ALTAR: The Podcast with Heather Briann

Beginning today’s morning meditation, Heather invites movement to release tension and soften the body. Transitioning into a space of rest, she encourages listeners to allow their mind to explore their to-do list in a meditative state, to say yes to all that they may need through breath, and to find a release of tension through vocal sighs.

This week, Heather invites mothers (and all other nurturers) to join this guided morning meditation. She creates a space of loving intention, to mindfully bring awareness and support to those you love. You’ll also be invited to give yourself permission to rest and to allow your brain to wander in moments of purposeful awareness. Return to this meditation when needed.

In this shortened meditative practice for difficult times, Heather invites listeners to explore the intensity of witnessing stress, to recall emotions that are uncomfortable and those that are peaceful, and to invite this duality into a safe space of practice. Heather encourages listeners to practice creating a union of intensity and peace, and invites listeners to return to this shortened meditation in difficult times.

This week, Heather creates a safe space to explore a range of emotions through guided meditation. Encouraging the listener to envision intense, fear invoking moments in fictional scenarios, she actively works to acknowledge these emotions and evoke a sense of peace and comfort in the body. Join us in this space of flowing aliveness and return to this meditation in difficult times.

For our last week of ‘Meditate in May’, Heather invites listeners to participate in a spacious meditative practice. Revisiting teachings from the previous practices for ‘Mediate in May’, Heather explores the use of mantras, physical movement, pauses, permission, freedom, and reflection to conclude this monthly journey in practice.

In our fourth week of ‘Mediate in May’, Heather guides another morning meditation practice. Revisiting some of the key themes and foundational tools explored this month, Heather creates a space for listeners to tune into their bodies and soul, to channel energy through mantra, and to embrace and question all that has accompanied this month-long experiment!

It is Week 3 of ‘Meditate in May’ and Heather is back to lead a short guided morning practice. She invites listeners to begin the practice with a physical undulation - to roll the shoulders, shake out the body, and lean into the body’s desire of movement or stillness. Returning to the use of mantras as a tool for daily meditative practice, Heather encourages listeners to come back to this practice throughout the third week of our “meditate in may” experience.

Heather leads a guided morning practice for Week 2 of Altar’s ‘Meditate in May’. She invites listeners to check in with their body and to embrace the use of mantras as a meditative tool. Use this episode as a daily guided meditation practice.

Heather invites listeners to join her morning meditative practice. Explaining her experience with this lifestyle shift, Heather describes how morning meditations have been extremely foundational to how she is able to show up in the world. Heather leads a guided practice, hoping to inspire listeners to begin exploring daily meditation throughout the month of May - returning to this practice whenever needed.

Kicking off Altar’s “Meditate in May” series, Heather leads a solo episode this week sharing her experience with a morning practice routine. Inspired to explore this topic in response to numerous questions from students, Heather encourages listeners to view their practice time as an experiment, tapping into the curiosity of that lifestyle: What is possible for me to learn about myself in this time? What is coming up for me? What does this experiment enhance in my life? She shares that this mindset shift will unlock a new relationship with setting and sticking to routines.

Heather and Tania discuss the importance of finding uniqueness and individuality in life and in meditative practice. Returning to the theme of freedom and permission, they invite listeners to challenge their self-contained rule books, to find their unique voice, and to move away from the desire to fit into certain spaces. In essence, they proudly proclaim the importance of being EMBOLDENED to be YOU!

In this week’s episode, Heather is solo and she invites you to join her on a guided meditative practice. You’ll be invited to practice a “do nothing” instinctive meditation technique in this 15 minute meditation. Use as a daily practice if it resonates and gifts you a sense of freedom, release and relaxation.

This week, Heather and Tania explore the complex and fascinating topic of human sensory experiences. Tania recounts her love of scents as a mode to unlock memories, while Heather describes the value of sonic cues in helping to experience a sense of calm or peace. They introduce the term Sukshma, explore the ability to find significance in seemingly insignificant sensory experience, and remind listeners of the importance of indulging in these senses especially during instinctive meditations.

Heather and Tania return to their discussion on instinctive meditation in this second episode of the season. Exploring a variety of techniques, Heather and Tania consider some of the ways in which meditation can alleviate the body from pain, calm the mind from stress and anxiety, and foster inner wisdom. They ask listeners to savor everyday moments both in and out of meditation; to consider life as dancing particles of condensed radiance.

Introducing the first guest on the podcast, Caroline Smith! In this first collaborative episode, Heather and Caroline discuss a range of topics around the theme of winter. They consider how the body and movement practices shift during the winter months, how one could embrace this season, and how to lovingly winter-ize yourself.

Heather continues to explore the topic of breath this week with a guided breath practice. She invites listeners to become aware of their sensory experiences while nose breathing, tuning in to their body and the variety of senses tied to embodied breathing. Heather also introduces resonant breathing, guiding the listener through cyclical rhythms of breathing - 5 seconds in and 5 seconds out - inviting listeners to savour this time and space for their breathing practice.

This week, Heather explores the somewhat controversial topic of functional breathing, explaining some of the chemistry and biomechanics of the breathing process. Inspired by the work of Kathryn Bruni Young, Heather encourages listeners to find sovereignty in breathing practices. She explores the possibility of reducing breath and invites practitioners to limit their use of breath as a cue in guided movement practices. She reminds listeners, nose breath all day every day!

Building upon the teachings of ‘RADIANCE’ explored in the first episode, Heather uses this episode to guide the listener through a meditative practice. Heather invites moments of inquiry asking, ‘What are these dancing particles of condensed radiance?’. She encourages the listener to drift into this mindful practice, to allow themselves to BE in their multi-sensory understandings of the world, and to grant themselves FREEDOM during this practice.