Urban Mindfulness

Finding peace in the middle of it all.

Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D., is the founder of Urban Mindfulness and the Director of the Stress Management Program at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City. See full bio

February 20, 2009

Got Seat? 8 Easy Steps to Meditate on the Subway

Last week, I provided guidelines on how to meditate while standing on the subway (or bus, train, cable car, monorail, etc.). Click here for the post: Standing Subway Meditation. Sometimes though, we're fortunate enough to actually get a seat! Read More

February 13, 2009

Subway Meditation: No Cushion Required

Meditating on the subway is probably not ideal, but it sure beats playing Brick Breaker on your Blackberry, messing with your iPhone (or PSP), or skipping a meditation session altogether. It is safer (and easier) to meditate at home or as part of a meditation group, but sometimes we simply don't have the time. So, here is a simple way to meditate "on the go." Read More

February 3, 2009

What's OM Gotta Do with It?: Making Sense of Meditation

It might seem a little silly to use a Grammy award-winning Tina Turner song from the 1980's as a reference to meditation, but Tina actually has been a devoted meditator for decades! Read More

January 22, 2009

Hope for Change (or Vice Versa)

From a mindfulness perspective, both pessimism and optimism are states of mind introduced into the present moment, but neither accurately describes what is happening now. They represent our expectations or predictions for what will happen in the future, which has yet to occur. In a way, they are both wrong. Read More

January 16, 2009

What Is Urban Mindfulness?

Living in the city presents many unique benefits and challenges to the cultivation of mindfulness. While it's easy to be overwhelmed by the inherent obstacles (i.e., stress, traffic, distractions, etc.), we can--and should--use the unique experiences of urban living to facilitate our mindfulness practice. Read More

Anxiety Basics

From normal butterflies-in-the-stomach to clinically diagnosable conditions such as Panic Disorder, anxiety motivates some people but paralyzes others.

Go to the Anxiety Basics page for more on Anxiety including: