How Do You Help Someone Who is Dying? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 24, 2026 · 16 MIN

How Do You Help Someone Who is Dying?

from Buddhism Beyond Belief with Susan Piver · host Susan Piver

Send us Fan MailThis is a shorter episode, recorded while my family and I accompany my mother through hospice care. I reflect on an instruction I received when I first learned to meditate: resting more fully on the out breath than the in breath. As I prepare to be with my mother at the end of her life, that instruction has taken on new meaning. I share a few experiences that have shaped how I understand death, presence, and what it means to simply be there when a loved one is dying.Highlights:Why my meditation practice rests on the out breathThe link between breathing out and letting goMy own near-death experience and how it colors the way I am accompanying my motherThe impossibility of knowing what is right during such momentsWatch this episode on videoIf you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here.My new book is now availableInexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness. Learn more and buy your copy here.If you enjoyed this episode:Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path.For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me.If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com.Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] by Citizens of SoundMusic by: Derek O'Brien©Open Heart Project 

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 24, 2026

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Send us Fan Mail This is a shorter episode, recorded while my family and I accompany my mother through hospice care. I reflect on an instruction I received when I first learned to meditate: resting more fully on the out breath than the in breath. As I prepare to be with my mother at the end of her life, that instruction has taken on new meaning. I share a few experiences that have shaped how I understand death, presence, and what it means to simply be there when a loved one is dying. Highligh...

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How Do You Help Someone Who is Dying?

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