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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Heather Sundberg's Dharma Talks
Heather Sundberg
Heather Sundberg has taught insight meditation since 1999 and completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training. Beginning her own meditation practice in her late teens, for the last 25 years, Heather has studied with senior teachers in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and Tibetan (Vajrayana) traditions and has sat 1-3 months of retreat a year for almost 20 years. She was the Spirit Rock Family & Teen Program Teacher & Manager for a decade. Between 2010- 2015 she spent a cumulative one-year in study, practice, and pilgrimage in Asia. Since 2011, she has been a Teacher at Mountain Stream Meditation Center and sister communities in the Sierra Foothills, and also teaches nationally, especially at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Her teaching emphasizes embodiment, compassion and practical wisdom.
2019-03-06 Brahma Vihara: Metta (Lovingkindness) 2: Metta Mandala Guided Meditation (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 42:13
This "Sacred Circle of Well Wishing" Guided Meditation includes visualization & somatic metta practice working with the main categories in Metta Practice - Self, Benefactor, Good Friend, Familiar Stranger, Difficult Person and All Beings.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center March Insight Meditation 1-Month
2019-03-04 Awakening through the Body: First Foundation of Mindfulness (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 62:07
The Talk explores the traditional teachings of First Foundation of Mindfulness through personal stories & modern perspectives - emphasizing the elements of Calming the Bodily Formation & nervous system practices, the 4 Postures of Awakening, and the aspects of impermanence & not self in the Wisdom Refrain of the Sutta.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center March Insight Meditation 1-Month
2019-01-13 Day 6 Morning Instructions: Metta Mandala -All Beings (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 42:29
Spirit Rock Meditation Center January Metta Retreat
2019-01-10 Compassion: The Difficulties are the Gifts (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 69:49
Dissolving the concrete bunkers of the heart. Obstacles transforming into opportunities.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center January Metta Retreat
2018-05-01 Day 4: Instructions -- Sit - Q&A (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 36:10
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Living Awareness Through Insight Meditation
2018-04-30 Wisdom-Awareness Map (MahaSati) (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 60:01
An introduction to a wisdom-awareness map from the Thai Forest tradition: Mindfulness - Great Mindfulness - Mindfulness-Wisdom - Wisdom which leads to Release. Includes metaphors & descriptions of maturing awareness which is able to release reactivity & access the 3 Lenses of Wisdom (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not self). Concludes with a fun somatic exercise on holding on & letting go, based on a teaching from Ajahn Chah. For more information about these teachings, visit Heather's website & look up Talks & Retreat Schedule.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Living Awareness Through Insight Meditation
2017-12-20 Transforming Fear Into Love (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 55:49
The Talk explores three ways that we can transform Fear into Love: Naming & Welcoming, Releasing Reactivity through the Nervous System, and Lovingkindness. The Talk ends with a moving true story of one woman's journey from fear into love & the service she offers to the world out of her understanding.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Insight Meditation Solstice Retreat
2017-05-19 Mindfulness-Wisdom 50:36
An introduction to A Map of Awareness from the Thai Forest Tradition: Sati-Mindfulness-Mahi Sati (Great Mindfulness), Sati Panna (Mindfulness Wisdom), Panna-Vimutti (Wisdom which leads to release). Includes teachings on how to approach teachings and practices of awareness, how to use the Three Characteristics, (impermanence, unsatisfactotoriness, not self) to decrease and release activity of the Defilements (greed, hatred and delusion) and a fun experiential exercise based on a teaching from Ajahn Chah about letting go. For more information about these teachings, visit Heather's website and look up Talks, Retreat Schedule and ongoing trainings on MahaSati.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center (Angela Center) Living Awareness Through Embodiment and Heart
2017-05-16 Body as Teacher 53:58
Beginning with a story of about Heather's close encounter with a monkey in India, the talk offers theory and practice on the First Foundation of Mindfulness on 'calming the bodily formation' as well as 'settling the nervous system' which are important 'dharmas of modern times'. Practices support us to work with anxiety, fear shame, judgment and other difficult emotions and reactive patterns of body and mind.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center (Angela Center) Living Awareness Through Embodiment and Heart
2017-01-13 Metta for the Difficult (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 64:48
This Talk examines the roots of the journey transformation from struggle & separation to connection & love. Mindfulness of the nervous system, wisdom perspectives, forgiveness, compassion & patience.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center January Metta Retreat

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