practical teachings | Lucas B. Foley

mindfulness & presence

suffering & healing

what is now (3:58)

https://youtu.be/aKujXgXzREQ We tend to think of now as a fleeting moment between the arriving future and the receding past. A darting...

open mic night for musts & have tos (6:07)

https://youtu.be/vu--BHRVYzg Compulsive thoughts arise, insisting I must & have to. E.g. "I have to be on time," or "I must have a...

single defining flower, or broad & adjustable bouquet? (32:50)

Here I distinguish between dis-identification and non-identification. I use flowers as a metaphor: the mindset of dis-idenitifcation...

the mirrors of mindfulness & introspective awareness (45:53)

Here I use mirrors as metaphors for the saving graces of mindfulness and introspective awareness. Introspective awareness provides...

recognizing discouragement's encouraging signs (6:50)

As we become more intimate with our unresolved traumas and fears, we often encounter difficulties - physical pain, troubling thoughts &...

the tortoise & the hare - was it a race? (3:47)

Here I put a twist on the classic fable of the tortoise and the hare, asking - what if it was only the hare who saw the situation as a...

a structural approach to fear (57:28)

I see fear as a three part entity: a spark of confusion, trapped in a coil of disbelief, guarded by three disco balls of evil. I say...

when we weaponize being right, we're wrong (18:29)

I have an unfortunate habit of buying into my righteousness and then lording it over others. I see this same trend playing out in...

approaches to choice (12:58)

I often experience anxiety and confusion around the process of making choices. Usually it's simply the struggle to choose between...

distinguishing thought from inner voice (4:58)

We know the experience of hearing a voice within. Sometimes we recognize the voice is clearly our own, the same voice we speak with from...

cable car analogy for grasping & letting go (3:44)

What do folks mean when they talk about grasping, clinging, attachment, etc.? I think a San Francisco cable car provides a helpful...

matching method & manner (1:59)

Abundance abundance abundance! Hurry hurry hurry! When our manner doesn't match our method, our energy becomes distorted and confused....

5 4 3 2 1 compulsion softener (1:48)

Here I share a technique that helps me soften the grip of compulsions. When you feel compelled to idly scroll your phone, mindlessly...

nirvana-samsara-nirvana

This graphic is a nirvana-samsara-nirvana sandwich. The top and bottom thirds are the bread of nirvana. The middle third is samsara brand...

free will & its inward application (20:48)

If gOd is all present & all powerful, & reality unfolds as gOd's perfect design, why do we seem to have choice, & why do we seem free to...

aggravation as opportunity (50:15)

We routinely believe we are aggravated by the conduct of others. Ask though - how does someone else's conduct actually get under our...

the ship of soul, the sun of awareness (26:34)

Here I use a boat as a metaphor for the soul & a sun as a metaphor for awareness. I walk thru a series of potential postures we routinely...

guilt/shame vs. contrition/amends (12:04)

Here I draw a distinction between guilt/shame & contrition/amends, & explain why the former is so vicious & the latter so virtuous....

6 step technique for self healing (36:36)

Here I provide a 6 step technique for self healing. First I lay out the steps, then delve into some intricacies, followed by a few...

then & there are imagined; here & now is real

image: https://quotefancy.com/quote/798574/Eckhart-Tolle-The-future-is-an-imagined- Now-a-projection-of-the-mind A point of clarification...

the wisdom & mechanics of praying & letting go (21:48)

Here I lay out a model for how prayer & letting go work. I contrast those practices with the habits of worrying/obsessing & with the...

connecting upward: resonance vs. cognition (22:47)

Sometimes we feel connected to a higher power - e.g. an usually deep feeling of grace or safety, a creativity or intelligence beyond our...

a noiseless patient spider: the flows of wisdom & recognition (55:37)

Here I present a model for how intuition calibrates & evolves over time. I apply the concept to the Buddha's 2nd noble truth & use a...

un-whole, some states (13:23)

Buddhism discusses the notion of unwholesome states, stemming from the unwholesome roots of infatuation, aversion, & ignorance. In this...

screen time (12:04)

This is a companion video to "mirror, mirror, on the wall." Like that video, this one is best watched while you're alone & undistracted....

mirror, mirror, on the wall (14:16)

For best results, watch this while standing in front of a mirror, ideally in private so you can play along. I think a camera is an...

training wheels for the 2nd noble truth (8:18)

The Buddha's first two noble truths are that suffering is a feature of life, and that the root of suffering is dukkha, typically...

a continuum of realized thought (11:40)

In another video, I explored the idea of our physical reality as realized mind & our "mental" reality - imagination, insight, etc. - as...

take nissue (7:06)

Here I describe a technique I've enjoyed using: adopting the attitude of "take no issue," and then using that phrase as a...

the Matrix is within (14:53)

In this video I explore the idea that the Matrix - an engrossing simulation designed to keep us distracted from our true nature as...

exploring the notion that all is mind (8:10)

In this video I explore the noton that all is mind. I characterize our physical environment, including our bodies, as realized mind -...

somatic alchemical translation (6:56)

In this video I describe a technique for counterbalancing negativity: translating pain within the mind or body as a positive phrase...

aversion, infatuation, ignorance - defilements & perfection (6:23)

The Buddha described the three main conditions afflicting humanity as aversion (get that away from me), infatuation (gimme that), &...

faith: recognizing we've forgotten (2:32)

In this video I explore the notion of faith as recognizing we've forgotten. The state of everything always is perfection - "perfection"...

from Siddhartha to Buddha (24:13)

In this video I recap the story of the Buddha's awakening and offer some insights on mythic and poetic elements that stand out to me. For...

thank you! hey, thank you! (1:27)

I've been experimenting with positive reinforcement as a technique for self-soothing, re-grounding, cultivating gratitude, and generally...

you do realize... (7:34)

Here I explore the notion that gOd co-creates & co-experiences the entirety of life. And not with a pinched nose or rubber gloves or a...

the albatross & the hummingbird (17:52)

Imagine the word "now" uttered a single time, spanning the entirety of time. Imagine a similar "now" spanning your birth to death. Like...

lost in could, rediscovering is (18:15)

Compulsively losing ourselves to imagination - imagined past, imagined future, imagined alternate present - we divide our energy &...

roboticism & relationship (27:32)

In all relationships, romantic & otherwise, we notice we sometimes slip into robotic, reflexive, reactive ways of being. Flat tones. Lazy...

inner child work: Mara & the breath (14:49)

When disturbances arise within, we may struggle with characterizing this as inner child energy. Partly because the sensations &...

approaching emotional pain as an inner child (4:17)

Sometimes when inner emotional pain is overwhelming, we can fall into cycles of frustration, confusion, lashing out, etc. It can feel...

fear's empowerment games (5:29)

When inner disturbances arise, we may find fear trying to characterize or interpret the disturbance. This is an opportunity, and a fork...

poker from divine perspectives (4:10)

From a divine perspective, all is co-created. If I do something to you, or vice-versa, even if one of is rightly called the victim or...

blockchain metaphor for processing negative energy (2:37)

I have a recurring sensation of a net or storm cloud of negative energy surrounding my heart, my adam's apple, and other parts of my...

exclusive vs. inclusive interpretations - "real men love cats" (3:21)

Some phrases are susceptible to multiple interpretations. A common interpretive divide is between exclusive and inclusive...

thought subscriptions & falsehoods (1:25)

My experience is that the mind works, in part, on a subscription model: we consciously or unconsciously train our mind to feed us certain...

variations on "love what is" (1:05)

Byron Katie's books introduced me to the phrase "love what is." In this short video, I talk about how to incorporate this empowering,...