Welcome!

Welcome to Urban Mindfulness, a website devoted to the practice of meditation and mindfulness for those of us who live in urban areas, particularly New York City.  Here you will find a variety of resources to help you along the path of cultivating peace and personal growth while immersed in the chaos and busyness of city living.

It’s not a coincidence that most monks and religious aesthetes live a cloistered existence far from the influences of city life.  In many respects, it’s easier to practice meditation and mindfulness when you’re not surrounded by external distractions that demand your attention.  However, you need not remove yourself from society—or the “big city”—in order to practice mindfulness and meditation.  It’s simply a matter of adapting these practices to be relevant and applicable to us urban dwellers.  For example, if you can have walking and sitting meditations, why not a subway meditation?

Urban Mindfulness has many downloadable resources for you to use at home or “while on the go”, including instructional podcasts, a calendar of mindfulness and meditation events throughout NYC, and informational handouts.  Also, there’s a blog with mindfulness and meditation tips.

Urban Mindfulness is non-denominational and strives to be relevant to practitioners of all religious faiths.  While mindfulness and meditation are typically associated with Buddhism, there is nothing particularly Buddhist about becoming more aware of your daily life in the city.  Some folks might use this knowledge to become more grounded emotionally (in a secular way), while others might find evidence of the Divine.  However you interpret your experience is up to you.  Urban Mindfulness simply paves the road for self-reflection and awareness.  You’re in control of where—and how far—you go.