Mindfulness and Depression

Yucca brevifolia. I was practicing walking meditation among them in Joshua Tree National Park in the winter of 2010 while co-leading a residential five-day retreat workshop on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) with Zindel Segal. With the 30 clinicians attending, we shared the principles and practices of MBCT to prevent depressive relapse and invited them to …

Strengthening Attention

“The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will. No one is compos sui if he have it not. An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence. But it is easier to define this ideal than to …

On the Path to Belonging at the 2022 Summer Research Institute

Against a backdrop of daunting polarization, violent conflicts, rising authoritarianism, and mounting climate chaos, Mind & Life’s 2022 Summer Research Institute (SRI) engaged participants in an audacious inquiry: What is the role of the human mind in creating today’s divisions, and how can our minds transform to create a more connected world?   From June 6-10, …

The Mind, the Human-Earth Connection, and the Climate Crisis

10 Hours, 20+ Speakers, 1 Message:The Climate Crisis, It’s a Relationship Problem The climate crisis affects us all, and increasingly it’s affecting our mental health. The problem can seem overwhelming and solutions beyond our grasp. What if what’s really needed is to reframe the issue? This 10-hour course combines the latest science—on climate change, behavior …

Planting Seeds for a New Research Field: Lessons from the Early Days of Mind & Life

The first Mind & Life Dialogue with the Dalai Lama took place in Dharamsala, India in October 1987 on the theme of Buddhism and the cognitive sciences. Five scientists gathered with His Holiness in what was described as a ‘living room conversation.’ For seven days, they explored topics ranging from cognitive psychology, perception, memory, and …

How One Global Company is Using Mindfulness — and a new Mind & Life Film — to Nurture Compassion and Connection

How might an understanding of conscious evolution and the African philosophy of ubuntu help nurture open dialogue, teamwork, and leadership skills within a fast-paced corporate culture? In September, employees at the pharmaceutical giant Novartis had the chance to find out when roughly 400 team members around the globe attended online screenings of the Mind & …