By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Rush hour, changing trains
Like salmon migrating home –
No spawning on stairs
Recently, the NYC subway system has gone from bad to worse. Trains are coming less often, and moving less quickly. With your mindfulness practice, perhaps you’ve noticed these changes, too?
As a result, crowds of passengers are getting more plentiful and [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
My introduction to mindfulness came from reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau when I was in high school. His musings on leading a simple life in the present moment really resonated with me. Recently, I was re-reading Thoreau’s classic book, and I came across a passage that reminded me of [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Here is a re-post of one of the most popular entries from my blog on Psychology Today. (Yes, Urban Mindfulness has a blog on PT (with different content)! Click here to check it out: PT blog.) Hope you enjoy the re-post!
Recently, an article in Miller-McCune caught my attention. [...]

Submitted by Irene Javors, LMHC
“There are many ways to discuss ego, but in essence… … it is the experience of never being present. There is a deep seated tendency, it’s almost a compulsion, to distract ourselves, even when we’re not feeling uncomfortable. Everybody feels a little bit of an itch all the time. There’s a [...]

Welcome to the new Urban Mindfulness website. We’re still moving our original site over to this one, so in the meantime please visit the original UM site for our latest posts: Urban Mindfulness

By Irene Javors, LMHC
I live in Jackson Heights, Queens. Across the street from my apartment, there is a small public park. Most of the time, you can find neighborhood kids playing handball or shooting baskets or just hanging out. Toddlers are in the sandbox or screaming with glee as they go down the slides. Parents [...]

By Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.
Is it me or has the subway become slower and more congested over just the past week? I think that I’m waiting longer for trains to arrive. And when they finally come, they’re packed with people. Suspiciously, I’ve started to wonder if the MTA has started reducing its train [...]