Meditation: full body breath and presence, then scanning for the 5 Hindrances and 7 Factors.
(Recorded on 4.30.19 at Insight Meditation Satsang, Berkeley, CA)

The 7 Enlightenment, or Awakening, Factors are the positive counterpart to the list of the Hindrances. This is the Buddha’s list of the qualities that when strong, lead directly to liberation. They come in 3 types: balancing, activating, and deactivating, in that order.

1 that’s all about balanced presence: Mindfulness;
3 good kinds of activation: Exploration, Energy, Rapture;
3 good kinds of deactivation: Calm, Immersion, Equanimity.

Let’s translate that into Polyvagal language: 1 for ventral vagal connection, 3 for sympathetic action, 3 for dorsal vagal chill.

Talk: the Hindrances and Awakening Factors as nervous system states, how the 7 Factors are a perfect parallel to the primary states in Porges’ Polyvagal Theory.
(Recorded on 4.30.19 at Insight Meditation Satsang, Berkeley, CA)