Blog
Wackfulness
Mindfulness is Whack
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO
For those of you who have a close connection to Mindful Leader, you probably know that one of the things that really makes us different is our embracing of critical thought. I grew up with a critical mindset, and joke with folks that if I was a character in the X-Files, I'd be Scully. I’m no Mulder. I’m a skeptic and a critical thinker. As someone who has been involved in this field since 2009, I have witnessed the rise and fall of mindful celebriti…
Is it okay to say… Happy Thanksgiving?
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO
Growing up in elementary school we would all hear this story of Thanksgiving, it goes something like this -
A long time ago when the pilgrims first arrived in America they were struggling to get settled in. As winter approached they feared for their survival and were facing possible starvation. Then they meet the Indians. They formed a friendship with the Indians based on mutual respect and sharing of food and resources. They became friends and al…
Is mindfulness bridging the political divide or widening it?
Today is election day here in the USA, and sitting right outside of DC it’s hard for me to avoid the palpable political buzz in the air. Folks are watching with excitement and anxiety races across all states, keeping a close eye on the possibility of one party gaining power here and losing power there. On top of that, there are concerns about voter suppression, election denial, and attacks on politicians and their families… I don’t need to state …
4 Reasons We Need More Critics of Mindfulness
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO
Recently I stumbled across a Linkedin post highlighting an article featured in the Washington Post, “An unintended consequence of mindfulness” by assistant professor Andrew C. Hafenbrack. I was excited to see folks taking a curious and thoughtful approach to the findings. It reminded me of a very different reaction we experienced when we shared a critical article on social media a few years ago - "You guys are idiots"- the article that ENRAGED our f…
Killing the Buddha
As a pioneer in workplace mindfulness, we're always looking for new perspectives on our field. So, when we came across Work Pray Code by Carolyn Chen which was published last month, we decided to do a series of articles exploring this work with you. Our hopes are to encourage conversation and critical thinking. This excerpt is the second article in our Work Pray Code series. Check out the first article in the series here!
By Carolyn Chen
[Various consultants] and coaches teach Buddhist meditat…
Book Review: Work Pray Code
By The Mindful Leader Team
As a pioneer in workplace mindfulness, we're always looking for new perspectives on our field. So, when we came across Work Pray Code by Carolyn Chen which was published last month, we decided to do a series of articles exploring this work with you. Our hopes are to encourage conversation and critical thinking. This review is the first article in our Work Pray Code series. Check out the second article in the series here!
What Happens When Work is the Place Where Amer…
The Privilege of Being Kind
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Chief Community Organizer
Our mission is to enable people to foster mindfulness and compassion in the workplace and we often talk about kindness. Until recently I never really looked at the act of kindness as a privilege. The experience that I had a few months ago gave me an entirely new perspective.
One night, heading home after work I caught an Uber and I started a conversation with my driver. He was a tall, handsome black man with a rugby player's build. I no…
Is Mindfulness Changing Capitalism, or is Capitalism Changing Mindfulness?
At the 2019 Mindful Leadership Summit, David Forbes and Rich Fernandez debated the question, is mindfulness changing capitalism, or is capitalism changing mindfulness?
At the 2019 Mindful Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, two critics and two pioneers of mindfulness met and debated. What happened during it was a fascinating look into different sides of the same issue with well-considered points and a wealth of detail. This was enough to make this one of the top-rated sessions of the we…
Are Mindfulness Practices Religious and do they Belong in Public Institutions?
By the Mindful Leader Team
At the 2019 Mindful Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, two critics and two pioneers of mindfulness met and debated. What happened during it was a fascinating look into different sides of the same issue with well-considered points and a wealth of detail. This was enough to make this one of the top-rated sessions of the weekend, with reactions that ranged from, "The debate was amazing!" to long, thought out opinions on the format and arguments, but one thing wa…
Is Meditation Selfish? Ask John & George
By Mo Edjlali
I've recently have had a great many questions spurred on by some of the critics of what is happening with Mindfulness. My conversations with folks like Professor Ron Purser, Professor Candy Brown, Assistant Professor Jaime Kucinskas, Professor David Forbes, and independent scholar Glenn Wallis have me thirsty for more intellectual debate. When it comes to mindfulness & meditation where can we find good debate and discussion? Have we created a tone that welcomes dialogue or that s…