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Personal Essays

First-person stories about what mindfulness looks like in real, messy, everyday life. These essays are honest, personal, and often funny - written by people who've found that paying attention changes everything.
student watches while hospice resident rests. a matter of death and life
Depression & Grief
A Matter of Death and Life 

High school seniors at The Harley School in Rochester, New York, have the option of taking a class called “hospice.” Most who sign up for it don’t know what they’re in for, but none of them forget the experience when it’s over. Read More 

  • Jennifer Campbell
  • January 21, 2016
A person wearing a knit beanie looks out at a snowy mountain landscape and lake.
Depression & Grief
Winter Blues 

"Perhaps," says Sylvia Boorstein, "these days of less sunlight are opportunities for more contemplative time, more looking deeply to see what can only be seen in the dark." Read More 

  • Sylvia Boorstein
  • January 18, 2016
A hand holds a carrot with green leafy tops against a blue background.
Getting Started
Is Meditation Self-help? 

"Self-help" can easily take us into a spiral of self-defeat. Meditation unravels that entire approach—to our great relief. Read More 

  • Barry Boyce
  • December 29, 2015
# Alt Text Person sitting cross-legged on a yellow cushion wearing a black jacket.
Guided Meditations
Meditate With Intention, Not Goals 

It's only when we meditate for its own sake—rather than trying to get something from it—that we find the results we're after, says Ed Halliwell.  Read More 

  • Ed Halliwell
  • December 15, 2015
a meditation on violence
Loving-Kindness & Compassion
A Meditation on Violence 

In the aftermath of so many mass shootings, there are practical political and social things we can do. But what do we do with what's going on in our hearts? Read More 

  • Barry Boyce
  • December 3, 2015
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