In this special Halloween episode of Calm With Me, Dr. Meredith explores the metaphor of the “hungry ghost” — that restless inner part of us that’s always grasping for more… more achievement, more validation, more stuff. Blending neuroscience and yogic wisdom, she unpacks why the brain is wired to chase, how our nervous systems get caught in loops of craving, and what it takes to shift from perpetual hunger to genuine nourishment.
Meredith guides you through simple practices to calm the craving brain, soften self-pressure, and reconnect with the quieter truth underneath all the wanting.
The episode then takes a dive into the neurobiology of fear, both to understand how to tame fear and panic in the moment, but also the science behind why we sometimes find fear to be so fun (think Halloween, haunted houses and horror movies!).
At the heart of all this — craving, not-enoughness, and even the strange thrill of fear — is a simple truth: our brains are built for survival, not serenity. Yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness help us to retrain the system, strengthening the pathways that regulate fear and easing the urgency to grasp for more. This episode offers a gentle, compassionate path through the fear and back to yourself — one breath at a time.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Get more peace: Micromoments of Peace (free guide): 10 simple ways to create calm and presence in your day https://meriyoga.org/micromoments
Come with me on retreat: SacredCalm Yoga + Hiking Retreat (May 2026): an immersive journey to reconnect with nature and slow time on the California coast https://meriyoga.org/sacredcalm_2026
Follow me on Instagram: @meriyogasf
Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
02:00 Halloween, Samhain and the thinning veil
03:10 Hungry Ghost Month
05:20 Craving and lack
06:30 The fifth Yama: Aparigraha
07:10 Dopamine hits and the neuroscience of craving
09:00 Your brain on gratitude
10:00 Gratitude practice
09:10 Analogy: Power vinyasa vs. restorative yoga
10:00 Pranayama- 5th limb of yoga
11:20 Breathwork or pranayama practice: One breath is enough
12:30 Introduction to fear
13:10 Your brain on fear
14:20 Why fear can be fun: Haunted houses and horror movies
17:30 How yoga, meditation and breathwork teach us to sit with fear and craving
20:05 Breathwork or pranayama practice: Settling breath
20:55 Wrap up and Micromoments of Peace freebie offer
Scientific references:
- Sutherland, M. (2023). Why fear feels good: The neuroscience of haunted houses and horror movies. Florida International University News.
- Schultz, W. (2015). Neuronal reward and decision signals: from theories to data. Physiological Reviews, 95(3), 853–951.
- Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Fowler, J. S., & Tomasi, D. (2012).
Addiction circuitry in the human brain. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 52, 321–336.
- Campbell, J. I. D., et al. (2023). Eating ultraprocessed foods increases dopamine responses in the human brain. Nature Neuroscience, 26, 971–980.
- Kini, P., Wong, J., McInnis, S., Gabana, N., & Brown, J. W. (2016). The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1–14.
- Fox, K. C. R., et al. (2016). Functional brain plasticity associated with meditation and mindfulness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 65, 313–334.
- LeDoux, J. E. (2000). Emotion circuits in the brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 23, 155–184.
- Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422.
- Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing... Medical Hypotheses, 67(3), 566–571.
- Sutherland, M. R., et al. (2021). The thrill of fear: Individual differences in fear reactivity and enjoyment across contexts. Psychophysiology, 58(9).
- Mobbs, D., et al. (2015).
The ecology of human fear: survival optimization and the nervous system. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 9, 55.