These guided meditations, recorded by Dr. Joe Loizzo, especially for readers of his book Sustainable Happiness, are meant to support all four horizons of contemplative learning and meditative practice that make up the gradual path to freedom and happiness taught in the Nalanda tradition.
They focus on the four basic meditation techniques that power the “wheels” of contemplative study and practice: the body wheel of deep mindfulness for personal healing; the speech wheel mind-clearing for social healing; the mind wheel of role-modeling imagery for cultural healing; and the bliss wheel of sublimation for natural healing.
The five guided meditations on this website are samples of the whole range available for free on the Nalanda Institute website. Most of these are brief versions for beginners and those who want to sample the “contemplative experiments” in each chapter of Sustainable Happiness.
Note: If you are new to meditation and yoga, we strongly advise that you get some live instruction before trying to meditate or practice yoga on your own. If this is impossible, you can set up an initial interview or extended tutorial through Nalanda Institute by phone. To schedule an interview, contact us.
Body of Light: Mindfulness of the Breathing Body
Covers the art of focusing mindfulness on the living, breathing body by combining mindfulness of the breath with scanning the whole body in real time.
Brief Mindfulness: Breath Awareness for Daily Life
Covers mindfulness of the breathing body, cultivating the “body of light,” and using mindfulness of the breath as a way to tap into clarity and calm in the midst of everyday life.
Open Mind, Warm Heart: Clearing the Mind for Social Life
Covers the path of positive social engagement through clearing the mind of the reactive childhood self and fostering a proactive parenting self through building tolerance of others’ distress and exercising our natural social emotions of love, care, joy and equanimity.
Brief Role-Modeling Imagery: Identifying the Healing Mother Within
This visualization is based on the traditional Tibetan practice of White Tara, the Healing Mother. It is said to help reduce stress and promote longevity and well-being.
Brief Role-Modeling Imagery: Invoking the Healing Mentor Within
This brief meditation based on the traditional practice of the Healing Mentor, Bhaishajyaguru, involves role-modeling imagery, affirmation and vase breathing. It is widely used to foster self-healing and well-being by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.