In this episode, Emilía sits down with leading dharma teacher and psychotherapist Trudy Goodman for an open and honest conversation about how mindfulness can support us through the real challenges of life. Trudy shares her own experiences with illness, divorce, and aging, and how her practice has helped her meet seasons of transition with compassion and steadiness.

“Impermanence is really good news when you don’t like what’s going on.”

Trudy and Emilía discuss parenting as a powerful mindfulness practice, the role of community and spiritual friendship in fostering a felt sense of belonging, and navigating conflict with difficult people in our lives. This conversation is a gentle reminder that mindfulness, at its core, involves meeting life as it is. Trudy demonstrates a contagious sense of acceptance that is liberating to those who surround her, that permeates through this conversation.

LINKS

InsightLA

Trudy Goodman’s Website (scroll down to join her newsletter)

Justine Dawson’s Website

Full Show Notes

In today's episode, we hear the ancient Chinese tale of Senjo, a woman caught between two lives. Senjo’s tale invites us to reflect on the ways we might be cut off from ourselves. This severance, as Jack Kornfield writes, often happens "invisibly and unconsciously, in the dark, just like Senjo’s running to follow Ochu’s boat at midnight."

Though we may sense our disconnection in our daily lives, we don't always know what's wrong. In this timeless story, Senjo’s determination to return invites our own return as well.

In this Mindful Monday, Emilía shares a story from a recent outing that demonstrates the power of our assumptions, where assuming friendliness in a challenging situation left the possibility open for the situation to change completely.

“It never hurts to see the good in someone, they often act the better because of it.” - Nelson Mandela

The same lesson has implications for our inner world, demonstrating how we can befriend Mara when he shows up in our lives.