A student of mindfulness and Buddhist practices for three decades, Mark Coleman, M.A., is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County, California. He has always been keen to share the fruits of meditation to wider audiences and founded The Mindfulness Institute, where he brings mindfulness trainings to Fortune 500 companies and the non-profit sector. Coleman also…
Many of us find it difficult to manage our technology habits given the omnipresent temptation for distraction in the digital age. Sure, each of us can try our best to be mindful in the moment and try to control the impulse to scroll, swipe, or click our way to satisfaction, but what about the technology companies that deliberately design their…
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. –Martin Luther King Policies concerning climate change and ecology at the federal level are likely to be highly contentious over the next few years. During the controversies ahead, it will be easy, tempting even, to objectify those who don’t “get” the facts of climate change, to see them as “enemies,”…
Developer Jonathan Rose and physician Prabhjot Singh each published books infused with systems thinking in 2016. Rose’s The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations, and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life offers a model for how to design our cities in ways that increase the equality, resilience, adaptability, and well-being of its residents. Singh’s Dying…
These are deeply upsetting times for everyone concerned about our planet, its climate, and the life on it. As the initial shock of the election passes, and a more sober reality emerges, it’s time to pause, breath, and find a still center from which to plan and act as we consider next steps. This is where spiritual practices can be…
Welcome to episode nine of the Climate, Mind and Behavior Podcast. Each episode, we’ll explore groundbreaking intersections between climate change, resilience, contemplative practice, and human behavior. Kristin Barker is the director and co-founder of One Earth Sangha. The group’s mission is to bring the essential wisdom and practices from the Buddhist tradition to collective engagement on critical ecological crises. A native…
During his recent retreat at the Garrison Institute, we spoke with scholar and meditation teacher Alan Wallace about how to cultivate stillness, increase productivity, and determine whether an activity is worth doing. Many people have the sense that they are too busy or distracted in their daily lives. What’s on the other side of that? If a person practices meditation regularly, do…
In the wake of last night’s election results, many of us are experiencing feelings of confusion, sadness, doubt, anger, and fear. Whatever we’re feeling, though, it’s important to allow ourselves to fully experience our emotions. As meditation teacher and author Ethan Nichtern says, “The point of meditation is not to suppress your feelings. It is to make friends with yourself.”…