This episode of the podcast is a guided meditation-in-motion, intended as a dynamic (yet gentle) way to explore Metta or Lovingkindness Meditation. You might think of it as a complement or alternative to the traditional seated Metta Meditation practice.

(The meditation itself will start at ~ 3:30 after a brief introduction.)

Metta means lovingkindness, goodwill, friendliness, or benevolence. We'll be using simple Qigong-inspired movements to invoke and express kindness for ourselves and for others.

Classic Metta Meditations often use the repetition of phrases like "May I (or you, or all beings) be safe, May I (you/all beings) be happy, May I (you/all beings) be healthy, May I (you/all beings) live with ease." Our movements themselves can be done in a way that promotes the sense of safety, happiness, health, and ease, AND I will invite you to layer in the phrases along with the movements to strengthen the intention.

The movements in this meditation will include a Qigong form called "Waterfall," in which we'll imagine gathering goodness, and then showering ourselves with that benevolent energy. Then, with "Pebble in the Pond," our movement will symbolize sending our Metta wishes out as ripples in the peaceful water.

My goal was to describe the movements clearly enough so you could follow along with just the audio. It's definitely ok to just approximate what you imagine I'm describing - the spirit of kindness and goodwill is what we're trying to bring forward here, rather than precise, perfect movements. It's meant to be more like a guided meditation that just happens to involve moving your body.

This meditation can be done either standing or seated in a chair. You can have your eyes open or close them, but if you're standing, you may find that keeping them open (with a soft gaze) helps your balance.

I hope you will enjoy this moving meditation, and that it will invite a sense of kindness, embodiment, connection, and ease.

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

The Mindful Movement Teacher Training is returning this Fall, and applications will open at the end of July! Learn more about this unique program and join the interest list at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

In this episode of the podcast, I'm talking with Francine Ang about the joys and challenges of teaching yoga and mindful movement during tumultuous times. Francine shares what it's been like leading classes in her community since they were impacted by the recent LA Fires, and we reflect on what it means to find ground through practice.

You'll hear about Francine's background growing up in a Chinese Buddhist family in California, and how she ended up spending a year at a monastery in Tibet. We talk about her path to becoming a yoga teacher and how she's now integrating Qigong alongside Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga.

Since many yoga, movement, and meditation teachers these days are grappling with how to hold space in the midst of the current political intensity, divisiveness, exhaustion, and constant uncertainty, we thought it would be useful to discuss our experiences of teaching through other times of change and chaos.

We share some guidance and stories, including:

• The importance of meeting people where they are and giving them space to step back from the noise
• Acknowledging loss and uncertainty, but also staying open to goodness and beauty
• How Francine found being in class together following the Eaton Fire was a way to bring back some normalcy
• Examples like Addie's story of how the Spiral Path Yoga community handled the sudden passing of a teacher/co-owner right after we opened the studio.

We also talked about going on retreat, and why we both value the opportunity for more dedicated practice times. Francine makes a useful distinction between retreat as an escape vs. retreat as an experience of arriving, and she shares how being in silent presence with others can be incredibly grounding.

This is a conversation with lots of heart, and plenty of laughs! We hope you'll find some steadiness, inspiration, and connection by hanging out with us in this episode.

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

To learn more about Francine Ang, visit her website at francineang.com or find her on Instagram at @soulful_om_om.

Get the details on the in-person RETREAT that Francine and I are offering in Los Angeles, September 3-7, 2025! There will be meditation, yoga, Qigong, soundbath, delicious food, good company, and ample time to rest or enjoy the natural surroundings. Info here: https://www.francineang.com/2025retreat

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Yes, AI meditation is a thing now.

So, in today's episode, I'm taking a look at how the current rapid expansion of AI tech is reaching the meditation world…and why I don't think human meditation teachers are going to be replaced by these tools anytime soon.

Like me, you may be immediately skeptical that AI can play a role in a deeply human activity like meditation. However, there are several ways that AI has entered the meditation scene already, including AI-generated meditation scripts, AI voiceovers for guided meditations, AI-based meditation apps, and more. There are even AI tools being used by online content creators (with little to no meditation experience) to churn out a high volume of guided meditation recordings for platforms like YouTube.

If you have a favorite meditation app that you use, have you checked to see what their AI policy is? Have you thought about whether this matters to you and how much AI you're comfortable with in your practice? For example, maybe you're ok with AI search tools that help you find content, but not sure about being led through a meditation that was created by generative AI.

AI itself isn't inherently good or bad, and there may be many possibilities for innovation if AI is used responsibly. However, there are many ethical concerns to consider as this tech is rapidly becoming part of our everyday life. To name a few, there's the issue of AI being built off the intellectual property of writers, teachers, authors, and artists without compensation or credit. There is the potential for AI to eliminate jobs and entire industries before society has a plan to mitigate the economic fallout. And, there is the increase of energy resources needed to sustain the massive amount of computing that AI requires, and a lack of meaningful discussion about how this is affecting our climate already.

Specifically within the field of meditation, there are questions of how AI meditation guidance could possibly be trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, or even effective without the benefits of human connection.

In this episode, we'll contemplate:

• Issues of accuracy, reliability, quality, and authenticity
• Potential risks for beginners who may turn to an AI tool to try meditation
• The limitations of learning meditation from a tech that doesn't share your human experience, stressors, emotions, or aches and pains
• The benefits of nervous system co-regulation that we receive when we practice meditation with other humans
• How human meditation teachers draw from their understanding, intuition, empathy, and training to offer nuanced and attuned guidance
• The vulnerability of being led through a meditation that can affect us mentally and emotionally, and who we trust to guide us.

As this new tech is being purposed for meditation, I hope you'll find it useful to discuss the implications, and how we might talk to others about the importance of human connection, human experience, and human insight in this field.

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).