Yesterday, George was joined by Hugh Byrne, whom you might recognize as a co-teacher of the Mindful Engagement monthly program he and George are leading along with Kaira Jewel Lingo.
Against the backdrop of the global coronavirus pandemic, Hugh and George discuss the role of practitioners during this time, and how they feel called to help others to connect the inner and outer and transform these experiences and feelings into comfort, relief, peace, and ease, for example. Hugh speaks to the history of Buddhism and the connection between social action and mindfulness practice. They discuss Hugh’s work with habits and using mindfulness practice to identify triggers and social reactions, especially in relation to the political climate.
Hugh Byrne, PhD is a teacher, trainer and author on mindfulness and compassion for spiritual and social transformation and a lead teacher at the Insight Meditation Community of Greater Washington (IMCW). He worked for more than twenty years for human rights in Latin America and Africa and for U.S. policies that would support equality and genuine development. He is committed to bringing the inner practices of awareness and compassion into efforts in the world. Another area of strong interest for him is how people can suffer through habits that have become unconscious and automatic through repetition, and are difficult to change—and how mindfulness can help to transform them, making what is unconscious conscious so that change becomes possible. His book, The Here-and-Now Habit (2016) brings together ancient Buddhist teachings with the latest findings of neuroscience to help readers find greater freedom and happiness in their lives. Habit Swap: Mindfulness Skills to Change Habits for Good (2020) is a deeper dive into skills and practices to let go of unhealthy habits and develop more beneficial ones. Hugh has a law degree from London University and a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA.
You can read more about Hugh and his programs here.