Charles Freligh

Charles Freligh, PhD, is a meditation teacher, author, personal guide and retreat leader who also describes himself as an artist and consciousness explorer. He works through Second Arrow Well-Being, which he established as an LLC in 2020. His work includes one-on-one virtual guidance, teaching college courses, writing, and creating digital content such as guided meditations and video courses. Through all of it he aims to reduce unnecessary suffering and improve the quality and enjoyment of living, for himself and for others.

He does not espouse any one tradition. He draws on whatever makes visceral sense to him, and he sees the various traditions as different languages describing the same thing, something like true abiding happiness and contentment. His basic philosophy uses the image of glasses we are handed and come to identify with. They cloud over time, and we can become aware of them and keep cleaning them so we see more clearly. His twofold effort is to clean his own glasses and to help others do the same if they wish.

Charles leads retreats in the spirit of presence, connection and creativity, including mindfulness, Tao and Zen-inspired gatherings, some with his collaborator Saqib Rizvi. He has also made audio courses on Insight Timer, among them The Zen Path: 111 Small Steps to Awaken Your Inner Buddha and the sleep-story course Dreamworld, made with Saqib. He is the author of the book The Will to Do Nothing, writes a blog on well-being and spirituality, and co-hosts the podcast What is Now? with Saqib.