Mindfulness Exercises, with Sean Fargo

The fastest way to burn out in helping work is also the most socially praised: chronic self-sacrifice. 

We sit down with Dr. John Demartini, world-renowned human behavior expert and creator of the Demartini Method, to untangle the guilt-ridden “shoulds” that many mindfulness teachers, coaches, and caregivers carry and replace them with a practical principle: sustainable fair exchange. 

Service is real, but reward is not a moral failure. When giving and receiving are balanced, purpose becomes energizing, relationships stabilize, and your work stops feeling like a slow leak.

From there, we move into a toolki...

Your phone is not the villain, and you are not weak. The real challenge is that modern technology is designed inside the attention economy, and it quietly trains your mind through cues, metaphors, and frictionless defaults. We talk with Jay Vijarthy, founder of the mindfulness-focused UX design studio Still Ape and author of Reclaim Your Mind, about how to build digital wellbeing without turning your life into a constant willpower battle.

We start with a deceptively simple practice: awareness. Instead of jumping straight to hacks like deleting apps or nuking notifications, Jay shares how to notice what...

Your mind can think its way into knots, but your body already knows how to come home. Sean Fargo sits down with longtime Qigong teacher, Taoist meditation guide, and author Solala Towler to explore a simple, practical reset: bring attention down into the belly. We talk about the lower dantian as the foundation of Taoist practice, and why “understanding” the Tao is less about collecting ideas and more about doing the breathing, movement, and stillness that changes how you live day to day.

From there we wander into story and source. Solala shares the legendary tale of Lao...

We catch up with Liam McClintock, founder of FitMind and author of “FitMind: Four Steps to Lasting Bliss,” on how his neuroscience background and years as a Buddhist monk reshape what “mental fitness” really means. 

We focus on metta as a heart-based training that supports mindfulness, reduces over-efforting, and offers a clear method for returning to the present through the four Rs.

• why ordaining as a monk becomes a way to simplify life and deepen practice
• shifting from retreat as a sprint to meditation as a full lifestyle
• metta as the core training for many Wester...

Your feed can feel like reality, until you notice how quickly it makes you tense, reactive, and certain. We sit down with Jay Vijarthi, a mindfulness teacher, designer, and technologist, to unpack what’s really happening when algorithms shape our attention. We talk about filter bubbles and echo chambers, but we keep coming back to a more actionable truth: attention is still primary, and mindfulness gives us tools to work with it directly. 

A big highlight is Jay’s concept of “false urgency,” the manufactured pressure baked into headlines, notifications, email subject lines, and even well-intentioned marketing. We dig in...

Meditation gets marketed as a calm-down button, a focus trick, or the ultimate self-improvement tool. Then you try it and discover your mind did not get the memo. Sitting with us is Susan Piver, Buddhist teacher and author of Inexplicable Joy on the Heart Sutra, to name what’s actually happening when we practice and why the usual promises can miss the point.

We talk about the misconception that meditation is mainly self-help. Yes, it can help in measurable ways, but Susan argues the deeper shift is learning to see reality clearly and to relate to the wo...

Your calendar is packed, your phone never stops, and somehow your body still thinks every moment is an emergency. We sit down with clinical psychologist and mindfulness teacher Dr Elisha Goldstein to talk about his book *Tiny Shifts* and the practical reality behind emotional steadiness: you do not need a new personality or a perfect morning routine, you need a reliable way to access your skills when stress hijacks your brain.

We break down the “emotional loop” that drives reactivity, shutdown, self-criticism, doomscrolling, and those “not this again” moments. Elisha explains how thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and actions...

Mindfulness is everywhere now, but the way we talk about it can feel strangely small: a tool for stress, a way to focus, a better “hack” for busy lives. I sit down with Melvin McLeod, editor-at-large at Lion’s Roar, co-founder of Mindful Magazine, and a practitioner for over 40 years, to make a bigger claim that stays grounded in reality: mindfulness can be a complete path of living in a secular, evidence-based world.

Melvin's new book: With a Single Breath: The Complete Path of Mindfulness

https://a.co/d/0aIwcRC6

We trace how modern...

Your meditation doesn’t need better willpower, a quieter mind, or a more “spiritual” seat on the floor. With renowned meditation teacher Susan Piver, we practice a clear, grounded approach to mindfulness meditation that starts where your body already is: feeling your weight land, sitting upright with dignity, softening the belly, and letting the jaw and shoulders finally unclench. If you’ve ever wondered whether a chair “counts,” you’ll love her reminder that it does.

We also explore eyes-open meditation in a way that feels surprisingly gentle. Susan shares how to cast the gaze down, let vision mix wit...

Trying harder can feel like the only option until it stops working. We sit down with Solala Towler, a longtime teacher of Qigong, Taoist meditation, and the Way of Tea, to explore a different approach: alignment over strain, flow over force, and practice that meets you where you are. Solala shares his personal path into Eastern philosophy, the early hunger for something more grounded than words, and the moment Taoist teachings clicked with a sense of “coming home.”

From there, the conversation turns deeply practical. Solala explains how chronic fatigue syndrome left him bedridden, how Chinese herbs help...

Busy can start to feel like a personality, especially when you’re doing meaningful work and getting rewarded for it. Sean Fargo sits down with Buddhist meditation teacher and author Lodro Rinzler to unpack what happened when external success still left him exhausted, stretched thin, and craving something he couldn’t schedule: space. 

We talk about the real-life shift from New York City to the Hudson Valley, and why changing your environment can be a powerful mindfulness practice all by itself. Lodro shares how he and his wife clarified a single intention for his work, what it looks...

Your mind does not just record reality, it edits it, polarizes it, and then makes decisions based on the edit. That is why we can feel certain we are “right” while repeating the same relationship patterns, motivation struggles, and self-sabotaging habits. We welcome world-renowned human behavior expert Dr. John DiMartini to unpack a practical way out: the DiMartini Method, a structured series of cognitive questions designed to balance perception, surface what we have been unconscious of, and turn apparent chaos into usable feedback. 

We talk about how quickly we can idealize or demonize people by staying conscious of up...

Burnout doesn’t usually arrive as a dramatic collapse. It shows up as subtle numbness, constant urgency, and a workplace culture that celebrates “push through” while quietly ignoring the nervous system that makes performance possible. Sean Fargo sits down with Rosina Geiger to explore a concept that belongs at the center of every sustainability strategy: human sustainability. If your ESG goals focus on the planet and the numbers but forget the people doing the work, the system won’t hold. 

Rosina brings a rare inside view from SAP, where she works on sustainability customer adoption and also serves as...

The most common reason people hold back from teaching mindfulness isn’t lack of talent, it’s that quiet thought: “I’m not good enough to lead this.” We sit down with Buddhist meditation teacher and author Lodro Rinzler to get honest about imposter syndrome, self doubt, and the pressure to be “perfect” before you help anyone else.

We talk about what responsible teaching actually looks like: doing real practice, learning the terrain, and finding your own authentic voice instead of copying someone else’s script. Lodro shares a powerful reframing: doubt may keep showing up, but you can choose w...

We explore how tiny shifts can interrupt emotional loops in seconds and help us access calm, clarity, and self-compassion when life feels overwhelming. 

Dr Elisha Goldstein connects mindfulness, emotional health, and longevity through a simple four-step framework we can practise in daily moments.

Dr Elisha Goldstein's website: https://elishagoldstein.com/tiny-shifts/

Buy his book, Tiny Shifts: https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Shifts-Emotional-Transforms-Relationships/dp/B0GP9T6L5T

Shownotes:
• Why “tiny shifts” beat big plans when we are stressed and overloaded 
• Emotional loops mapped as thoughts, emotions, sensations, and actions 
• Recog...

Eyes-open meditation can sound like the worst idea if you’re used to practice as a private escape. Then Susan Piver walks us through why keeping the eyes open may be the most direct path to mindfulness in real life, because you don’t have to “come back” when the sit is over. We talk about the simple mechanics of resting the gaze, why distraction and tired eyes are normal at first, and how the nervous system settles when we stop trying to force focus. 

From there, the conversation turns to what meditation is really for. We’re not trai...

“Namaste” might be the most repeated word in modern yoga, and also one of the least lived. 

Sean Fargo sits down with professor and longtime yoga and meditation teacher Jeremy David Engles to unpack what namaste actually means, how it traveled into Western yoga culture, and why the real practice starts after we roll up the mat. 

Visit Jeremy's website: https://jeremydavidengels.com/

Buy Jeremy's book: Living Namaste

Jeremy breaks the word down simply and precisely: “I bow to you,” an everyday greeting that becomes transformative when we treat it as an ethic o...

We talk with Dr John Demartini about using better questions to balance perception, dissolve emotional polarisation, and practise mindfulness as full awareness rather than escape. 

We connect values, fair exchange, and purposeful action to practical outcomes like less burnout, fewer intrusive thoughts, and more intrinsic motivation.

Visit his website: https://drdemartini.com/

• the DeMartini Method as a structured set of cognitive questions to reveal hidden information 
• highest values as the source of intrinsic drive and consistent follow through 
• the cost of living by “shoulds” and internalised authority 
• service plus reward as sustainable f...

Your phone is not just a gadget. It is a gateway into an economy built to capture attention, shape behavior, and keep you coming back. We bring on Jay Vidyarthi, mindfulness teacher, UX designer, technologist, and founder of Still Ape, to talk about the real world collision between contemplative practice and the modern attention economy. We start with a short, grounding practice of “doing nothing,” then zoom out to the strange fact that even this conversation is carried by microphones, data packets, and screens.

Jay shares what it feels like to grow up loving video games and earl...

We talk with Scott Berman, founder of Sky Cave Retreats, about what extended time in complete darkness actually does to the body and mind when distractions, orientation, and performance all fall away. 

Sky Cave Retreats: https://www.skycaveretreats.com/

We focus on nervous system safety, permission to feel what is here, and why the “right” darkness retreat is less about endurance and more about how you relate to yourself. 

• What a darkness retreat is and how Sky Cave cabins are designed for total blackout and near silence
• Why the retreat container and expect...

We guide a calm, focused meditation to envision a positive future and connect it to simple, repeatable actions. Breath, imagery, and gentle prompts help shift from analysis to embodied clarity you can carry into the rest of your day.

• settling the body and softening tension
• anchoring attention with natural breath
• asking what future feels deeply moving
• noticing feelings that arise with the vision
• identifying how to show up each day
• rehearsing small actions in the mind’s eye
• meeting challenges with steady qualities
• ending with a felt sense to guide the day

<...

We talk with Taoist meditation and qigong teacher Solala Tauler about returning to the source through simple practices that fit into real life. We explore how slowing down, sensing the body, and learning from nature can restore steadiness, vitality, and meaning.

Returning To The Source: https://www.amazon.com/Returning-Source-Meditations-Rediscovering-Everyday/dp/1645475085/

To learn more about Solala’s books, classes, tea ceremonies and his Qigong and Cha Dao tours to Taiwan go to www.abodetao.com/

• Solala’s origin story from Buddhism to Taoist practice and teaching 
• How qigong and stillness meditation work together...

We explore mindful hunger, silent monastic meal rituals, and how attention shifts taste, mood, and choice. Practical tools include raisin and chocolate meditations, body-based regulation, and tea practices that turn comfort into conscious care.

• setting a clear intention for mindful eating and drinking
• monastic meal rituals as training for presence
• discerning hunger, thirst, emotion and habit
• raisin and chocolate exercises for sensory awareness
• reducing resistance to hunger to reduce suffering
• mapping how foods affect clarity, mood and energy
• body scanning to soften held tension
• integrating tea ceremony as everyday presence
• applying m...

What if the fastest path to feeling rich is learning to see what’s already here? We take a clear, grounded look at abundance as a felt experience and show how mindful acknowledgment—not accumulation—shifts your baseline from scarcity to sufficiency. Guided by a simple quote and a handful of precise prompts, we map the places where real wealth hides: in relationships that show up, routines that steady you, spaces that protect you, and skills you’ve quietly earned over time.

We break down the difference between passive gratitude and practiced attention, then offer ways to make not...

We guide a short loving‑kindness meditation that begins with softening the body and ends with offering yourself the same care you give others. Simple phrases and steady breath help shift tension into goodwill you can feel.

• settling the body with relaxed, alert posture
• softening shoulders, easing belly, limiting visual input
• finding a natural breath rhythm
• visualising loved ones and wishing them happiness
• repeating phrases of kindness and ease
• turning compassion inward with May I be well, safe, at ease
• letting benevolence permeate the body and close with a deep breath

...

We explore equanimity as a heart practice that meets vulnerability without armor and shifts our relationship to identity, praise and blame, and social media reactivity. We offer practical steps to steady the nervous system and act with clarity in an age of fear.

• identity as a source of reactivity and friction
• the worldly winds of gain, loss, praise, blame
• equanimity as undefended openness across traditions
• the skydiving with no ground metaphor
• love transforming into compassion, joy, and equanimity
• caring without the fantasy of control
• small experiments to test catastrophic thoughts
• balancing activi...

We talk with mindfulness teacher and technologist Jay Vidyarthi about rebuilding a healthier relationship with attention in a world engineered for distraction and speed.

Jay's Book: Reclaim Your Mind

We move from tech burnout and Zoom fatigue to practical strategies that replace guilt with choice, including a guided practice that makes the “pull” of the phone impossible to unsee. 

• noticing false urgency and how language triggers the nervous system 
• working with tech burnout through rest, recovery time, and small in-call adjustments 
• understanding your attachment style with technology as a non-shaming map for change 

We explore equanimity as the art of falling, learning how to stay steady and open when life feels uncertain. We share how caring perspective helps us face world news, strong emotions, and personal hardship without losing our heart. 
• equanimity as surrender to change and uncertainty 
• staying caring without getting overwhelmed by current events 
• why few teachers teach equanimity and what depth requires 
• mindfulness vs equanimity and where they overlap 
• equanimity as love in the midst of vulnerability 
• “caring perspective” as a blend of heart and wisdom 
• the felt difference between present-moment awareness and time-vastness 
•...

We explore how to receive sights and sounds instead of chasing them, and why “looking through” loosens labels and brings clarity. We share practical ways to work with music, nature sounds, and eyes open or closed, and why silence can be the most healing teacher.

• moving from grasping to receiving sense experience
• looking at vs looking through and deconstructing perception
• working with labels and memories that cloud clarity
• using nature sounds, random audio, and gentle music
• eyes open or closed strategies and toggling
• everyday practice in stores, restaurants, and at home
• the role of silenc...

Someone joins your group meditation, the room goes quiet, and you realise not everyone is okay. What do you do next without panicking or making it worse? We talk through the real-world side of teaching mindfulness, where compassion is not a vibe, it’s a leadership skill you practice moment by moment. 

I share how I think about guiding as a teacher: less “expert with answers” and more “steady person creating safety.” We get specific about trauma-sensitive mindfulness without turning it into something scary or overly technical. If breath awareness feels uncomfortable or a participant seems dissociated, you’ll hear...

We guide a short mindfulness practice to help you feel and define what purposeful leadership means in your body and choices. Through grounding, breath, and gentle inquiry, we explore clarity, values, and the sensations that signal true alignment.

• settling posture, breath and attention
• letting questions land without forcing answers
• noticing images, emotions and bodily cues
• asking what matters most as a leader
• sensing alignment versus tension
• imagining the felt texture of purposeful action

BECOME A CERTIFIED MINDFULNESS MEDITATION TEACHER 

Teach mindfulness with confidence and skill — without self-doubt, fea...

We explore how to meet anxiety, overwhelm, and dissociation with gentle presence instead of force. We focus on finding safety through sensory anchors, kind inquiry, and practical tools that help us return to the moment.
• navigating difficulty by building a safe harbor for awareness
• responding to dissociation with curiosity and questions about safety
• choosing anchors that feel safe enough: sound, breath, touch, movement
• using sound as a primary practice: bell, silence, breathing, repeating “love” or “safety”
• incorporating walking mindfulness and grounded movement
• exploring anxiety by tracking future vs past thoughts, intensity, and body sensations
• wi...

We guide a short mindfulness meditation that trains gentle awareness and helps us soften into the present moment. We breathe with the body, notice how the heart responds, and practise accepting sensations and emotions with quiet peace. 
• setting an intention to soften into now 
• breathing with the whole body as an anchor 
• noticing sensations as they change moment to moment 
• sensing how the heart relates to experience 
• practising acceptance of whatever we feel 
• reorienting through sound, temperature, and touch points 
• reconnecting with community when ready 

BECOME A CERTIFIED MINDFULNESS MEDITATION TEACHER 

Teach m...

You can’t breathe in the past or the future, and you can’t switch off thinking on command. That’s where Susan Piver brings a refreshing kind of relief to meditation practice, especially if you’ve ever judged yourself for having a busy mind. We talk about Shamatha Vipassana, the mindfulness awareness approach she teaches, and why the real skill is not perfect focus but the simple act of noticing and returning.

We also get practical about what mindfulness is and what it is not. Mindfulness is the trainable part: placing attention where you choose and coming b...

The loudest voice in your head might not be telling the truth. When the world feels more divided and more cruel, it gets easier to assume other people are bad and to quietly suspect the same about ourselves. 

I sit down with Buddhist teacher and author Lodro Rinzler to challenge that reflex with a grounded idea that’s both ancient and deeply practical: basic goodness. Not as a slogan, but as something you can recognise in real time, in your body, and in the most ordinary moments of your day.

We get specific about how sha...

We explore how to stay human amid fast tech change, from analog memories to AI worries, through the lens of community practice and elder wisdom. We share ADHD-friendly mindfulness tools, invite simple neighborhood circles, and reflect on courage, tenderness, and what really matters.

• analog upbringing shaping views on tech and empathy
• fear of online teaching balanced by lifelong practice
• starting small neighborhood mindfulness circles
• honoring elder teachers and their perspective
• podcasting as a way to meet people
• practical mindfulness for ADHD with sensory anchors
• playful practices for kids and adults
• gentle closing w...

We lead a short morning practice that wakes the body, settles the mind, and sets calm strong focused intentions for the day. We imagine small joys, plan simple acts of care, and choose one mindful moment to meet life with warmth.

• slow nasal inhales with open posture
• body scan from feet to head as aliveness
• calm strong focused mantra as embodied cues
• envision small moments of joy and meaning
• name one way to contribute to others
• plan simple care for body and heart
• choose one mindful minute without judgment
• carry warm intentions...

We guide a step-by-step gratitude meditation that moves from a single present sensation to unseen helpers, essential tools, a beloved person, today’s small blessing, and even a challenging moment reframed with care. The session closes by thanking the body, the mind, and the chance to pause.

• noticing one simple present sensation
• gratitude for unseen helpers in daily life
• honoring the tools and places that support work
• appreciation for a loved one and shared moments
• naming a small blessing from today
• exploring gratitude toward a current challenge
• closing thanks for body, mind, and the pr...

We explore why so many of us feel fundamentally flawed and how the Buddhist teaching of basic goodness offers a practical way back to ease. 

We share meditation-based tools for working with shame, self-doubt, and cultural messages of not-enoughness so we can act with more clarity and care. 

Buy Lodro Rinzler's Book: You Are Good. You Are Enough.
https://a.co/d/078HXYBb

Lodro's website: https://www.lodrorinzler.com/

• why Lodro writes You Are Good, You Are Enough amid divisiveness and rising self-doubt
• how to recognise basic goodness through ordina...

We guide a loving kindness meditation that starts with breath and grounding, then expands goodwill from self to loved ones, to those in struggle, to difficult people, and finally to all beings. We end by returning to intention with a gentle reminder to practice in a way that feels real.

• grounding the body with breath and relaxation
• repeating simple phrases for self-compassion
• extending care to a loved one with visualization
• holding someone in hardship with steady presence
• offering goodwill to someone difficult without condoning harm
• widening the circle to everyone nearby and all beings