I Heart Meditation

After the first three steps on the path of the heart [Stage 1 - The Mind], a person begins to become restless after a period.  Harmony does not satisfy a deeper longing for greatness and so from the dissatisfaction emerges a new ideal and a new vision of who or what one can become.  This process begins Stage 2 - The Heart and the journey continues until expertise develops.  Things people can accomplish while in this expertise step become most remarkable, and the intentional focus and concentration one has required to perform a certain goal become as second nature; the heart leads the way! In one's career or in one's relationship, expertise can feel like one has reached the zenith and it certainly can be appealing to remain on this step because control, creativity, power, and intelligence are coordinated; one becomes the wielder of their own destiny.  When one dares to peer from the peak of personal accomplishment into the abyss of personal abandonment, one finds there is no bottom.  Some might call this "the Dark Night of the Soul."  In the path of the heart, the step is called "Unlearning."

All are travelers, and the destination is the same for everyone: Illumination.  The goal of human development is to manifest in one's body, mind, and behavior the pure qualities of Love, Harmony, and Beauty; to explore the potentials within one's being; to accomplish the purpose for which one was created.  The map is universal, though it has been charted by the wise in all traditions in all ages.

Time is limited in this world. Because of that limitation, some people are reluctant to commit to things, others commit to things easily, but fall away from their commitments easily also. Commitment is the beginning to a heart driven movement toward completion of goals, wholesome relationships, meaningful careers, and even spiritual realization.  Before Harmony is reached in any of these places, one experiences testing.  These three steps comprise the first stage on the path of the heart.

Puran Bair speaks gives a mystical interpretation of the symbols presented in the Christmas Story.

Susanna Bair guides you in a deep meditation of beauty, surrender, and majesty.  This meditation is will touch your heart.

Are you having difficulty sleeping?  This talk may put you one step nearer your recovery of deep and heartful rest.  Puran Bair, co-founder of IAM Heart, discusses the many factors that influence irregular sleep and provides a powerful collection of tools and practices to recalibrate your bio-rhythms, calm your nerves, and ultimately energize your heart.  The subject of sleeping has never been so enlivening!

This recording was given at the Osteopathic Medical Foundation on "March 13, 2013"

-A gentle and encouraging Intermediate-Level Meditation.

Susanna Bair brings gentleness, compassion, and beauty to the awakening process. This is an ideal practice to do in the morning, as it brings you from the ethereal realm of sleep into embodiment for the day.  This is I Heart Meditation's first introduction to the four fundamental energies: AIR, FIRE, WATER, and EARTH. Instead of discussing them conceptually, we thought be ideal to experience them from within. How is this done? By inhaling and exhaling in different patterns through the nose and mouth.  Susanna will guide you!

When breathed in this order (Air, Fire, Water, Earth) sequentially, the practice is called "Creation-Order" breathing.  The practice brings spaciousness, vitality, softening, and groundedness to the practitioner.  Susanna then extends this practice to draw into one's heart the healing energy of "Hurqalya."

This meditation was recorded on November 14, 2025 in Sedona, AZ at the IAM Heart retreat "Light On Healing."

Concentration is the first "stage" on the way toward creating a meditative state of consciousness.  First concentration, then contemplation, THEN meditation!  Engaging the mind with the various tasks which are required to breathe rhythmically, powerfully, and with control, we inherently build stamina for concentration.  Susanna explains how without the faculty for concentration, we may not get very far in our aspirations - whatever they may be.

Believe it or not, "enlightenment" is a real thing.  Yogis, sages, and mystics of many traditions have presented different methodologies for attaining this great state of consciousness marked by inner luminosity, stillness, and radiance.  Not many people know, however, that there are further stages of realization beyond enlightenment.  Many traditions call this further stage, Illumination.  Attaining one of these levels of consciousness may give a temporary experience of the heights of one's inner greatness, but in this episode, Susanna Bair draws our attention to how these great states of attainment might influence us in our personality, priorities, and experience of everyday responsibilities.

Meditation is not a religion.  Meditation is not a belief system.  Meditation is a methodology for changing one's outlook on where the boundaries of the "Self" really lie. Practitioners often notice subjective or even measurable improvements in health and may use it for stress management and use meditation as a retreat from modern overload.  Susann Bair describes how the benefits of meditation go much further than benefiting the individual practitioner.  Hear from her how an individual's meditation practice has the capacity to positively affect the global consciousness.

Puran Bair discusses the psychological and physiological forces at play when an individual incurs stress and the biological symptoms thereof.  Heart Rhythm Meditation is the tool to help correct and restore our cells from stagnancy and other imbalances which become stored within bodily tissues when our sympathetic nervous system remains "ON" from influx of stressors.  Proper breath reignites these unconscious metabolic processes.

This presentation was given on April 11, 2013.

A guided meditation leading you into the next step in proper instruction for meditation: the Full Breath. Deepening the breath allows one to rejuvenate, circulate, and de-stress.  Powerful, controlled, and slow contraction and expansion of the abdominal muscles and diaphragm soothes the central nervous system.  Specifically, it massages the Vagus nerve, the nerve most responsible for the "flight of fight" response.  By smoothing and deepening our breath in this way, we communicate to our central nervous system that we can relax, slow down, and harmonize inner rhythms from chaotic to rhythmic.

Holding your breath in meditation is just one of many techniques to purposefully intervene into the breath.  Susanna Bair uses the analogy of deep-sea diving to explain how Heart Rhythm Meditation can be used to gain awareness, even mastery, over fears which usually are held within unconscious realms of our psychological or emotional bodies.  Breath, we learn, has the capacity to sooth and transform our relationship to trauma.

Meditation requires attention and builds focus.  The first thing in beginning meditation practice is to attend to one's breathing: noticing the inflow and outflow.  Then we give the mind something to focus on: in this practice we bring the inhale and exhale into balance so that the duration of each mirror one another.

All meditation instruction in the world involves at least an awareness of the breath.  Instruction to pay close attention to the intricacies of the in-flow and out-flow of breath is central to any meditation practice.  Heart Rhythm Meditation not only involves breath awareness, but the added intervention to build stamina toward breathing with energy, balance, and power.

Puran Bair - author of three books on meditation and co-founder of the Institute for Applied Meditaiton - discusses scientific discoveries in quantum mechanics to describe inner experiences long understood by mystical traditions of the world. Puran continues his lecture and answers questions from the audience. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series.

Breath is a fundamental aspect of our being. Susanna Bair explains through practice of conscious breath in meditation, one may gain clarity and understanding of the breath's role in our lives.  Conscious, diaphragmatic breathing in rhythm with our heart-beat not only gives us physical rejuvenation, but also rejuvenates our deep inner resources enabling us to take on challenge and stress more gracefully.

Inhalation and Exhalation; Expansion and Contraction;  Rising and Falling; Tension and Release.  Susanna takes us into a space where we can listen to the "music of life" by following the breath's connection to the heart.

The human heart is so much more than a pump!  Susanna Bair reminds us of the heart's connection to thoughts, emotions, and the unconscious.  Where does the heart come from and what becomes of it when we pass away? This mysterious answer cannot be wholly understood with the mind, but we can begin to uncover an understanding of the answer by carefully listening to the messages coming from our hearts.

Puran Bair - author of three books on meditation and co-founder of the Institute for Applied Meditaiton - discusses scientific discoveries in quantum mechanics to describe inner experiences long understood by mystical traditions of the world. Is the Universe digital or analog?  Puran explains the implications for the exciting scientific identification of the "microcosm."  Puran continues by describing how our physical hearts, as generators of electromagnetic fields, act as both input receivers AND output amplifiers like the incoming/outgoing capacity of radio-tower to transmit and receive simultaneously.  He then explains how we might draw upon the field of energy which surrounds us constantly and direct it consciously toward oneself or another for the purpose of healing.  This is Part 1 of a 2-part series.

Susanna elegantly calls your attention to the fundamental rhythms of life - breath and heartbeat - in this guided meditation for beginners.  An inner experience of connection and stillness involves a welcoming attitude toward thoughts and emotions.  Concentration can be strengthened and emotional centering can be cultivated through harmonizing our breathing rate with our pulse.

Heart Rhythm Meditation is a powerful meditation technique which honors and appreciates our emotions and keeps our consciousness centered in our body.  Susanna Bair describes the benefits of meditating with the goal of aligning heart with breath.

Susanna Bair addresses you with a welcoming introductory-level meditation.  Posture is of key importance in this meditation and all you need is a sturdy chair to begin.  Discover how five minutes of conscious breathing can harmonize your atmosphere.

Susanna Bair, co-founder of the Institute for Applied Meditation and traveling lecturer on contemporary spirituality and heart-centered living, presents a general overview of the goal of meditation practice throughout history and how meditation can help our lives today.  She presents the idea that meditation is a tool with the capacity to integrate the relationship between the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our being.