We are so honored to welcome Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche to another episode of Dharma Lab.
In today’s conversation with Cort and Richie, Rinpoche shares practical ways to stay present in a busy life: a powerful metaphor (“time is like a rubber band”), an “inner sky” teaching for working with anxiety and emotional storms, and a simple micro-practice you can try in under a minute.
They also explore why meditation can increase energy and effectiveness, how altruistic intention can transform stress into purpose, and what early research suggests about “flourishing” rippling outward into our families, workplaces, and communities.
Podcast Chapter List:
00:00 – Mingyur Rinpoche’s “32 projects” and the secret to steady energy
00:27 – Why busyness pulls the mind into past/future (and out of the present)
00:55 – How stress shows up in the body
01:14 – “Time is like a rubber band”: making practice fit real life
03:13 – Retreat, discipline, and why highly productive people still practice deeply
05:23 – The “inner sky”: storms of emotion don’t change awareness
06:25 – The airplane rule: “Put your mask on first” (service without burnout)
08:24 – Altruistic motivation: practicing for the benefit of others
08:53 – Richie’s 2-minute post-meditation calendar practice (be more helpful today)
09:56 – “Plugging into a power source”: curiosity, insight, and wisdom as fuel
10:06 – The trap of endless wants/needs—and why it’s draining
10:26 – Service as nourishment: turning a busy day into a meaningful day
21:11 – Doomscrolling vs. creating space for wisdom and compassion
24:50 – The science question: does flourishing ripple into systems and communities?
25:25 – Mexico healthcare study with Atentamente (practice in the real world)
26:35 – Randomized controlled trial results: wellbeing, care outcomes, productivity
28:30 – 1-minute micro-practice with Mingyur Rinpoche: connect with the wish to be happy, and expanding that intention outward: love, compassion, and shared flourishing
In case you missed it, previous conversation with Rinpoche:
DL Ep. 16: Mingyur Rinpoche - Meditation is Easier Than You Think
Mingyur Rinpoche has spent his life immersed in meditation practice — beginning a three-year retreat at 13, and eventually logging more than 50,000 hours of formal training. He was also a central participant in some of the earliest research Richie conducted on advanced meditators, work that helped open the door to much of the scientific exploration of m…
Cort and Richie’s new book is coming out in a few weeks! Pre-order Born to Flourish and get:
1 full year of paid access to Dharma Lab ($100 value) with weekly essays, research updates, podcasts, and member-only online events
Live access to an exclusive Born to Flourish Launch Event
Richie and Cort’s personal reading list on the art of flourishing
A daily protocol for training the mind to flourish
Other posts referenced in this episode:
