The CyberSangha Podcast

Episode 61 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche According to the dzogchen teachings, resting deeply in the silence of speech can be our doorway to the refuge of the sambhogakaya — the pure, infinite awareness of our true nature. In this video for the cybersangha, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche helps us to enter through the door of silence.

Episode 60 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Adriana Dal Borgo, Peter Payne, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich Contemplative movement can include a number of practices such as yoga, dance, tai chi, tsa lung trul khor and yantra yoga. In their own unique ways, these practices integrate self-awareness, rhythm, sound, movement, conscious breath, disciplined form, or free flowing choreography. Pulled into a harmony, or potent melody, the effects may include release of tensions and blockages in body and mind. This Science & Spirituality panel discussion delves into the inner workings of contemplative dance and somatic healing practices. Adriana is intimately prepared to communicate her understanding of body as mandala. Peter’s life studies, practice, and research suggest that the sciences also are discovering the bridges between higher mind and body.  

Episode 59 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche According to the dzogchen teachings, the simple act of resting in the stillness of our body can serve as a doorway to the refuge of the dharmakaya: the pure, unbounded spaciousness of our true nature. In a live online broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche helps us to enter through the door of stillness.

Episode 58 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Sarah Prinsloo, Julieta Galante, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich The last two decades have seen a rise in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) that support healing of mind and body. This Science & Spirituality dialog gives us the opportunity to hear about the health benefits of mindfulness and other meditation practices, as well as promising results from relevant research at University of Cambridge and MD Anderson Cancer Center. What is the healing potential for techniques that alter the way that the brain functions? What are the implications for reducing pain and speeding recovery from surgery? What is new in the MBI field? What is current research revealing about how these practices may improve mental health and prevent disease?  

Episode 57 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche It’s human nature that we continually struggle to become — to become healthier, wealthier, more knowledgeable, more attractive, or better at what we do, feel, or think. But lasting happiness and joy arise not from becoming, but from our ability to be: to be completely present with whatever experiences life brings. In a live online broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche guides a meditation to help us connect with the power of being.

Episode 56 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, Paul Dallaghan, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich For millennia, yogis have made the breath an integral part of spiritual practice. Even the simple, intimate practice of breath awareness can help us to quickly silence thoughts, calm nerves, soothe anger, and dispel fear. In a live CyberSangha broadcast, invited presenters look at pranayama and other breath practices from Ashtanga, Tibetan, and other forms of yoga. The group will also share scientific interpretations of what goes on as we bring light to our sacred bodies.

Episode 55 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With James Duffy, Charles Raison, and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich If you’ve ever felt like you’ve lost your mind, you’re not alone — even top scientists remain uncertain of the mind’s location. Based on both contemplative science and anecdotal evidence from direct meditative experience, researchers are reconsidering the relationship between the brain and the mind. In a live online discussion, James Duffy, Charles Raison, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich discuss the role of the physical nervous system according to modern science and ancient Tibetan wisdom. The CyberSangha broadcast is part of “A Year of Body, Speech, and Mind,” a free 2021 online program of live teachings, practices, and science & spirituality dialogs. Learn more

Episode 54 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Before we can experience the joy of recognizing our true nature — the larger sense of self that is open, spacious, and fully perfected — we must recognize our smaller self: the “pain mind” that is continually dominated by emotions, mental images, and scattered thoughts. In a live online broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains the pain mind and teaches a meditation practice for healing and moving beyond it. This broadcast is part of “A Year of Body, Speech, and Mind,” a free 2021 online program of live teachings, practices, and science & spirituality dialogs. Learn more

Episode 53 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Ruth Wolever, Richard Rosen, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich Pranayama, or the ancient practice of breath control in yoga and other meditative traditions, plays a crucial role in linking body and mind. Modern research also suggests that certain breathing techniques can promote physical wellbeing, and perhaps even aid in preventing and managing lung ailments such as those associated with COVID-19. The fifth in a series of 2021 Science & Spirituality Dialogs on wellness of body, breath, and mind, this online broadcast is part of a free yearlong online program. Learn more

Episode 52 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Are you voicing your words from a space of vibrant, open awareness? Or, from a place of pain? Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains how to know when pain speech is active in you; how to connect with it; and ultimately, how to transcend it. This broadcast is part of “A Year of Body, Speech, and Mind,” a free 2021 online program of live teachings, practices, and science & spirituality dialogs. Learn more

Episode 51 · Series 3 — A Year of Body, Speech & Mind With Cyndi Lee · Dr. Jeff Dussek · Geshe Tenzin Wangyal · Alejandro Chaoul-Reich This conversation brings together leaders in contemplative science, integrative medicine, and Tibetan meditation to explore how embodied awareness supports healing, resilience, and meaningful change in daily life. Through personal stories and grounded practice insights, the dialogue turns toward the body as a source of wisdom, the voice as a bridge between inner and outer worlds, and the mind as a space of openness, compassion, and creative response. The guests reflect on pain, health, burnout, and belonging through the lenses of Tibetan yoga, neuroscience, emotional awareness, and micro-practices drawn from lived experience and years of research. What emerges is a simple but challenging invitation: to meet experience directly — in the body, in relationship, and in community — and to allow practice to shape how we move into the future. Featured themes include: Embodied awareness, somatic presence, and mind–body integration Pain, illness, and healing within contemplative and medical contexts Tibetan yoga, meditation, and everyday micro-practices Emotional awareness, compassion, and nervous-system regulation Contemplative science, neuroscience, and lived spiritual practice Listen, subscribe, and explore more conversations and resources at cybersangha.net.

Episode 50, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Our true self is an open, vibrant state of clear awareness. But whenever negative emotions are triggered in us, we tend to dissociate from who we truly are and to take on a ‘pain body,’ or pain-related identity. In a live Internet broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains how to know when our pain body is active; how to connect with it; and ultimately, how to transcend it.

Episode 49, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Eve Ekman, Elisa Kozasa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich Meditation can contribute to our emotional health. At the same time, a level of emotional balance is necessary for us to move past our worries and agitation and rest deeply in meditation. In the third of a series of 2021 Science & Spirituality Dialogs, invited panelists explore the close relationship between emotional balance and meditation, and discuss how psychological interventions can complement meditation practice. The dialog is part of a free yearlong online program related to body, speech, and mind. Learn more

Episode 48, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche As we deepen our familiarity with resting in a state of spacious awareness, the obstacles and obscurations of our habitual patterns naturally dissolve into the openness of our true nature and our positive qualities spontaneously arise. In a live Internet broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche guides us in resting deeply in awareness of inner spaciousness.

Episode 47, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche offered a spontaneous online teaching and guided meditation as part of the Month of Speech. This broadcast is part of “A Year of Body, Speech, and Mind,” a free 2021 online program of live teachings, practices, and science & spirituality dialogs. Learn more

Episode 46, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Judith Simmer-Brown, Shirley Telles, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich In the second of a series of 2021 Science & Spirituality Dialogs on wellness of body, breath, and mind, invited panelists discuss the importance and benefits of focused breathing in contemplative practices such as yoga and Buddhist meditation. The dialog is part of a free yearlong online program related to body, speech, and mind. Learn more

Episode 45, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Lorenzo Cohen, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and Alejandro Chaoul-Reich In the first of a series of 2021 Science & Spirituality Dialogs on wellness of body, breath, and mind, invited panelists discuss the mind-body connection in movement-based practices such as hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, and Tibetan yoga (tsa lung trul khor). How can such physical practices serve us in transforming our state of mind? How can the research inform our practice? The dialog is part of a free yearlong online program related to body, speech, and mind, known in the Tibetan tradition as the “three doors to enlightenment. Learn more

Episode 44, Series 3: "A Year of Body, Speech & Mind" Featuring: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche What challenges are you facing right now? How well are you dealing with them? Whether you’re reacting in anger or accommodating your circumstances with serenity and joy, how you respond has everything to do with your sense of who you are. In a Facebook Live broadcast, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains how to distinguish your “pain identity” from your genuine self, and guides a meditation to help you find more serenity through awareness of stillness of the body. He also discusses suggested “homework” for the weeks to come.

Episode 43, Series 2: "Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life" Featuring: David R. Vago, Ph.D., Amishi Jha, Ph.D., Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D. Can we live more fully just by paying more attention? Our panelists discuss the science behind attention, how mindfulness can help us achieve our greatest potential and strategies for being more present in each moment. Using metaphors from Dr. Jha’s recent bestselling book, Peak Mind, the panelists will discuss three subsystems of attention: the flashlight (selective focus), floodlight (receptive attention), and juggler (executive functioning). They will also discuss the similarities and differences between neuroscientific and Buddhist models of attention, plus recent findings from lab-based and field studies of contemplative training.

Episode 42, Series 2: "Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life" Featuring: Menpa Phuntsok Wangmo, Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and Alejandro Chaoul Join us for the public premiere of a recorded science/spirituality dialog featuring Menpa Phuntsok Wangmo, Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal, and moderator Alejandro Chaoul. The talk was first presented to an in-person audience at the Serenity Ridge Retreat Center (plus private online audience) during Serenity Ridge Dialogues, October 2022. Certain breathing practices, such as the tsa lung exercises of the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition, can serve as a powerful tool for balancing the elements and winds of one’s body, speech and mind. Tibetan doctor and dzogchen practitioner Menpa Phuntsok Wangmo discusses the five elements from the perspective of Tibetan medicine, as well as the importance of breathing practice in balancing the elements and healing illness. Breath researcher and Kundalini practitioner Dr. Sat-Bir Khalsa Singh describes much of the research done on breathing practices and their health benefits. Dzogchen master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal describes the five elements from the perspective of the dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Bön Buddhism and responds to related research into the Tibetan breathing practices of tsa lung and trul khor (Tibetan yoga). This dialog is a must watch for pranayama and tsa lung practitioners, as well as for those interested in the correlations between breathing practice and the five elements and their potential health benefits. It is presented here as part of the Month of Speech in the yearlong program “Bring Body, Speech & Mind to Life.” Learn more about the yearlong program.