Nature/Nurture: A Photo/Video Exploration

NEW - I invite you to watch this 24-minute photo/video essay from my hikes in nature. Click on the button above.
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What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to our present moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with that experience in a non-judgmental way. By practicing mindful awareness we cultivate our capacity to connect with the experience of calm, ease, and well-being. Mindfulness is a first-person investigation into the architecture of our own inner landscape. The more gently we come to awareness and accept and befriend our inner landscape, the more kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity we manifest into the worlds we inhabit. Mindfulness and heartfulness are synonymous. Research suggests that the practice of mindfulness lowers blood pressure; boosts the immune system; reduces inflammation; strengthens focus and increases attention (particularly supportive of those suffering from ADHD); helps with difficult mental states such as anxiety, rumination, and depression; fosters emotional regulation; reduces emotional reactivity; increases self-awareness and well-being; and improves the functioning of the brain responsible for decision making, emotional flexibility, and empathy. 

2025 Offerings

Thank you for your interest in Mindfulness Meditation and for visiting Wiseheart Mindfulness. Currently there are no Drop-ins, Workshops, or Retreats scheduled. But please do feel free to browse. 

• You may find my Recorded Meditations/Talks (UCLA/Hammer Museum) & Podcasts (UCLA Mindful Monday) helpful to you. Here you can find a range of practices and talks to support you and your practice. Just click "play" and listen to any of the recorded talks. 
• You might also take some time to view my  Nature/Nurture: A Photo/Video Exploration This way of connecting with your practice is especially meaningful if you find peace and solace and awe in nature. You might wish to view Nature/Nurture as an extended Forest Bathing (Shinrin Yoku) meditation practice. I invite you to check in with yourself (mind/body/emotions) at the beginning and at the end of the Nature/Nurture experience. Just click on the Nature/Nurture link on the Home page and enjoy 25 minutes of peace and connection with what Ralph Waldo Emerson described as the Natural Divine. 
• I might also suggest taking a look at my Resources page. Here you can browse a useful bibliography of mindfulness related books, along with articles and videos of material related to the science of mindfulness. Additionally, the resource page provides a useful list of suggested retreat centers should you be interested in exploring retreat opportunities to support and deepen your practice.  

Enjoy, feel free to visit as often as you like, and I do look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to send me an email. Be well. Dr. Ali

Recorded Meditations/Talks (UCLA/Hammer Museum) & Podcasts (UCLA Mindful Monday)

• To listen to Dr. Ali’s guided meditations click on any of the "Play" links below.  
• All guided meditations offered by invitation through UCLA Mindful. Visit UCLA Mindful at https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful. 
• You can also explore UCLA Mindful vast recorded archive of meditations (including Dr. Ali's) dating all the way back to 2013. Visit UCLA Mindful at https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful/weekly-meditations-talks. 
  
  
• Jan. 30, 2025 Hammer Meditation Play
• August 22, 2024 Hammer Meditation Play
• June 27, 2024 Mindfulness Meditation Play
• October 26, 2023 Mindfulness Meditation Play
• July 6, 2023 Mindfulness Meditation Play
• October 24, 2022 Mindful Monday Play
• August 29, 2022 Mindful Monday Play
• August 22, 2022 Mindful Monday Play
• May 9, 2022 Mindful Monday Play

"The Intuitive mind is a sacred gift, the rational mind a faithful servant, we have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." 
​- Albert Einstein

"Direct your eye right inward, and you'll find a thousand regions in your mind yet undiscovered. Travel them, and be expert in home-cosmography." 
- Henry David Thoreau