Top 10 meditation podcasts

Podcasts, so it seems, are one of the fastest growing formats of the new media. It is well-known that the introduction of the podcast had quite an effect on broadcasting: from then onwards any amateur radio host with a computer and an internet connection could start producing his own radio show, addressing any matter he pleases. Podcasts have radically cut production costs and allowed producers to address new audiences on the internet, often with themes and subjects that were left untouched by the established media. Meditation is certainly one of the subjects that has found its way in podcast land. As any podcast lover knows, there is something liberating about syncing your media player so that you can hear your favorite programme anywhere and at any time of the day. And that programme might as well be a guided meditation during your lunch break or one of those dharma talks you always wanted to listen to on a mountainside.

source: fm3buddhamachine.com

I honestly didn't collect any votes on it, nor did I bother to come up with any ranking, but I did manage to draw up a list of favorite meditation podcasts that could be considered my own private top ten, if you like. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments section.

... and stay tuned!

Patrick

• Buddhist Geeks(BG): BG started in 2007 as a free weekly podcast presenting interviews and discussions with Buddhist teachers, scholars and advanced practitioners. It became an instant hit among modern-day Buddhist practitioner and quickly expanded as a platform for Buddhist practitioners. In response to this success the Buddhist Geeks Digital Magazine was launched in 2010.

• Free Buddhist Audio(FBA): FBA is affiliated to the Triratna Buddhist Order and makes available a digitalized collection of dharma talks and study materials on the internet: talks, interviews, seminars and Q&A sessions, from the early 1960s to the present day. FBA functions as a online audio library service with a large amount of different resources, even in other languages than English.

• Zencast.org: On this website the Insight Meditation Center has been sharing its weekly audio dharma talks since 2005, including teachings by Jack Kornfield, Noah Levine, Eckhart Tolle, Joseph Goldstein, Ram Dass, Alan Watts, Tara Brach and many others.

• Against the Stream Podcasts: Podcasts released by Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, that was been founded by the American Buddhist meditation teacher and author Noah Levine. Dharma talks, lectures and interviews by Noah Levine, Pablo Das, Mary Stancavage, Matthew Brensilver, Johanna Harper, Stephen Batchelor and others.

• Thich Nhat Hanh's Dharma Talks: Podcasts of recent dharma talks given by the renowned Vietnamese Buddhist meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh.

• Dhamma Podcasts on iTunes: Free online audio resources and information on Vipassana meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin and provides by the Vipassana Research Institute (VRI).

• Alan Watts Podcasts: Hundreds of public lectures and seminars that were given by the British philosopher Alan Watts (1915-1973) on the teachings of Eastern and Western religions and philosophies were recorded, reviewed and cataloged, and are now available on this site.

• The Headspace Meditation Podcasts: A series of short podcasts explaining how to use meditation and mindfulness to reduce stress and increase concentration, produced by Headspace as part of The Guardian's Start Happy campaign.

• Unfettered Mind: The principal teacher is Ken McLeod, the executive director of Unfettered Mind, who studied with the Tibetan master Ven. Kalu Rinpoche and is well known for his ability to explain difficult and subtle teachings without dumbing it all down. McLeod's book 'Wake Up to Your Life' (2001) provides a comprehensive and accessible approach to the practice of direct awareness (Tibetan) for those whose path lies outside established institutions. The podcasts here are a selection of his teaching and retreats of the last years and cover a range of topics: meditation, compassion, emptiness, power, conflict and presence.

• Tara Brach's Podcasts: Free guided mindfulness meditations and dharma talks by the American Buddhist meditation teacher and author Tara Brach.