Our ailing civilization cuts us off from what truly matters. For some people, including myself, this causes deep distress.

Mindful Biology grew from my struggle with this dilemma. As a physician, I knew biology could help—at times via therapeutics and always by deepening my understanding. Yet it wasn’t enough by itself, so I sought guidance in a variety of spiritual traditions.

Buddhism and Quakerism aligned best with my values, philosophy, and Life science background.

Buddhism teaches us to see things “as they actually are” free of assumptions, projections, etc. Biology supports such realism with truths about our bodies and the natural world. Buddhism also values direct experience over mere concepts, while feeling into our biology connects us with present-moment, embodied experience.

Quakers sense a divine Light within each person, and many sense the same in nature. Biology bolsters this sensibility, inspiring reverence for all forms of Life, from cells to ecosystems. Quakers also oppose inequity, violence, and exploitation, while biology highlights Life’s deep commonality and the perils of overburdening our earth.

As Life science and spirituality grew together in my understanding and practice, Mindful Biology was born. It awakens spacious knowing, embodied caring, and earthly being. For myself and others, it has proven helpful for living in an ill society while drawing strength from our deepest values. 

Mindful Biology initially used lots of Life science imagery. My love of biological beauty spurred this choice, but I also had faith in the power of images to deepen our connections with our bodies and Life on earth.

Though valuable in some ways, imagery seemed less important as years passed. Time devoted to slide presentations limits time for meditation. Worse, engaging the conceptual mind reduces direct, felt contact with bodily experience. After struggling with this tension for some time, I've decided to cut back on program development.

I'm now awaiting discernment, possibly in the form of an opportunity or collaboration that will show me where to take the project next. In the meantimge, anyone wanting to get a sense of Mindful Biology can view the video class series or read my blog archive.

Currently, I am excited about free meditation clubs and occasional aging-focused mindfulness classes. In these communal spaces, we explore the challenges and promises of growing older as biological beings. 

Simultaneous with realizing it's time to pause the Mindful Biology project, I found a personally satisfying way to explore bodily domains and energies. It borrows from many traditions, experts and sages, as well as my biology-based contemplative practice. Outlined below, it may seed a next stage of evolution, if one comes.

• Spacious Knowing: The powerful brain/mind that moves beyond history, science, philosophy and other frameworks to wise, nonverbal awareness. 

• Embodied Caring: Heart-centered powers of compassion, empathy, and benevolence. 

• Earthly Being: Our oneness with the planet that gives us life and depths of sacred mystery.

• Fluid Aliveness: The flowing energy of body and nature – with all its potency, creativity, and sacredness. 

• Fertile Awareness: The silent womb in which experience grows. Opaque to reflective thinking, it is the ground of all knowing, caring, being, and aliveness.