Practical Wisdom with Dr. Rick Hanson

Odcinki

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  5 Ways to Take Things Less Personally 16.09.2026 44min

  Life is going to bump into us. People will disappoint us, criticize us, misunderstand us, drop the ball, or sometimes genuinely treat us badly. The question is how to deal with all of that without adding a whole extra layer of suffering by taking it so personally. So this week, I explored how feeling more secure in your own worth, having healthy boundaries, bringing compassion to yourself, loosening your sense of identity, and even finding your way toward love can help you stay grounded...
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  Why It’s So Hard to Set – and Keep – Healthy Boundaries 09.09.2026 41min

  Most of us know, at least in principle, that it’s good to have healthy boundaries. The hard part is actually setting them — and then holding onto them when other people push back, get upset, or simply keep doing what they’ve always done. In this talk, I explored some of what makes boundaries so difficult, including feeling overly responsible for other people, doubting our own perceptions, and getting pulled into trying to change things that really aren’t in our control. Check it o...
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  Why Good Boundaries Make Better Relationships 02.09.2026 45min

  Good boundaries aren’t about pushing people away. In fact, they can help us feel closer, more open, and more at ease with the people we care about. When you know where you stand, what you’re responsible for, and what you’re simply not going to take on, there’s less resentment, confusion, and pressure in a relationship. So that’s what I covered in my talk this week, including how to recognize what’s okay, what’s not, and what is – as I like to put it, NMJ – Not My Job. Boundaries can be challe...
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  Insight – The Power of Seeing Reality Clearly 26.08.2026 45min

  This week, I was joined by Melvin McLeod, editor-in-chief of Lion’s Roar and author of The Complete Path of Mindfulness, to explore what mindfulness can become when we see it as much more than a meditation technique. Melvin and I explored how mindfulness can be a complete path for living with his five essential elements—mindfulness meditation, insight, love and compassion, ethics, and community. These practices can help us see reality more clearly, reduce unnecessary suffering, deepen our con...
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  How to Find Peace in the Present Moment 19.08.2026 44min

  So much of the mind is leaning into the future—anticipating what will happen, planning what we’ll do, worrying about what could go wrong, and getting attached to how we or other people are supposed to become. In this talk, I explore what Buddhist wisdom, neuroscience, and even the physics of time can teach us about stepping out of this constant striving and returning to the “front edge of now.” You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rick...
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  Patience – Why We Need It, and How to Grow It 12.08.2026 30min

  Impatience can be a surprisingly powerful source of stress, frustration, and conflict—especially when we’re waiting for something to change, dealing with difficult people, caring for someone we love, or simply wishing life would move faster. In this talk, I explore patience not as passive endurance, but as a combination of strength, insight, and an open heart. In the brain, when we become impatient, stimulation and our sense of responsibility for others can keep us agitated. Using patience in...
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  How to Feel That You’ve Done Enough – and Are Enough 05.08.2026 42min

  Many of us spend our lives quietly believing we need to do more, achieve more, or become more before we can finally feel at peace. What if the peace you’ve been searching for doesn’t come from becoming more—but from recognizing that, in important ways, you’re already enough? In this talk, I explore how the mind gets caught in endless striving and comparison, and how we can gently train ourselves to rest in gladness, contentment, and the deep sense that we’ve done enough, are enough, and that ...
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  How to Stop Ruminating 29.07.2026 41min

  Even when nothing is particularly wrong, the mind can keep generating something else to want, solve, compare, worry about, or figure out. All that mental activity can be exhausting—and it can keep us from recognizing the contentment and peace that are already available. In this talk, I explore an early Buddhist teaching on papañca—the mind’s tendency to proliferate—and how we can gradually step out of all that chasing. What feeds a busy mind? Craving, comparison, and getting caught up in view...
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  Bows and Vows 22.07.2026 38min

  Many of us move through life reacting to circumstances without pausing to consider what we’re truly devoted to. When we lose touch with our values and deepest intentions, it’s easy to feel scattered, disconnected, or pulled in directions that don’t reflect who we want to be. In this talk, I explore the relationship between what we bow toward and what we vow to live by. Practice isn’t just about accepting life as it is—it’s also about intentionally cultivating what is good, true, and meaningfu...
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  Letting Go of Fear, and Resting in Peaceful Confidence 15.07.2026 40min

  You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-letting-go-of-fear-and-resting-in-peaceful-confidence/ And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson....
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  The Sweet Power of Kindness, Compassion, and Happiness for Others 08.07.2026 36min

  We often think of kindness and compassion as gifts we offer other people. But what if they were also among the most powerful ways to heal ourselves? In this talk, I explore three transformative qualities of the heart—kindness, compassion, and joy for others—and how intentionally cultivating them can reduce suffering, build resilience, and gradually become part of who we are. Along the way, we’ll look at practical ways to bring these qualities into difficult relationships without pretending, b...
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  Positive Emotions as Key Steps in the Path of Awakening 01.07.2026 44min

  Many of us think of meditation and inner practice as serious, even grim work. But what if joy itself is part of the path? In this talk, I explored four emotionally positive states — gladness, rapture, tranquility, and happiness — that the Buddha himself identified as essential factors on the path to awakening. You’ll learn why these states aren’t distractions from practice but powerful resources for healing, resilience, and lasting inner change. You’re welcome to join me live each week for th...
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  The Powerful Combination of Concentration and Insight 24.06.2026 39min

  We all know what it’s like to feel scattered, stuck in our own mental loops, unable to actually move through the hard stuff. What the Buddha was pointing to with “right concentration” is that a settled, unified mind isn’t just a nice meditation bonus — it’s the thing that gives your insight real power to cut through. In this talk, I dig into a remarkable ancient teaching by a nun named Dhammadinnā, exploring how concentration works together with virtue and wisdom to actually move you from suf...
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  Insightful Freedom from Craving 17.06.2026 41min

  Do you ever feel caught up in striving, worrying about how you’re doing, or trying to become a better version of yourself? In this talk, I explore an early Buddhist teaching on how craving and self-identification create suffering—and how loosening our grip on who we think we are can bring greater freedom, peace, and genuine happiness. You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We alw...
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  How to Use Fear and Not Let It Use You 10.06.2026 34min

  You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-how-to-use-fear-and-not-let-it-use-you/ And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-cour...
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  Keys to Personal and Global Evolution with David Sloan Wilson 03.06.2026 42min

  It’s easy to feel stuck in the same patterns—repeating old reactions, circling in the same thoughts, and wondering why real change is so hard. In this talk, we explore how Darwin’s insights into evolution—variation, selection, and retention—can be applied to your own healing, growing, and awakening. Drawing on both modern science and the deep contemplative traditions of Buddhism, this conversation I had with David Sloan Wilson offers a practical, grounded path for personal transformation—and ...
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  How to Let Go 27.05.2026 30min

  You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-how-to-let-go/ And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20%...
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  How to Be Calmer . . . Now 20.05.2026 37min

  You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-how-to-be-calmer-now/ And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can rece...
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  The Wise Effort of Letting Go of Self 13.05.2026 40min

  You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-the-wise-effort-of-letting-go-of-self/ And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-cours...
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  Equanimity: Inner Freedom with a Heart as Wide as the World 06.05.2026 44min

  You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-equanimity-inner-freedom-with-a-heart-as-wide-as-the-world/ And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickha...