About

What We Do

Programs

Weekly Mindfulness Meditation Sessions

Designed to introduce beginners to meditation as well as to build a community of mindfulness at Columbia Law School, our weekly one-hour sessions are led by experienced practitioners and can accommodate all skills and comfort levels. Participants are taken through a guided meditation seated either on chairs or floor pillows, and those with disability requests are happily accommodated.

Mindfulness Meditation Retreats

For those interested in digging deeper, our all-day and weekend interactive workshops provide an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to explore the theoretical components of mindfulness as well as learn new breathing and movement practices. Participants also have the opportunity to join discussion groups and share their personal experiences with meditation.

Mindfulness Lectures

The Mindfulness Program regularly invites speakers to discuss mindfulness and how it intersects with a variety of issues, including mindful approaches to social justice, the law, as well as integrating mindfulness into your day to day life.

Who We Are

Who We Are

Patricia Bloom headshot
Patricia Bloom

Associate Professor, Mt. Sinai Medical Center

Home Nguyen

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia Teachers College
Founder, MindKind Institute

Magi Pierce headshot
Magi Pierce

Senior Instructor, Kula Yoga
Co-Founder, JP Center Yoga

Gina Sharpe head shot
Gina Sharpe

Co-Founder, New York Insight Meditation Center

Caroline Voldstad Daniell head shot
Caroline Voldstad Daniell

JD, '18

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Elizabeth Emens headshot
Elizabeth Emens

Thomas M. Macioce Professor of Law

Director, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Peter Strauss headshot
Peter Strauss

Betts Professor Emeritus of Law

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Patricia Connelly head shot
Patricia Connelly

Senior Writer, Development

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Carol Liebman
Carol Liebman

Clinical Professor Emerita of Law

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Barbara Schatz head shot
Barbara Schatz

Clinical Professor of Law

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Susan Sturm
Susan Sturm

George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Responsibility

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Kendall Thomas headshot
Kendall Thomas

Nash Professor of Law

Program Builder, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

Headshot of Kiana Taghavi, CLS Mindfulness Program Coordinator Emerita
Kiana Taghavi

Coordinator Emerita, Mindfulness Program, Columbia Law School

What is Mindfulness

Mindfulness means paying attention to whatever is happening right now without judgment and with kindness.  Mindfulness meditation involves practicing this way of being present in the current moment.  With various techniques, mindfulness invites us to be fully present and fully aware of what is happening inside and outside of us.  For those in the legal profession, mindfulness meditation can be useful to manage stress as well as to see clearly the people and problems we face each day.  Mindfulness can help us to work with, rather than against, our emotions and to engage in our lives and work with purpose.  Mindfulness can help the Columbia Law School community deal with the demands and pressures that emerge in high stress environments, such as law school and the legal field.  Join us at our next event to explore mindfulness and its benefits.