What can an ancient Greek play show modern audiences about the circumstances nurses have found themselves in over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic? That’s a question Theater of War Productions and Dr. Cynda Rushton, professor of nursing and bioethics at Johns Hopkins University, hope will be answered when The Nurse Antigone premieres to audiences around the world. A project by and for nurses, The Nurse Antigone presents dramatic readings of Sophocles’ Antigone on Zoom—featuring Taylor...

Here at Mindful we talk a lot about the wisdom of self-compassion and the importance of encountering our experience just as it is. And so, we’ve realized we need to take some of our own medicine. We need to rest for a moment. We’re going to model self-care, we’re going to model self-compassion, and we’re going to put this podcast on pause for now.  We’ll be back before long with another episode of Real Mindful.

In this episode of Real Mindful, we pick up this remarkable conversation between old friends as Frank Ostaseski talks about the nature of our minds and how a useful comparison can be the ocean and its waves. After suffering from five strokes over two years, Frank shares how his mindfulness practice provided him with comfort during this difficult time and shares how letting go of his need to return to normal helped him focus on discovery rather than recovery. Show Notes:   Listen to the...

Frank Ostaseski is a well-known and much-loved teacher of meditation, mindfulness, and compassionate service. In the past two years, he’s suffered five strokes that affected his brain’s capacity and as many aspects of daily life became more difficult, Frank found strength and refuge in love, compassion, and curiosity. He also found his practice still very much alive through the whole experience—and his ability to communicate the nuance of what we discover when we welcome everything remains...

In this unique episode of Real Mindful, we’re looking back at some of the memorable moments at Mindful in 2021. Mindful managing editor Stephanie Domet sits down with members of the editorial and design team to discuss what stood out to them in the world of mindfulness over the past year. You’ll also hear all about how the folks at Mindful like to rest, a few things they’re grateful for, and the importance of taking the time to notice the small moments of beauty all around us.  Show notes: ...

In this episode of Real Mindful, neuroscientist and author of the new book Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day, Amishi Jha and Mindful managing editor Stephanie Domet discuss the brain science of attention, how mindfulness meditation helps hone focus, and why our brains are so distractible in the first place. Show Notes: Find more from Amishi Jha here: Peak Mind excerpt: “Find Your Focus: Own Your Attention in 12 Minutes a Day” Find Your Focus: A...

This week, we have Mindful’s very own senior editor, Amber Tucker and junior designer, Paige Sawler here to discuss a very special project: The Mindful Gratitude Journal. In this conversation with Mindful managing editor Stephanie Domet, you’ll hear all about the joy, creativity, challenges and endless Zoom meetings that went into creating this—as we like to call it–work of art. We hope the Gratitude Journal will inspire you to not simply read, but take the practice of gratitude into every...

This week, Mindful managing editor Stephanie Domet is joined by founding editor Barry Boyce for a personal conversation about stories and storytelling—a topic that has always been a pillar in both of their careers. In fact, in every issue of Mindful magazine, Barry writes the back-page column “Point of View,” and in the December issue he writes about stories and storytelling. In this conversation, Barry expands on that article to explore the role stories play, the way they sometimes expire,...

Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. She is also a highly practiced facilitator of trauma-sensitive, restorative Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) interventions for lawyers and law students. Rhonda Magee sat down with Mindful’s managing editor, Stephanie Domet to talk about why her work in social justice is important to her, how she navigates the difficult feelings that arise, what it looks like when she loses her cool—and why she’s not interested...

Before the pandemic, Mindful and mindful.org founding editor Barry Boyce visited the National Museum of the American Indian. In this rich conversation, he shares what he learned about awe, our relationship with nature, and each other while he was there. Plus, Barry offers a working definition of what is and is not “woo-woo.” Show Notes: National Museum of the American Indian Douglas Cardinal Architect Find more from Barry Boyce here: “In Awe of All Our Relations” “Why Meditation is a...

In this week’s episode, JG Larochette, founder of the Mindful Life Project, sits down with Mindful managing editor, Stephanie Domet and shares his transformative encounter with mindfulness. Larochette shares his experience with bringing mindfulness into the classroom and the healing effect it had, not only on his students, but on his greater community. He reminds us that mindfulness is an innate skill we all possess and shares some tips on how to unlock this powerful ability. 

In this week’s episode we learn from experts about empowering men through a courageously expansive and compassionate vision of what it means to be a man. Edward M. Adams and Ed Frauenheim, authors of Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion and Connection, share how mindfulness helps to cultivate self-awareness, courage, vulnerability that can help men live more full, connected lives.  Plus, get the details about our Mindful30 Meditation Challenge, an offering you won't...

In this episode of Real Mindful, Barry Boyce sits down with managing editor Stephanie Domet to talk about overcoming our differences, how mindful awareness can help us navigate the habits and patterns that arise in our in-groups, the refreshing value of encountering other perspectives, the benefits of mindful teasing and the beauty of encouragement.

For Ruth King, holding onto hate is not an option. Instead, she returns to the knowledge that we are interconnected, and that we belong to each other—even when it’s hard. “The world needs our wise hearts right now,” she says, and mindfulness can give us the inner stability to respond, rather than react, when change feels urgent. In the first ever episode of Real Mindful, Ruth joins managing editor Stephanie Domet in conversation about finding comfort in impermanence, and the healing power of...

Imagine a retreat where you don’t talk and your dad expects you to come out of the whole experience as an evolved version of yourself. The character Fleabag, in the half an hour dramedy Fleabag, experiences just that. Barry Boyce and Stephanie Domet consider this one-and-done approach to mindfulness. Show notes: Fleabag Season, 1 Episode 4. Violinist Fritz Kreisler. Not to be confused with Fritz Crisler, American football coach. Violinist Itzhak Perlman is not a cellist.

Good news: It’s okay to be a mindful vulgarian. It’s all about mindful communication.  Special guest Pat Rockman joins Barry Boyce and Stephanie Domet. Stephanie guides the conversation by gleaning Barry and Pat’s insights into mouthing off mindfully. And, she finds out if they ever write someone off as a jerk. Show notes: This episode contains strong language. Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. 

Have you ever had those moments of inescapable boredom? It persists like an itch you can’t scratch. Often in those moments, we desperately try to find something to satisfy or entertain ourselves. But maybe we should stop doing that. Barry Boyce and Stephanie Domet discuss their experiences with boredom. Together they provide insight into why boredom can come up in meditation, how to move through it and the perception you can find beneath.

You don’t want to miss this layered conversation that addresses racism, privilege, and fragility. Rhonda Magee, Ram Mahalingam, and Mirabai Bush talk to Barry Boyce about drawing on their experiences to navigate racial justice.  Show notes: Rhonda Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. Ram Mahalingam is a cultural psychologist, award-winning researcher, teacher, mentor, artist, and filmmaker. Mirabai Bush is a senior fellow at the Center for Contemplative Mind in...

Barry Boyce and Stephanie Domet talk about the push and pull of emotions versus rationality. They discuss how people can have the impression we need to remain in a neutral, calm state. Barry says that’s not the answer nor is it the truth of who we are as humans. He recalls moments where he’s dealt with anger and what he’s learned from it all.  Barry leads Stephanie through a practice to sit with your emotions. Together they reflect on the role of emotions in our lives and in our mindfulness...

Barry Boyce and Stephanie Domet talk about the big-p: politics of governments. And the small-p: politics of everyday life. We move in and out of the zones, sometimes unaware of the politics and our own bias that’s operating within the spaces. How does politics fit into mindfulness? Mindfulness can help us to utilize compassion and awareness to address bias, privilege, racism, and other political issues, both big and small. Show notes: This episode contains strong language.

As we move through our day, how many things are we looking at but not truly seeing? Where are we injecting ideas of what something should be and missing the truth in front of us? Barry Boyce tells Stephanie Domet about an epic battle he had with a jigsaw puzzle that revealed how the perceptions we hold can lead us into having images of how somebody or something should be instead of seeing people and situations for what they are.

Rudeness is everywhere, even in the circles of mindfulness. But what is it that we’re picking up on when we experience rudeness?  Barry Boyce tells Stephanie Domet how he noticed impoliteness at several conferences and mindfulness retreats. What he discovered is the contrast between being aware of your thoughts and being aware of the people around you.  Together they navigate how to let go of control, listen with your body, and step outside of focusing on yourself to make room for others.

Rhonda Magee joins Barry Boyce to explore how mindfulness is more than a personal improvement project. They discuss how mindfulness can aid in conversations about race. Show notes: Rhonda V. Magee is a professor of law at the University of San Francisco. Also trained in sociology and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), she is a facilitator of trauma-sensitive, restorative MBSR interventions for lawyers and law students, and for minimizing the effects of social-identity-based bias.

Barry Boyce asks Patricia Rockman how mindfulness is used in treatment plans and debunks the ‘cure-all’ perception. They discuss the Centre of Mindfulness Studies in Toronto and what their role is for clinicians and the general public.  Show notes: Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the Senior Director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto.