Many of us come to meditation with subtle expectations—hoping for stillness, clarity, or a familiar sense of calm. When our experience doesn’t match those hopes, we often assume something is missing or that we’re doing it wrong.

In this episode, Craig offers a meditative exploration of what it means to meet the moment as it is. Rather than trying to fix or improve our experience, he invites us to try on a simple but radical stance: to relate to the moment as already whole and complete.

Through guided practice, you’re invited to investigate what unfolds when you stop resisting your present-moment experience and begin to rest in the possibility that nothing needs to change.

To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.

In this episode, Craig turns our attention to an often-overlooked dimension of meditation practice: our emotional lives.

We’re often taught that the biggest obstacle in meditation is our thinking mind—our thoughts, beliefs, and judgments. But strong emotions can be just as impactful, and often even more so.

When we sit to practice, we may be subtly trying to feel better, hoping meditation will deliver peace or bliss. But what happens when we stop trying to fix how we feel—and begin to fully feel without needing to react, interpret, or escape?

In this episode, The Practice of Emotional Freedom, Craig invites us into a radical kind of contentment. One that doesn’t come from avoiding our emotions, but from no longer being ruled by them.

Together, we’ll explore how to release preference, suspend interpretation, and rest in the deeper ground of being where true emotional freedom becomes possible.

We encourage you to tune in at a time when you can listen without interruption.
To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.

“There’s perhaps nothing we can do that has as radical an impact on our consciousness as the meditation practice of completely letting go of the mind. Something extraordinary happens when we’re willing to still for a period of time every day and have no involvement with our thoughts. severing our identification with the mind. Because we don't have to do anything when we're meditating, it gives us a rare opportunity to simply give up any involvement with thought.” — Craig Hamilton

In this episode, Craig explores the quiet power of approaching meditation—and life—with a “beginner’s mind.”

What becomes available when we stop relating to the moment through the lens of what we already know?

As we move through life, we naturally accumulate knowledge and experience. But on the spiritual path, there comes a moment when all of our knowing must be gently set aside—so we can discover a way of being that meets each moment as if for the first time and open ourselves to the mystery that is always unfolding.

This episode includes two short guided meditations—one at the beginning and one at the end—so be sure to listen when you have uninterrupted time and space to go inward.

To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.

Surrender is central to every spiritual tradition. But what does it actually mean to surrender—and how do we begin to practice it in a real and grounded way?

In this episode, Craig invites us into a direct exploration of that question. Rather than approaching surrender as a lofty ideal, he points us toward a lived experience—something we can discover for ourselves through conscious attention.

The episode includes a short guided meditation to help you step into this deeper orientation and see what unfolds when you stop trying to control the moment.

To access the full transcript of this episode and to discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up there for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.

Meditation can lead us into some extraordinary states of consciousness—moments of stillness, spaciousness, or bliss that feel like a doorway has opened inside us. These states can be deeply nourishing, offering glimpses of something beyond the ordinary mind. But over time, even these expansive experiences can start to feel familiar. When meditation begins to drop us into the same place again and again, it’s worth asking: Are these states actually transforming us, or simply soothing us?

In this episode, Craig explores the difference between altered states and true awakening—and why confusing the two can quietly limit our growth. Through three focused segments, he examines how certain meditative states can subtly distract us from the deeper aim of practice, and how we can shift our orientation to stay more fully awake within each moment.

To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

“Authentic spiritual awakening is not about getting to a place where we’re above all the pains and tragedies of life. The transformation I’m pointing to is one where we’re able to stay rooted in the direct knowledge of the sacred essence of reality that is the truth of every moment. It’s the fundamental truth that is immutable in every moment. It never changes, even when our own life may be difficult. The goal is to get to a place where your relative experience of the ups and downs of life never obscures your ability to see the essential radiance shining through everything.” —Craig Hamilton

What if the path to a better world doesn’t begin with striving… but with accepting things as they are?

As we deepen on the spiritual path, many of us come to sense a profound truth: that real freedom begins when we can meet this moment wholeheartedly—without resistance or judgment. We discover the strength that comes from saying an unconditional “yes” to life, just as it is.

But even as we rest in that yes, another current moves through us—a longing to heal, to uplift, to shape a world that more fully reflects the deeper goodness we’ve touched.

Is that longing in conflict with true acceptance? Or could it be what happens when acceptance runs so deep, it naturally gives rise to transformation?

In this episode, Craig responds to three questions from course participants about the surprising relationship between unconditional acceptance and the impulse to change the world. He explores how awakening to the sacredness of life doesn't end our desire for change—it transforms it.

To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.

In Beyond the Story of Self, Craig guides a series of meditations that gently loosen the structures that define who we think we are.

Most of us move through life with an unspoken assumption—that we are someone, somewhere, located within the edges of our skin. We assume there’s a boundary between “me” and everything else.

But in meditation, a different possibility begins to reveal itself. The edges soften. The sense of inside and outside starts to dissolve. And for a moment, there’s no fixed identity to hold on to—just a vast, open awareness that includes everything and resists nothing. This shift can feel disorienting at first. But if we stay with it, we discover a presence that isn’t defined by the usual reference points.

Through four guided meditations, Craig invites us into a spacious way of being that isn’t shaped by story or held in place by the past.

We encourage you to set aside quiet, uninterrupted time to listen, allowing the meditations to unfold in stillness and presence.

To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.

“Many of us begin the spiritual path because we simply want to feel better. And this desire to feel good can take us some distance on the path. It will get you meditating daily, it will get you into workshops and retreats, and you’ll start to grow and change and evolve as a result. But, ultimately, spiritual awakening requires much more from us. It requires us to let go of the need to feel any particular way. It’s not possible to truly awaken, to really go all the way on our path when we’re trying to get there just for ourself. And so, in the end it all points us to, how do we awaken to a greater motive for being on the path that’s not about us, that’s connected to something much greater than our personal happiness.” —Craig Hamilton

Many of us begin the spiritual journey with a heartfelt longing—to feel more peaceful, more whole, more connected to something greater. And often, spiritual practice delivers on that promise. It brings relief, insight, and a sense of calm amidst the storms of life.

But what if the very practices meant to awaken us are quietly being used to help us avoid the uncomfortable, messy work of transformation? In “Obstacles to Awakening - Part Three” Craig explores the subtle and often unconscious phenomenon known as spiritual bypassing—when we use meditation, teachings, or spiritual states to sidestep pain, unresolved issues, or the real work of growing up.

Rather than judging these tendencies, Craig opens up a space of inquiry. What happens when the longing to feel good gives way to something greater—a calling to serve the whole, to be an instrument of awakening in a world that so deeply needs it. And in that moment, our practice takes on a new quality.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your practice is leading you deeper—or just helping you escape—this episode offers a powerful and compassionate lens for reflection.

To access the full transcript of this episode and discover more resources, visit the episode page on MeditationChangesEverything.com. You can also sign up here for Craig’s weekly newsletter.

For a deeper experience of Craig’s approach to meditation, consider joining our Awakened Life membership program which offers in-depth guidance, a meditation workshop, and a live online retreat with Craig. Register today to receive your first month for 50% off at AwakenedLifeMembership.com.

If you’re interested in exploring more of Craig’s meditation experiments, you’re invited to tune in to a 90-minute online workshop Craig will be hosting called Meditation 2.0 – The Miracle of Direct Awakening. Register for free at FreeMeditationWorkshop.com.

If you would like to share your experience of the podcast or have questions about Craig's teachings, please feel free to email us at support@craighamiltonglobal.com.