by Alexa Owen. Contemplative science is widely recognized as a growing support for a number of populations: patients of chronic pain and illness, caregivers, mental health practitioners, and more. [...] Learn More »
by Ayesha Basi. Last week, I participated in my first silent retreat led by the wonderful Kate Johnson. Not only was it my first retreat, but it was my first time spending five days in meditation focused solely on metta, the practice of lovingkindness. [...] Learn More »
by Nalanda Institute and Lama Rod Owens. Compassion is one of the most important practices that we can embrace. It’s also one of the hardest for us to be working on because it’s so easy [...] Learn More »
by Geri Loizzo. One of the ways the Nalanda Institute community likes to step into the groove of the warm season is to find opportunities to sink into a good book, whether it’s reading or listening. [...] Learn More »
by Rahshaana Green. When I think of summer, I think of Juneteenth. As a young girl growing up in Houston, TX, I remember it fondly as part of the festivities of summer. [...] Learn More »
As a person living with a diagnosis of severe mental illness, in a Black body, and with a queer heart, the lack of belonging, community, and connection has been normalized. Learn More »
by Geri Loizzo The Mindfulness Revolution has helped many taste a life of more clarity and ease, but the promise and depth of traditional Mindfulness goes much deeper. Our Contemplative Psychotherapy Program (CPP) Mindfulness Year will not only update you on the latest research and practical applications of mindfulness, self-compassion, and loving-kindness, but will also ground you in […] Learn More »
by Dr. Joe Loizzo I recently had the pleasure of connecting (in person!) with contemplative neuroscientist David Vago and some of our mutual friends at the inaugural meeting of the International Society of Contemplative Research (ISCR) he founded with Nalanda Institute board member Doris Chang and others. Set on the lovely campus of the UC […] Learn More »
by Dan Donohue As I look back on the year, there’s a theme that keeps coming up for me — the importance of community. As we emerge into what’s often referred to as the post-pandemic new normal, it’s ever more vital that we come together to support one another and work with intention to bring […] Learn More »
by Heather Shaw It has not been the best year of my life. Much of it was spent with a partner battling stage 3 cancer — juggling the regular responsibilities of a family, a job and one very active puppy (which seemed like a good idea at the time) with an added dimension of constant […] Learn More »
by Joe Loizzo Joe Loizzo MD, PhD, is the founder and Academic Director of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science. The following essay has been adapted from the forthcoming 2nd edition of Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy to be published by Routledge in January 2023. To learn more about the Contemplative Psychotherapy Program visit our information […] Learn More »
by Joe Loizzo, MD, PhD Today’s confluence of breakthrough neuropsychological research and diverse methods of mind/body health and well-being has coalesced in a new multi-disciplinary consensus and a historic confluence of distinct therapeutic approaches. Centered around a positive new science of human nature and a radically optimistic framework of plasticity, learning and change, this watershed […] Learn More »
By Geri Loizzo Another week, another shooting. Just in the past two weeks, we have seen unspeakable killings — of children and their teachers finishing their school year in Uvalde, of cherished elders and guardians shopping in a Buffalo grocery store, and of churchgoers sharing community in Laguna Woods. It has become a common occurrence […] Learn More »
By Katherine Jamieson Editor’s Note: Katherine Jamieson will be leading a 3-session contemplative writing course, Contemplative Writing: Uncovering the Writer Within beginning June 6th. Find out more and register today. I talk to a lot of people who want to be writers, but are struggling. Something is in the way. They think: What should I […] Learn More »
by Anita Anandan Editor’s Note: If you’re inspired by Anita’s story, please check out Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT) / Teacher Training and become a certified CBRT Teacher. Find out more and register — the training begins May 25th! In December 2021, I had a chance to teach Nalanda Institute’s Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT), in a […] Learn More »
by Joe Loizzo, MD, PhD It’s no secret that our work lives are becoming ever-more complex, fast-paced and stressful in our global, digital age. We need only look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the workplace to see how rapidly and radically the conditions of living and working in today’s fluid environment can change. […] Learn More »
by Dan Donohue Editor’s Note: Dan Donohue is Nalanda Institute’s recently-appointed Executive Director. In this post he shares a bit of his personal journey in the context of the Institute’s renewed mission and vision statements. I hope these words find you well as we say goodbye to another summer and welcome the fall. I’ve always […] Learn More »
by Vanessa Kelly Completing Nalanda Institute’s Contemplative Psychotherapy Program transformed my life in many expected and beautiful ways. It deepened my understanding of Buddhist psychology and philosophy, supported and solidified my mediation practice, and immersed me in a diverse, inclusive community of inspiring friends and colleagues. It also transformed me in unexpected and equally beautiful […] Learn More »
by Joe Loizzo With summer here, we invite you to make more space and time to practice unwinding, whether in your favorite natural refuge—seaside or mountainside, lake or forest—on the cushion in your meditation space or in your choice reading chair or coffee nook in whatever spare minutes or hours you can clear in your […] Learn More »
by Nina Herzog As a Buddhist, technically, I’m not supposed to be angry. So how exactly does that go? Anger eats us up inside, it’s a poison. As The Most Awesome Ruth King once told me on retreat, “Anger is not the deepest truth that wants to be told.” That pretty much stopped me in […] Learn More »
by Elizabeth Rovere Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Rovere is a longstanding member of our faculty and board who has devoted her career to exploring the fertile intersection between the collective dimension of psychic healing and the spirituality of self-transcendent experience. Find out about Elizabeth’s contemplative reading group, Everyday Epiphanies: When the Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary running May […] Learn More »
by Joe Loizzo Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from Tarka, Volume 0, “Yoga Philosophy, On the Scholar-Practitioner,” a publication from Embodied Philosophy. The full article is available here as well, courtesy of Embodied Philosophy. Have you ever wondered why the trend in modern science, scholarship, and practical expertise seems inexorably headed in one direction— […] Learn More »
por Joe Loizzo Publicado originalmente en inglés el 4 de junio de 2020. Cada año a medida que se acerca el verano me siento a escribir algo celebratorio para las graduaciones de nuestros alumnos del programa de psicoterapia contemplativa y otros programas. Pero después de ver el asesinato desgarrador de George Floyd en vídeo, celebrar […] Learn More »
by Joe Loizzo Usually, as summer nears, I would be sitting down to write something to celebrate our recent graduates in our Contemplative Psychotherapy and other programs. But it feels impossible to celebrate anything after watching the gut-wrenching murder of George Floyd on videotape. As the coronavirus ravages the U.S., disproportionally impacting our black, brown […] Learn More »