Tara Brach

What would it mean to truly trust the goodness that lives within you?
In this talk, Tara Brach explores what she calls "trusting the gold"—awakening from the stories of deficiency, fear and separation that keep us from recognizing our deepest nature. We may spend much of our lives trying to improve ourselves, earn approval or finally become "enough," while overlooking the loving awareness that is already here.
Tara explores how our early experiences of nurturing and belonging shape our capacity to trust ourselves, and how mindfulness and compassion can help heal the places that feel unworthy, unsafe or unloved. Through the practice of RAIN and what she describes as a "U-turn," we learn to step out of familiar stories, turn toward our vulnerability with care, and discover the wakeful presence beneath them.
Ultimately, trusting the gold means learning to recognize and rest in the awareness, goodness and love that are intrinsic to who we are.
 
In this talk, Tara explores:
- Awakening from the trance of unworthiness
- How early conditioning shapes self-trust
- RAIN, self-compassion and "spiritual reparenting"
- Moving beyond limiting stories and beliefs- Recognizing our intrinsic goodness
- Resting in loving awareness and true nature
 
Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

In this guided meditation, Tara Brach invites us to relax out of the thinking mind and return to the living presence of the moment. Through a gentle body scan, awareness of breath, sound and sensation, we begin to sense the aliveness that is always here—and to rest more fully in reality.
As the mind naturally wanders into thought, we practice letting go and opening again to the changing river of experience. Whatever arises—ease or discomfort, sorrow, fear or peace—can be met with kindness and allowed to belong.
This meditation offers a pathway to embodied presence, inner stillness and the natural awareness that holds all of life. It closes with a loving-kindness prayer for our own well-being and for the peace and freedom of all beings.
This meditation can support:
Mindfulness and present-moment awareness
Relaxing the body and quieting the mind
Meeting difficult emotions with kindness
Deepening embodied awareness
Cultivating loving-kindness and inner peace
 
Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

What would your life be like if you were no longer at war with your imperfections?
In this talk, Tara explores Radical Acceptance as a pathway out of self-judgment, shame and the trance of unworthiness. Rather than believing that acceptance will keep us from changing, we discover the opposite: when we stop making ourselves wrong for what we feel and who we are, we create the conditions for genuine healing and transformation.
Through stories, reflection and the practice of RAIN, Tara explores how we can meet our imperfect, conditioned selves with honesty and compassion while remembering the deeper goodness that is our true nature. Radical Acceptance doesn't mean becoming passive or ignoring harmful patterns—it allows us to respond to ourselves, others and our world from greater wisdom, clarity and love.
In this talk:
✨ Making peace with our imperfections
✨ Healing self-judgment and the trance of unworthiness
✨ Understanding Radical Acceptance as a path to change
✨ Using RAIN to meet shame, anger and difficult emotions
✨ Remembering and trusting our basic goodness
 
Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

Just as a cup is full with water, this body is filled with awareness. As we sense the awareness inside the body, and the awareness that listens to sounds beyond the body, we discover the continuous space of awareness that includes, and gives rise to this entire creation. Opening in this way allows for homecoming to wholeness and freedom.




 
Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

How do we keep our hearts open when we've been deeply hurt? How do we respond to injustice without becoming consumed by anger? And how can we love without trying to control or change another?

In this final installment of the Ask Me Anything series, Tara responds to questions about some of the most challenging places on our spiritual path. She explores how tending our own wounds can open the way to forgiveness, how we can stay awake to the suffering of our world without losing touch with joy, and how meeting the fear and grief beneath anger can reconnect us with compassion.

Whether we are facing injustice, conflict or struggles with those we love, the invitation is to act with clarity while remembering our shared humanity—and to trust the healing power of seeing the goodness in one another.

In this talk, Tara explores:

✨ Navigating forgiveness after deep hurt
✨ Finding joy amid suffering and injustice
✨ Keeping a soft heart in difficult times
✨ Moving beyond anger and othering
✨ Parenting with compassion rather than judgment
 
Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music