Session Highlights 

By The Mindful Leader Team

In an era defined by political upheaval, global conflicts, climate uncertainty, and rapid technological change, our emotional well-being faces unprecedented challenges. How do we maintain our center when it feels like the ground beneath us is constantly shifting? The answer might lie in an ancient concept that's more relevant today than ever: equanimity.

Understanding Equanimity

Equanimity isn't just staying calm when things go wrong. It's a profound state of emotio…

By The Mindful Leader Team

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, December 3, 2025

People often treat meditation formats as interchangeable: apps, guided sessions, silent sits, breathwork, as though all paths deliver the same benefits. But neuroimaging research is beginning to show that specific physiological systems may only respond under particular conditions: duration, silence, self-guidance, and the type of practice itself.

A new study examined whether sustained, silent awaren…

By Mo Edjlali, Founder of Mindful Leader; Author, Open MBSR

250 years ago, America's founding revolution rejected kings. Ordinary people could govern themselves. That was the work of independence. 250 years later, we face a harder challenge. Can a nation built around individual freedom learn how to belong to itself?

Millions of us feel politically free but economically exposed. We can reach almost anyone instantly, yet many of us have nowhere we are truly known. We are told to pursue our own s…

By Mo Edjlali, Founder of Mindful Leader; Author, Open MBSR

At this point, you may be wondering why I am so interested in contempt. Fair question. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article called 4 Ways We Carry Contempt. Then I wrote 4 Signs You’re a Mindful Zombie, which was, let’s say, not exactly written with the softness of a lavender eye pillow.

And now here I am, back at contempt again. So either I am developing a specialty, or contempt has been trying to tell me something.

After writing abo…

In the bustling corridors of modern workplaces, the need for self-reflection and continuous improvement is more crucial than ever. Rooted in principles of organizational development, the Start, Stop, Continue exercise is simple and effective. Its origins, while not attributed to a single creator, lie in the collective wisdom of management and human resources professionals who recognize the power of actionable feedback.

The Essence of the Model

The model is disarmingly simple: categorize action…

A closer look at the 2026 meditation practice report

By Mo Edjlali, Founder, Mindful Leader. Author, Open MBSR. Creator, Meditate Together.

In my last article, we went looking for mindful zombies. The people performing depth instead of living it. The half-smile. The woo-woo vocabulary. The serenity worn like a costume. 

But it left a harder question hanging. If the calm face and the right words don't prove anything, then what does? Strip away the performance, the lineage, the performed enligh…

By Mo Edjlali, Founder of Mindful Leader; Author, Open MBSR

Nobody sets out to become a mindful zombie. You started down this path wanting to be kinder, less reactive, a better partner, boss, or parent. Maybe you were recovering from a difficult time: a job loss, a divorce, a personal tragedy.

You signed up for a course, did a retreat, started reading or watching videos. You found something that had been missing, something that made sense, and teachers, neuroscientists, leaders, celebrities, a…

"Most people are shocked to discover they are addicted to contempt."

At our 2025 Mindful Leader Summit, Tim Shriver, CEO of the Special Olympics and co-creator of the Dignity Index, said that to a room full of mindfulness practitioners, researchers, and leaders who had gathered precisely because they cared about how we treat each other. He was joined by Marc Brackett, founder of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, whose decades of research on emotional intelligence made the point land e…

The 2026 Meditation Practice Report presents findings from 272 practitioners surveyed in Spring 2026. Our findings help mindfulness professionals design more effective programs that align with actual practice patterns.

Key Findings:

• Most practitioners (61.6%) meditate daily, with 10–20 minutes the most common session length (36.2%)
• Morning practice dominates (64.6%), suggesting optimal timing for group sessions and reminders
• "Too many distractions" (32.7%) has overtaken "not enough time" (29…