The Tao – Step 11The Tao – Step 11
Tao of Our understanding Alcohol Recovery Podcast
Conversation on Step 11 of the 12 steps, using Taoist teachings to rethink prayer, meditation and conscious contact with a personal Higher Power. The hosts share stories and practical ideas on awareness, surrender, compassion and service in daily recovery life.
43:52•8 Jun 2026
The Tao, Step 11, and Finding a Real-World Connection to a Higher Power
Episode Overview
- Step 11 is approached as improving awareness and relationship with a personal concept of God, rather than following rigid religious rules.
- Prayer is framed as consciously choosing kind, wholesome thoughts, while meditation is noticing unhelpful thoughts and letting them pass.
- Compassionate action and service to others are presented as some of the clearest ways to feel close to a Higher Power.
- Taoist ideas, such as flowing with life like a river and surrendering to difficulties, are used to reinterpret “God’s will” as an ongoing process already happening.
- Staying in the present moment, instead of catastrophising about the future, helps reduce fear and supports a more peaceful sobriety.
“The moment that I am acting compassionately, I am the closest to God as I understand God.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation from the Tao of Our Understanding Alcohol Recovery Podcast takes Step 11 of the 12 steps and holds it up alongside Taoist wisdom, turning a potentially heavy topic into something very human and practical. Host Buddy C sits down with Brian and Drew to talk about "sought through prayer and meditation" in a way that fits real life, doubts and all.
They focus less on religious rules and more on experience: awareness, surrender and compassionate action. As Buddy puts it, "The moment that I am acting compassionately, I am the closest to God as I understand God." You’ll hear how meditation became more than a checkbox for them, from simple 10‑minute routines to longer sits, walking meditation and even using everyday moments as spiritual practice.
Drew reframes prayer as “intentionally thinking wholesome thoughts” and meditation as noticing unhelpful ones and letting them go, which makes Step 11 accessible even if traditional prayer language feels awkward. Brian’s story about helping a friend fix his truck shows how service can feel more spiritually grounding than sitting alone with doubts about God.
They tie this back to the Taoist idea of stepping out of your own way and letting the flow of life carry you, like floating down a river instead of fighting the current. Tao Te Ching verses and Chuang Tzu passages pop up throughout, especially around surrender: giving yourself to difficulties rather than muscling through them, and trusting that “the will of God” or “the flow of the Tao” is happening anyway, with or without your resistance.
If you’re curious how Step 11 can look beyond rote prayers and rigid beliefs, this chat offers a relaxed, story-filled take that might help you rethink how you connect, reflect and act in your own recovery. Where might a bit more stillness or compassion change your day today?
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