My Favorite Mindfulness and Meditation Podcasts
There are a ton of mindfulness and meditation podcasts out there these days. There are also plenty of different types of podcasts. I’m constantly asked for podcast recommendations or about the best mindfulness podcasts, so here it is!
I’m going to focus on podcasts that are at least somewhat related to insight meditation and Buddhism. I’ve separated out the podcasts into more secular podcasts and more Buddhist podcasts. These are all podcasts I personally listen to or have listened to. I’m sure there are plenty more amazing ones out there!
Before getting into it, I have to mention my own podcast. It is more on the Buddhist end than secular end. We have a mix of talks and guided meditations covering a variety of Buddhist teachings. I try to keep it practical, bringing the traditional teachings to our everyday life.
Secular Mindfulness
To be completely honest, I don’t listen to a lot of secular mindfulness podcasts. I personally prefer dharma talks that are a bit heavier with the Buddhism. However, there are a few I’ve listened to over the years that I enjoy.
10% Happier
Hosted by journalist Dan Harris, Ten Percent Happier is one of the most popular mindfulness podcasts in the English language. He really focuses on the pragmatic potential of mindfulness in our western lives. It’s filled with interviews, amazing guests, and solid topics. One thing I’ve found many students like about this show is how practical and realistic it is.
12 Minute Meditation
From Mindful.org, this podcast is a weekly show that offers relatively short guided meditations. They have some great teachers, including Sharon Salzberg, Dr. Kristen Neff, and Mark Coleman. It’s definitely not purely secular, but the meditations are accessible and without intense dharma teachings.
Being Well
If you listen to my podcast, you know I cite Dr. Rick Hanson’s books quite a bit. Together with his son Forrest, Dr. Hanson’s Being Well is a mostly secular look at the practices of mindfulness and compassion and how they can impact our everyday life. Coming from a neuroscientific perspective, they have wonderful guests from dharma teachers to doctors on the show. It’s great for the more academically curious!
Dharma Talks
On to the more traditional dharma talks and Buddhist podcasts. I’ve included a mix of my favorite meditation podcasts from monastics, as well as some from layteachers.
Secular Buddhism
The name Secular Buddhism is a bit of a paradox, but this show really looks at the teachings of the Buddha as they relate to our modern world. Doing so expertly, Noah Rasheta covers topics like the suffering in the world and the three poisons, how Zen koans can help us let go of needing to understand everything, and what the teachings of wise intention mean to us in our day to day life.
Dhammatalks.org
Coming from Wat Metta (also known as Metta Forest Monastery), the Dhammatalks.org podcast is the collection of nighttime teachings from the monastery. They are pretty exclusively talks from Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Than Geoff), who is one of the most respected translators of the Pali language. His understanding of the Buddhist teachings is quite deep, both through scholarly study and his time as a monk.
Amaravati
The Amaravati Podcast is the podcast from Amaravati monastery in the UK. \the talks are from Ajahn Passano, Ajahn Sumedho, and other monks from the monastic community there. They cover a variety of topics related to the dharma. Although the talks are given by monks, they are generally recorded talks given to laypeople, so they are relatively accessible and practical.
Abhayagiri Talks
Another podcast from the same lineage, Abhayagiri Talks is the podcast from Abhayagiri monastery in northern California. There are talks from Ajahn Passano, Ajahn Ñāṇiko, Ajahn Cunda, and more. A very similar vibe to the podcast above, just from a different monastery in the same lineage.
AudioDharma
This is definitely one of my go-to podcasts personally. Many of the AudioDharma talks are recorded at Insight Meditation Center in California. There are various guest teachers, but most episodes are from their founding teachers, Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. I find both of them to have a deep understanding of the dharma, and the ability to explain things in ways I have never heard before.
The Way Out is In
From the Thich Nhat Hanh lineage comes The Way Out Is In. Produced by Plum Village, this is another podcast that I listen to every single episode of. Hosted by Brother Phap Huu and Jo Confino, it’s a lovely conversation every time. Their topics cover things like the benefits of silence, trauma and collective healing, and foundational teachings like the Eightfold Path.
Dave Smith Dharma
I’ll be honest. Dave took a bit to grow on me. Over the years of sitting with him and listening to his talks on Dave Smith Dharma, I’ve come to deeply appreciate his ability to express and uncover the dharma in a way that feels natural and easy. He makes even the most confusing topics understandable, relatable, and pragmatic. He covers plenty of deep teachings, but in a way that’s simply real.
Somewhere Between the Two
These are a few podcasts that I enjoy that fall somewhere between secular and Buddhist. They cover Buddhist principles, but also incorporate many teachings from other traditions or psychology.
Metta Hour
Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg is another show I listen to every time I see a new episode. I first met Sharon fairly early in my practice, and she’s always been a favorite teacher of mine. In her podcast, she has conversations with various teachers and professionals. These include episodes about working with children, practicing loving-kindness in difficult circumstances, and a whole series on working with anxiety (with various professionals and doctors).
Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield
I did my training with Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Jack Kornfield. He also was the first meditation teacher I ever sat with as a teenager. I’ll admit I’m not always in the mood for his style, but when I am, his talks really scratch an itch. He’s one of the best dharma storytellers out there. Heart Wisdom has guided meditations and plenty of talks. He covers Buddhist topics while incorporating modern psychology and a bunch of other spiritual traditions that he’s studied.
Tara Brach Podcast
Finally, we have the Tara Brach podcast. Don’t mistake the placement of this podcast at the bottom as a reflection of my feelings toward it! Through her experiences of an arranged marriage in a meditation community, becoming a lay priest, and getting her doctorate in clinical psychology, she has a deep and interesting understanding of the dharma. There are meditations, dharma talks, and interviews on this show. She mixes the ancient teachings with a bit of her own understanding from her life, both personal and professional, to offer a perspective that is truly unique.