Resources for
Turning Inward
“Turning inward” here means to us:
Awakening to the direct experience of the interrelated, interconnected, interdependent nature of reality.
The process is a deeply personal journey, and the resource options are nearly endless with the help of a search engine. So we turned to the personal suggestions from our core Planet Project team to create this curated list below. We welcome your suggested additions via email or even better post them in the Planet Community to encourage discussion. We also encourage you to read Roger’s blog article Turning Inward.
To begin, create some space in your life for contemplation. Go for a walk outside without any electronic devices. Unplug from the world… so you can plug into yourself.
VIDEO RESOURCES
25-minute body scan from Jon Kabat-Zinn is highly effective in helping to release tension and relax. (from Beau)
3-minute video from HeartMath Institute on Heart Coherence. (from Roger)
Many free guided practice videos from UpliftTV on yoga, meditation, and heart-opening. (from Beau)
APPS
Insight Timer is a free meditation app that offers more than 10,000 guided meditations, talks, and music tracks. Some tracks are specifically focused on aiding sleep. The design principle behind this app is more of a smorgasbord – make many options available and let people search for and decide what they want. The app itself is free, but optional donations to the content creator are solicited for content you use (from Steve)
Waking Up offers an app that presents a more cohesively designed program than the “grab-bag” approach of Insight Timer. In their words, “Waking Up isn’t just another meditation app… it is new operating system for your mind.”(from Steve)
Deep Time Walk is a transformative journey through 4.6bn years of Earth history via a 4.6km guided walk. It is an invitation to view the world differently, encouraging positive action and advocacy for a regenerative Earth. (from Steve)
INSPIRING TEACHERS
Thich Nhat Hanh was a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, revered throughout the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. (from Beau and Roger)
Eckhart Tolle – This author of The Power of Now and A New Earth (among other books), embodies awakening to presence in all of his books, videos, articles. “The awakening of human consciousness is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity for the survival of our species. It is up to each of us as individuals to embody the state of aware presence and thus rise above the egoic mind and its dysfunction. When a sufficient number of humans undergo this transformation, this will bring healing and sanity to our planet.” (from Steve)
Craig Hamilton is a great “go to” for meditation instruction and practice. His approach to meditation is innovative and pragmatic, infused with love, informed by his deep experience. (from Steve)
Marcus Aurelius – “Meditations”, written 1900 years ago, helps one look inside to align actions with values, accept the human condition, and see our miniscule, fleeting place in history. (from Scott)
Pema Chodron – Many resources from this beloved Buddhist teacher, author, nun and mother. She has inspired millions of people from around the world who have been touched by her example and message of practicing peace in these turbulent times. (from a few of us)
ORGANIZATIONS
Inner Development Goals (IDGs) is a non-profit organization for inner development. It was launched out of the belief that “we lack the inner capacity to deal with our increasingly complex environment and challenges.” (from Steve)
Sounds True – Sounds True’s mission is to wake up the world. They have created what they characterize as “the world’s largest living library of transformational teachings that support and accelerate spiritual awakening and personal transformation. We make this living library available on multiple media platforms and in multiple languages for people of today and for future generations.” (from Steve)
Humanity’s Team – The first of the Planet Project’s Guiding Principles is “All people, all life, and all our planetary systems are interconnected and interdependent.” Humanity’s Team has been devoted to spreading the lived experience of Oneness throughout the world since 2003. They offer classes, live events, streaming videos and podcasts. In their own words, “Humanity’s Team is a global non-profit organization focused on helping people throughout the world awaken to the interconnectedness—or Oneness—of everything in the Universe, so they can embody that awareness in every aspect of their lives.” (from Steve)
The Shift Network – The Planet Project seeks to foster and accelerate the “macro-shift” from Material to Planetary Culture. This shift in culture is a manifestation of an underlying shift in consciousness. The Shift Network focuses specifically on this shift in consciousness. “We call ourselves The Shift Network because we believe it will take millions of awake, connected, and inspired individuals to activate their full potential and collaborate on the changes that are needed for our world to truly shift. People from every race, creed, color, and national origin have their essential role to play. Our ultimate aim? Upgrade our human operating system in order to co-create a healthy, peaceful, sustainable, just, and prosperous world.” (from Steve)
WRITINGS
Discovering Awareness; A Guide to Inner Peace, Strength and Freedom by Bud Wonsiewicz and Tony D’Souza, a book filled with practical exercises related to “Turning Inward”. (from Beau)
8 Nights, 8 Jewish Values: Reflections for Chanukah on the Jewish Obligation to Build a Better World by Sarah Hurwitz (from Roger)
Turning Inward by Roger Briggs