles are the Path: Grace in Difficulty [archive talk] 42:24

16d ago42:24

42:24

This talk explores the possibility of 'problems' as profound opportunities for growth and expansion. You'll learn the importance of equanimity, cultivating convergent and divergent thinking and deep investigation into the nature of attachment and the nature of self.By Jonathan Foust

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The Eightfold Path 3: Wise Speech - Speaking from Clarity, Kindness and Truth 32:05

20d ago32:05

32:05

This talk explores how every word we speak carries the power to create harmony or division, awakening or confusion. Drawing from the Buddha's teaching on Right Speech—truthful, kind, useful, and timely communication—you'll discover how mindfulness transforms the way we express ourselves and listen to others. Words become more than sound; they becom…

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The Space Between Sensation and the Story 37:28

27d ago37:28

37:28

This talk explores the powerful and often-overlooked moment between what we feel and what we think about what we feel. Rooted in both Buddhist insight and somatic inquiry, we'll examine how raw sensation arises, how the mind instantly weaves a narrative around it, and how those stories—when left unexamined—can calcify into beliefs that shape our id…

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Living from the Still Point: Taking the Seat of the Witness 34:46

1M ago34:46

34:46

This talk explores the power and peace found at the still point—the place of awareness untouched by the waves of thought and emotion. When we take the seat of the witness, we discover a dimension of consciousness that is both intimate and vast, both deeply embodied and profoundly free. Drawing on the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness and insight, t…

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Listening from Within: The Dharma of the Felt Sense 37:42

1M ago37:42

37:42

This talk explores the transformative power of tuning into the felt sense—the subtle, bodily knowing that lies beneath thought and emotion. Rooted in early Buddhist teachings and supported by contemporary somatic practices, the felt sense offers a direct path to presence, insight, and release. By connecting deeply with the body from the inside out,…

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One Breath at a Time: Anchoring Awareness in the Present 30:27

2M ago30:27

30:27

This talk explores the simple yet profound practice of using the breath as an anchor for awareness. In a world where distraction and stress pull us in countless directions, the breath is always available as a doorway back into presence. Drawing from the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness of breathing and weaving in reflections from daily life, we'll…

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The Eightfold Path, Part 2: Living from Wise Intention 30:12

2M ago30:12

30:12

This talk explores the second step of the Eightfold Path, Wise Intention—the heart's compass that points us toward freedom. Rooted in the Buddha's teachings, Wise Intention asks us to orient our lives around letting go of what doesn't serve, cultivating goodwill instead of ill will, and living with compassion that seeks to do no harm. Through stori…

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Your Body is a Temple: Coming Home to Sensation 34:38

2M ago34:38

34:38

This talk explores the profound practice of coming home to the body—not as an object to fix or improve, but as sacred ground for awakening. Drawing on early Buddhist teachings and somatic insights, we'll reflect on what it means to honor the body as a temple of presence. Through stor25ies, reflections, and practical guidance, we'll explore how sens…

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The Eightfold Path, Part 1: The Path to Freedom 30:21

3M ago30:21

30:21

This talk explores how the Buddha's Eightfold Path offers a clear, practical guide to living with greater wisdom, compassion, and inner freedom in everyday life. We'll look at how each step on the path supports both personal transformation and the well-being of others. Wise View, the first step, invites us to see life as it truly is—recognizing imp…

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Begin Where You Are: Laying the Groundwork of Mindfulness 37:04

3M ago37:04

37:04

This talk explores how to begin a mindfulness practice by starting exactly where you are. Rather than striving for a particular state or trying to "do it right," we look at how mindfulness arises through simple remembering—the act of returning to presence, again and again. We'll reflect on how the breath can become a reliable ally, how intention ca…

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Choose What is Already Changing [archive talk] 45:43

3M ago45:43

45:43

This talk explores how to embrace impermanence. You'll learn about the inevitability of change and how understanding your reactivity and biases can help you access a quality of awareness that can help you move from reactivity to wisdom, compassion, creativity and enthusiasm.By Jonathan Foust

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Your True Nature is Already Here [archive talk] 46:06

4M ago46:06

46:06

This talk explores the nature of 'true nature.' You'll learn more about the nature of 'true nature,' what gets in the way of experiencing this primal quality of being and some doorways of practice that can bring you into an intimate, embodied sense of presence.By Jonathan Foust

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How to Access the Flow State, Part 2 [archive talk] 46:34

4M ago46:34

46:34

This talk explores the mechanics for entering the flow state. You'll learn the role mindfulness plays in setting up the flows state, a review of triggers that can be helpful, how applying the principles of flow to meditation can deepen your practice and some cautions and concerns about the practice.By Jonathan Foust

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How to Access the Flow State, Part 1 [archive talk] 47:26

4M ago47:26

47:26

This talk explores what it means to be in flow. You'll learn about the magic of being in the flow state, some distinctions between mindfulness and flow and how to be more aware of how you consciously or unconsciously sabotage the flow state.By Jonathan Foust

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How More Focus Can Transform Your Life, Part 2 [archive talk] 47:36

4M ago47:36

47:36

This talk explores the power of willful attention inwardly as well as in the world. You'll learn some strategies for inner focus in your meditation as well as some outer focus to cultivate sustained attention on what is most important to you in your life right now.By Jonathan Foust

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How More Focus Can Transform Your Life, Part 1 [archive talk] 46:31

4M ago46:31

46:31

This talk explores the power of willful attention. You'll learn what the Buddha said about concentration and liberation, some essential practices for deepening focus and how skillfully applying concentration can open up new inner worlds.By Jonathan Foust

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Am I Dreaming? Thoughts on Thinking Part 5: Love is the Highest Thought of All [archive talk] 45:41

5M ago45:41

45:41

This talk explores the power of streaming thoughts toward love, compassion, kindness, joy and equanimity. You'll learn about the origin of the heart practices, how here love starts as a thought and moves into an experience, the system for loving kindness and what it means to be awake both in heart and mind.…

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Am I Dreaming? Thoughts on Thinking Part 4: Bare Attention and Gratitude [archive talk] 43:48

5M ago43:48

43:48

This talk explores the practice of Bare Attention and how suffering ceases in the experience of gratitude. You'll learn about the distinction of the linear mind and the intuitive mind, the practice Bare Attention and a technique for opening to gratitude as a way of shifting the mind to a more fluid and intuitive state.…

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Am I Dreaming? Thoughts on Thinking Part 3: Investigating Beliefs [archive talk] 45:32

5M ago45:32

45:32

This talk explores how to deconstruct beliefs. You'll learn about the origin of thoughts and beliefs, the art of interrupting the stream of thinking, the art of deconstructing beliefs and the importance, when you do this work, to err on the side of safety and self-care.By Jonathan Foust

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Am I Dreaming? Thoughts on Thinking Part 2: The Power of Mental Noting [archive talk] 47:03

5M ago47:03

47:03

This talk explores the power of noting or labeling your inner experience. You'll learn how you can cut through discursive thinking by training your attention to the sense fields, but also what it means to 'take the seat of the witness' and note or label what is happening inside.By Jonathan Foust

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Am I Dreaming? Thoughts on Thinking Part 1: Embodied Awareness [archive talk] 45:38

5M ago45:38

45:38

This talk explores how to cut through the trance of thinking. You'll learn how turning toward awareness itself reveals how much you rely on thinking and some practical strategies using embodied awareness for 'remembering' who and what you truly are.By Jonathan Foust

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Do you REALLY want to Wake Up? Tracy Budd on his Journey of Intensive Practice 57:06

6M ago57:06

57:06

A few years back, Tracy retired and thought to himself, "What would happen if I practiced at home with the same intensity as I would on retreat?" He was inspired to practice the "Elephant Path," a very disciplined approach that cultivated deepening concentration. His journey was powerful, traumatic and brought him to his knees, but opened up vistas…

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Jeff Fajans on the Flow State and Creativity: Conversations with Depth Practitioners 44:51

6M ago44:51

44:51

This conversation is with Jeff Fajans—a creative momentum coach, seasoned musician, and PhD‑backed creative performance researcher—who helps creative people bring their biggest ideas to life. Whether you're drafting a feature film script, launching a new business, or building a product from scratch, Jeff blends flow science, mindfulness, and creati…

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Don't Believe All Your Thoughts 45:11

7M ago45:11

45:11

As your practice deepens, you may begin to notice you are less identified with your thoughts. 'Observing without judgement' can open all kinds of new possibilities. This talk explores some strategies for shifting your relationship to thinking.By Jonathan Foust