Épisodes

  • Your Wild Mind: From Fear to Flow in the Great Outdoors
    Jun 27 2026

    You're mid-route. Your foot slips. Before your rational brain catches up, something ancient takes over and your heart is hammering, your breath has gone short and shallow and your hands are gripping harder than they should.

    Fear in the outdoors is fast, physical, and deeply intelligent. And if you know how to work with it, it's one of the most powerful entry points to presence you'll ever find.

    In this episode, neuroscientist, diver and yoga teacher Dr. Meredith Calvert breaks down the three F's of outdoor performance: fear, focus, and flow. She explains what's actually happening in your brain on a crux, why panicking makes you breathe in exactly the wrong way, and how natural environments both challenge us and restore the cognitive resources that modern life burns through.

    The science is real. The tools are portable.

    Calm With Me is hosted by Dr. Meredith Calvert — neuroscientist, yogi, Master Scuba Diver, and devoted student of the wild mind.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Come with me to find your own Wild Mind?

    I built my WildCalm retreats around exactly this. Immersive experiences designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and nature.

    Next adventure? SeaCalm Yoga & Scuba Diving in Roatán, Honduras, this Labor Day (2026). No yoga or scuba experience needed. Just curiosity, and a willingness to let the ocean do what it does best.

    Find out more: ⁠⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026⁠⁠⁠

    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠⁠⁠
    • Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Time Stamps:

    01:20 - Calm is a super power

    01:40 - Three brain structures involved with fear

    01:50 - The amygdala- your alarm center

    02:15 - The prefrontal cortex - your logic center

    02:50 - The hippocampus - your memory vault

    03:20 - Inhibitory learning

    03:40 - Introduction to box breathing

    04:00 - Practice: Box breathing

    04:30 - Panic and your breath

    04:55 - The Bohr effect

    05:20 - The CO2 spike or hypercapnia

    06:00 - Auto-occlusion

    07:15 - Introduction to reflexive breathing

    07:30 - Practice: Reflexive breathing

    08:00 - Focus and attention restoration theory

    08:30 - Directed attention

    08:55 - Involuntary attention

    09:30 - Soft fascination

    10:25 - Finding flow

    10:55 - Flow and the vagus nerve

    11:30 - Heart rate variability

    11:50 - Anchor practice for flow: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

    13:00 - Fear is not a design flaw

    Scientific references:

    • Kaplan, S. The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework, J. Env. Psych. 1995. 15(3):169-182

    • Pham TP & Sanocki T. Human Attention Restoration, Flow, and Creativity: A Conceptual Integration. J Imaging. 2024 Mar 29;10(4):83

    • McDonnell, A.S., Strayer, D.L. Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention. Sci Rep 14, 1845 (2024)

    • Williams, KJH, Lee, KE, Hartig, T., et al. Conceptualising creativity benefits of nature experience: Attention restoration and mind wandering as complementary processes, J. Exp. Psych. 2018 (59), 36-45,

    • Colzato, LS., Szapora A, Hommel, B. Meditate to Create: The Impact of Focused-Attention and Open-Monitoring Training on Convergent and Divergent Thinking. Front. Psych. 2012, 3.

    • Lippelt DP, Hommel B, Colzato LS. Focused attention, open monitoring a n d loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity - A review. Front Psychol. 2014 S e p 23;5:1083.


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    14 min
  • Beneath the Surface: Neuroscience, Breath & the Wild Within
    May 30 2026

    Last episode, we explored Blue Mind — what water does to your brain from the outside. Today we go deeper. Literally.

    In this episode, Dr. Meredith Calvert unpacks the neuroscience of what happens when you actually go underwater: the ancient mammalian dive reflex that slows your heart without asking permission, the breath-buoyancy feedback loop that makes scuba diving one of the most intimate nervous system practices on the planet, and why the underwater environment produces a quality of presence that's hard to find anywhere else.

    We'll also do a short box breathing practice together — so you can feel the shift, not just understand it.

    If you've ever surfaced from a dive feeling clearer, calmer, and more yourself — this episode is the science behind that feeling.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Want to experience Blue Mind for yourself?

    I built the SeaCalm retreat around exactly this. My yoga & scuba diving retreat in is an immersive week-long experience designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and the ocean. Not just a yoga retreat, not just a dive trip. It’s a restorative prescription for Blue Mind: a full week of soft fascination, feel-good neurotransmitters, and turquoise water as far as the eye can see.

    No yoga or scuba experience needed. Just curiosity, and a willingness to let the ocean do what it does best.

    Find out more: ⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026⁠⁠

    • Shrines of Science blog - ⁠Blue Mind: How the Ocean Heals⁠
    • ⁠⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠⁠
    • Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Time Stamps:

    01:30 - Blue mind recap

    01:55 - Mammalian dive reflex

    02:45 - Meditation, yoga and the switch from sympathetic to parasympathic nervous system dominance

    03:20 - Scuba diving is a breath practice

    03:27 - Scuba diving rule number one

    03:40 - Dirga pranayama - three-part breath

    04:10 - Breath and positional feedback in diving

    04:40 - Proprioreception

    05:00 - Underwater presence

    05:15 - Practice: Dirga Pranayama - three-part breath

    06:15 - Meredith's first dive

    06:40 - Eagle rays and the wild within us

    07:10 - Diving and directed attention restoration

    07:40 - Default mode network

    08:20 - Introduction to SeaCalm Yoga & Scuba retreat

    09:05 - Next episode: Awe and wonder as medicine

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    10 min
  • Blue Mind: Your Brain on Water
    May 14 2026

    Season two of Calm With Me begins at the water’s edge. In this episode, neuroscientist, yoga teacher, and scuba diver Dr. Meredith Calvert explores the science behind “Blue Mind,” the deeply restorative state our brains enter around water. From childhood memories of England’s rugged coastline to the neuroscience of soft fascination, dopamine, serotonin, and nervous system regulation, this episode dives into why the ocean has such a profound ability to quiet the mind and bring us back to ourselves.

    You’ll learn how blue spaces influence stress, attention, and emotional well-being, and why calm may be less about forcing relaxation and more about giving your nervous system the right environment to settle naturally. A grounding, science-informed invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and practice meeting the wild.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Want to experience Blue Mind for yourself?

    I built the SeaCalm retreat around exactly this. My yoga & scuba diving retreat in is an immersive week-long experience designed to help you slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with yourself, through movement, breath, and the ocean. Not just a yoga retreat, not just a dive trip. It’s a restorative prescription for Blue Mind: a full week of soft fascination, feel-good neurotransmitters, and turquoise water as far as the eye can see.

    No yoga or scuba experience needed. Just curiosity, and a willingness to let the ocean do what it does best.

    Find out more: ⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026⁠

    • Shrines of Science blog - Blue Mind: How the Ocean Heals
    • ⁠⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠⁠
    • Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Time Stamps:

    00:00 — The shift near the ocean

    01:20 — A seaside childhood

    01:50 — 'Just a little bit of fear'

    02:15 — Wallace J. Nichols and Blue Mind

    02:30 — The neurochemistry of Blue Mind

    03:10 — Soft fascination

    03:40 — The dose response of time spent near water

    04:10 — Moving water

    04:25 — Change your environment, change your nervous system

    04:50 — 'Immerse yourself in soft fascination'


    Scientific references:

    1. Britton, E., Kindermann, et al., (2018). Blue care: a systematic review of blue space interventions for health and wellbeing. Health Promotion International, 35, 50 - 69.

    2. McDougall, C., Hanley, et al. (2021). Neighbourhood blue space and mental health: A nationwide ecological study of antidepressant medication prescribed to older adults. Landscape and Urban Planning, 214, 104132.

    3. McDougall, C., Hanley, N., et al. (2022). Blue space exposure, health and well-being: Does freshwater type matter? Landscape and Urban Planning, 224,104446.

    4. Murrin, E., Taylor, N., et al., (2023). Does physical activity mediate the associations between blue space and mental health? A cross-sectional study in Australia. BMC Public Health, 23.

    5. Pasanen, T., White, M., et al., (2019). Neighbourhood blue space, health and wellbeing: The mediating role of different types of physical activity.. Environment international, 131, 105016.

    6. Pearson, A., Shortridge, A., et al. (2019). Effects of freshwater blue spaces may be beneficial for mental health: A first, ecological study in the North American Great Lakes region. PLoS ONE, 14.

    7. Tang, H., Lee, A., & Hung, S., (2024). Does built environment and natural leisure settings with bodies of water improve human psychological and physiological health?. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 20, 547 - 558.

    8. Wright, K., Eden, S., et al., (2024). A qualitative exploration of the contribution of blue space to well‐being in the lives of people with severe mental illness. People and Nature, 6 (2), 849-864.

    9. Yin, J., Ramanpong, J., et al. (2023). Effects of blue space exposure in urban and natural environments on psychological and physiological responses: A within-subject experiment. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 87, 128066.


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    6 min
  • The Perimenopausal Brain: Part Two - Coming Up For Air
    Mar 12 2026

    In this episode of Calm With Me, Meredith returns to the topic of the perimenopausal brain, exploring not just the physical symptoms but the deeper shift in identity that many women experience during this transition.

    Perimenopause often begins gradually, with mood changes, sleep disruption, anxiety, and physical symptoms appearing years before menstrual cycles noticeably change. Without clear information, these changes can slowly erode confidence and leave many women feeling like strangers in their own bodies. Neuroscience shows that these experiences are rooted in real biological changes as the brain adapts to declining estrogen, reorganizing systems involved in memory, emotion, and self-perception.

    Rather than viewing this as decline, Meredith introduces a more empowering perspective drawn from both neuroscience and traditional healing systems, which describe menopause as a “Second Spring,” a time of integration and wisdom.

    She offers a simple framework for navigating the transition using the acronym AIR: Acknowledge cultural narratives around aging, Integrate the qualities that define one’s true self, and Reframe the experience as a process of becoming rather than loss.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Come with me on retreat: SeaCalm Yoga + Scuba Diving Retreat (Aug/Sep 2026): an immersive journey to reconnect with nature and slow time on the California coast ⁠⁠⁠https://meriyoga.org/seacalm2026
    • ⁠WildCalm Retreats⁠
    • Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Time Stamps:

    00:00 — A shifting sense of self

    01:00 — Recasting perimenopause as a time of becoming

    03:30 — A Zen story: The nun and the river

    04:00 — Early symptoms of perimenopause

    07:00 — Reorganization of the perimenopausal brain

    08:40 — The Second Spring: An Eastern view of the menopausal transition

    09:50 — The first step: Acknowledge

    10:40 — Rejecting society's narrative for aging women

    11:40 — The second step: Integrate

    12:40 — Reclaiming a sense of adventure

    13:15 — Yoga and scuba diving retreat

    13:50 — Caring for others through volunteering

    15:15 — The third step: Reframe

    17:00 — Reframing insomnia

    17:45 — Reframing anxiety

    20:00 — The neuroscience behind reframing

    20:30 — Bridge thoughts

    22:00 — Positive social mirrors

    22:55 — Reviewing the three steps



    Scientific references:


    • Mosconi, L. et al. Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism, and amyloid-beta deposition. Sci Rep 11, 10867 (2021).

      Coslov, N., Richardson, M. K. & Woods, N. F. “Not feeling like myself” in perimenopause: Observations from the Women Living Better survey. Menopause 31(5), 486–493 (2024).

      Woods, N. F., Coslov, N. & Mitchell, E. S. Effects of bothersome symptoms during the late reproductive stage and menopausal transition. Menopause 30(5), 559–567 (2023).

      Elavsky, S. & McAuley, E. Physical activity, symptoms, esteem, and life satisfaction during menopause. Maturitas 52(3–4), 374–385 (2005).

      Ceylan, B. & Özerdoğan, N. The relationship between menopausal symptoms, attitudes toward menopause and body image. Alexandria Journal of Medicine 53(4), 327–333 (2017).

      Sokołowska-Pawłowska, K. et al. Perceptions and attitudes toward menopause and perceived satisfaction with life. Menopause Review 23(1), 9–16 (2024).

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    25 min
  • The Perimenopausal Brain: Part One - Neuroplasticity, Fog, Fire & Rebirth
    Nov 30 2025

    In this episode, Meredith dives into the neuroscience of perimenopause, reframing this midlife shift not as decline but as a profound, fiery transformation. She explains how fluctuating estrogen reshapes neural circuits, why brain fog and mood swings appear, and how the brain ultimately recalibrates through neuroplasticity. Rather than fragile butterflies, Meredith invites listeners to embody the volcanic power of Pele—creative, potent, and unapologetically alive.

    She explores the science behind sleep disruption, from progesterone dips to circadian shifts, and shares practical tools such as breath counting, progressive relaxation, Raja yoga meditation, and yoga nidra, all shown to ease menopausal insomnia. Meredith also challenges the outdated cultural narrative that aging women become invisible, encouraging listeners to claim this stage as one of wisdom, spaciousness, and renewed purpose. She closes with an invitation to her upcoming workshop, a reminder of community, and an affirmation that the menopausal brain is not fading — it’s refocusing.

    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
    • Free Yoga Nidra Audio Practice
    • 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
    • WildCalm Retreats
    • Becoming Her Again Workshop
    • SIS Circle (collaborative workshop partners)
    • Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@meriyogasf ⁠⁠⁠

    Time Stamps:

    00:00 — Why the menopausal brain is rewiring, not breaking
    01:00 — Recasting perimenopause as a time of becoming
    02:10 — The butterfly metaphor vs. the volcanic energy of Pele
    04:00 — Brain fog, estrogen shifts, and neuroplastic adaptation
    06:15 — Mindfulness as a buffer for attention, memory, and stress
    08:10 — Sleep disruption: hormones, circadian rhythm, and anxiety loops
    10:00 — Breath counting + progressive relaxation for returning to sleep
    12:00 — Meditation research: Raja yoga and insomnia relief
    13:30 — Yoga nidra as a nighttime reset
    15:00 — Rewriting the cultural narrative of aging and claiming midlife power
    17:00 — Invitation to the Becoming Her Again workshop & closing reflections

    Scientific references:

    • Mosconi, L. et al. Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism. Sci Rep 11, 10867 (2021).

    • Epperson CN, et al., Menopause effects on verbal memory: findings from a longitudinal community cohort. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 98(9):3829-38 (2013) .

    • Streeter CC, et al., Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Med Hypotheses, 78(5):571-9 (2012) .

    • Portella, C.S.,et al. Meditation as an approach to lessen menopausal symptoms and insomnia in working women undergoing the menopausal transition period: A randomized controlled trial. Advances in Integrative Medicine, 8 (4), 278-284 (2021) .


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    16 min
  • Hungry Ghosts and the Neurobiology of Fear
    Nov 1 2025

    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.

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    23 min
  • Soft Fascination: The Secret Bridge Between Wild Adventure and Inner Peace
    Oct 23 2025

    When you step into the wild, whether its hiking a ridgeline, exploring coral reefs, or simply looking up at the sky, something profound happens inside your brain. Your focus softens, your nervous system steadies, and your awareness expands. Psychologists call this state soft fascination—a calm, alert attention that restores mental clarity and opens the doorway to awe.

    In this episode, Dr. Meredith Calvert explores the neuroscience of soft fascination, how it differs from mindfulness meditation, and why both are essential for a balanced, resilient mind.

    Drawing from yoga philosophy, Attention Restoration Theory, and her own experiences teaching underwater and on mountaintops, Meredith reveals how nature helps us rewire the brain for presence, creativity, and joy.

    You’ll also learn a simple breathwork practice to deepen your connection with the natural world—no matter where you are—and how to cultivate that same wild calm in daily life.

    If your brain runs faster than your breath, this one’s for you.

    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

    02:10 Soft fascination

    04:20 Dhyana- 7th limb of yoga

    04:50 Default Mode Network (DMN)

    05:10 Attention Restoration Theory

    06:20 Mindfulness meditation

    07:00 Dharana- 6th limb of yoga

    08:10 Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)

    09:10 Analogy: Power vinyasa vs. restorative yoga

    10:00 Pranayama- 5th limb of yoga

    10:30 Breathwork or pranayama practice: Ujjayi breathing or ocean breath

    12:30 Neuroscience of breathwork and the parasympathetic nervous system activation

    12:40 Respiratory vagal nerve stimulation and the vagus nerve

    13:50 Stargazing

    14:40 Summary

    15:10 Wrap up and SacredCalm invitation

    Scientific references:

    • Pham TP & Sanocki T. Human Attention Restoration, Flow, a n d Creativity: A Conceptual Integration. J Imaging. 2024 Mar 29;10(4):83

    • McDonnell, A.S., Strayer, D.L. Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention. Sci Rep 14, 1845 (2024)

    • Williams, KJH, Lee, KE, Hartig, T., et al. Conceptualising creativity benefits of nature experience: Attention restoration and mind wandering as complementary processes, J. Exp. Psych. 2018 (59), 36-45,

    • Garrison KA, Zeffiro TA, Scheinost D, et al., Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2015 Sep;15(3):712-20.

    • Niazi AK, Niazi SK. Mindfulness-based stress reduction: a non-pharmacological approach for chronic illnesses. N Am J Med Sci. 2011 Jan;3(1):20-3.

    • Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH. Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018 Oct 9;12:397.

    • Colzato, LS., Szapora A, Hommel, B. Meditate to Create: The Impact of Focused-Attention and Open-Monitoring Training on Convergent and Divergent Thinking. Front. Psych. 2012, 3.

    • Lippelt DP, Hommel B, Colzato LS. Focused attention, open monitoring a n d loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity - A review. Front Psychol. 2014 S e p 23;5:1083.




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    16 min
  • The Shape of Time and How to Make It Slow Down
    Oct 9 2025

    Why does time seem to race by as we get older, yet stretch endlessly when we’re on vacation, in awe, or in love? In this episode of Calm With Me, Meredith explores the fascinating intersection of yogic philosophy and modern neuroscience to uncover how we can actually, intentionally, slow down our experience of time.

    From the ancient wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to Stanford neuroscientist David Eagleman’s research on perception, we’ll explore how novelty, nature, presence, and breath reshape our sense of time itself.

    You’ll learn:
    • How your brain’s chemistry warps time, and why new experiences feel longer
    • Why flow states and meditation expand your perception of the present moment
    • Four science-backed ways to stretch and savor time in daily life
    • A guided 4-7-8 breathwork practice to step outside time, right now

    Meredith also shares reflections from her recent travels and invites you to pause, breathe, and rediscover the beauty of now.

    Take a deep breath, press play, and remember—this moment is enough.

    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

      02:50 Rome & why vacations go too fast

      04:00 The shape of time

      05:00 Yoga sutras on time & ksanas

      06:10 Neuroscience & time perception

      07:45 Meditation & time

      09:20 How to slow down time

      11:10 Micromoments of peace

      12:00 Breathwork practice 4-7-8

      13:10 Wrap up and SacredCalm invitation




      Scientific references:

      1. Brain, Volume 135, Issue 3, March 2012, Pages 656–677, ⁠https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awr210

      2. Anderson, L., and Shimamura, A. P. (2005). Influences of emotion on context memory while viewing film clips. Am. J. Psychol. 118, 323–337

      3. Stetson C, Fiesta MP, Eagleman DM (2007) Does Time Really Slow Down during a Frightening Event? PLoS ONE 2(12): e1295. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0001295

      4. Khan, Azizuddin & Dixit, Shikha. (2006). Effect of Cognitive Load and Paradigm on Time Perception. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology. 32. 37–42

      5. Mullen, G., & Davidenko, N. (2021). Time Compression in Virtual Reality, Timing & Time Perception, 9(4), 377–392. doi: ⁠https://doi.org/10.1163/22134468-bja10034

      6. Davydenko, M., & Peetz, J. (2017). Time grows on trees: The effect of nature settings on time perception. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 54, 20–26. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.09.003

      7. Mitchell JM, Weinstein D, Vega T, Kayser AS. Dopamine, time perception, and future time perspective. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2018;235(10):2783–2793. doi:10.1007/s00213–018–4971-z

      8. Palmiter RD. Dopamine signaling in the dorsal striatum is essential for motivated behaviors: lessons from dopamine-deficient mice. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008;1129:35–46. doi:10.1196/annals.1417.003




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    15 min