Building trust in ourselves, by Rohan Gunatillake

Building trust in ourselves, by Rohan Gunatillake

Author: WaitWhat August 19, 2025 Duration: 17:39
Today’s meditation features a special guest, Rohan’s 7 year-old son, Arne.  Letting go can come in stages, or so Rohan experiences on a recent holiday with his family. As his 7 year-old son Arne builds his swimming skills, Rohan realizes he’s gone from an active, hands-on support role, to one of a patient observer. It’s in this letting go that both he and Arne can progress, enjoying the freedom and confidence Arne has garnered through his hard work and perseverance. Today’s meditation offers us all a chance to practice letting go — knowing that, when the training wheels or floaties come off, we may at first stumble in order to soar.  Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s a particular kind of quiet that happens when a story pulls you in completely, and that’s the space where Meditative Story lives. Produced by WaitWhat, this series weaves extraordinary, personal narratives from all walks of life with gentle meditation prompts that arise naturally within the tale itself. It’s not a guided meditation followed by a story, or vice versa; the two are seamlessly blended, all set against an original score of breathtaking, cinematic music. The result feels less like a traditional mindfulness exercise and more like being transported into a deeply reflective state through the power of nuanced storytelling and immersive sound design. Listeners often find themselves returning to favorite episodes, discovering new layers of meaning or calm with each revisit. This podcast sits at a unique crossroads of human experience, touching on themes of society, culture, health, and spirituality without prescribing a single path. It’s an invitation to pause, to listen closely, and to find a moment of mental clarity within the flow of a compelling human story. The production values are intentionally high, making each episode a rich audio experience that supports both engagement and relaxation. For anyone curious about an alternative, narrative-driven approach to mindfulness, this series offers a resonant and beautifully crafted journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Meditative Story
Podcast Episodes
Ignoring inner me, by Meredith Arthur [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:24
All her life, Meredith Arthur is a model of competence and control, and it sweeps her higher and higher up the professional ladder. But inside, something isn’t right. After a painful wake-up call, Meredith drops the vers…
My grandfather the Aikido master, by Kino MacGregor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:04
Growing up half-Japanese in South Florida, Kino MacGregor spends a lot of time feeling uncomfortable in her own body. But her Japanese grandfather is always there for her, and they spend joyful hours together every day,…
To walk the Earth, by Tri Robinson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:35
In the morning, Idaho pastor Tri Robinson herds cattle and mends fences; in the evening, he writes sermons. But the two parts of his life don't feel connected. He feels such a deep love of the natural world, in all its b…
Lang Lang: To become a whole human, never stop learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:08
Considered a prodigy in China, Lang Lang arrives to the U.S. certain of what it takes to be the best pianist in the world – dedication, discipline, hours of solitary practice. But when a legendary teacher poses an unexpe…
A more spacious response to life, by Judith Grisel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
Judith Grisel is an internationally recognized behavioral neuroscientist and professor of psychology known for her research on the role of the brain in drug addiction. She is also a former addict. Years into her sobriety…
Finding unity, through our difference, by Pastor Otis Moss [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:55
As Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Otis Moss carries the torch for generations of church and civil rights leaders, including his own father, a regional director in the SCLC, and a friend of D…
Day of the Dead meditation: a celebration of life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:06
On the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, we allow ourselves space for our memories and our grief about those we’ve lost — as well as for joy, and even humor, around the continuity between life and death…
Adapting to life's unexpected nature, by Forrest Galante [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:47
Jackals and leopards in the fields. The sound of a lion’s roar. Majestic African bush elephants outside the front door. This is childhood for Forrest Galante as a kid growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe. He’s adventurous an…
Navigating life in my own skin, by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:59
In precisely chosen words, the writer, artist and Zen priest Zenju Earthlyn Manuel tells a story from her girlhood, a road trip from LA to Louisiana in 1957. While five-year-old Zenju sits in the back seat dreaming of co…