7 Best Podcasts and Books

Stoicism is a philosophical custom with roots in Greek and Roman antiquity. Its founder was Zeno (third century B.C.).

The influential Zeno taught philosophy to his many disciples in historic Athens.

Zeno held his lessons on a painted porch or stoa. This stoa, adorned with mythological scenes and nonetheless seen in Athens at this time, is the positioning from which the phrase “Stoicism” originates.

Stoicism has confirmed to be a vibrant and influential philosophy throughout the centuries.

Its proponents have included the Roman playwright and statesman Seneca, the Roman slave-turned-freeman Epictetus, and the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Later, the affect of Stoicism might be present in Christian theology, trendy philosophy (Kant & Humphrey, 1983), and cognitive behavioral psychology (Baltzly, 2018).

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Stoicism: A Philosophical Definition

“Stoicism” is often outlined as being at peace all through life’s ups and downs. It denotes a calmness within the face of ache, pleasure, grief, and pleasure. However, there may be extra to Stoicism than holding one’s cool.

Stoicism is a really individualistic philosophy. It focuses on how the person can develop the “virtues” essential to harmonize with “nature.”

Nature is a broad idea for the Stoics. It encompasses the pure world and its forces, patterns of interaction in human society, and the internal psyche of the person. In quick, their idea of nature is the entire cosmos, outer and internal.

Further, this nature or cosmos is conceived as inherently orderly, obeying fastened legal guidelines of trigger and impact.

The principal Stoic virtues are:

• Moderation,
• Courage,
• Justice, and
• Wisdom.

By growing these virtues, the person harmonizes with nature. Harmonizing with nature, together with our particular person nature, is alleged to convey eudaimonia (roughly translated as private happiness or thriving).

Stoic virtues are supposed to be sensible. They are designed to assist resolve exterior issues and produce internal equilibrium.

The advantage of moderation permits one to keep away from attachment to issues desired and thus stay free from passions and at peace.

Courage permits one to stay freed from worry and thus to maintain the thoughts settled, even amidst life’s risks.

Justice permits one to work together moderately with others and thus keep away from creating enemies or feeling guilt or regret.

Wisdom permits one to discern how nature operates, to suit harmoniously with its plan.

Having practiced these virtues, one achieves the very best aim of human existence: attunement to nature and the happiness that follows. This is supposedly true irrespective of one’s circumstances in life, whether or not one is from humble origins, as Epictetus was, or an emperor like Marcus Aurelius.

What Is Stoic Meditation?

The basic Stoic texts don’t usually consult with meditation within the Eastern sense – that’s, as an entire quieting of 1’s ideas.

Classic Stoic meditation is extra an train in clear considering.

Clear considering signifies that all through life’s ups and downs, one strives to conceive of issues simply as they’re. One sees issues as if by clear glasses, somewhat than by overly constructive rose-colored glasses or overly detrimental darkish ones.

In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes of being confronted with life’s clouds or disruptions, huge and small.

“There are brambles within the path? Then go round them. Don’t demand to know ‘why do such things exist?’” (Aurelius & Hays, 2003, p. 111). Such inquiries or value judgments only disrupt peace of mind, while adding nothing to one’s happiness.

Of course, lots of life’s occasions are extra doubtlessly distressing than brambles within the path.

Aurelius considers a tougher scenario: you hear that somebody has been speaking behind your again. From Aurelius’s Stoic perspective, it’s best to take this at face worth. Yes, somebody is speaking about you. But it gained’t assist your peace of thoughts to additional speculate about what precisely the individual is saying or how this would possibly make them a foul individual, and so forth. (Aurelius & Hays, 2003).

As a Stoic, you don’t rush to judgment or react to the whole lot you hear or see.

If you resolve it’s essential to know extra, you’ll be able to all the time ask the individual what they’ve been saying about you and why. But you may additionally resolve it’s not definitely worth the hassle and that you just gained’t let another person’s opinion of you shake your peace of thoughts.

Aurelius and different Stoics have maintained that it isn’t life’s occasions that upset us. It is somewhat our judgment or analysis of occasions – the flowery tales we inform ourselves about experiences – that hassle us.

“If you are pained by external things, it is not that they pain you, but your own judgment of them; and it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now” (Aurelius & Hays, 2003, p. 97).

In the identical vein, Epictetus held that by a Stoic psychological framing of occasions, an individual might be “sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy” (Epictetus & Dobbin, 2008, p. 29).

For the Stoics, a well-controlled thoughts or soul is the final word refuge. In writing of how individuals are all the time making an attempt to “get away from it all, to the country, to the beach, to the mountains,” Aurelius states: “You can get away from it anytime you like. By going within. Nowhere you can go is more peaceful… than your own soul” (Aurelius & Hays, 2003, p. 60).

Stoicism thus holds that whereas we can not all the time management occasions, we will all the time management how we take into consideration them. And how we take into consideration them will decide if we stay at peace, and thus completely satisfied and flourishing, or not. This emphasis on how we take into consideration issues and the way this impacts our feelings and habits previewed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) by a number of centuries.

In CBT, it’s also thought that we will management and alter how we take into consideration issues. For instance, the CBT method to melancholy holds that detrimental have an effect on (reminiscent of deep and chronic unhappiness) is at the very least partly as a result of depressive considering to a maladaptive story we inform ourselves about our life or circumstances.

It can also be believed that we will reshape or “cognitively restructure” our ideas a couple of given occasion and thus really feel much less depressed about it.

One Stoic meditation that deserves particular point out is memento mori (reflecting on one’s loss of life). This is assumed to assist us put life’s ups and downs in correct perspective and to encourage us to make the most effective use of no matter time we’d have.

Aurelius referred to memento mori when he wrote: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think” (Aurelius & Hays, 2003, p. 20).

Memento mori frames all different Stoic meditations, giving them context and urgency.

Carlos Castaneda wrote a way of memento mori into his conversations with the Indian sorcerer Don Juan Matus. In Journey to Ixtlan, Don Juan tells Carlos that “Death is the only wise advisor we have” (Castaneda, 1972, p. 55). This signifies that excited about one’s impending loss of life helps put life’s occasions into perspective and divulges what is actually essential to oneself.

Steve Jobs (2005) revealed his follow of memento mori when he advised a graduating class at Stanford: “Every morning I looked in the mirror and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I do today?” The implication being that if the reply is “no,” a life change is due.

A Look at Stoic Mindfulness

Where does mindfulness match into this Stoic lifestyle? We’ve seen that Stoic meditation includes considering clearly about issues in order to not be burdened by worth judgments or pointless hypothesis.

There can also be a definite ingredient of mindfulness in Stoic philosophy. This mindfulness is a extra basic course of than meditation and includes consideration to the present moment and its actuality.

Attention to present-moment expertise means seeing, feeling, and greedy the contours of rapid expertise as they’re and never as we both worry or want them to be. It is how issues seem earlier than we begin to inform ourselves extra elaborate tales about them.

Based on this consideration to present-moment expertise, we will then suppose clearly about it in methods which can be adaptive and that produce happiness. This sort of consideration, which emphasizes notion as free as potential from thought, is just like mindfulness follow as described by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1994) and others within the mindfulness motion.

It can also be in tune with mindfulness as practiced in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 2014).

In DBT mindfulness, one gently pulls the thoughts again to present-moment expertise each time it wanders into the previous or the long run. This might be achieved by specializing in exactly what one is doing within the second and the sensations one is feeling, with out judgment or over-analysis of what’s taking place.

Podcasts on Mindfulness

The availability of podcasts about mindfulness has elevated over the previous a number of years.

In a current article on Mindfulness Meditation Podcasts, Dr. Alicia Nortje highlighted among the greatest and most pleasing, together with:

Mindfulness for Beginners

Mindfulness for Beginners is hosted by Shaun Doneghy.

This fashionable podcast emphasizes Buddhist teachings and meditation. Each of the podcast episodes encompasses a transient guided meditation and discusses a particular theme reminiscent of physique mindfulness.

The Science of Happiness

The Science of Happiness (PRX and Greater Good) is hosted by Professor Dachter Keltner of the University of California at Berkeley.

It contains extremely rated content material on mindfulness and associated subjects.

Mindful in Minutes

Mindful in Minutes is hosted by Kelly Smith.

This extremely rated podcast options content material regarding yoga and mindfulness briefly, sensible doses.

Interesting Podcasts About Stoicism

Daily Stoic is hosted by Ryan Holiday.

This is a well-liked web site that features introductory literature on Stoicism.

There are every day emails despatched to subscribers, with Stoic classes and workouts impressed by Epictetus, Marcus Aurelias, Seneca, and others. It hosts frequent podcasts (about each one to a few days), with Stoic proponent Ryan Holiday and varied writers, athletes, tv personalities, and specialists. These podcasts deal with making use of Stoicism to life’s challenges.

The Practical Stoic is hosted by Simon Drew. This podcast additionally includes classes and interviews about Stoicism that emphasize its sensible software to on a regular basis issues.

Stoic – The Invincible Soul is hosted by YogaGirl_Izzy. This podcast discusses Stoic philosophy and mindfulness, intending to assist listeners lead their greatest or most fulfilling lives.

Apps and Books on the Topic

You’ll discover even purposes and books that may train you extra, and we suggest you check out the next:

Daily Stoic Exercises

Daily Stoic Exercises is an Android app that gives every day quotes from outstanding Stoic philosophers (together with Epictetus, Marcus Aurelias, and Seneca), for contemplation, inspiration, and steering.

It is rated extremely for its content material by customers and is out there without cost.

Stoic Mental Health Journal

Stoic Mental Health Journal is an Apple app that provides transient psychological workouts and sayings from Stoic philosophy to assist one handle every day challenges and stress. It can also be extremely rated by customers and obtainable without cost with in-app purchases obtainable. It is absolutely suitable with Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch) merchandise.

Stoic App

The Stoic App gives a curated listing of quotes from outstanding Stoic thinkers, despatched every day, one by one to permit for depth of reflection and follow.

It can also be extremely rated by customers and obtainable without cost.

Books

The following books embody basic Stoic texts and up to date interpretations of authentic sources.

1. Seneca, Letters From a Stoic, translated by Robin Campbell, Penguin Classics, 1969. (Amazon)
2. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, translated by Gregory Hayes, Modern Library, 2003. This is a well-liked and user-friendly translation of Marcus Aurelias’s foundational work. (Amazon)
3. Epictetus, Discourses and Selected Writings, edited and translated by Robert Dobbin, Penguin Classics, 2008. (Amazon)
4. William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, Oxford University Press, 2009. (Amazon)

A Take-Home Message

Stoicism is a philosophy with outstanding continuity, from its historic origins to trendy purposes.

It has been tailored over the centuries as a information for these searching for private growth and happiness.

It emphasizes the event of virtues reminiscent of moderation, braveness, justice, and knowledge. These virtues are designed to harmonize oneself with nature or the cosmos, bringing happiness.

There is an emphasis on staying calm within the face of life’s pains, pleasures, griefs, and joys. Calm is maintained by controlling one’s psychological outlook on occasions, somewhat than anticipating to handle occasions themselves.

There is a component of mindfulness in Stoicism, which includes sustained consideration to present-moment expertise. Stoic meditations embody reflecting on one’s inevitable loss of life (memento mori) to place one’s experiences and values in a correct perspective.

We hope you loved studying this text. Don’t overlook to download our three Mindfulness Exercises for free.