In this two-part series, we reflect on the power of devotion as a gateway to awakening that reconnects us with what we love most deeply. Together, we’ll look at how prayer and heartfelt longing can open us to the intrinsic experience of belonging we yearn for. Especially in these times of fear and division, cultivating our natural devotion helps us soften, remember our true nature, and realign with love.

In Part 2, Tara explores:

• Devotion as a living expression of our deep longing to belong—to love, to truth, to something larger than the small self.
• The power of prayer as a sacred bridge between our vulnerability and the grace of an awakened heart.
• The importance of conscious prayer—rooted in presence, sincerity, and a willingness to listen for the wisdom that guides us home.
• How the practices of longing, expressing, and receiving open us to grace, healing, and connection with all of life.
• How prayer becomes a devotional path—awakening our hearts, deepening compassion, and inspiring courageous action in the world.

In this guided meditation, we are invited to rest in the aliveness of the present moment. Beginning with a reflection on intention, the practice guides attention through the body—softening, sensing, and allowing life to flow just as it is.

With mindful awareness of breath, sound, and sensation, we reconnect with the heart and release into presence. A closing chant and a poem by Rumi deepen the invitation to surrender and come home to the wholeness of being.

• The essence of devotional practice as a gateway to belonging and spiritual awakening.
• How longing and sincere intention can guide us back to our true nature.
• Prayer as the bridge between longing and belonging
• The difference between substitutes for love and true aspirations that arise from presence.
• Tracing desire inward as a practice to reconnect with the source of love and aliveness.

This guided practice helps us come into our senses through a body scan. We then rest in the awareness that is listening to and feeling the changing flow of experience. When the mind drifts, the return is a relaxing back to our senses, and to the sea of awareness that includes and experiences the waves of life.

Buddhist psychology and the Western oriented field of positive psychology agree: How we pay attention determines whether we live primarily in fear and judgment, or happiness and peace. This two-part series explores the teachings, practices and attitudes that enable us to live a meaningful life with a heart that is “happy for no reason.”

In this talk, Tara explores:

• how cultivating a grateful, devoted heart opens us to presence, peace, and joy beyond circumstance.
• the "infinite field of possibility"—our capacity to incline the mind toward hope, love, and inner freedom.
• how mindfulness and compassionate action form a virtuous cycle that nurtures deep well-being and belonging.
• ways that serving others and savoring beauty reconnect us with the sacredness of life and the fullness of who we are.
• awakening from the trance of unworthiness through practices like metta, gratitude, and receiving love with an open heart.

This guided meditation, grounded in the practice of Metta, invites us to awaken the heart by softening the body and quieting the mind. We begin with the simple image of a smile—opening to warmth, ease, and presence.

With a tender attention, we rest with breath, sensations, and sound—gently returning when the mind drifts. As we offer loving phrases like “May I feel happy” and “May I be free,” we nourish a deep sense of well-being and connection, embracing this life with compassion and an open heart.

Buddhist psychology and the Western oriented field of positive psychology agree: How we pay attention determines whether we live primarily in fear and judgment, or happiness and peace. This two part series explores the teachings, practices and attitudes that enable us to live a meaningful life with a heart that is “happy for no reason.”

In this talk, Tara explores:

• the essential role of happiness in times of crisis—how choosing joy becomes a radical act of resilience and healing.
• the trance of negativity and how mindfulness helps awaken our innate capacity for presence, gratitude, and inner freedom.
• how positive psychology and Buddhist teachings together point us toward “happiness for no reason”—a deep sense of belonging and well-being.
• the power of intention—how consciously choosing to flourish shifts us from survival mode into love, connection, and aliveness.
• daily practices like gratitude and loving-kindness as pathways to true well-being and a heart ready for anything.

Taking in the Goodness: Rumi said, “Whenever some kindness comes to you, turn that way – toward the source of kindness.” This meditation guides us to look for the source of loving and to turn in that direction. It begins with a lovingkindness practice that spreads the image of a smile into the body, then continues with a practice of seeing the goodness of ourselves and others.