The Mindfulness Initiative bridges contemplative practice and public policy, championing the inner dimension of social change.

Beyond a mere comfort in troubling times, inner capacities such as mindfulness and compassion are the missing piece in our understanding of humanity’s most urgent challenges. The Mindfulness Initiative works to build inner capacities into society’s bigger picture, supporting politicians to treat the training of heart and mind as a serious matter of public policy.

The Mindfulness Initiative (MI) was formed to support the UK Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group and conduct the Mindful Nation UK inquiry in 2014. The resulting report was the first of its kind, seeking to address mental and physical health concerns through the application of mindfulness-based interventions in the areas of education, health, the workplace and the criminal justice system.

 

 

Mindful Nation UK has since become a reference text for mindfulness initiatives across the globe and has been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese and Croatian. Meanwhile the MI has expanded its scope and produced several ground-breaking publications. Building the Case for Mindfulness in the Workplace (2016), the Fieldbook for Mindfulness Innovators (2019), Mindfulness: Developing Agency in Urgent Times (2020), and Implementing Mindfulness in Schools: An Evidence-Based Guide (2021) have advanced urgent conversations about the role of mindfulness in diverse areas of society. Our output for 2021 included a collection of essays on mindfulness and agency and in 2022 we launched a report from our research partnership with Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies exploring the role of mindfulness and compassion in facing the climate crisis.

 

  
Alongside publications, MI works with legislators around the world who practice mindfulness, helping them to treat capacities of heart and mind as serious considerations of public policymaking. We investigate the benefits, limitations, opportunities and challenges in accessing or implementing mindfulness training — and based on these findings we educate leaders, service-commissioners and the general public.

Areas of impact 

  

1. Political Culture

We support the cultivation of mindfulness and compassion among legislators to shift political culture and elicit wiser policymaking

 

2. Thought Leadership

We advance understanding in the field and equip decision-makers to consider trainable inner capacities in their assessment of problems and design of solutions

  

3. Policy Development 

We assess mindfulness research, analyse current implementation and match this with prevailing policy concerns to make recommendations for change

  

4. Sector Guidance 

We support the sustainable development of the mindfulness sector and the appropriate adoption of mindfulness practices in society

 

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Become a supporter

The MI is a not-for-profit organisation, and none of our work would be possible without donations from visionary individuals who share our hopes for the world. If you are seeking a meaningful way to contribute to genuine, much-needed change, please support our work with a donation. Every gift makes a difference, and no amount is too big or small.