Latest Posts on Engaged Mindfulness & Teaching Mindfulness

Learn how to identify and soften 'strained effort' in mindfulness practice. Discover why seeing desire is the first step to true presence.

Mike’s journey into mindfulness began while working as a federal employee with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Through an employee resource group called Mindful NOAA, he discovered a growing community of professionals bringing contemplative practices into government spaces. That discovery led him to EMI’s Mindfulness Teacher Training.

If you've taught mindfulness for any length of time, you've probably had moments when you think, 'Well… this isn't the calm, insightful space I was hoping for.' The room feels restless. People are distracted. Someone looks irritated. Someone else looks bored. And if you're honest, you might be feeling some version of that too.

Much of today’s mindfulness teaching takes place on screens, in curated rooms, among people who can mute themselves, turn off their cameras, and leave quietly. This raises an uncomfortable question: Are we still practicing engaged mindfulness—or have we become well-regulated spectators of suffering we no longer have to encounter directly?

Explore the ancient Buddhist metaphor of the six animals to understand how our senses pull us in different directions and how mindfulness can bring us peace

The Insight Timer meditation group offers exactly that. It’s a space where anyone, no matter their level of experience, can come home to themselves through the power of guided practice.

Read or Listen: In a conversation I had with renowned mindfulness teacher and neuroscience consultant Shinzen Young , we explored the wild intersection of ancient contemplative practice and cutting-edge 21st-century technology. The interview, part of a summit on teaching mindfulness, quickly vaulted past standard meditation discussions into a fascinating look at how mathematical metaphors, the rapid ascent of AI, and new biotech  are shaping both human communication and spiri

Learn the difference between formal mindfulness practice (meditation) and informal mindfulness, and how to integrate both into your daily life for less stress and more peace.

Choosing a mindfulness teacher training program is not just about enrolling in a course. It’s a wholehearted step toward your own transformation—a commitment to growing in wisdom and compassion, and to bringing those qualities into the communities and systems you touch. At the Engaged Mindfulness Institute (EMI), we often hear an essential question: “Is a hybrid training really as meaningful as being in person?”