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. 

2024 Offerings

New Year’s Day Retreat, 2024

• Meditations on Forgiveness: Setting the Intention to Set Ourselves Free – Monday January 1, 2024 (9:00a.m. – 12:30p.m./PST). Registration is required. This retreat is on ZOOM. 

Mindfulness Drop-ins (Free)

• Guided Mindfulness Drop-ins: 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the Month (Noon- 12:30p.m/PST) 
• Non-Guided Weekly Sangha Drop-ins: Wednesdays – Weekly (6:30a.m. – 7:00a.m./PST)​

Podcasts: UCLA Mindful https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful

• UCLA Meditations at Hammer Museum. To listen to Dr. Ali’s guided meditations at the UCLA/Hammer Museum click on link below and scroll to anyone of the following dates:
  2024: August 22; June 27
  2023: Oct 26; July 6 
  2022: Oct 24; Aug 29; Aug 22; May 9 
  https://www.uclahealth.org/uclamindful/weekly-meditations-talks

2023 Offerings

UCLA MAPs I, II, & III Classes  

• MAPs III Class: “Nature Nurture: Deepening Mindfulness, Well-being, and Awe in Nature”
  Dates: Sundays Nov 19 – Dec 10; 930a.m.-11:30a.m./PST

This class is only open to UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center’s IPP (Intensive Mindfulness Practices) and TMF (Training in Mindfulness Facilitation) students.

Workshops, Lectures, Presentations​

• UCLA Psychiatry 175: “Nature/Nurture: Field-notes on Mindfulness in Nature” - Thursday June 29, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30p.m.
• The J. Paul Getty Museum: Professional Development for K-12 Teachers
  “Mindfulness in Nature: Presence as Self-Care” Live/On-sight – Saturday May 6, 2023, 10:30am, 11:30a.m., & 1:30p.m.
  https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/professional_dev/prof_dev_index.html
• University of La Verne: La Fetra College of Education/Keynote address to Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership students “When the Heart Pays Attention Nature is Life: A Mindfulness & Wellness Exploration for Leaders” Live/On-sight – April 22, 2023, 3p.m.
• Ventura College: Diversity in Culture “Mindfulness, Self-Care, and Resilience” (Nature/Nurture Series) Live/On-sight – Thursday April 13, 12:30p.m.
  https://www.venturacollege.edu/community/diversity-in-culture/diversity-culture-festival-2023-events
• UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center & Psychiatry 175 “Nature/Nurture: Fieldnotes on Mindfulness in Nature” Live/Zoom – Wednesday March 8, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30p.m.
  https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc/classes-events/workshops#nature-nurture 
• Claremont McKenna College: Psych 154 Class “Mindfulness and Well-Being: Theory, Practice, Science” Live/On-sight - February 1, 2023, 2:45p.m.​

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"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