BROADCASTS.com

b'

For this episode of Into the Stream I'm joined by the wildly articulate, friendly, and advanced meditation practitioner Jamie Bristow who also happens to be firmly rooted in the world of mindfulness research and associated public policy. We dive into the intricacies of his Jhana practice (profound meditation states available through deeper practice) along with his highly nuanced perspectives on them and their relevance for daily life.

This episode is particularly enthralling if you find yourself fascinated by advanced meditation practice (for the specifics of what we go into scroll to the bottom).

Jamie's bio
Jamie Bristow is the Director of The Mindfulness Initiative, a policy institute about mindfulness and compassion training that grew out of a programme of mindfulness teaching for politicians in the British Parliament. Jamie now works with politicians around the world to help them make capacities of mind and heart serious considerations of public policy and has supported the introduction of mindfulness training in over 10 national parliaments. His research, publications and advocacy have had a global influence on the cultivation of inner capacities.\\xa0

Jamie was formerly Business Development Director for Headspace and has a background in climate change campaign communications and advertising. He is also a teacher-in-training in the Insight Meditation tradition that\\u2019s associated with Gaia House, IMS and Spirit Rock retreat centres. His teachers and mentors have included Stephen Batchelor, Rob Burbea and Christina Feldman.

Some Resources
Introduction to Insight Meditation
Rob Burbea's Practicing the Jhanas Talks
You can find Jamie on twitter @jamiebristow

If you want to stay updated with future episodes (released every fortnight on Mondays), then click subscribe, follow the podcast on Instagram, or sign up to the newsletter.

The theme music for Into the Stream is 'Good Morning' by Bonaparte and Acid Pauli, who kindly gave their permission for use.

Timestamps
\\u2022 (2:46) Jamie's professional role working with mindfulness in public policy and UK parliament
\\u2022 (5:22) What are the Jhanas?
\\u2022 (8:00) A deeper definition and how they relate to insight\\xa0
\\u2022 (10:35) Jamie's first-hand Jhana experiences
\\u2022 (19:30) Who does Rob Burbea's approach speak to and why?
\\u2022 (21:50) Against 'brittle samadhi' and experience junkie-ism and towards life-relevant Jhanas
\\u2022 (25:45) Obstacles to getting into Jhanas
\\u2022 (26:55) Jamie's experience of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
\\u2022 (27:46) Jamie's first encounters with Jhana and its initially turbulent effect
\\u2022 (31:40) What about Rob Burbea's approach is different?
\\u2022 (41:32) Realisations from Jhana practice
\\u2022 (42:56) Elaboration on how the Jhanas support one's daily life
\\u2022 (43:36) The experience of the later Jhanas and the deeper insights they reveal
\\u2022 (50:38) Do the Jhanas turn you into a reclusive hermit?
\\u2022 (57:35)\\xa0 How can we navigate our uglier sides as we move towards deeper practice?
\\u2022 (1:02:55) Where should excited listeners go for first steps into Jhanas practice and what qualities are necessary to cultivate beforehand?