Mind & Life Institute

Historical trauma has deeply impacted Indigenous communities, resulting in high rates of mental health issues, substance abuse, and chronic diseases. In their new essay for Insights, Jeffrey Proulx PhD, Chase Bryer, MSW, and Jacob Cousin of Brown University share their work incorporating community-specific traditions, stories, languages, and spirituality as vehicles for mindfulness in Indigenous and underserved communities on the path to healing: https://lnkd.in/gvYCKa74 #IndigenousHealing #CompassionateCommunities #Mindfulness #CommunityStrength #CulturalRevitalization #HistoricalTrauma

“The beauty of the Summer Research Institute is the invitation to dive in at that deep end—to forgo the banal shallows of small talk and let go of the insulation of titles, degrees, career fields, and nationalities," reflects guest writer and SRI participant MeiLan Haberl on the Mind & Life blog. Read more of MeiLan's reflection, including digital sketches created throughout the event inspired by conversations, contemplations, and questions that arose during the program held at the The Garrison Institute: https://lnkd.in/ek7GcQYd #CompassionateCommunities #Compassion #ContemplativePractice #ContemplativeResearch

At the 2024 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute (SRI) at The Garrison Institute, participants, including researchers, practitioners, contemplatives, and changemakers, came together to explore the role of compassion in creating a better future for everyone. In today's highly connected world, we often find ourselves isolated in online echo chambers, which is contributes to a global mental health crisis, climate emergencies, loneliness, and displacement. The SRI came together to address how promoting compassion for the common good can help build a world that embraces all. Dates for the upcoming SRI are scheduled for June 1 – 7, 2025. Applications will open the first week of December 2024. Photos courtesy of Mind & Life Institute #betterfuture #betterfutureforall #MindAndLife #GarrisonInstitute #CompassionInAction #mindandlifesri2024 #SRI2024 #CompassionateCommunities #contemplativeresearch

“At a time of unprecedented complexity, deepening polarization, and rapid technological transformation, fostering genuine dialogue has never been more critical,” writes Mind & Life Board Chair Thupten Jinpa. On the blog, he describes what makes multidisciplinary dialogues possible, citing successful examples from the Mind & Life Digital Library with deep relevance for our world today. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gfpnXWRc #Dialogue #CompassionateCommunities #DalaiLama

What is the art of dialogue? And how do relational practices help us cultivate compassion and connection? We're exploring these questions and more in this month's Mindstream, our email newsletter, arriving soon. Sign up now and get a copy straight to your inbox👇 https://lnkd.in/gzMJFiw7 #CompassionateCommunities #Mindstream #Dialogue #RelationalMeditation

Happy birthday to the Dalai Lama! 🎉 Today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns 89 years old. We hope you'll join us in celebrating—watch below as a few friends stopped in to share some reflections and warm-hearted greetings 🙏 #DalaiLama #TashiDalek

How do meditation states of deep concentration affect our perception of the world? Varela grantee Jonas Mago will examine how advanced meditators process sounds differently during Jhana meditation, a deep state of focus and concentration, compared to ordinary mindfulness. This will help assess whether Jhana meditation can override our ordinary states of perception. Learn more about this project and other recent grantees: https://lnkd.in/eaPuyKKe #Meditation #Jhana #JhanaMeditation #PersonalWellbeing #Perception #Mindfulness #Buddhism

"I don't think it's possible to meditate if we don't have some sense of psychological safety," shared social scientist and meditation teacher Eve Ekman on the Mind & Life podcast. Listen for more wisdom on mapping our emotions, becoming more sensitive through meditation, understanding equanimity, and more! 🎧 https://lnkd.in/eVCefW27 #Technology #PersonalWellbeing #EmotionalWellbeing #MentalHealth

Originally intended for 10,000 inhabitants, the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi now hosts over 60,000 people, with new arrivals exacerbating already strained conditions. A majority of residents suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, with daily life characterized by relentless stress and anxiety. Yet despite these challenges, thousands of refugee children and teens here are finding hope through the practice of yoga. “In numerous instances, we have witnessed the profound impact of yoga in fostering peace, enhancing physical well-being, and alleviating post-traumatic stress and anxiety among individuals,” says Dharmajyoti, Founder and President of the Yoga Pura Vida Foundation (YPV). In 2023, YPV received a Mind & Life Contemplative Changemaking Grant, allowing them to create a dedicated space within the camp to facilitate yoga sessions for people of all ages. Join us in celebrating the transformative power of yoga on #InternationalYogaDay, and let’s continue to support initiatives that bring peace and healing to those in need 🌍🧘♀️ Read more on the blog: https://lnkd.in/eqMVnhEN #InternationalYogaDay #YogaForPeace #CompassionateCommunities #Yoga

“Cultures carve deep grooves for our minds to travel,” shared cognitive scientist and professor Lera Boroditsky in our 2015 Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. “When we’re stuck inside one of those trenches,” she adds, we don’t consider how we could think differently. Looking at other cultures and seeing how things could be different is one way of better understanding yourself, how you came to be who you are, and why you see the world a certain way. Learn more from Lera and other leading scientists on the Mind & Life Digital Library: https://lnkd.in/eE9hTZQQ #CompassionateCommunities #SocialContext #Language #Culture #ContemplativePractice