Meditative Story

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Meditative Story is a completely new kind of listening experience that blends intimate first-person stories with mindfulness prompts, enveloped in beautiful music composition. Every week, subscribers will receive a new Meditative Story from a storyteller who will transport listeners to the time and place where everything changed for them — a story that may be deeply relatable to the listener’s own life. As the story unfolds, mindfulness guide Rohan Gunatillake (founder of the popular Buddhify meditation app) offers prompts to calm the mind, and help listeners connect with their own observations. The entire experience is elevated by gorgeous music. Shifting between music and vibration, the exquisite sound design rides above the narrative, bringing each Meditative Story to life and giving subscribers the headspace to feel restored and refreshed. Meditative Story is a WaitWhat original series — created by the team who built and led TED’s media organization — in close partnership with Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. The series is made possible with generous support from Salesforce.

Meditative Story is a completely new kind of listening experience that blends intimate first-person stories with mindfulness prompts, enveloped in beautiful music composition. Every week, subscribers will receive a new Meditative Story from a storyteller who will transport listeners to the time and place where everything changed for them — a story that may be deeply relatable to the listener’s own life. As the story unfolds, mindfulness guide Rohan Gunatillake (founder of the popular Buddhify meditation app) offers prompts to calm the mind, and help listeners connect with their own observations. The entire experience is elevated by gorgeous music. Shifting between music and vibration, the exquisite sound design rides above the narrative, bringing each Meditative Story to life and giving subscribers the headspace to feel restored and refreshed. Meditative Story is a WaitWhat original series — created by the team who built and led TED’s media organization — in close partnership with Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. The series is made possible with generous support from Salesforce.

More Information

Location:

United States

Genres:

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Description:

Twitter:

@MeditativeStory

Language:

English

Website:

http://www.meditativestory.com/

Email:

hello@waitwhat.com

Episodes

Learning to see what is in front of me, by Siri Hustvedt

12/2/2019

To truly see what is right in front us, requires the practice of looking, of careful and sustained attention – without expectation or judgment. Join author and essayist Siri Hustvedt on an hours long trip to the museum spent in front of just one painting. And discover more than just what's on the canvas.

Duration:00:23:06

Standing in my own truth, by Moj Mahdara

11/25/2019

As a teen growing up in a traditional household and struggling to share her true identity, Moj Mahdara finds her path through her two grandmothers — who couldn’t be more different than one another. Under blankets, sharing secrets and stories, Moj learns that, generations before her, family members had fought to define themselves too. It is through old souls that Moj finds the strength to stand her own truth. Hear music from Moj's paternal grandmother, Moluk Anghoz (1934–2007), known as...

Duration:00:29:08

Starting the story of my life again, by Keith Yamashita

11/18/2019

How do you rebuild a life after it very nearly ends? Entrepreneur Keith Yamashita tells his own story of how he learned to live again after a devastating stroke, to nourish himself and the world, and to take each moment as it comes.

Duration:00:28:46

Surrendering my old identity — and finding myself, by Catherine Reitman

11/13/2019

As an actor and a new mom, Catherine Reitman felt pulled between two competing identities. To capture her frustration, her sadness, her truth, she wrote it all down. In sharing her darkness, she found a way to turn a light on for someone else.

Duration:00:29:26

Allowing sound to reveal life’s wonder, by Stephen Kuusisto

11/4/2019

Author and poet Stephen Kuusisto, who is blind, hears life expressed in sound, the weird and wonderful chance music of everyday life. And he's able to find meaning, big and small, in it all.

Duration:00:21:38

One envelope at a time, by Hannah Brencher

10/28/2019

When's the last time you hand-wrote a letter? Author Hannah Brencher shares a simple story about the value of connecting on paper.

Duration:00:29:05

Navigating life in my own skin, by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel

10/21/2019

In precisely chosen words, the writer, artist and Zen priest Zenju Earthlyn Manuel tells a story from her girlhood, a road trip from LA to Louisiana in 1957. While five-year-old Zenju sits in the back seat dreaming of cowboys, her parents navigate an altogether different landscape. From them, from the trip, Zenju now believes she’s learned how to find her way in the world, in her skin.

Duration:00:32:12

Finding permission to pursue my own dreams, by Josh Radnor

10/14/2019

Actor, filmmaker, and musician Josh Radnor takes us back to his very first time on stage — and introduces us to someone who gave him the push he needed to be true to himself. Please note that this episode includes language about self harm. If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or chat online.

Duration:00:27:27

Hitting the open road to find my way home, by Peter Sagal

10/7/2019

NPR host Peter Sagal shares the story of a motorcycle trip he took through the middle of America – and how it gave him the space he needed to navigate.

Duration:00:29:13

Finding my own reflection, by Jane McGonigal

9/30/2019

What's is like to be an identical twin? Game designer Jane McGonigal tells a story of similarity and divergence as she explores the magic of sharing DNA while becoming an individual.

Duration:00:30:52

How to find -- and feed -- your passion, by Danny Meyer

9/23/2019

Restaurateur Danny Meyer takes us back to where it all began for him: a family trip to Europe and a simple plate of pasta. That memorable meal sparked a lifetime practice of discovery that continues to feed his creativity and his soul. Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Duration:00:24:09

The perfect photograph I never took, by John Moore

9/16/2019

While filming one day in the Congo Rainforest, legendary photojournalist John Moore pursued the vision of a perfect photograph -- a vision that literally brought him to his knees. He shares the magic that can occur when you let go of the desire to control the outcome.

Duration:00:22:22

I let go of my plan — and found myself, by Krista Tippett

9/9/2019

Krista Tippett, the host of "On Being," talks about the time she took a break from the intensity of life and just stopped to check in with herself – with deeply unexpected results. Read Krista's latest book, "Becoming Wise." Learn about The On Being Project Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read the transcript for this episode.

Duration:00:31:11

Fighting my fears – and winning in spite of losing, by Thomas Page McBee

9/2/2019

Author and journalist Thomas Page McBee takes us into the boxing ring at Madison Square Garden, where he finds answers to some of his most profound questions through fighting – and along the way discovers what happens when you stop trying to win. Show notes: Book: Amateur, by Thomas Page McBee Web: Learn more about writer Thomas Page McBee

Duration:00:23:16

Building a bond with my son, by Dan Harris

8/26/2019

Broadcaster Dan Harris shares a candid look at his attempts to connect more with his son, Alexander, on their first father-son trip.

Duration:00:30:58

Our tiny meaningful lives in the vast universe, by Michelle Thaller

8/19/2019

Renowned astronomer and science commentator Michelle Thaller shares a story about cosmic awe and deep connection — both to our fellow human beings and to the universe around us. Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read the transcript for this episode.

Duration:00:31:14

To visualize ... and then make it so, by Larry Jackson

8/12/2019

Despite a lifetime of creative success, Apple Music’s Global Creative Director, Larry Jackson, didn't believe in the power of manifestation -- until he learned a valuable lesson from Jennifer Hudson and her Pomeranian, Grammy.

Duration:00:25:49

Life and love and the moment, by Arianna Huffington

8/5/2019

Join a young Arianna Huffington on her journey from Athens to Cambridge, as she shares a lesson she learned from her mother of embracing life’s journey without being attached to the outcome.

Duration:00:26:13

A home that had been waiting for me forever, by Pico Iyer

8/1/2019

Travel to Southeast Asia with writer Pico Iyer as he reveals what happens when we allow ourselves to be pulled forward into the unknown, when we wander and let ourselves experience the magic of the scenes unfolding around us.

Duration:00:22:49

My funny, feisty, thoughtful, brave girl, by Lucy Kalanithi

7/29/2019

A mesmerizing story about the wisdom and delight you can find — even in the midst of tragic loss — by seeing life and death through the eyes of a child. Storyteller Lucy Kalanithi is the widow of Paul Kalanithi, who wrote the best-selling memoir "When Breath Becomes Air,” published posthumously in 2016. This story is a coda to his memoir. Read "When Breath Becomes Air." Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read the transcript for this episode.

Duration:00:21:58