Why I Started Sitting

James Deeney
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  • Philosophy
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Why I Started Sitting is a story-first meditation podcast. Less dharma talk, more the stories behind the stillness. Each week, host and ten-year meditator James Deeney sits down with serious practitioners - Buddhist teachers, long-term meditators and leading voices in mindfulness - to trace the real human story behind the practice. What made them sit in the first place? Why did they keep going when it got hard? And what started to change in their lives over the years? Here, we explore the stories behind the stillness.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    From Despair to Zen Master | Henry Shukman

    Try Henry’s meditation app, The Way, free for 30 days: https://www.thewayapp.com/whyistarted... In this episode of Why I Started Sitting, Henry Shukman traces the long road from that experience to becoming a Zen teacher: a childhood in Oxford with parents who turned out to be spies, the misery that followed him to Cambridge, a week of sleeping almost non-stop when he started Transcendental Meditation, and a first Zen retreat so hard he planned to leave halfway through. He talks about the teacher who finally put a name to what had happened at 19, the red flags to look out for in spiritual teachers, and the experience that washed away his sense of self for good.Timestamps:0:00 Trailer1:01 Introduction2:49 Welcome, Henry Shukman4:46 Growing up in Oxford with parents who were spies8:19 Eczema and early meditative states11:30 An awakening at 19, then despair at Cambridge16:04 Discovering Transcendental Meditation21:22 Sleeping for a week, then clarity23:08 Turning to therapy26:14 Finding Zen29:54 The first Zen retreat33:37 "The ship has no captain"38:06 Zen and the writing life42:23 Finding a teacher: "Why are you here?"48:29 Red flags in spiritual teachers51:44 From student to teacher53:38 The self that never came back56:19 Building The Way1:02:05 Henry's practice todayAbout Henry:Henry Shukman is a Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage, co-founder of The Way meditation app, and the author of One Blade of Grass, his Zen memoir. Before he began teaching, he spent years as a poet and writer.The Way (free for 30 days): https://www.thewayapp.com/whyistarted...One Blade of Grass: https://henryshukman.com/writing/one-...Henry Shukman: https://henryshukman.com/Mentioned in this episode:Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg: https://nataliegoldberg.com/books/wri...About the show:Why I Started Sitting is an interview podcast about the personal stories behind people's meditation practice: how they started, and what kept them going. Hosted by James DeeneyProduced by Ben HarrisSubscribe (and ring the notification bell!) to ensure you don't miss a conversation.Website: whyistartedsitting.comAlso available on YouTube, or your chosen podcast platform. #Meditation #Zen #HenryShukman

  2. Season 1 Trailer

    Henry Shukman on his first Zen retreat | Episode 1 Preview

    Watch the full episode with Henry Shukman on Wednesday 21st October.Henry Shukman had been meditating for six or seven years when he went on his first week-long Zen retreat, and he thought he was "pretty good at this thing". Nine hours a day of sitting, way up a dirt track in New Mexico, soon changed that.In this clip, taken from Episode 1 of the Why I Started Sitting Podcast, Henry describes the pain, doubt and restlessness of those first days, and the moment he gave up on leaving early. Then comes the experience that arrived while he was listening to the wind in the pines: "There's nobody on board. The ship has no captain."About Henry:Henry Shukman is a Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage, co-founder of The Way meditation app, and the author of One Blade of Grass, his Zen memoir. Before he began teaching, he spent years as a poet and writer.About the show:Why I Started Sitting is an interview podcast about the personal stories behind people's meditation practice: how they started, and what kept them going.Subscribe/follow the podcast so you don't miss the full conversation.#Meditation #Zen #HenryShukman

  3. Trailer

    Introducing Why I Started Sitting | Official Trailer

    Why I Started Sitting is a story-first meditation podcast about the people who take the path of practice seriously. And the lives that led them there. Most of us can sit still for ten minutes. But some people go far beyond that. Weeks on silent retreat, months alone, a lifetime on the cushion. Why is that? Where does their motivation come from? This show goes looking for the answers. Each week, host and ten-year meditator James Deeney sits down with serious practitioners - Buddhist teachers, long-term meditators and leading voices in mindfulness - to trace the real human story behind the practice. What made them sit in the first place? Why did they keep going when it got hard? And what started to change in their lives over the years? This isn't a beginner's how-to or an abstract dharma lecture. It's closer to a memoir grounded in honest real life experience. A place to explore the stories behind the stillness.

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About

Why I Started Sitting is a story-first meditation podcast. Less dharma talk, more the stories behind the stillness. Each week, host and ten-year meditator James Deeney sits down with serious practitioners - Buddhist teachers, long-term meditators and leading voices in mindfulness - to trace the real human story behind the practice. What made them sit in the first place? Why did they keep going when it got hard? And what started to change in their lives over the years? Here, we explore the stories behind the stillness.

Information

  • Creator
    James Deeney
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © James Deeney
  • Show Website
    Why I Started Sitting

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