Research on contemplative practices and their larger context can take various pathways, but as a methodology, one key method is neurophenomenology, an approach that fully acknowledges the mutual importance of an account of experience from within experience, along with measures, such as behavioral data and brain imaging, that purport to stand outside experience. Developed especially …
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Plenary Symposium: Clinical Panel “Effects of Contemplative Training in Vulnerable Populations”
This session will feature talks on how contemplative and mindfulness-based training can help to enhance social connectivity and aid in the development of individual and societal flourishing in vulnerable and marginalized populations, including older adults, African Americans and people living with chronic medical conditions. David Creswell Mindfulness training to decrease loneliness and enhance social connectivity …
Keynote and Q&A: “Understanding Human Thought Through Dynamic Brain Systems”
Mind-wandering has recently come to occupy a central position in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Most theories and research so far have examined it in terms of task-unrelated or stimulus-independent mental contents that occur at particular moments of time. A defining feature of mind-wandering, however, are its dynamics: how thought moves over time. In this talk, …
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6 Days, 28 Speakers, 1 Powerful Message: The Climate Crisis, It’s a Relationship Problem
Even the best-intentioned efforts to stem the climate crisis often fail to address root causes; namely, our disconnection from one another and the earth. Could solutions to this and other climate-related challenges lie within the human mind? More than 900 scholars, scientists, contemplatives, students, and activists from 30+ countries convened online for Mind & Life’s …
Mind & Life Summit Explores Role of Emotions in Personal and Collective Flourishing
Could transforming our mental states create a better world? This audacious proposition lay at the heart of the Science & Wisdom of Emotions Summit presented by Mind & Life and The Awake Network Foundation on May 2-5. Reflecting growing interest in the cultivation of emotional well-being, more than 100,000 people in 140 countries gathered for …
Inspiring Minds – April 2021
Our April conversation features Amishi Jha and Jon Kabat-Zinn, and cellist Barbara Bogatin. Learn more about the inner workings of the mind, and how to cultivate greater attention and wise action in how we conduct ourselves individually and collectively.
From Teacher Burnout to Teacher-led Reform
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re pleased to profile Mind & Life grantee and Fellow Tish Jennings, a pioneer in mindfulness and education and social-emotional learning whose research over two decades has fostered greater teacher well-being and more compassionate classrooms. America faces a growing teacher shortage, made only worse by the pandemic. According to …
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New Framework Shows Why Mindfulness is a Foundational Capacity for Meeting the Challenges of Our Time
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 …
From Argentina to South Africa: Contemplative Scientists Find Connection and a Home
With roots in North America and western Europe, the field of contemplative science is now expanding around the globe. Despite this growth, not all researchers have access to the same knowledge, resources, and networks. And for those advancing new areas of inquiry, the experience can be an isolating, if not lonely, one. Researchers pioneering new …
Inspiring Minds – March 2021
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?
