Turning Down Tinnitus

Summary

Good Life Project – “Turning Down Tinnitus”

Host: Jonathan Fields
Date: December 18, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this deeply personal solo episode, Jonathan Fields shares his intimate journey through the onset of tinnitus—a relentless, mysterious ringing in the ears—and the profound psychological crisis it triggered. As he navigates the uncertainty and emotional turmoil that follow, Jonathan explores how mindfulness meditation became not only a tool for coping, but a transformative practice that redefined his approach to suffering and well-being. The episode concludes with a gentle, heartfelt guided loving-kindness meditation, inviting listeners to shift their relationship with life’s inevitable sounds—literal and metaphorical—toward peace, compassion, and agency.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Onset and Crisis of Tinnitus (03:09–18:19)

• Jonathan’s experience begins: While traveling in March 2010, Jonathan notices a strange fluttering in his left ear—soon evolving into persistent clicking, then pulsing, and eventually, searing high-pitched ringing.
  • “The noise in my head follows everywhere I go... Nightfall becomes my enemy as the din of the city fades, leaving me to battle the sound in darkness.” (09:38)
• Despair and isolation: The relentless noise brings insomnia, headaches, and mounting anxiety as he tries to hide his suffering from friends, colleagues, and his family.
• Diagnosis: After weeks of searching and medical tests, he receives a diagnosis—tinnitus, or "your brain is making you hear stuff nobody else hears," with no clear cause or guaranteed cure.
• Hopelessness and existential worry: The condition threatens his creative life, livelihood, and relationships, precipitating a crisis that shatters his sense of self and agency.
  • “If the smartest doctors in the world can’t make the sound go away... is there some way to turn my tormentor into my teacher?” (13:46)

2. Seeking Solutions and a Shift in Perspective (13:46–18:19)

• From resistance to acceptance: Faced with the possibility of a lifelong condition, Jonathan turns to the Buddhist slogan “abandon hope,” reframing it from despair to an invitation: stop fighting the unchangeable, and change your relationship with it instead.
• Mindfulness as salvation: While researching for a book on peak performance and uncertainty, Jonathan discovers scientific literature and personal stories on mindfulness meditation, which trains practitioners to separate circumstance from the story the mind creates.
• Connecting circumstance and attention: He realizes the suffering is less about the sound and more about his mind’s response to it.
  • “It’s not the sound that’s causing me so much pain, but rather my brain’s inability to hear it as anything but pain.” (16:06)

3. Enter Bruce: Mindfulness in Action (18:19–22:06)

• Meeting a mentor: Jonathan consults Bruce, a mindfulness-based cognitive therapist and fellow tinnitus sufferer. Bruce's guidance:
  • “Focus on your breath, and if you get distracted by the same thing, focus on what distracts you. For now... you must make that your focus.” (18:59)
• Practice and resistance: Jonathan struggles at first, finding the sound overwhelming when he turns his attention toward it. He perseveres, repeatedly practicing breath work and guided attention.

4. Building the Daily Practice and Its Impact (22:06–31:45)

• Micro-progress and breakthrough: Over days and weeks, Jonathan notices moments where his mind drifts from the sound back to his breath, gradually reclaiming peace and agency.

  • "As I sit consumed by sound, my mind drifts away from it and returns to my breath. The cycle begins to break itself." (22:56)

• Evolving the practice: Jonathan integrates breathing exercises (slowing breathing to 2–3 breaths/minute), mindfulness of sensations, and loving-kindness (“metta”) meditation.

  • “[The practice] is designed to rapidly bring me into a deeply grounded state.” (24:39)

• Attention as reality: The lasting insight is that his attention, not his circumstances, shapes his reality: with practice, the tinnitus fades into the background unless he chooses to notice it.

  • “For all intents and purposes, when I don’t look for [the sound], it doesn’t exist.” (27:37)

• Broader transformation: What began as a tool for desperate relief has blossomed into a life-affirming practice, fueling creativity, resilience, and presence in all aspects of life.

  • “The thing I came to as a last resort, therapy to take me from minus 100 back to zero, has now taken me from zero to plus 100.” (29:44)

5. The Universal Invitation (29:44–31:45)

• Everyone’s abyss: Jonathan universalizes his story—everyone has “their own sound in their head,” their own source of recurring stress or pain.
• Why try meditation?: Whatever the form—mindfulness, mantra, prayer, or others—a practice that cultivates agency over attention can fundamentally change one’s experience of life.
  • “A practice that truly can become the foundation of your ability to live the life you want to live, no matter what the world puts in your path.” (31:13)
• Practical advice: He mentions Tara Brach’s podcast as an easy introduction to guided meditation, along with apps and online resources.

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Memorable Quotes

• “So what if you had the ability to feel peaceful, at ease, grounded, focused and calm, no matter what was happening around you... It would give you this proverbial off switch and guide you back to peace and ease.” (00:02 – Jonathan Fields)
• “My perceiving brain only experiences the sound, or the sensation of sound, when my attention is focused on it... For all intents and purposes, when I don’t look for it, it doesn’t exist.” (27:30 – Jonathan Fields)
• “Every one of us has our own sound in our heads, our own source of fear, our own place of deep uncertainty, distraction, pain, paralysis or suffering. Our own abyss waiting to deliver us into our treasure.” (29:44 – Jonathan Fields)
• Joseph Campbell quote (shared by Jonathan): “It’s by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of our life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” (27:02 – quoting Joseph Campbell as it relates to his own journey)

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Notable Moments and Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Key Points/Details | |-----------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Episode theme introduction | “What if you had the ability to feel peaceful, at ease, grounded, focused and calm...” | | 03:09 | Tinnitus story begins | Jonathan notices strange ear sounds after a flight, beginning his struggle. | | 09:38 | The crisis deepens | Anxiety, insomnia, and fear grow; Jonathan tries to hide his suffering. | | 13:46 | Perspective shift | Moves from desperate search for relief to seeking acceptance and new ways to cope. | | 16:06 | Key realization | Suffering comes not from sound itself but from how the mind frames it. | | 18:19 | Meeting Bruce, therapist and mentor | Introduction to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for tinnitus. | | 22:56 | Practice breakthrough | Mind begins, with effort, to shift attention away from sound and reclaim peace. | | 24:39 | Breathwork detail | Jonathan describes specific breath exercises that ground him. | | 27:02 | Joseph Campbell quote | Connects personal struggle to universal growth through adversity. | | 29:44 | Practice as life transformation | Meditation practice evolves into a foundational element of wellbeing and creativity. | | 31:13 | Universal invitation | Encourages listeners to explore a daily practice for agency over attention. |

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Guided Loving Kindness Meditation (31:45–47:23)

Introduction and Preparation (31:45–33:08)

• Find a comfortable, upright seat; gently scan your body and settle in.
• Practice aware breathing, placing hands on heart and stomach to connect with sensation and warmth.

Visualization and Blessings

• To Yourself:
  • Visualize yourself with ease and comfort, silently repeat:
    “May I be free. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be loved. May I live with ease.” (37:45)
• To a Loved One:
  • Bring to mind someone dear, offer the same phrases:
    “May you be free. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be loved. May you live with ease.” (39:46)
• To a Neutral Person:
  • Offer wishes to an acquaintance or stranger. (42:09)
• To Someone You Struggle With:
  • Offer loving-kindness to someone you find difficult, or to yourself if it’s too challenging. (44:10)
• To All Beings:
  • Expand the blessings to everyone:
    “May we be free. May we be happy. May we be healthy. May we be loved. May we live with ease.” (46:24)

Closing (47:23–48:40)

• Slowly let images fade, return hands to heart and stomach, and gently open your eyes, bringing compassion and ease forward into your day.

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Overall Tone and Style

Jonathan’s narration is candid, gentle, and deeply compassionate. He speaks with humility and vulnerability, describing his suffering without dramatization, and his hard-won insights without pretension. The encouragement to explore meditation is delivered as an openhanded invitation, not a prescription.

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Summary Takeaways

• Agency over Attention: Meditation, especially mindfulness, offers not just relief but can transform our relationship with persistent life challenges—whether they are sensory, emotional, or existential in nature.
• From Suffering to Meaning: By learning to shift attention and accept what cannot be changed, one can find unexpected treasure even in the heart of struggle.
• Accessible Tools: Breathwork, mindful awareness, and loving-kindness are practical, actionable gateways to this transformation, accessible to anyone willing to begin.

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Resources Mentioned

• Tara Brach’s podcast (for those new to guided meditation)
• Meditation apps with various teachers and techniques for experimentation

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For anyone facing recurring battles with anxiety, chronic health issues, or relentless mental noise, this episode offers moving testimony, practical insight, and a loving, guided entry into transformative mindfulness practice.

Transcript

[Jonathan Fields]

So what if you had the ability to feel peaceful, at ease, grounded, focused and calm, no matter what was happening around you, no matter how calamitous or virtuous, loud or quiet things were. And what if that power also came with the ability to notice when your mind had dropped into a spin cycle of self destructive overthinking, chatter, doom looping, fear and overwhelm and then literally just let it all go, Even if the circumstances were still there, it would give you this proverbial off switch and guide you back to peace and ease. Today I want to share a deeply personal journey with you. One that in a sense probably explains to you my long standing fascination with and commitment to meditation and why I believe it is the single most powerful and accessible meta skill in your quest to live a good life no matter what comes your way. Because it gives you agency over your attention. And as you'll hear me share even more than circumstance where your attention goes, so goes your life and why you might want to explore saying yes to starting your own practice today. And I'll wrap with a very special kind of guided practice that's designed to both bring you back to a grounded place and also open your heart just a bit. So excited to share this best of conversation with you. I'm Jonathan Fields and this is Good Life project.

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[Jonathan Fields]

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[Guided Meditation Instructor]

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[Jonathan Fields]

Good Life Project is sponsored by Whole Foods Market so you know that moment when the holidays sneak up and suddenly you're the one hosting the big dinner or racing to find the perfect last minute gift. And this year I decided to make it easier on myself. I stopped by Whole Foods Market and discovered their holiday sides. I mean think creamy mashed potatoes and classic stuffing you just heat and serve. Honestly, they tasted like I spent hours making them. And those 365 brand staples total lifesavers for keeping the pantry stocked without breaking the budget. Plus their desserts. Things like that rich holiday rum cake makes everyone at the table smile. When I needed a quick gift, I actually grabbed a cheese and cracker set from their curated selection and Stephanie picked up a few candles from the the 365 line to make the house just feel extra cozy. So if you're hosting, gifting or just craving good food that feels festive and easy, head to Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters. Shop for everything you need at Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters. So 12 years ago, my world more or less fell apart and only three people knew it was March of 2010. Stepping off a flight in Austin, Texas, something goes a bit haywire in my brain. I notice an odd fluttering sensation in my left ear, not so unusual after flying. But by evening, when I lay my head on the pillow, this clicking or seeping sound, a bit like a Geiger counter, starts tapping away. And over the next four days the noise persists, making it near impossible to sleep. I'm getting exhausted, sensitized to sound, and a bit freaked out. So I start popping pills in a desperate attempt to get some shuteye. And I made it through that window. And then, returning to New York, I call my doctor, try some nose spray, he says, and two weeks pass. Still no change. At this point, I start battling severe headaches from the fatigue and I start taking other pills for that. The timing, by the way, is pretty Terrible. I have just signed a book deal with my dream publisher and I'm under deadline. But in my altered state I can barely scratch out a sentence. I end up on a flight to Pittsburgh and Chicago to speak. The noise in my head follows everywhere I go. Back home, I try everything. I try acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, every modality you can think about. Still, the Geiger counter clicks on and it's now joined by this kind of pulsing and whooshing sounds in my good ear and I can't focus for more than short windows. Nightfall becomes my enemy as the din of the city where I was then living in New York City, fades, leaving me to battle the sound in darkness. And things are about to get worse. About a month and a half in one Evening, at about 2 in the morning, I wake to this high pitched electronic sound screaming through my head. I fumble through the darkness for an off switch. I must have left something on. Everything that can be off is off. And I realize this sound too. It's coming from inside my head. And with my wife and then young daughter sleeping feet away, I collapse onto the couch and just begin to weep. And over the next few days, I find myself in a soundproof booth, poked and prodded and cocooned in a brain scan, looking to rule out all the big scary things. The good news? It's not a brain tumor or an aneurysm or cancer. And yet the sound remains. I can't sleep. I can barely work and I'm doing everything I can to keep it all secret from the world. I don't tell my friends, my editor or my agent, because once I do, it becomes real. I have to own it. And it becomes a conversation, one I can't bear the thought of having. So I bury my pain and hang onto the hope that it still may just go away. Every time I hear an ambient hum or a high pitched noise, I wonder, is that real or is it in my head? And I want to ask, can you hear that? But then everyone would know. And soon after, a diagnosis finally comes tinnitus, or tinnitus, which I learn is a catch all phrase for oh, your brain is making you hear stuff nobody else hears. But we've got no clue why it's so poorly understood. Doctors can't even really agree how to pronounce the word tinnitus. Tinnitus, tinnitus, tinnitus. I hear both. Have you been exposed to loud noises? I'm asked. No. What about medication? Well, I've been popping sleep and headache meds for Weeks. And I checked the side effects for both meds online, and there it is, buried in the fine, fine and even finer print. Potentially tinnitus. Or tinnitus. So now maybe I have a possible cause. But even then, who knows, really? They certainly don't. My only question how do I make this go away? The answer when I ask the doctors, you don't. For some reason, for some people, it goes away over time. But the longer it stays, the more likely you'll have it forever. So back online, I start to read stories of people whose tinnitus leads to crushing anxiety, depression, estrangement, lost jobs and destroyed lives. Sometimes even ends of lives. This can't be happening to me. My entire life depends upon my ability to create things. I am a maker. I'm screaming towards a book deadline, but the words aren't coming to create. I need peace. But I can't hide from the noise that constantly barrages my brain every second of every day. And I wonder if the love of my life, my wife, will get tired of my struggle. Will it push me from my daughter, my source of breath and inspiration? Will I be able to earn a living doing what I'm here to do and put food on my family's table? Then a few days pass. I waken to find the Geiger counter in my left ear gone. And my God, there's hope. I'm thinking to myself. Some small window of peace returns. Until three days later, the Geiger counter returns. And the fluttering and pulsing sensation in my right ear, it evolves into extreme sensitivity to certain frequencies, to certain sounds. My wife stands at my side as I'm cupping my ear, trying to block out sound. Are you okay? And I shake my head, near tears. What's going on? Certain sounds, I tell her. They seem to kind of make my brain scramble. And the sound of your voice is one of them. And I try to laugh it off. That is not something that you want to say. And she tells me it's really upsetting, of course. Why don't you take something to help you sleep and get rid of your headaches? She asks. And I'm barely hanging on. I say, God forbid drugs were in some way a part of the cause of this and we have no idea what it really. And I take something that makes it worse. I think I'd want to end things. I can't believe what I've just said. This cannot go on. And for the first time, I begin to ask a different question. If the smartest doctors in the world can't make the sound Go away. If this is me for life, what do I do with that? Is there some way to turn my tormentor into my teacher? And the Buddhist slogan, abandoned hope finds its way into my mind. And for the first time, I actually get it. I had railed against this really not understanding what it was about for years in studies of Eastern philosophy. And I start to realize it's not about giving up, but rather shifting your energy from trying to change an unchangeable circumstance to changing the way you experience it. And I begin to wonder why. I hear sounds around me all day. I'm in New York City. Literally, I'm being barraged with noise, with sounds all day, all night, every day. But only the sound coming from my brain brings me to my knees. Is there some way to train the part of my brain that spirals into anxiety to be okay with the other part of my brain that creates the sound that haunts it? Can I find peace with the possibility that this may never go away? And in fact, at any given moment, it may get worse. I scour the web for ideas, tools, resources, strategies. There's an odd irony here. The book that I'm writing at the time, or trying to write in random fits and starts. It begins as an exploration of peak performance, but along the way refocuses on uncertainty as a key to peak performance. And this shift becomes my salvation. I find myself knee deep in research about mindfulness meditation. The practice trains you to dissociate circumstance from a story, to give you the space to create a different frame, to tell a different story, to hold on to what you want to hold on to and. And let go of what you don't. And this fuels a certain freedom and possibility instead of pain and paralysis. Then I begin to connect the dots. It's not the sound that's causing me so much pain, but rather my brain's inability to hear it as anything but pain, to just fold it into the background the way I do with all the other sounds in the city. And I wonder if mindfulness might be able to help me live with more ease for as long as the sound in my head sticks around. But I have no idea if it'll work. So I start looking for someone, anyone with an answer. And I'm close to giving up. When out of the ether, also known as the Internet, my spirit guide emerges in the form of a tinnitus, suffering former rock drummer turned mindfulness based cognitive therapist named Bruce. And we'll be right back after a word from our sponsors. Good Life project is sponsored by Wild Alaskan company so you ever notice how some small decisions end up making the whole week feel easier? For me, one of those was figuring out a better way to bring seafood into the house. That's when Wild Alaskan company came into the picture. The first box felt like somebody had just quietly solved the problem. I didn't even realize I was tired of managing wild caught. Perfectly portioned, straightforward quality. I cooked their Pacific Cod recently. Kept the seasoning really simple and the moment it hit the pan I thought, oh, this is different. The aroma, the texture and it was just delicious. What really matters to me also is knowing it's 100% wild caught never farmed, supporting sustainable harvesting and healthier oceans. Everything is frozen right off the boat, so the taste and texture stay exactly as they should be. If you want seafood that removes the guesswork and brings a little ease back into your kitchen, give it a try. Not all fish are the same. Get seafood you can Trust. Go to wildalaskan.com goodlife for $35 off your first box of premium wild caught se food. That's wildalaskan.com goodLife for $35 off your first order. Thanks to Wild Alaskan Company for sponsoring this episode. Good Life Project is sponsored by Gab. So it's that time of year again. The holidays are coming fast and if you have kids, those wish lists are already starting to take shape. For a lot of families that now includes something big, a phone. Our producer Lindsay has two young kids and her family's embraced what they call slow technology, giving their kids connection but at the right pace. They got the Gab watch 3e and it's been the perfect first step. With this kids GPS watch, Lindsay's family gets safe connection and plenty of fun. Through the MyGab app. Parents can set focus or silent modes, create safe zones and improve every contact. Gab helps families really stay connected while freeing up time for what really matters, real experiences and real relationships. And when it's time for a first phone, Gab's tech and steps approach grows with your child from watches with GPS tracking for the youngest explorers to the perfect first phone with no Internet or social media to the teen phone with parent Approved apps. Visit gab.com goodlife and use the code goodlife for a special holiday offer that's G-A-B.com goodlife gab tech and steps independence for them. Peace of mind for you. Good Life Project is sponsored by Drip Drop. So lately I have been paying more attention to how hydration quietly shapes my day and my energy and my mood, my focus, all of it really. And adding Drip Drop to my routine has made a real difference, especially during those mid afternoon slumps when everything just starts to kind of feel a little slower. And it's basically always in my water bottle whenever I hike or even just jump into walking meetings, which I do often these days. Drip drop is Dr. Develt proven fast hydration that helps your body and mind work better. It uses a precise ratio of electrolytes and glucose for rapid absorption, delivering three times the electrolytes and half the sugar of leading sports drinks. So you feel the results quickly better energy, more focus, improve mood, mood, even that healthy skin glow. And it's trusted by firefighters, medical professionals and over 90% of top college and pro teams. And it tastes great. 16 original flavors 80 sugar lemon has pretty much become my everyday go to and it fits easily into my morning and midday routine. I could just grab packs and keep them with me all the time. Try Drip Drop and feel the difference. Right now, Drip Drop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order. Go to dripdrop.com and use that promo code Good Life. That's Dripdrop. Or just click the link on the show notes and use the promo code good life for 20% off. Stock up [e-mail] and use the promo code Good Life.

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[Jonathan Fields]

And I make an appointment and I go in. He happens to be two blocks from where I live. I ask him if mindfulness works for tinnitus. Yes, at least he says it might. Ten years into his tinnitus, the sound in his head mysteriously got louder and shriller and he didn't know what to do. So he turned to mindfulness based therapy and it helped him. So I scheduled the appointment. He explains what I've got to do, but when he gives me the instructions, I'm a little bit devastated. I know them well. I have practiced and even taught meditation on and off for years. Mostly off, by the way. Focus on your breath and if you get distracted by the same thing over and over, focus on what distracts you? For now, he shares, you won't be able to focus on anything but the sound. So you must make that your focus. So that night I go home. I sit on the floor next to an old radiator. I don't want to do it the way my drummer therapist tells me. I try to focus on my breath, but he's right. All I hear is the sound. Close my eyes. I turn toward. The sound screams at me. It hairs through me. I begin to shake with anxiety. It's just too much. So I deep breathe until I'm calm again. And I start to use breathing exercises that I had studied and taught as a yoga teacher for many years before that. And I try again and again and again and again, over and over and over, day after shaking, anxious day, until it starts to get just a little bit easier. And then one day, I notice something. As I sit consumed by sound, my mind drifts away from it and returns to my breath. The cycle begins to break itself. The sound is still there, or at least the stimulus for the sound. But I begin to let it go, to rediscover ease, to see just how the smallest glimmer of peace I have the capacity, I realize, to live with this, but not make it my life. Over the last dozen years I have kept to this daily practice, explored a variety of ways to kind of better tune it to my needs as I move through different seasons of life now and support me in different ways. I begin every morning with a blend of breathing exercises that still anchor back to that moment, with an emphasis on extended exhales and open throated pauses that bring my breathing rate now, after practicing this for years, down to probably somewhere in the order of two to three breaths a minute, which is down from the normal of about 16 breaths per minute. It's taken years, but slowly by slowly, my body has learned to down regulate very quickly through the mechanism of breath. And it's designed to rapidly bring me into a deeply grounded state. And I then transition into a basic mindfulness practice that blends both focusing on my breath and then opening my attention to all sensations around me. And these two approaches help me both notice where my attention is and and keep cultivating the skill of holding it where I want it to be and letting go of the places and the thoughts and the emotions and the feelings and the stimuli that I don't want it to be attending to and also expanding my attention to allow all sensations to come into my experience, to let it all in. And then, like a breeze against a screen, summer Porch on a hot day. Just let it blow through without holding onto it or grasping for it. And they also mix in what we call a loving kindness meditation, which I'll share more about in just a few moments. And then after the break, I'll actually guide you through, if you're inclined to give it a try. So, as I share all of this with you today, the sound remains, but maybe not really, and I'm okay. And I guess maybe I'm okay because maybe it's not really there. What I've learned is that any sensory experience is one part stimulus and one part what the brain does with that stimulus or input. Now, in this case, my brain is both the source of the sound, the stimulus, and the receiver or translator of it. The thing that says there is a sound here and also tells me whether it's okay or not. But there's something else, a massive realization. My perceiving brain only experiences the sound, or the experience, the sensation of sound when my attention is focused on it. Sure, the stimulus is always there. At this point, I assume it will be for life. Part of my brain is generating something that says there is a sound to be perceived. But I've trained my brain to stop maniacally locking its attention onto it. And in fact, I now have to actively direct my attention to it if I even want to be aware of the sound. And now when I hear it, because I know it no longer consumes or defines me, I can just let it go, Redirect my attention to the thousand other things that captivate and interest me. And it's not even that my practice has trained my brain to ignore the sound anymore. Because my attention, more than my circumstance or external or internal stimulus, in effect determines my reality. For all intents and purposes. When I don't look, for doesn't exist. And this capacity has now, over a period of deepening practice for over a dozen years. It has changed my life in ways that extend far bey its initial purpose. Joseph Campbell said, it's by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of our life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. Sometimes we go into the abyss willfully. Other times, Most times, the universe delivers us kicking and screaming. My abyss. It was the sound in my head. It brought me to my knees. But it also brought me to my treasure, to my practice, to who and what mattered once I opened to the possibility that within this struggle lay the potential for growth. So I still have days when I'm overtired and stressed where my attention sneaks back to the sound. But they're extremely rare now. And when it happens, I also I understand what's really happening and know how to proactively let it go. I've been able to return to writing and speaking, loving and being present in the people's lives who mean the world to me, to creating and to living. In my practice. The thing I came to as a last resort, therapy to take me from minus 100 back to zero has now taken me from zero to plus 100. It's become a place to touch stone, a source of extraordinary creativity, clarity and power. Fuel for ease. One that reaches so much farther into the fabric of my life than I ever intended or expected. And here's the thing. Every one of us has our own sound in our heads, our own source of fear, our own place of deep uncertainty, distraction, pain, paralysis or suffering. Our own abyss waiting to deliver us into our treasure. So I guess my question for you is this. What if you said yes to taking the first step into a daily practice that held the power to slowly, over time, give you the agency over not just your attention, but the way you experience nearly every moment of your life? Whether it's mindfulness, mantra based tm, chanting, prayer, or the many other approaches, any practice that gives you the capacity to notice where your attention is and is not, and then direct it away from negative or destructive thoughts or emotions or experiences and toward positive grounding, wellness, supporting experiences. That is a practice that truly can become the foundation of your ability to live the life you want to live, no matter what the world puts in your path. And that's why I wanted to share my personal meditation journey with you today. We spent some time on the podcast with Tara Brach and others, who's a wonderful teacher of insight meditation. Every week on her podcast, actually, she offers a guided meditation, which is a wonderful way to start if you're looking for a place to drop into this practice. And there are now also so many fantastic apps just loaded with literally thousands of teachers and voices and approaches that you can try on, experiment with so you can find what resonates most for you. The invitation is really to try to just explore. Now we're going to head into a quick break, but when I come back, I am going to share with you a guided meditation that's called a loving kindness or meta meditation. And I regularly mix this into my own practice because it grounds me both in noticing and in compassion. And there's actually research that shows this kind of meditation over time cultivates very real positive change in the way that you feel. So I'll see you back here shortly for a guided meta meditation and we'll be right back after a word from our sponsors. Grille Project is sponsored by HelloFresh. So I'll be honest, I like cooking. But there are nights when the idea of chopping and measuring and cleaning up is just too much. That's when HelloFresh has been such a relief. They're the number one meal kit in America, delivering chef crafted recipes and fresh ingredients right to your door. And this isn't the HelloFresh you might remember. It's bigger now, over a hundred menu options every week. Healthier too with 15 plus high protein recipes and veggie packed meals that make you feel great. And it's tastier steak and seafood recipes every week, no extra cost. Last week I made their sesame garlic chicken and kale crispy and bright and full of flavor. 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And those $3.65 brand staples? Total lifesavers for keeping the pantry stocked without breaking the budget. Plus their desserts. Things like that rich holiday rum cake makes everyone at the table smile. When I needed a quick gift, I actually grabbed a cheese and cracker set from their curated selection and Stephanie picked up a few candles from the 365 line to make the house just feel extra cozy. So if you're hosting, gifting or just craving good food that feels festive and easy, head to Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters. Shop for everything you need at Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters.

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[Guided Meditation Instructor]

So find a nice comfortable seat. It can be on a couch. It can be a cushion, a bolster or whatever allows you to kind of settle in in a nice upright but not overly erect position so you want to be feel like you're active but not straining so you're comfortable. You can sit for a little bit of time here, so just wiggle around a little bit. You can settle in so that you feel good with whatever you're doing. Just close your eyes for a moment.

[Jonathan Fields]

And just notice your body.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Do a quick scan from the top of your head and let your attention just slowly pour down through your body. Just noticing how everything feels. You can kind of move your shoulders around a little bit, squeeze them for a second and as you exhale, just kind of drop them and let them hang loosely and bring your awareness down around your hips and your legs and just notice the sensation as they settle into the cushion or whatever it is that you're sitting on. Feeling the sit bones in contact and the legs in contact with the floor or wherever they may be touching. Take a nice inhale with your eyes closed. Full body inhale through your nose and through your mouth. Just let it all out and again through your nose.

[Jonathan Fields]

Inhale.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

And through your mouth. Once more. And through your mouth. Just feel your body settle just really comfortably, the eyes still closed. Again just scan from the top of the head slowly. It's almost as if your attention were drifting down through you like an ephemeral line of awareness. Just slowly lowers from the tippy top of your head down through your body. And as it goes, just noticing that everything seems to release so comfortably, so gently without intention, without having to force anything. Just noticing your breath, noticing your body finding a nice comfortable place. And as you do, very slowly, very deliberately ease your left hand up and place your left palm right against your heart so you feel the warmth of your hands slowly penetrating in and you feel the soft energy of your heart slowly pouring out into your palm. Just notice that sensation for a moment and then equally slowly, really gently, just slowly ease your right hand up so that your palm is sitting gently against the stomach. Again noticing the warmth pouring in from the palm, and similarly, the softest energy, barely perceptible, just pouring back out into the palm. You may notice that your shoulders may have raised or tightened a bit as you did that. So keeping your hands where they are, relaxing your palms, but keeping where they are, just slowly let your shoulders relax down. Soften them a little bit again with your eyes still closed. With the next inhale, breathe slowly into the top palm and let your inhale pour down into the bottom as it pushes gently out. And then slowly exhale, allowing the bottom hand to recede in and the top hand to settle back into the chest. And again breathing in through the top palm, and then pouring it down into the bottom. And then exhaling from the bottom, slowly rising up and out, letting everything settle just one more time, into the top, through the bottom, and then exhale, letting the hands slowly slide back into the center of the body, keeping that stillness, that energetic circuit between the heart and the center. With your eyes closed, just slowly release your palms gently back down into your lap, or whatever feels comfortable to you, returning to the sensation of your breath. And then bring a visual representation in your mind's eye. Picture yourself just sitting here with a sense of ease, a sense of comfort, a sense of acceptance. Just create that picture of yourself, and then begin to offer yourself certain wishes. So with that vision sitting in front of you as you breathe, just very slowly and quietly recite with your mind the following phrases.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be free, may you be.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Happy.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be healthy, May you be loved, may you live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Sending it out to you, to yourself, and you can even change it to I. So let's try that.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May I be free, May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be loved. May I live with ease. May I be free. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be loved, May I live with ease. May I be free. Be happy, be healthy, be loved, live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Repeating the phrase while you hold that image of yourself wishing these things to yourself and opening, surrendering to those wishes, allowing them to land.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May I be free. Be happy, be healthy, be loved, live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Take a nice big inhale and then exhale and just let go of that image of yourself. Now take a moment and just bring into your mind's eye the image of somebody who you love unconditionally, somebody who's.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

So dear to you, and they may.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Be with us today, or they may be somebody who's passed. It's okay, either one. Bring that vision and make it as clear as you can. What do they look like? What are they wearing? What do they feel like? Create that visual in your mind's eye. And then we offer that same set of blessings or wishes to them.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be free, May you be happy, May you be healthy. May you be loved. May you live with ease. May you be free. May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be loved, May you live with ease. May you be free, be happy, be healthy, be loved, live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Continuing to repeat those while you hold that image of this person who you care so deeply about in your mind's eye.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be free, be happy, be healthy.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Be loved.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

Live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

And just continue slowly with that, very slowly. And then as you're ready, take a deep inhale. And then slowly just exhale and let it all out. And then let go of the image of that person. Just let it sort of float off into the ether. And then very gently, bring your mind's eye to the image of somebody who maybe appears in your daily life, but you really have no feelings for, no specific connection to you. Somebody maybe you see in passing. Maybe it's somebody who's at the deli, who makes your coffee, or a barista, or maybe it's just somebody who you know in passing, but really don't have any connection, no strong feeling for, about or against. Just bring a picture of that into your mind's eye. See them in your mind's eye. And then we share that same series of wishes to them. Holding that in your eye.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

Maybe free, maybe happy, maybe healthy. May you be loved. May you live with ease. May you be free, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be loved, May you live with ease. May you be free, be happy, be healthy, be loved, live with ease. May be free, be happy, be healthy, be loved, live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Taking a nice inhale, and as you exhale, just let that person go into.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

The ether.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Vanishing away. And then bring your mind's eye very gently, very gently to the image of somebody with whom you feel a sense of unease or sense of struggle. It may be somebody you feel has done you wrong. It may just be somebody who you're not comfortable with. And this can sometimes be challenging. And if doing so starts to bring up so much discomfort or unease or suffering within you, then just allow that person to drift off and replace them with yourself. Because you're the one in need of wishes, of love. So hold that person in your mind's eye and create that same image. And to them we offer the same.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be free, may you be.

[Jonathan Fields]

Happy.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be healthy. May you be loved. May you live with ease. May you be free. May you be happy, May you be.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Healthy.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May you be loved, May you live with ease. May you be free, Be happy, be healthy, be loved, Live with ease. May you be free, Be happy, be healthy, be loved, Live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Taking a gentle breath and as you exhale, just let that person evaporate out into the ether. Just letting your mind go, still nice and quiet.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

Yeah.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

And then finally, and very gently.

[Jonathan Fields]

Bringing.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Into your mind's eye the experience of all those people and all those beyond. A sense of oneness. As if no matter who it is that we perceive to exist outside of this solitary boundary we call our body, we're all just a part of one shared existence, one shared energy, one shared experience of love, surrender, generosity, feeling that connectedness. And bring into your mind's eye a sense of oneness, a community, a vision, however you choose to manifest it in your mind's eye of those beings all around you, everyone with whom we've just talked and the greater community around us. And we offer those same blessings to us all.

[Meditation Chant Leader]

May we be free. May we be happy. May we be healthy. May we be loved. May we live with ease. May we be free. May we be happy, May we be healthy. May we be loved. May we live with ease. May we be free, Be happy, be healthy, be loved, Live with ease. May we be free, Be happy, be healthy, be loved, live with ease.

[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Taking a deep breath in. Feel all the room, all those inner mind's eye. And as you exhale, just let them all evaporate into the ethereum. With the eyes still closed, again, very gently return a soft left palm to your heart and a soft right palm to your stomach. Just breathe into your hands, feeling the connection, Letting the shoulders relax. With this final exhale, allowing your palms to just gently return to your lap. Surrendering open. Shoulders relaxed. And as you're ready, very slowly letting your eyes lift open, looking gently around and bringing the same energy to the rest of your day.

[Jonathan Fields]

This episode of Good Life Project was produced by executive producers Lindsey Fox and me, Jonathan Fields, editing Helped by Alejandro Ramirez and Troy Young, Christopher Carter crafted our theme music. And of course, if you haven't already done so, please go ahead and follow Good Life Project in your favorite listening app or on YouTube too. If you found this conversation interesting or valuable and inspiring, chances are you did. Because you're still listening here. Do me a personal favor, a second favor. Share it with just one person. I mean, if you want to share it with more. That's awesome too. But just one person even then, invite them to talk with you about what you've both discovered, to reconnect and explore ideas that really matter. Because that's how we all come alive together. Until next time, I'm Jonathan Fields signing off for Good Life Project.

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[Jonathan Fields]

Kursky Lift with your legs, man.

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Santa, did you get my letter?

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[Holiday Helpers]

Of course he did.

[Jonathan Fields]

Right Santa, you know my elf Drew.

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[Jonathan Fields]

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[Guided Meditation Instructor]

Nice.

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[Jonathan Fields]

Kimber the holidays are better. AT T Mobile switch in just 15 minutes and get iPhone 17 on us with no trade in needed. And now T Mobile is available in.

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