77 | Awakening in Uncertain Times: Meditation for a Shifting World | Spring Washam

In times of rapid change, how do we stay grounded, heart-centered, and open to new possibilities? In this episode of Beyond Trauma, meditation teacher Spring Washam shares the deep practices needed for navigating uncertainty—not by over-processing in the mind but by dropping into the wisdom of the heart and body. We explore how to work with anger, why truth is sharper than fire, and how ancestral wisdom can guide us through upheaval. Spring reminds us that “the heart carries the joy and the sorrow of this life”, and that true meditation isn’t an escape into the intellect but a full-bodied practice of presence. As she puts it, “First awaken, then guide, then serve and build.” Join us for a conversation about transformation, resilience, and the sacred call to step into deeper service as the world shifts around us. Spring Washam is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities; She is a well-known teacher, healer, and visionary leader and author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, an organization that offers Buddhist teachings with attention to social action and multiculturalism. She is a member of the teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, offering teachings on Buddhist philosophy, Insight meditation, and loving-kindness practices. Spring is also the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a one-of-a-kind organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom for transformative retreats in South America. She has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999. Spring is also a shamanic practitioner and has studied indigenous healing practices since 2008. Spring's Website | Instagram -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.