The horrific treatment of Asian-Americans continued this week with the brutal attack of a 65-year-old Filipino woman on a New York City street. In the wake of such attacks comes the analysis of our collective paralysis, and the recognition that the news that makes it to the headlines fails to account for the pervasiveness of …
Continue reading “From Awareness to Action: Mind & Life’s Response to Anti-Asian Violence”
We’re hearing more and more about the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Instead of being something that’s ‘out there,’ it’s here. And while climate change is top of mind among many scientists, policymakers, activists, and concerned citizens, not enough time is spent exploring the role of the human mind in both contributing to the …
Contemplative practice has played an important role in my own journey to cope with the climate crisis and take action on a personal level. A lot of my practice focuses on nurturing contentment. In relation to the climate, this means examining whether I really need new things and being happy with what is sustainable.
Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute their perspectives and experiences to the blog as a way of deepening dialogue and understanding around key themes related to our mission. What is it about mindfulness practice that underpins such diverse positive outcomes? And aside from less-tangible notions of awakening, what supports the widespread intuition that mindfulness …
Our March conversation, “Transformative Change: Where Research and Action in the World Meet,” features Doris Chang and Reggie Hubbard, with musician Grant Jones. We discuss the tendency for research and ‘real-world’ practice to get siloed. What can contemplative scientists and changemakers working to advance social justice learn from and share with each other?
There is a desperate need for novel approaches to stop violent and unjust police treatment of communities of color, and to reduce the othering and disconnection between police and community members. Our previous research suggests benefits of mindfulness and related contemplative practices for police well-being and mental health, but due to the centering of police …
Continue reading “Community engagement in contemplative training and research with law enforcement”
This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of Tuned In! — A Mindfulness-Based Affirmative Program for LGBTQIA Youth (herein called Tuned In!) with sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). This project will build upon the promising results from previous community-based research (a pilot feasibility study of the Tuned In! intervention) to test Tuned In! on …
Black Americans experience significantly more stress and anxiety than other racial groups but have fewer sources of support. Although mindfulness represents a promising intervention for decreasing stress and anxiety, there are significant barriers that prevent Black Americans from accessing extant mindfulness tools, including cost, time, and limited cultural relevance. Under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew …
Continue reading “Music-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Black Americans”
We’re honored to host a special free livestream event on January 9, 2021 at 10:30 p.m. EST with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and leading scientists to explore steps for addressing the urgent challenges presented by this threat.
This project will explore the ways in which a contemplative-based, anti-oppressive, and healing-centered curriculum developed by the Courage of Care Coalition and the Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies can support individuals, who are already engaged in climate change mitigation and/or adaptation initiatives, to continue their climate work in a sustainable and hopeful manner. Specifically, we …
