On the Cushion with The Little Company of Calm

On the Cushion with Ted Meissner

Ted Meissner has been a meditator since the early 90’s, is a UMass Center for Mindfulness Certified MBSR Teacher, and is the host of the podcast Present Moment: Mindfulness Practice and Science and the new video podcast Mindfulness Voyage. He has presented about mindfulness to various groups including Apple, UnitedHealth, Optum, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the National Black Nurses Association, and others. Ted has been published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, Mindful, and The International Journal of Whole Person Care, and is a peer reviewer of articles for the science journal Mindfulness. He supervises mindfulness teachers internationally with the Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches based in Germany, serves as Board Chair for The Mindfulness Network in the U.K., has held master classes for the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, and teaches various mindfulness and burnout courses live online. In this fascinating episode, we explore Ted's diverse and extensive experience as a mindfulness practitioner and teacher. I hope you enjoy listening!

On the Cushion with Margaret Fletcher

Margaret Fletcher has a great love and concern for our shared Earth. Margaret is the originator of the MBSR & EcoAwareness Project, bringing MBI teachers together to invite life on Earth into the span of embodied practice and into our teaching, all in love, care and service for our precious planet.  Margaret trained and was certified to teach MBSR through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, where she also served as an MBSR Teacher and Senior MBSR Teacher Trainer. She trained with and is certified by senior trainers at Bangor and Oxford Universities in assessing MBSR teacher competency using the MBI-TAC tool, which she uses in mentoring mindfulness teachers. In 2019 Margaret co-founded East Coast Mindfulness [https://www.eastcoastmindfulness.com/] with Rebecca Eldridge; Margaret continues to teach and train MBSR teachers through East Coast Mindfulness. Margaret holds a Master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies from Lesley University, and brings over two decades of experience in teaching meditation and mindfulness in corporate, small business, non-profit, church and community settings. As a member of the 2022-2023 Eco-Advisory Group with the BESS Family Foundation, she has found great collegiality, support and inspiration to offer contemplative practices as healing and wellness for the interconnected web of life on Earth. In this podcast episode I explore Margaret’s background and influences related to her work as a mindfulness teacher and teacher educator, and her inspiring vision for the field.

On the Cushion with The Little Company of Calm

Three friends, Joe Glancy, Liz McEvoy and Andrew Carton together make up The Little Company of Calm. Based in Sunderland, UK, they offer mindfulness courses, activities, and retreats for the public and organisations. As a community interest, not for profit company, they endeavour to provide affordable and high quality mindfulness provision for their local area.  In this episode, we dive into their individual journeys, the shared philosophy that binds their teaching, and their big-picture vision for a more mindful society.

On the Cushion with Andy Wistreich

Andy Wistreich has been teaching Buddhist meditation and leading retreats around the world for the past 45 years, within the Tibetan tradition.  He has been encouraged to teach by his own teachers, who are mostly Tibetan lamas. In his mid-seventies he lives in Somerset, UK, with his wife Shan Tate, with whom he often co-leads courses and retreats.  Trained as a Further Education teacher, and having studied learning and teaching in a masters in education, Andy also trains Buddhist teachers within the Foundation for the Mahayana Tradition. His approach to this is dialogical, based on the understanding that the teacher's role is to facilitate learning, such as through meditation.  In this podcast episode we explore Andy’s background and influences, and his enduring commitment to teaching meditation.

On the Cushion with Suryacitta

Suryacitta Smith has been practising meditation since 1989 and teaching since 1997. He is the author of five books on meditation and happiness. After many years of practising and teaching mindfulness, he recognised that it did not fully address the root of human psychological suffering - the central concern of the Buddha’s teaching. Around a decade ago, Suryacitta was drawn to the understanding of non-duality, which he describes as the missing piece of the puzzle. This perspective now deeply informs his work, which is characterised by directness, simplicity, and a continual pointing beyond conceptual understanding. In this episode I talk with Suryacitta about his extensive background in mindfulness and meditation and his inspiring teaching practice.