Top 10 Podcast Episodes

Michael argues that “yoga citta vritti nirodha” can be interpreted as “the ending of our misidentification with the movement of consciousness” and that our attempts to ground or reify our self-identity lead to dissatisfaction and anxiety. Recorded on September 15, 2009.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

In this Best of Awake in the World episode on freedom and discipline, Michael explores how genuine freedom is achieved by peeling away the deeply ingrained habits of self-creation, such as striving, intellectualizing, clinging, and storytelling. By becoming aware of these tendencies, we can open up space for contentment, presence, and new possibilities. Recorded on June 11, 2008.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Free to be Nobody

In this Best of Awake in the World episode, Michael examines how to meet others who are in fear or anxiety, how to help anxious kids, how to validate the feelings of other people without exacerbating what’s going on for them, and how to develop concentration (jhana) practice. Wisconsin. Recorded March 26, 2017.

Best of Awake in the World: From Fear to Sympathy

Michael also reflects on the profound reality of human suffering, pointing out how the existence of prisons and the suffering within them calls into question the true freedom we experience. He shares the unsettling statistic that the USA has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world and the growing trend of hospices being built within prisons. The conversation turns to the universal need for healing—whether physical, mental, or emotional. Michael asks, who among us doesn't have a loved one in need of healing? He calls attention to the collective healing we all need, from our anger and depression to the loss of joy, urging us to remember how to live fully while also noticing and critiquing the world around us. Recorded August 21, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.


Best of Awake in the World: We Practice Because We Forget

In this Best of Awake in the World episode Michael begins teaching on the Two Darts and explains how physical and emotional pain are connected and how when we feel physical pain (first dart) it’s followed by a mental response (second dart). Then Michael teaches a guided meditation that people can do alone or as caregivers for people in pain. Workshop in Green Bay, Wisconsin. May 20, 2014.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.


Best of Awake in the World : Transforming Pain

Michael Stone talks on the importance of relaxing your mind and how patience and relaxation give rise to enthusiasm. The talk is based on chapter 8 of Shantideva's Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life. Ways of seeing your parents, how deep concentration arises through relaxation, and how to glide with breathing. Recorded at Centre of Gravity, Toronto on April 9, 2013.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World : Relax Your Mind

Do you have a mind that can meet what’s unpleasant?
In this deeply reflective talk from October 30, 2012, Michael Stone explores the inner tension that draws us to the path of practice. He weaves together insights from Carl Jung, the experience of boredom, the discipline of meditation and even a story from his Bar Mitzvah. With characteristic warmth and clarity, Michael invites us to consider how becoming a dharma student begins the moment we recognize the strain within ourselves—and our longing to understand it.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Strain in the Heart

In this insightful Best of Awake in the World episode, Michael delves into how the mind works, the benefits—and limitations—of meditation, and why it’s not always the right fit for everyone. He explores karma, the psychology of delayed gratification, and touches on topics like borderline personality. You’ll also learn the difference between meditative practices that help uncover repression versus those that build a resilient, integrated self. Recorded live at the Enso Foundation in Kelowna. Approx. 1 hour.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World : Making Friends with Your Mind

In this episode of Best of Awake in the World, While on silent retreat, Michael Stone reflects on the Zen koan "Oak Tree in the Garden," exploring meditation as a politics of love. He also shares a moving account of the Buddha’s final moments. Recorded at True North Insight, Ontario — April 19, 2014.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Love, Death, And Oak Trees In The Garden

In this Best of episode, Michael reflects on how more people seem to be afraid of uncertainty than they are of physical pain. If we do something about our own pain, we can connect with the pain of others. 50% of our practice should be inward and 50% in our environment. Recorded March 28, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Raw Fear is a Dot in Space

Looking at early Pali texts, Michael tries to recover the original and fuller meaning of mindfulness from its current usage in the west. "Mindfulness establishes the presence of the object and thereby makes it available to scrutiny and discernment."

Recorded at Centre of Gravity, Toronto. October 29, 2013.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Mindfulness, Memory, and Fantasy

In this Best of episode, Michael explains how the meditation we need is the “initial application of attention,” then “sustained application” so that we cultivate a spacious field in which thoughts and sensations can come and go. Sometimes blessings are all over the place and we miss them. Toronto, Ontario. Recorded May 3, 2017.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Aim & Allow: How Mindfulness of Breathing Helps Us Manage Expectations

Michael teaches a one-day introduction to meditation workshop on how you can turn anything into a practice, even a bike lock. Sometimes awake, sometimes asleep; sometimes sun, sometimes moon. Recorded on May 14, 2011.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Introduction to Meditation: Sometimes Awake, Sometimes Asleep

Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara talks about the Lotus Sutra and the parable of the burning house. Even in the world of the dharma we can get caught up with playthings and forget that we're living in a burning house. It looks like we’re living in a comfortable place, but half the world is starving. It can be hard to see the suffering that is all around us.

Read the notes and transcription: https://michaelstoneteaching.com/2014/10/23/burning-house-betrayal-as-innovation-by-roshi-pat-enkyo-ohara/

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Betrayal, Awakening, and Living in a Burning House

In this thoughtful and powerful talk, Michael unpacks the transformative act of sharing the untold stories—the ones that challenge the status quo. He weaves together pressing global issues like climate change, economic disparity, and the erosion of human connection, offering 12 actionable steps toward crafting a new narrative of what it means to live with purpose and presence.

Recorded live in Vancouver on January 28, 2015.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Mindfulness & Social Action: Towards a Secular Spirituality

Nothing needs to be refused. Let the breath travel the body without picking up speed. The clouds of thought haul across the sky. Let them come and go. Let the breath move the way blood moves: let it find its own rhythm. Recorded 2017.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: 20 min. Guided Meditation: Feeling the Sensations of the Body

A community talk at Tassajara Monastery with Michael Stone & Zen teacher Paul Haller. They each share some of their biography and field Q&A about practice. Paul shares from his 40 years of Zen practice. Recorded at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery, California.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Blending Traditions: Yoga & Buddhism

During a workshop in France, Michael teaches on the 3 characteristics — a teaching found in both the Yoga and Buddhist traditions. This talk is in both French and English. 

Recorded in Antibes, France, on October 26, 2013.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Lack, Impermanence and Not Self

In this Best of episode Michael describes how the Buddha met fear, mapping out how concentration practice unfolds, then offers a mind-opening view of rebirth and reincarnation. 

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Recorded in Wisconsin, March 26, 2017.

Best of Awake in the World: Fear, Rebirth, and the 3 Insights

In this Best of Awake in the World epside Michael introduces Case 12 of the Mumonkon, "The Master". He ties waking up with social action and the teachings of the Burmese Monks who visited the evening prior. A funny and lively talk with practices you can use in your life. Recorded Oct 5, 2010.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.


Asking the Master

Take a moment to notice where in your body this emotional state or mood is most present. What physical sensations let you know that you're experiencing this feeling? See if you can observe how the emotion shows up in your body—how it's expressed through sensation and physical experience. Recorded December 2017.


The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: 20 min Guided Meditation for Unstable Emotions

Michael offers a talk on the teachings of the insentient, how the snow and silence can hold hidden lessons. Can you give attention to the way the insentient teaches us? Recorded December 29, 2010.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Learning from the Insentient

Learning how to be present with an un-agitated heart. Meditation teaches us to be wiser with what’s difficult. Embodying our meditative practice by learning how to stop and see clearly. Meditation Facilitation Training, Vancouver, 1hr.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Mindfulness of the Breath & Taking the Backwards Step

Michael dedicates the final evening of this retreat to Alan Ginsberg, whos self-portraits and multi-fauceted expressions have inspired him. He touches on the psychology of always thinking about the dualism between the true self and the self as participants share their own "self-portraits," a six-line assignment given to them during the retreat. Recorded September 12, 2009

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Self-Portraits

Michael Begins with a reminder not to push through practice, but to relax in the present moment. Learn to let go of the expectations of what it means to be on retreat and join with this guided meditation (beginning at 21:00) from the 2009/2010 New Years Retreat, Recorded December 29, 2009.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Guided Meditation: Give way to something else

Michael talks on another Dongshan where he asks his students if they can go to a place where there are no weeds. Michael’s commentary is that weeds are not the problem and that what we need to let go of is not “stuff” but our reactivity. Christine Centre, Wisconsin, 50 min.

The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Best of Awake in the World: Buddhas On Blades Of Grass

Michael talks about Jung and Freud's split, dreams, work, the unconscious as a process of compensation, madness and meditation, and what it's like going into cellars. This dharma talk is from our archive and was recorded September 4, 2012.

Awake in the World Podcast with Michael Stone

Carl Jung & Meditation Practice, Part 1 of 4

Michael details fear, dissociation, and shame, and how they impact the body, mind, and relationships. Very clear talk about the strategies we use to protect ourselves and create recognizable symptoms. Michael ends with a story about generational trauma. Meditation Facilitation Program, London. Recorded on July 30, 2016.

Listen to Part 2, Healing Trauma Through the Body: http://bit.ly/2kke4WB

Symptoms of Trauma

Michael explores practicing without an idea of gain, the Universal Self, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Pattabhi Jois, the Buddha and Shunryu Suzuki. How can you blend your breath with the larger self? Moksha Westshore, B.C. Recorded February 18, 2017.

You Can’t Make A Person Into a Buddha

Mindfulness of the breathing body in the abdomen to settle thoughts. Recorded 2017.

20 min. Guided Meditation: Mindfulness of the Breathing Body

Tuning into breath in the nostrils to explore subtle sensations and bring mind into its natural state. Recorded 2017.

20 min. Guided Meditation: Tuning into Breath in the Nostrils

On retreat, Michael speaks about the Buddha’s instructions for practicing alone in the wilderness, how past actions haunt the body, how to turn towards anxiety, and a moving story about his son and autism. Wisconsin. Recorded March 25, 2017.

Fear, Dread & Anxiety: The Buddha in the Forest

Michael explores two questions: 1) Who Are You? and 2) What Should You Do? Using the old Zen koan, "What's the price of rice?" Michael talks about wrestling with questions, compassion, empathy, and how to care for people without getting credit. 

Recorded on February 4, 2014.

Driving Our Questions Deeper

In this podcast episode, Michael discusses the relationship between awareness and morality or mindfulness and ethics. When we are faced with the unprecedented and unrepeatable complexities of this moment, the question is not, “What is the right thing to do?” but “What is the compassionate thing to do?” This question can be approached with integrity but not with certainty. 

Recorded in 2011.

Awareness & Morality

Awake in the World Podcast is a library of talks on a wide-range of topics, including bringing mindfulness and meditation practice into daily life; personal and community issues regarding mental health; and social change. The podcasts were recorded at live events so you might hear coughing, airplanes, cars, sirens, laughter, and peoples’ questions—all part of the intimate experience. Michael Stone (1974-2017) was a Buddhist teacher, author, and mental health advocate. His legacy is stewarded by Carina Stone. Podcast funded by Patreon (patreon.com/michaelstone).

Awake in the World Podcast

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