Blog
Wackfulness
Time to Kill Kindness?
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder & CEO
Picture this: You're walking down a hallway, and suddenly you're surrounded by pastel-colored posters screaming "BE KIND!" at you from every angle. Are you in a kindergarten? A psychiatric ward? Or perhaps some Orwellian nightmare where Big Brother has been replaced by a giant smiley face?
Okay, okay, I admit it - that title is a bit click-baity. We're not actually advocating for the death of kindness here (put down those pitchforks, please). But sti…
Mindfulness: A Tool for Polarization or America's Political Healer?
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder & CEO
As I sit here, just outside the political pressure cooker of Washington D.C., I can't help but reflect on the state of our nation. The polarization in American politics has reached a fever pitch, and it's hard to ignore the tension in the air. It reminds me of a pivotal conversation I had years ago - one that challenged my thinking and led me to a profound realization about mindfulness in our politically charged world.
Back in 2017, fresh off a cont…
Mindfulness or Buddhist Spirituality for Sale? A Call for True Independence
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO
As we reflect on freedom and self-determination, we must examine the state of mindfulness in our society. Our field is experiencing a concerning decline and facing growing criticism. Something is fundamentally off, and this article aims to explore one of the potential reasons contributing to this blowback.
Since 2009, when I became involved in this field, the mindfulness industry has experienced significant growth, benefiting millions while blurrin…
Mindful Ethics: 4 Questions Raised by a Reverse Exorcism
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder & CEO
The episode "Belief" from the series Mind Field explores the profound impact of belief and suggestion on human perception and experience. The central experiment of the episode, described as a "reverse exorcism," is designed not to expel a spirit from an individual but rather to induce the sensation of a spirit entering them. This concept, while fabricated for the purpose of the experiment, serves as a vehicle to investigate the power of belief and the…
Mindfulness Beyond the Hype
By Dr. Gus Castellanos, Guest Contributor
Earlier this year, I wrote about my concerns regarding the future of mindfulness. These centered around the decline in participation in MBPs, partly due to competition from tele-mental health services (covered by insurance) and psychedelics (quick fix) as alternatives; the emergence of inadequately trained teachers; the plethora of apps and asynchronous digital programs; the continued overpromotion and commodification; and the influence of AI.
What Com…
Can the 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness do Harm?
By Mo Edjlali, Mindful Leader Founder and CEO
If you have ever taken Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or are familiar with the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, you probably have heard of the nine attitudes of mindfulness. Initially, Jon Kabat-Zinn described these attitudes in his book Full Catastrophe Living. They are foundational attitudes essential for cultivating mindfulness: non-judging, patience, beginner's mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, letting go, gratitude, and generosity. These…
5 Reasons Visualizations do not belong in Mindfulness Meditation Training
By Mo Edjlali
Mindfulness meditation, with its deep roots in ancient traditions, stands as a beacon of self-awareness and present-mindedness. The essence of mindfulness is to embrace the present moment in all its raw authenticity. Yet, as mindfulness has grown more and more popular, a slew of techniques have been brought into this timeless practice, with visualization standing out as one of the most debated.
Today, the allure of visualization is omnipresent—from spiritual sanctuaries to compe…
Mindfulness Reformation: Balancing Capitalism and Spirituality
By Mindful Leader Team
The meteoric rise of mindfulness in the modern corporate world is testament to its transformative potential. As boardrooms and corporate workshops echo with its principles, its burgeoning popularity beckons an increasingly commodified approach. But within this commercial boom lies a fine ethical line.
Understanding the Foundations and the Complexities
Mindfulness, deeply rooted in Buddhist teachings, has found a prolific space in the West. It's praiseworthy that such an…
How to be Mindful of McMindfulness
In recent years, the practice of mindfulness has gained significant popularity, offering individuals a seemingly effective means of managing stress and finding inner peace. However, a critical examination of this phenomenon, known as McMindfulness, reveals how the practice has been commodified, diluted, and marketed as a panacea for all of life's challenges. Coined by Miles Neale, McMindfulness sheds light on how mindfulness has be…
10 Takeaways - The Good Enough Job & Workism
By The Mindful Leader Team
Caught in a whirlwind of work idealization, many are on a quest for the quintessential job. In a recent interview with Onpoint’s Meghna Chakrabarti, Simone Stolzoff discussed his new book “The Good Enough Job” and offered ten insights into our understanding of work, suggesting that a subtle shift in perception could unlock the doors to more enriched living.
- Shattering the Perfection Illusion: Stolzoff drew an analogy between our work idolization and mid-20th-centur…