You finally have a quiet moment, and your mind fills it. A conversation to replay. Tomorrow’s problems to rehearse. A reminder to relax, followed by the question of whether you should really be relaxing.
Starting this weekend, we’re making some time to explore this familiar experience together.
The Restless Mind summit runs November 14–21, bringing Richie Davidson and Cortland Dahl into conversation with Robert Sapolsky, Martin Picard, Laurie Santos, Sharon Salzberg, Mingyur Rinpoche and Judson Brewer.
If you’ve been meaning to join, register with ServiceSpace here. The summit is offered freely, and you don’t need any experience with meditation. Already registered? Please take a moment to sign in to ServiceSpace and complete your participant profile if you haven’t yet. Sharing a little about yourself helps us begin getting to know the people we’ll be learning alongside.
A few things we’re looking forward to sharing
A worry answered isn’t always a worry finished. Robert Sapolsky describes finding reassurance that works for two seconds before the mind jumps to its next concern. He speaks candidly about his own depression and rumination, then explores a hopeful possibility: learning to distinguish what happened before from what might happen next. “What was past is not the future.”
Feeling drained isn’t simply an empty tank. Martin Picard takes us inside our cells to explain why everything, including preparing for an imagined threat, costs energy. His example of feeling exhausted after a large meal opens a question: if the body has plenty of stored energy, what are we actually feeling?
Trying to feel better can become another source of pressure. Laurie Santos explores why a good life includes difficult emotions, and why constantly checking whether we’re happy can pull us away from the experiences we might enjoy.
We’ll also hear Sharon Salzberg on the moments of balance we overlook and the possibility of beginning again; Mingyur Rinpoche on meeting a restless mind without fighting it or getting lost in it; and Judson Brewer on how worry becomes a habit, and what we discover when we ask, “What am I getting from this?”
A little learning, a little practice, and each other
More than 1,600 people from 70 countries have already registered, from Buddhist nuns and an Antarctic researcher to teachers, parents, surgeons and poets. Over thirty volunteers are helping bring the week together.
Some have written about years of meditation that haven’t made anxiety disappear, or about understanding the science of the mind and still struggling to settle their own. Many are also looking for connection: a chance to explore these questions with others after practicing on their own.
That’s part of what we’re looking forward to most: reading what someone across the world noticed, sharing an experience of our own, and discovering where our lives overlap. Whether you’re eager to share or prefer to listen and take things in quietly, you’re welcome.
Each day brings a conversation, written highlights, a short practice and something to explore in everyday life. Spend 10–45 minutes a day, depending on your schedule. You don’t need to understand every scientific term or do everything being offered. Come with your questions and see what speaks to your experience.
We open together on Saturday, November 14, at 8:30 p.m. ET, in a live gathering with Richie and Cort. The live calls will be recorded for those who can’t attend or time zone is not compatible.
Join The Restless Mind on ServiceSpace →
And if someone comes to mind who could use this week, please pass the invitation along. We’d love to welcome them, too.
Warmly,
The Dharma Lab Team
