Sonal is a certified meditation teacher and the founder of CONNECT Meditation. In her workshops and sessions, she blends ancient Eastern wisdom with modern science to make mindfulness accessible to today’s practitioners. Raised in India and now based in Boston, Sonal’s background in corporate human resources, learning and development, and life coaching allows her to connect deeply with both individuals and organizations.

She also teaches at WITHIN, a San Francisco-based meditation organization. With a foundation in psychology, human resource development, and Somatic EMDR, Sonal specializes in trauma-sensitive mindfulness. She also offers sound baths that utilize healing frequencies to promote relaxation and inner balance. Passionate about guiding people to discover the transformative benefits of meditation, Sonal helps enhance well-being, boost productivity, and cultivate compassion.

Sonal finds great joy in sharing meditation as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, helping others connect with their inner clarity and resilience.

Catherine is an integrative spiritual consultant, former trauma and hospice chaplain, and first time author of the book Everyday Awakening. In her book as well as her private practice, she counsels people on what it means to be alive, and how to awaken into their heart and soul. She has faced death twice and companioned hundreds of people as they died. The deep peace and sense of the other side she witnessed was profound and soul shaping. We can all awaken and it is a choice how we are choosing to live each day.

Jeff Patterson, from Portland, OR, USA, has over 36 years of experience, practicing and teaching the meditative and martial arts. As the founder of Northwest Fighting Arts/Portland Tai Chi Academy and The Yielding Warrior, where he emphasizes the transformative power of meditative and martial arts practices, particularly the yielding concept. He has published two books and hundreds on instructional videos. Founder of The Yielding Warrior online program and has worked with 1000's of students from around the world.

Visualizing is an important aspect of meditation, yet some people struggle with how to it. My Insight Timer friend Alberto asked if I could help him with becoming better at it, and to that end, I thought I would record an episode to help not just him, but anyone who could use some practice at becoming better at imagining. Enjoy.

Some people fear being alone with their thoughts. those people understand the benefit of calm that a practice brings, the cost for getting there is too great; the cost of being alone with painful, denigrating. thoughts. Today I talk about how to become comfortable with ‘troublesome” thoughts so that you can meditate if you think it would be beneficial (and it will be) ;0)

The last time we got together we had the joy of hanging out with Forrest Rivers, Author of tHumanity’s Spiritual Rebirth. As is customary on ZC, when I interview an author, I like to read an excerpt from their book; and today is no exception.

Forrest Rivers has become a good friend of mine. So when his publicist sent me an email to have him on the show I jumped at the chance. He is a man who truly sees thing in such a wonderfully rich way. He drops the labels of good and bad, and helps us see every moment as an opportunity to grow, to understand “ourselves” on a deeper level. Yeah, you can imagine why I have love and respect for him. Today we talk about the ways we as a planet can grow through seemingly challenging circumstances.

I am very happy to be back on the air after a three week hiatus. The longest one in the 10 year history of Zen Commuter. So thank you all for your patience and understanding. I can’t think of a better topic to talk about on my return, than Tonglen Meditation. Today I read an article that talks about how we can reduce our fear of suffering by engaging in a meditation practice that has us voluntarily taking on the suffering of others.

For some people, a new year is approaching. That may mean that they are looking to start a meditation practice. Well, before you start, it may be a good idea to understand what meditation is a little better. Actually, it may be more beneficial to talk about what it isn’t, or what it can’t do. With this talked about, you won’t have unrealistic expectations when you get to you cushion, chair or bed. :0)

I have been fortunate to speak with a bounty of guests who are changing the world in a wonderful way. Sara Webb is one of those amazing people. The moment we connected on Zoom I felt her warmth and grace. As you will hear in our interview, she is wonderfully candid and vulnerable. As a resilience coach it is clear she knows what she is talking about. Per her own admission, she faced many challenges. But as you would expect, none of them bested her or diminished her light. Come listen to an interview that left me smiling more than I typically do.