About this episode

This episode features a narrated essay reflecting on a dream and the importance of mindfulness and self-awareness.

Registration will close this month for The Tender Harvest , a harvest yoga, meditation, and culinary retreat at world-class Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland . Join this Sept 20-26, 2026, for a time of deep nourishment, learning, and inspiration. Just 2 rooms still available! A dog’s retching yanks me from sleep. I’ve been floating between worlds all night, and suddenly I’m across the room before a thought can take shape. The dense atmosphere of a dream lingers as I kneel to wipe the floor, then thins as my mind reaches for it. I was in a foreign place, though the landscape felt familiar. I was with friends, though they were not themselves. There was a house. The house was a river. Its rooms were water. With a sigh, the dog returns to bed. The house settles back into stillness. I move mutely to my meditation cushion. Incense lit, tea steeping, for a time, I watch tendrils of smoke and steam mingle in the dawning air. Practice teaches us to notice what’s here. Gradually, our attention steadies and we begin to perceive what is real—the interplay of spirit and matter, psyche and body—through the tuning fork of our awareness. We grow quieter, more supple, more receptive—less…

People in this episode

Hosts: Shawn Parell, David Keplinger

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Tender Harvest

Places: Ballymaloe House, County Cork

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