• The essence of devotional practice as a gateway to belonging and spiritual awakening.
• How longing and sincere intention can guide us back to our true nature.
• Prayer as the bridge between longing and belonging
• The difference between substitutes for love and true aspirations that arise from presence.
• Tracing desire inward as a practice to reconnect with the source of love and aliveness.

This guided practice helps us come into our senses through a body scan. We then rest in the awareness that is listening to and feeling the changing flow of experience. When the mind drifts, the return is a relaxing back to our senses, and to the sea of awareness that includes and experiences the waves of life.

Buddhist psychology and the Western oriented field of positive psychology agree: How we pay attention determines whether we live primarily in fear and judgment, or happiness and peace. This two-part series explores the teachings, practices and attitudes that enable us to live a meaningful life with a heart that is “happy for no reason.”

In this talk, Tara explores:

• how cultivating a grateful, devoted heart opens us to presence, peace, and joy beyond circumstance.
• the "infinite field of possibility"—our capacity to incline the mind toward hope, love, and inner freedom.
• how mindfulness and compassionate action form a virtuous cycle that nurtures deep well-being and belonging.
• ways that serving others and savoring beauty reconnect us with the sacredness of life and the fullness of who we are.
• awakening from the trance of unworthiness through practices like metta, gratitude, and receiving love with an open heart.