Mindful Democracy
Plus Coming Attractions
The latest interview on my Spirit Matters podcast brings us to the intersection of spirituality and politics—more specifically, mindfulness and democracy. My guest, Jeremy David Engels, is the Liberal Arts Endowed Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences at Pennsylvania State University; the co-founder of Yoga Lab in State College, PA; a longtime mindfulness and yoga teacher; and a student of Thich Nhat Hanh. His academic research reimagines democracy as a communal practice rooted in care, deliberation, and shared responsibility, emphasizing mindfulness as a core civic skill. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Yoga Journal, and Tricycle magazine. He has also earned the Karl Wallace Award, the New Investigator Award (from the National Communication Association), and Penn State’s Outstanding Tenure-line Faculty Teaching Award. He is also the author of six books, including Living Namaste: A Practical Guide to Yoga, Mindfulness, the Ethics of Oneness, and Building Community; The Ethics of Oneness; The Politics of Resentment; and his latest, On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World. Our conversation focuses on the subject of that last book, mindful democracy, and its implications for our current social and political conditions. In his words, “For me, democracy begins with common ground, embraces disagreement, and is embodied in everyday practices of mindfulness, compassion, and community-building.”
I think you’ll find this a timely and rewarding conversation. Listen here on the podcast homepage. While you’re there, please subscribe (it’s free) and peruse the archive of about 110 interviews (also free).
Karma Kourse and Webinar
Join me Saturday, noon ET, for a (FREE) hourlong webinar on the subject of karma. Information and registration here.
It will be a substantive discussion and also serve as a preview of the far more substantive 10-week course I’ll be teaching starting in July, Karma: Principles, Misconceptions and Practical Implications. Details on the course here.
In the Maine Stream
If you’ll be in the vicinity of Portland, Maine, July 31-August 1, or know anyone who will be, I’ll be sharing a platform—live and in-person—with my old friend and stellar scholar of philosophy and religion, Dana Sawyer. The overall heading is: THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY & THE PATHWAYS TO SELF-REALIZATION
We’ll be giving a talk that Friday evening (The Promises, Possibilities, & Pitfalls) and a workshop on Saturday afternoon (Putting Self-Realization into Practice).
Friday details here. Saturday details here.
Next Gita
The Bhagavad Gita study and discussion series will resume on Tuesday, May 26, 7:30-9:00 pm ET. We’ll pick up where we left off, at the beginning of Chapter 4.
Paid subscribers only. As always, you can join the party even if you’ve missed the previous sessions, and the video will be sent the next day if you can’t make it live.