Ten years ago we had a vision that a program designed to support teachers’ well-being and mindfulness would transform classroom environments. Today we celebrate our success with first day of our Tenth Annual CARE retreat at the Garrison Institute and the infographic below. Our research has confirmed that when we take CARE of our teachers, they are better prepared to…
Welcome to episode five of the Climate, Mind and Behavior Podcast. Each episode, we’ll explore groundbreaking intersections between climate change, resilience, contemplative practice and human behavior. Lois Marie Gibbs is a renowned environmental justice activist and author. You may also know her as the champion of the love canal disaster and the mother of the superfund. In 1980, the superfund was…
Every Tuesday in June through September, Friends of the High Line offers a meditation class on the High Line in New York City from 8am to 9am. This morning’s class was led by John McIlwain, Director of the Garrison Institute’s Climate, Mind and Behavior program. “Every tradition emphasizes the importance of practicing meditation on a daily basis,” McIlwain said. “But…
In their Journey of the Universe project—which includes a film, book, and website—philosopher Brian Thomas Swimme and historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker attempt to tell the biggest story ever told: the history of the universe. Through a compelling blend of scientific facts and humanistic inquiry, they move from exploring the formation of the galaxies, stars, planets, and evolution of…
In the Mahåparnibbåna Sutta, there is an accounting of the monks’ response to the Buddha’s death. It seems a pretty good description of the spectrum of grief responses we might have to the loss of someone we love. … and those monks who had not yet overcome their passions wept and tore their hair, raising their arms, throwing themselves down…
The three goals of palliative care are the relief of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. To accomplish this really well we need expert communication about what is happening and what to expect. We need skilled coordination across all the different settings that patients traverse in a serious illness. We actually now have a growing body of evidence that supports what…
In May, I attended the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul and then conducted a field visit to the Syrian border to plan our upcoming field-based training programs. The trip was a strange, exciting mix of two entirely different parts of the humanitarian aid worker experience. From advocacy in a suit and tie on one day to sifting through muddy operational…
The Mind & Life Institute continues the tradition of hosting its signature program, the annual Mind and Life Summer Research Institute (MLSRI) at the Garrison Institute every year in mid-June. Over the course of a week, a community coalesces. In a rich and intimate retreat-like setting, together we dive deeply into a theme related to contemplative studies. With a broad…