By Jennifer Egert, Ph.D.
Like many of us, I have a love-hate relationship with the city. For much of the year, it seems like a lot of effort goes out just to manage the noise, crowds, and challenges city life presents. It is hard to be mindful in the midst of a lot of tension. Tension [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Feeling tired, I was headed home after a long day at work.  On the subway platform, I waited and watched as all kinds of trains passed by–all except the one that I needed.  Even the garbage train honked noisily through the station.  My train was nowhere in sight. 
After enduring a seemingly unending [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Last week, a homeless man, Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, intervened to stop a physical altercation between a man and a woman in Queens.  A few hours later, he was found dead on the sidewalk as a victim of multiple stab wounds.  According to surveillance video, the man collapsed on the street a couple [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Urban Mindfulness is growing!  Due to our success and growing popularity over the past 18 months, we’re seeking the help of a dedicated volunteer in the area of social networking.  Do you “tweet”?  Do you know the difference between a Facebook Fan Page and a Group Page?  Do you like reading blogs [...]

By Jennifer Egert, Ph.D.
Ironic how in the most populated city in the US, the ability to be isolated, unconnected and anonymous is unprecedented. We are constantly surrounded by people. Perhaps this is why we turn off, turn inward, shut out the millions of lives that are around us. In some ways, it is kind of [...]

By Jennifer Egert, Ph.D.
I was recently given a great gift: a hand-me-down car. I haven’t owned a car in over 10 years, not since coming back home to the city from graduate school. Driving in the city is always a trip. It is kind of like a video game, all the unexpected objects darting out [...]

By Irene Javors, LMHC
Recently, I had lunch with a friend in my neighborhood. We met at a neighborhood place that still makes homemade mashed potatoes and meat loaf soaked in gravy. Forget about carb awareness or calorie counting. This is burgers, chicken wings, french fries and souvlaki land. Everyone knows everyone and the waitstaff has [...]