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Dawn Neal's Dharma Talks
Dawn Neal
Dawn Neal started practicing in 2004, and has cumulatively devoted several years to silent retreat. In 2010, her Burmese teacher asked her to teach through the lens of metta. She serves as the Guiding Teacher for Insight Santa Cruz, and as faculty for the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies Online Buddhist Chaplaincy Training. She offers both residential and online retreats.
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2026-03-08 Cultivating Practical Wisdom 34:20
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-03-04 Open Awareness, Directed Attention, and Samadhi 34:19
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-03-04 Opening to the How 29:57
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-19 Intro to Mindfulness Meditation 5: Open/Receptive Awareness and Daily Life Practice 1:16:04
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
2026-02-18 Practicing with Emotions 25:48
Practicing with Emotions
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-18 Noticing the Return 32:14
Noticing the Return
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-17 Spiritual Friendship Supports Freedom 12:24
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-14 Mindfulness of Thinking and Open Receptive Awareness 1:20:07
Insight Santa Cruz Intro To Mindfulness Meditation Daylong
2026-02-14 Mindfulness of Emotions 35:11
Insight Santa Cruz Intro To Mindfulness Meditation Daylong
2026-02-14 Mindfulness of Breathing and Body 1:35:02
Mindfulness of Breathing and Body
Insight Santa Cruz Intro To Mindfulness Meditation Daylong
2026-02-14 Mindfulness of Breathing and Body 1:35:02
Insight Santa Cruz Intro To Mindfulness Meditation Daylong
2026-02-12 Intro to Mindfulness Meditation 4: Thinking 1:30:34
Week Four Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 20-30 minutes. 2. Notice your “top three hits” (the thought patterns that are most recurrent). Do they preoccupy you or distract you from the present moment? 3. What helps you connect or reconnect to the present moment?
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
2026-02-11 Peace and Calm 21:35
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-11 Settling 31:11
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-10 Simplicity that Leads to Choice (Bahiya part 1) 11:16
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-10 Just This 41:49
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-08 Intro to Mindfulness 3: Emotions 1:31:20
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation - Week Three Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 15-20 minutes. 2. Ride out an emotion. 3. Notice feelings of happiness and contentment.
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
2026-02-04 Interest that is Onward Leading 21:40
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-02-04 Watching the Waves 35:02
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-30 Intro to Mindfulness 2: Body 1:24:31
Suggested Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 10-20 minutes. 2. As with last week, choose a routine activity and practice mindfulness whenever you do this activity. This week specifically focus on mindfulness of body while doing the activity. 3. Try eating a meal mindfully. Consider doing this once per day or a few times this week.
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
2026-01-28 Interest and Attention are Mutually Reinforcing 21:18
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-28 Attending to This Moment 31:29
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-27 Dharmette: Violence and Non-Harming 15:23
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-22 Intro to Mindfulness 1: Overview and Breathing 1:15:38
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
2026-01-14 Working with Hindrances 24:28
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-13 Speak and Act with a Peaceful Mind 10:23
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-11 Dharma Beauty and Inspiration 35:38
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-10 Cultivating Beneficial Growth 11:36
Insight Santa Cruz Connecting and Sustaining Aspiration
2026-01-10 Guided Meditation and Dharmette: Connect, Sustain, Discern, Let Go 43:13
Insight Santa Cruz Connecting and Sustaining Aspiration
2026-01-10 Guided Meditation: Intention 41:24
Insight Santa Cruz Connecting and Sustaining Aspiration
2026-01-07 Wisdom of the Body: Liberation 28:37
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-06 Aspiration and Inspiration to End Suffering 10:09
Insight Santa Cruz
2026-01-06 Guided meditation: Turning Towards 43:06
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-12-30 Composting the Challenging to Grow What’s Good 14:43
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-12-30 Guided meditation 42:36
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-12-23 Internal and External Cultivation of Goodness 10:10
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-12-23 Guided Meditation: Offering and Receiving 43:47
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-12-06 Kind Awareness is Protective and Contagious 29:23
Insight Santa Cruz Gathering In Kindness
2025-12-06 Lightly Guided Meditation 10:20
Insight Santa Cruz Gathering In Kindness
2025-12-06 Guided Meditation: Gathering in Lovingkindness 42:28
Insight Santa Cruz Gathering In Kindness
2025-12-03 Wisdom of the Body: Benefits (part 1) 24:19
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-25 Dharmette: Connection and Elevation 13:54
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-25 Guided Meditation: Grounding in Appreciation 45:36
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-23 Guided Meditation: Making Refuge your Heart's Home 42:32
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-23 Making Refuge your Heart's Home 14:31
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-12 Wisdom of the Body: Similes 16:26
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-12 Guided Meditation: Allow Awareness to Fill You 33:45
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-11 Dharmette: Attention Builds Capacity 12:42
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-11 Guided Meditation: Gathering In Awareness 42:56
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-05 Mindfulness of the Body: Death 19:04
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-05 Guided Meditation: Releasing the Breath 31:19
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-11-02 Dharmette: The Journey of Embodied Awareness 18:22
Insight Santa Cruz Mindfulness of the Body daylong retreat
2025-11-02 An Ancient Body Scan 49:39
Insight Santa Cruz Mindfulness of the Body daylong retreat
2025-11-02 Metta Meditation 35:39
Insight Santa Cruz Mindfulness of the Body daylong retreat
2025-11-02 Orienting and settling into sensations 41:33
Insight Santa Cruz Mindfulness of the Body daylong retreat
2025-10-29 Mindfulness of the Body: Fear 29:16
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-10-22 Guided Meditation: Flow of the Present 34:49
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-10-22 Mindfulness of the Body Grows Inner Stability 20:16
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-10-08 Mindfulness of the Body: Internal Ecology 19:32
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-10-01 Wisdom of the Body, part 1 16:58
A very brief introduction to the discourse on Mindfulness of the Body (Kayagatasati Sutta)
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-20 Finding Your Own Wisdom 16:23
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-19 Meeting the Moment with Clear Comprehension 16:18
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-19 Guided Meditation: Internal and External Mindfulness 39:51
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-13 Inviting Interest 16:57
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-12 Process, not Perfection 12:42
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-06 Natural Unfolding: Anicca & Anatta 19:35
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-06 Open Spacious Awareness 36:04
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-08-05 Process not Perfectionism 15:29
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-23 Listening as Love 20:27
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-23 Guided Meditation: Listening with all your Senses 34:19
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-22 Listening as Mindfulness Practice 12:36
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-15 Don't Postpone the Good 13:16
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-09 Releasing Heaps & Burdens 20:18
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-08 Putting Your House in Order 10:11
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-07-02 Gardening Your Practice 19:16
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-06-25 Surfing the Senses 17:30
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-06-11 Practicing with Emotions and the Six Senses 21:31
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-06-10 Mindfulness in Daily Life 14:48
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-06-04 From Identification to Interest: Working with the Five Hindrances 20:36
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-05-28 Wise View in Relational Practice 23:59
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-05-27 Mindfulness of the Body 15:27
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-05-21 Practicing with the Four Noble Truths 23:28
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-05-14 The Buddha's Deep Story 19:52
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-05-13 Wisdom 13:10
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-05-13 Guided Meditation: The Texture of This Moment 43:29
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-04-15 Inner Wealth that Can't be Taken 13:31
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-04-09 The 4 Foundations and Why They Matter 20:47
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-04-08 Skillful and Unskillful Doubt 15:57
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-29 Relaxation and Attitudes of Mind (Guided Meditation and Dharmette) 47:41
Insight Santa Cruz Open and Relaxed Awareness Daylong Retreat
2025-03-26 Our Filters and Emotions (3rd & 4th Foundations of Mindfulness) 19:14
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-26 Guided Meditation: Everything Included 34:50
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-25 Learning from Lethargy, Resistance & Freeze (Sloth & Torpor) 15:47
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-25 Guided Meditation: Breathing for Energy or Relaxation 37:44
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-23 More Beautiful Than Beautiful (includes Refuges and Precepts) 17:18
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-23 Guided Meditation: Taking Your Seat 41:13
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-19 The Third Foundation of Mindfulness: Seeing Our Own Filters 26:39
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-18 Dharmette: Working with Worry 18:01
Insight Santa Cruz
2025-03-13 Intro to Lovingkindness class 4: Metta Can Transform Difficulty 1:11:50
Introduction to Metta (lovingkindness) - Week Four Homework: Daily meditation: Offer kindness/goodwill to an easy being (or benefactor) & self, then someone or some part of you that you find difficult. Please practice 20 minutes or more a day. Remember, it is always okay to return to a being that is easy. It can also be very skillful to switch to mindfulness. Integrating mindfulness into metta practice can increase wisdom. This can be done by noticing what is and isn’t metta, without judging –or buying into–other emotions or experiences. In daily life, notice when Metta is present and when it isn’t. What are conditions that help it arise? Decrease? Appreciating the wish for metta, being interested in it, attending to it, helps to strengthen it.
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mettā (lovingkindness) meditation
2025-03-06 Intro to Lovingkindness class 3 1:20:52
Week Three Homework: 1. Daily meditation: 15-30 minutes per day if new, normal amount if experienced. At least 2/3 to easy being or benefactor and self, then someone neutral. Experiment with single words/short phrases or gestures to build stability/concentration Always okay to return to where it’s easy, or switch to mindfulness. 2. Micro-practice: offer pulses of kindness, privately, to strangers or neutral persons in the course of each day
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mettā (lovingkindness) meditation
2025-03-05 Internal and External Beauty (part 2) 26:49
Insight Santa Cruz Introduction to Mettā (lovingkindness) meditation

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