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Skillful Means Podcast offers practical wisdom for everyday life. Host Jennifer O'Sullivan explores navigating life's challenges through the lenses of Buddhist mindfulness, yoga, Internal Family Systems, and positive psychology.
Each month, episodes feature grounded guidance and accessible practices for meeting whatever arises with greater ease.
Jennifer is a Certified IFS Practitioner with over 20 years of experience teaching yoga and mindfulness.
Find out more: https://www.skillfulmeanspodcast.com and https://www.sati.yoga
127 Episodes
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Text me your feedback. This is an encore practice with former co-host Sarah Jane Shangraw from back in November 2019. Developed by Tara Brach, RAIN is a technique you can use to skillfully relate to difficult emotions in life, whether they turn up in a meditation session or in daily life. The acronym — which stands for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture — invites us to accept inner discord with an open heart. I, Jen, wanted to share this practice as a companion to the...
Text me your feedback. To wrap up the 4-part series on practices and teachings that nature open-heartedness, we're focusing on self-compassion. We can be our own worst critics, but the wisdom teachings want us to remember that compassion shouldn also be directed towards ourselves. We are, after all, manifestations of the divine. So, in this episode we look at what Buddhism, Yoga, and Taoism have to say about self-compassion (which - spoiler - isn't much!) through the lens of moder...
Text me your feedback. In order to be an open-hearted, compassionate person, we first have to notice the things things that need our support. This is where mindfulness — the practice of presence — comes in. It teaches how to engage directly with what's real, rather than what we wish were true. This month we're back to mindfulness basics with a guided practice that starts with concentration practice (samata) and then follows with insight (vipassana). The practice starts right away (no in...
Text me your feedback. In Part 3 of the Awakening the Heart series, we're looking at why acts of kindness and service are powerful resilience-builders — possibly the exact things we need if we're to overcome so much divisiveness in our relationships and discourse. To understand why a generous spirit is so supportive, we explore the Buddhist and Yoga concepts of dana (generosity) and seva (selfless service) and how they relate to modern psychology's hope theory (hat tip to CR Snyder).&nb...
Text me your feedback. Tonglen - the practice of sending and receiving - helps us to be with hardship without falling into despair. An explanation of the practice appears in the Lojong teachings and is associated with those who follow the path of the Bodhisattvas. In addition to cultivating an open, spacious heart, Tonglen can help us to cultivate the paramitas - the perfections - especially generosity, loving-kindness, determination, and diligence. The practice starts at 3:...
Text me your feedback. Continuing our series on Awakening the Heart, this month we're exploring the Buddhist path of the bodhisattva through the cultivation of bodhicitta - the awakened heart-mind that forms the foundation of compassionate living. Drawing from Mahayana Buddhist teachings, we also take a look at Lojong (mind training), the Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practice that can be used as a powerful framework for developing genuine compassion. Highlights include: Cultivating th...
Text me your feedback. In this variation of loving-kindness, or metta, meditation, tap into the energetic resonance of the heart to awaken loving feelings within before sending them outward. Inspired by Taoist visualizations, Mahayana buddhist practice, and Hearth Math's quick coherence technique, generate love and good will toward yourself and others. Many studies have shown that practices like this not only feel good, but also reduce stress, increase a sense of calm, and help us avoid...
Text me your feedback. While the world may feel increasingly more fraught, we can't sustain ourselves on anger and fear alone. We must remember what we're fighting for and, as Tennessee Williams asks of us, save the love. This latest episode kicks off a series of episodes on Awakening the Heart - theories, teachings, and practices that will better sustain us in the months and years to come. This month, we take a look at why shouldn't feel guilty for taking time out of resisting to foreg...
Text me your feedback. This month's practice features an embodied mediation to help you stay present with life's challenges without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down. Inspired by Roshi Joan Halifax's teachings, you'll cultivate a foundation of stability to underpin your capacity for openness and compassion. This meditation includes several periods of silence of around 3-6 minutes. The guidance assumes you're sitting (chair or cushion are fine) so that you can experience the support ...
Text me your feedback. This month, we're looking at a question that comes up a lot: All parts are supposed to be welcome, but how do we work with feelings we don't like? Drawing on Buddhist wisdom and the function of emotions, we're exploring: Why equanimity is about including our feelings, not surprising them.What the Buddhist teachings on dukkha (suffering) can tell us about why fighting against our emotions creates more suffering.How so-called negative emotions serve as important internal ...
Text me your feedback. The Taoists believe that we can harness the stabilizing qualities of Earth Qi along with the generative qualities of Heaven/Sky Qi to improve physical health, increase longevity, and cultivate inner harmony. In this guided practice, Jennifer O'Sullivan shares a visualization technique, paired with mindful breathing, to mobilize and balance these vital energies in the body. 👉 After a brief introduction, the meditation begins as 1:48. If your podcast player su...
Text me your feedback. There are definitely times when we need to get a hold of ourselves. But how do we do that without dismissing our feelings? This brief Parts Work practice is for moments when you feel too activated or busy for deeper introspection but also need to find our center. It will help you create space – access Self Energy – around difficult emotions while honoring their presence. Practice this technique regularly when you're calm so you are more likely to reach for ...
Text me your feedback. Grounding practices are more than just coping mechanisms during tumultuous times. They're empowering strategies to discharge excess emotional energy while tap rooting your inner strength and resilience. In this episode, we're exploring: An empowered way to think of grounding as a practice6 principles of effective grounding techniquesProactively collecting your tools so you can reach for them when you need themJennifer also pulls from yoga and Buddhist dharma teachings t...
Text me your feedback. Instead of speculating endlessly about why you might be avoiding something, ask the part that's hesitating! Based on Internal Family Systems (IFS), this guided parts work practice will help you identify and get to know the part (or parts) that are resisting taking action. If you're new to IFS Parts Work, check out Episode 29 for a primer and 30 for a basic guided practice. You might also appreciate Episode 100 for a deeper dive into what lies underneath resistance...
Text me your feedback. Ever wonder why you feel resistant to doing something that you actually want to do? This month we're unpacking the complexities of resistance through Buddhist teachings and IFS Parts Work. We're going to scrap the self-sabotaging label and get to the roots of why most people struggle to make progress on their goals. The difference types of resistance according to Buddhism's Five HindrancesThe IFS Perspective on the intentions of parts and why they put up roa...
Text me your feedback. As a practice of being, Yin Yoga creates a unique container for exploring the restless impulses to fix while encouraging us to relax into self-acceptance. In this short practice, Jen shares three postures that target the Earth element as a way of amplifying stabilizing yin energies while directing attention to the Hara - the belly center - as a way to deepen into your home ground. Postures in this practice: Reclining ButterflyReclining Twist Suppo...
Text me your feedback. Feeling the pressure to do all the things? This episode explores the balancing act between living up to expectations, following the rules, and being true to yourself. • Identifying shoulds (compared to wants & needs) • Self-compassion vs should-ing on yourself • Sensing shoulds in body, heart, and mind • Parts Work (Internal Family Systems - IFS) for uncovering the roots of shoulds • Strategies for managing a to-do list of things that are important to you Parts...
Text me your feedback. This preview pod explores the concept of upaya (skillful means) and its relevance in today's polarized world + how this focus will be reflected in the next iteration of the show. Jen emphasizes the importance of developing presence and awareness in order to meet life's challenges with courage and heart. Highlights include: • Cultivating what Roshi Joan Halifax calls a strong back and soft front • What kind of awareness is needed for this moment • Recognizing "lab ti...
Text me your feedback. This preview pod marks the return of the Skillful Means Podcast, where Jen introduces a new format focused on listener questions and community storytelling... plus a little preview of what's on the horizon for the show. Send me your questions, favorite resources, and vignettes to help shape the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form Mentioned in the episode: • Lojong Slogans ~ ~ ~ SMP welcomes your comments and questions...
Text me your feedback. Jen wraps up her partial series on the Brahma Viharas with Mudita, commonly translated as "sympathetic joy." With Mudita, we're asked to rejoice in the good fortune of others, admittedly not easy. This is why Jen likes to think of Mudita as "delight," specifically delighting in joy itself whether it's originating from someone else or from within. But, when we are able to delight in other's happiness, it's further solidifies our connection and sense of interconnectednes...
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