Mindfulness teacher Oren Jay Sofer sits with Raghu to discuss keeping our hearts open through difficult times. “Our hearts were made to flourish. We are born with these immense capacities and this beautiful potential to contribute and grow and flower as human beings, if we receive the right nourishment and if we know how to water those seeds.” – Oren Jay Sofer In this episode, Raghu Markus and Oren Jay Sofer talk about: - Oren’s path to mindfulness - The influence of Vipassana Meditation - How mindfulness can be a resource to navigate the horrors of global conflict - Expanding the capacity of our hearts - The potential that human beings have to move beyond ourselves - The challenges we are currently faces as a species - Compassion and the route to a better world - Family and the importance of relationships - How the company we keep affects our spiritual practice - The way that individual change can impact society - Ecology and the abuse of earth - Yugas, cosmology, and building a future through our daily choices - Sangha and witnessing another human being’s healing - Stories from experiences with Munindraji - The importance of joy and gratitude - How self-centeredness is being encouraged and exploited by technology - Courage and the willingness to be vulnerable - A brief guided meditation around ease “It takes tremendous courage to be awake in our world today.” – Oren Jay Sofer About Oren Jay: Oren Jay Sofer is a teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication in secular and Buddhist contexts. Oren is also the founder and Guiding Teacher of Next Step Dharma, an innovative online course focused on bringing the tools of meditation to daily life, and co-founder of Mindful Healthcare. He is a CNVC Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication, and visiting teacher at the Insight Meditation Society. You can order your copy of Oren Jay Sofer’s new book, Your Heart Was Made For This, on his website. ================ Raghu Markus - Mindrolling - Ep. 517 - Your Heart Was Made For This with Oren Jay Sofer - https://youtu.be/jKt3O6HfUKQ Your Heart Was Made For This with Oren Jay Sofer & Raghu Markus - Mindrolling Podcast Ep. 516 - https://beherenownetwork.com/raghu-markus-mindrolling-ep-517-your-heart-was-made-for-this-with-oren-jay-sofer ================ Make sure not to miss a single video podcast from Be Here Now Network! Click here to Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1lvEoC5PZWm-MzgUfJQfg Follow Be Here Now Network: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeHereNowNetwork Twitter: https://twitter.com/beherenownet Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beherenownetwork ================ Be Here Now Network Podcasts, Courses, and Articles to help you live a Life in Balance. Heart-Centered wisdom from Ram Dass, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Krishna Das + many more! Get a Free Guided Meditation from Sharon Salzberg when you first sign up at: https://beherenownetwork.com/