An interesting article from the Guardian about the use of mindfulness in a number of universities in the UK, including Cambridge and Buckingham, which aims to be the first British ‘health-positive’ university.  There is also an interesting critique at the end of the article, from Frank Furedi at Kent University who suggests that mindfulness is now so commodified and ritualized that it is infantilizing.  The Guardian article:  http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jan/26/mindfulness-craze-schools-university-near-you-cambridge

An interesting remedy for the constant connectivity many of us are facing:
http://digitaldetox.org/

Sunday, July 24 – Saturday, July 30 2016
Lama Foundation
San Cristobal, New Mexico
Cost: $980 
(includes accommodations, all meals, and workshop fee) ($810 for graduate students)





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View from Lama Foundation (photo by Chase Clow)

 
How can we best work and teach in the service of environmental well-being?  How can we deepen and flourish in our environmental commitments? 
This workshop brings together professors and activists to share ways of living on the front lines of environmental concern.  Using daily meditation, deep listening, nature walks, art, and other reflective exercises, we will probe the depths of the environmental crisis and develop inner resources to work and teach on behalf of global sustainability.
Environmental issues are not simply political, technological, or economic dilemmas but also existential challenges that require us to reflect upon the meaning of our individual and collective lives.  The workshop will introduce contemplative practices tailored specifically for inducing such reflection and for supporting professors and activists in their pedagogical and advocacy efforts.
Part seminar and part retreat, the workshop offers the chance to step back from our frenetic lives and, in the midst of stunning beauty and a supportive community, integrate our deepest spiritual yearnings with our commitment to protect the earth. 
Faculty:
Paul Wapner, Professor, American University
Kritee (Kanko), Scientist & Activist with Environmental Defense Fund, and Zen Teacher
Nicole Salimbene, Visual Artist
Jeff Warren, Author and Meditation Instructor
For more information: http://www.american.edu/sis/gep/Contemplative-Environmental-Studies-Workshop.cfm
Sponsored by: Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education, & Global Environmental Politics Program, American University

Today the UK becomes the first country to publish an all-party parliamentary report on the importance of mindfulness and its benefits for health, education, workplaces and beyond.

See full report here:
http://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk/…/Mindfulness-AP…
www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk
themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk
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I will also make a summary shortly. ​