The Compassion Podcast

Decolonizing Mindfulness with Dr Michael Yellow Bird

Episode Summary

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird and GCC President Rick Hanson discuss the topic of decolonizing mindfulness and using neuroscience research to examine how mindfulness approaches and traditional Indigenous contemplative practices can train the mind and positively change the structure and function of the brain. They discuss the effects of colonization and methods of decolonization, including neurodecolonization, which involves combining mindfulness approaches with traditional and contemporary secular and sacred contemplative practices to replace negative patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior with healthy, productive ones.