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Tara Brach

Tara Brach Quotes

Psychologist

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Famous Tara Brach Quotes

“I might find that I have a habit of being jealous and comparing myself with other people and riveting my attention on how much somebody else is accomplishing or doing, or how much better they are at such and such. First, I might recognize the story - the mental images and internal dialogue - and say, "Okay, comparing mind." Then, rather than staying caught in the content, I'll bring my attention into my body and open to the immediate feelings that are there.”

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“Because we have such a deeply grooved conditioning to reject and condemn ourselves, particularly in this culture, I find that emphasis on the word "acceptance" is central in healing. It brings our attention to the possibility of saying yes to what we are experiencing in the moment, and counteracts the conditioning to push away what feels unpleasant or intense or unfamiliar.”

FeelsMomentsCultureHealingAttentionPossibilityAcceptanceIntenseRejectsEmphasisConditioningUnfamiliarSaying Yes
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“Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns...We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.”

PeopleWantFeelsYearsMayLife IsVoiceOur LivesTragedyPatternsBreatheEach DayTrappedInner VoiceHolding BackRadical Acceptance
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“We are uncomfortable because everything in our life keeps changing -- our inner moods, our bodies, our work, the people we love, the world we live in. We can't hold on to anything -- a beautiful sunset, a sweet taste, an intimate moment with a lover, our very existence as the body/mind we call self -- because all things come and go. Lacking any permanent satisfaction, we continuously need another injection of fuel, stimulation, reassurance from loved ones, medicine, exercise, and meditation. We are continually driven to become something more, to experience something else.”

PeopleWorldNeedsMindSelfMomentsBodyBeautifulExistenceOur LivesMeditationSweetLoversExerciseTasteAll ThingsMedicineSatisfactionDrivenMoodPermanentUncomfortableIntimateFuelSunsetLoved OnesLackingComes And GoesStimulationReassuranceInjectionBeautiful SunsetIntimate Moments
Book:Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love that Heals Fear and Shame
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“The emotion of fear often works overtime. Even when there is no immediate threat, our body may remain tight and on guard, our mind narrowed to focus on what might go wrong. When this happens, fear is no longer functioning to secure our survival. We are caught in the trance of fear and our moment-to-moment experience becomes bound in reactivity. We spend our time and energy defending our life rather than living it fully.”

MindMayMomentsBodyMightHappensEnergyEmotionFocusOur LivesSurvivalThreatBoundsCaughtSecureOur TimeTime And EnergyTranceReactivity
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“Clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance. If we are holding back from any part of our experience, if our heart shuts out any part of who we are and what we feel, we are fueling the fears and feelings of separation that sustain the trance of unworthiness. Radical Acceptance directly dismantles the very foundations of this trance.”

IfsFeelsHeartKindFeelingsAcceptanceHappeningsFoundationSeparationRadicalWho We AreRecognizingTranceHolding BackRadical AcceptanceLovingkindness
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“Feelings and stories of unworthiness and shame are perhaps the most binding element in the trance of fear. When we believe something is wrong with us, we are convinced we are in danger. Our shame fuels ongoing fear, and our fear fuels more shame. The very fact that we feel fear seems to prove that we are broken or incapable. When we are trapped in trance, being fearful and bad seem to define who we are. The anxiety in our body, the stories, the ways we make excuses, withdraw or lash out—these become to us the self that is most real.”

WayFeelsBelieveRealSelfFactsStoriesFeelingsBodySeemsDangerBrokenProveElementsAnxietyShameExcuseConvincedWho We AreFuelFearfulTrappedIncapableOngoingBindingLashesTrance
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“You have a unique body and mind, with a particular history and conditioning. No one can offer you a formula for navigating all situations and all states of mind. Only by listening inwardly in a fresh and open way will you discern at any given time what most serves your healing and freedom.”

WayMindStatesBodyGivenHealingSituationParticularListeningOffersUniqueFormulasState Of MindMind And BodyConditioningAll State
Book:True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart
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“Each time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to truth can deepen. There’s less identification with the self in the story and more ability to rest in the awareness that is witnessing what’s happening. You become more able to abide in compassion, to remember and trust your true home. Rather than cycling repetitively through old conditioning, you are actually spiraling toward freedom.”

SelfStoriesHomeAbleRememberAbilityCompassionAwarenessEmotionalHappeningsPatternsAwakeningConditioningCyclingIdentificationTrue Home
Book:True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart
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“The great gift of a spiritual path is coming to trust that you can find a way to true refuge. You realize that you can start right where you are, in the midst of your life, and find peace in any circumstance. Even at those moments when the ground shakes terribly beneath you—when there’s a loss that will alter your life forever—you can still trust that you will find your way home. This is possible because you’ve touched the timeless love and awareness that are intrinsic to who you are.”

WayStillsMomentsHomeSpiritualRealizingLossForeverPathAwarenessCircumstancesWho You AreShakesTouchedMidstWhere You AreRefugeTimelessFinding PeaceSpiritual PathGreat GiftsWay Home
Author:Tara Brach
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“I recently read in the book My Stroke of Insight by brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor that the natural life span of an emotion—the average time it takes for it to move through the nervous system and body—is only a minute and a half. After that we need thoughts to keep the emotion rolling. So if we wonder why we lock into painful emotional states like anxiety, depression, or rage, we need look no further than our own endless stream of inner dialogue.”

IfsNeedsLooksBookStatesBodyMovingNaturalEmotionBrainHalfWonderMinutesEmotionalAnxietyScientistAveragePainfulInsightRageEndlessDialogueNervousStreamsLocksRollingStrokesNervous SystemLife SpanNatural LifeAnxiety Depression
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“The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.”

IfsWayFirstsHeartHealingStepsKindnessListeningTruth IsAriseIntimacyBreathingVulnerabilityFirst Steps
Book:True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart
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“In bullfighting there is an interesting parallel to the pause as a place of refuge and renewal. It is believed that in the midst of a fight, a bull can find his own particular area of safety in the arena. There he can reclaim his strength and power. This place and inner state are called his querencia. As long as the bull remains enraged and reactive, the matador is in charge. Yet when he finds his querencia, he gathers his strength and loses his fear. From the matador's perspective, at this point the bull is truly dangerous, for he has tapped into his power.”

LongStatesFightingLosesInterestingDangerousParticularPerspectiveAreasSafetyRemainsMidstRefugePausesArenaParallelsRenewalBullsRadical AcceptanceBullfightingMatadors
Book:Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love that Heals Fear and Shame
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“Most of us need to be reminded that we are good, that we are lovable, that we belong. If we knew just how powerfully our thoughts, words, and actions affected the hearts of those around us, we'd reach out and join hands again and again. Our relationships have the potential to be a sacred refuge, a place of healing and awakening. With each person we meet, we can learn to look behind the mask and see the one who longs to love and be loved.”

IfsNeedsLooksHeartPersonsHandsActionHealingBehindsMindfulnessSacredAwakeningMaskAffectedReach OutOur RelationshipAgain And AgainRefugeOur ThoughtsLovableWords And Actions
Author:Tara Brach
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