“The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of service,” says musician, contemplative researcher, and Mind & Life Steering Council member Grant Jones, “is giving yourself to move an organization in a more aligned, rooted, and actualized direction.” After years on the Mind & Life Steering Council, participation in the Global Majority Leadership and Mentorship Program Working Group, and as a volunteer and faculty member for numerous Mind & Life offerings, Grant has been awarded the 2023 Mind & Life Service Award in recognition of his contributions to supporting and guiding the direction of Mind & Life’s work.
“Grant continually invites us to be better versions of who we are,” says Mind & Life Director of Grants & Events Krista Weih, “both personally and in support of Mind & Life. We are all better because of Grant’s deep wisdom in service to Mind & Life.”
Music was Grant’s first spiritual practice, and he’s spent years blending music and mindfulness to navigate predominantly white spaces in and beyond academia. He began by using his breath to turn inwards and center himself, and his practice grew to inform his art and research. Grant’s introduction to Mind & Life was organic—he attended the 2018 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute (SRI) in Garrison, New York the same year he began pursuing his PhD at Harvard. At SRI, Grant made new professional connections and dear friends, and experienced healing critical to his journey. “SRI is my favorite Mind & Life program, there’s really nothing like it,” he says, adding that Mind & Life has become integral to how he conceptualizes and approaches academia.
Grant was awarded a 2020 Mind & Life Francisco J. Varela Grant to compose an online, music-based mindfulness intervention designed for Black Americans. He’s performed songs from his album, Constellations, live for the Mind & Life community at programs including a 2021 Inspiring Minds conversation and our 2022 Mind & Life Dialogue in Dharamsala, India.
When asked why he’s remained committed to Mind & Life, Grant says it comes down to relationships. “I’ve met so many of my favorite people through Mind & Life convenings and the broader community,” he says. Grant describes his work with Mind & Life as first and foremost being a community member and caregiver. Whether through participation at in-person programs or when meeting online with the Steering Council or other groups, Grant says he values the evident intention to give and receive care.
“It means so much to be able to simply connect,” he says, adding the important caveat that while he believes service means giving yourself to help guide and support an organization, service is not martyrdom. Grant appreciates his relationship with Mind & Life especially for cultivating a community that supports giving from a place of resource, not burnout or strain; Grant describes it as a “feedback loop of care.” He’s experienced this culture of care at various levels at Mind & Life, from hosting space for participants at events to joining the Steering Council. “It’s really special to be part of an organizational body in which you’re genuinely connected emotionally,” he shares. Because of years spent building relationships at Mind & Life, Grant believes he’s become more confident speaking from his personal experiences in professional contexts.
As the youngest member of the Steering Council, Grant is excited to continue guiding and challenging Mind & Life’s direction. He sees a unique opportunity at this moment in time to share the power of contemplative practice more broadly. “While there is crisis and heartbreak,” he says, “there also exists an excitement about the role that Mind & Life can play in helping hold and guide the path forward amidst a very troubled world.”
