We know that meditation relieves stress and anxiety.

It lowers cortisol and even grows cortical thickness.

But what if meditation could also teach us how to love better?

What would that mean for our most important relationships?

Well, welcome to the commune podcast.

My name is Jeff Krasno.

My guest today is poet, meditator, and author of the new book,

How to Love Better, Diego Perez, aka Young Pueblo. That's young people in

Espaniel. You'll hear how Diego's spiritual and emotional journey began in self-destruction.

That's before he found his way to mindfulness and healing. We touch on his upbringing and poverty, the emotional weight of childhood trauma,

and how suppressing pain led to addiction until a near-death experience forced radical change.

We examine Buddhist principles, especially impermanence, non-attachment,

and the illusion of a static self as essential

tools for building healthier relationships. Diego describes how observing bodily sensations

through the Pasta meditation allowed him to develop self-awareness, which in turn transformed

his relationship with his wife, Sarah. This conversation is ultimately

an exploration of relational dynamics, how to argue with compassion, how to listen to understand

rather than to win, and how to let go of control in love. But before we dive in, definitely come join me on Substack,

where we'll be streaming future episodes of these podcasts ahead of their wide release.

It'll also serve as the repository for all of my various musings,

ad-free video podcasts, and other goodies like select commun courses.

So head over there to jeffcrasno.substack.com and subscribe.

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