Mindfulness (Self-Regulation Practices)

Read Kindred’s articles on Mindfulness here.


Awakened Heart Project. If you are Jewish and would like to find a meditation practice that is rooted in the Jewish tradition, the mission of Awakened Heart Project is to promote the use of Jewish contemplative techniques that foster the development of a heart of wisdom and compassion. Cultivating an awakened heart leads to acting in the world with loving-kindness towards all beings recognizing them as manifestations of the Holy One of Being. The AHP provides opportunities for a focused effort at refining contemplative Jewish practices, such as meditation and prayer, as well as creating opportunities for intensive practice.

Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Healthcare and Society. Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is perhaps the most well-known secular form of mindfulness training. Available now at most major medical centers across the U.S., it takes the form of an eight-week class that meets once a week for three hours, plus a day-long retreat.

Contemplative Outreach. If you are a Christian and would like to find a meditation practice that is rooted in the Christian Tradition, Contemplative Outreach is a spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel. The common desire for Divine transformation, primarily expressed through a commitment to a daily Centering Prayer practice, unites our international, interdenominational community.Today, Contemplative Outreach annually serves over 40,000 people; supports over 120 active contemplative chapters in 39 countries; supports over 800 prayer groups; teaches over 15,000 people the practice of Centering Prayer and other contemplative practices through locally-hosted workshops; and provides training and resources to local chapters and volunteers. We also publish and distribute the wisdom teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating and other resources that support the contemplative life.

Eckhart Tolle. Spiritual Teacher and author Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of twenty-nine a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. Tolle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and the highly acclaimed follow-up A New Earth.

Mind & Life InstituteBuilding a scientific understanding of the mind to reduce suffering and promote well-being.

Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program. This is the website for the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program (MBCP) created by Nancy Bardacke. MBCP includes teaching and coaching the mind for labor, mindfulness-based infant massage, mindfulness in parenting, and mindfulness training for professional caregivers. You will find information on the various programs offered by Nancy as well as articles and resources.

Mindful Motherhood. Mindful Motherhood is a program that teaches you how mindfulness practices can be integrated into your everyday life during pregnancy and early motherhood for staying balanced, healthy, and connected with your baby, even in difficult moments.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. If you’ve experienced depression, you might consider mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), which is designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression and chronic unhappiness. It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness. MBCT was developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program.

New Earth – Webcast Archive. A series of ten in-depth interviews with Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now (1999) and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (2008). This archive also includes exercises and chat rooms and will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about present-moment awareness. Material is available for download and transcripts are available. Search “A New Earth” at: www.oprah.com

Pema ChödrönPema Chödrön is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners and has authored several books, including: The Places that Scare YouWhen Things Fall Apart, and Start Where You Are. She is widely known for her down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences.

Sharon SalzbergOne of America’s leading spiritual teachers and authors, Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. The ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work. This website offers a wealth of articles, audio, meditation teachings, media, and a calendar of events for IMS.

Spirit Rock Family Program. Offers classes, daylongs, benefits, and residential retreats in Woodacre, California in which the practice and teachings of mindful awareness from the insight meditation tradition are offered in order to support the development of wisdom and compassion for children, teens, whole families, and the wider community.

Spirit Rock Meditation Center and The Insight Meditation Society. If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness meditation or in participating in a meditation retreat in which you practice mindfulness meditation with skilled teachers from one to ten days or more, you might look into Spirit Rock Meditation Center on the West Coast or the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.

Sylvia BoorsteinSylvia Boorstein, M.A., Ph.D. who wrote the foreword to Mindful Motherhood,is a psychologist, meditation teacher, political activist, and cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Her website offers her books, a do-it-yourself meditation retreat, audio recordings, and a calendar of her events.

Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. GoenkaThis website connects seekers with the international communities of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. Vipassana is taught in ten-day residential courses that are free of charge to participants, running solely off of donations. Find courses throughout the world, information on Vipassana, recordings of Mr. Goenka, and more.

WiseBrain.orgGo to this website for a plethora of “News and Tools for Happiness, Love, and Wisdom” at the meeting place of psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice.