As the year comes to a close, it’s a perfect moment to pause and revisit some of the ideas, practices, and reflections we’ve explored together in Mindful Monday. From discovering the foundations of mindfulness to exploring habits, intentions, and the rhythms of the holiday season, each edition offered a chance to notice, reflect, and engage with the present moment in new ways. Here’s a look back at the past months and the themes that guided our practice.

March 2025 Mindful Mondays

• March 17 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Beginner's Mind reflected on approaching each moment with openness and curiosity, setting aside past assumptions and judgments to make room for new possibilities.

• March 24 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Non-Judging reflected on observing experience without labeling it as good or bad, meeting moments with curiosity, and releasing assumptions to cultivate clarity and openness.

• March 31 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Patience reflected on letting life unfold in its own time and practicing presence instead of rushing moments away.

April 2025 Mindful Mondays

• April 7 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Letting Go reflected on releasing attachment to thoughts, emotions, and expectations, noticing where we resist reality, and allowing things to be as they are without needing anything to change.

• April 14 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Non-Striving reflected on releasing the need to achieve or control, inviting a state of simply being fully present in each moment.

• April 21 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Gratitude reflected on noticing and appreciating the goodness in life, both big and small, and savoring each moment to cultivate a sense of enough.

• April 28 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Trust explored the foundational mindfulness attitude of trusting intuition, inner wisdom, and the natural unfolding of experience.

May 2025 Mindful Mondays

• May 5 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Acceptance reflected on allowing experiences to be as they are without resistance or judgment, cultivating openness, clarity, and compassionate understanding.

• May 12 — Foundations of Mindfulness: Generosity reflected on offering attention and presence as acts of giving beyond monetary means, cultivating kindness toward others and ourselves through mindfulness practice.

• May 19 — The 9 Foundational Attitudes of Mindfulness recapped nine weeks of practice, inviting reflection on how these attitudes (mentioned above) can sustain and support mindfulness in daily life. Read more about the recap in the “Foundational Attitudes of Mindfulness” article.

June 2025 Mindful Mondays

• June 2 — Flourish with Mindfulness reflected on how cultivating mindfulness can build resilience, enhance well‑being, and foster balance, purpose, and connection in daily life. Read more in the “Flourish with Mindfulness” article.

• June 9 — Savoring the Good reflected on noticing and fully appreciating pleasant moments in daily life, leaning into simple joys with mindfulness to deepen connection, gratitude, and joy.

• June 16 — Meet Teacher Makeda McKenzie who shared her journey from burnout to mindfulness teaching and how she supports others in navigating stress with clarity and compassion. Read more in Makeda's article.

• June 23 — Take Time to Retreat reflected on creating quiet moments of stillness, whether in formal retreats or daily life, to reconnect with the present, reset, and cultivate calm and clarity.

• June 30 — The Art of Eating Mindfully explored bringing full attention to eating, tuning into hunger cues and the senses, and savoring each bite to build a healthier, more joyful relationship with food.

July 2025 Mindful Mondays

• July 7 — Science of Habit Change: Introduction reflected on noticing habits with curiosity and kindness, understanding which patterns nourish or deplete us, and bringing a gentle attention to everyday behaviors without judgment. Read more in the “Science of Habit Change” article.

• July 14 — The Science of Habit Change: Exploring Stimuli reflected on identifying the triggers that set our habits in motion, noticing the emotions, thoughts, sensations, and environments that prompt habitual behaviors

• July 21 — Science of Habit Change: Observing Behaviors reflected on exploring the actions within our habit loops with curiosity, non-judgment, and self-compassion, noticing how behaviors are initiated and reinforced.

• July 28 — Science of Habit Change: Discovering Rewards reflected on exploring the outcomes that follow our habits. By noticing the often unnoticed emotional, physical, and environmental “rewards” with curiosity, self-compassion, and non-judgment, we gain insight into why habits persist and how they shape our behavior.

August 2025 Mindful Mondays

• August 4 — Meet Teacher Mary Beth who shared her journey teaching mindfulness and habit change. Read more in Mary Beth's article.

• August 11 — Meet Teacher Victoria who reflected on teaching mindfulness and how it shapes daily life. Read more in Victoria's article.

• August 18 — The Art of Self-Compassion explored how to meet ourselves with the kindness we offer a good friend.

• August 25 — Mindfulness in Relationships reflected on slowing down, listening deeply, and responding with presence in our relationships, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s words, “The greatest gift we can offer anyone is our true presence.”

September 2025 Mindful Mondays

• September 8 — Transitions: Mindfulness helps us meet life’s changes with intention. By pausing, noticing sensations, and offering ourselves compassion, we can navigate new routines and shifting schedules with steadiness.

• September 15 — Cultivating Connection: Meaningful human connection is at the heart of a fulfilling life. Even amid busyness, we can nurture relationships, be present with others, and find support and belonging.

• September 22 — Embracing Change by Letting Go: Like trees releasing their leaves in autumn, letting go creates space for renewal. By softening, soothing, and allowing, we can release what no longer serves us and make room for growth.

• September 29 — Permission to Be Human: Imperfection is a shared part of the human experience. Practicing self-compassion allows us to embrace our full humanity, fostering resilience, authenticity, and deeper connection with ourselves and others.

October 2025 Mindful Mondays

• October 6 — Permission to Be Human / Confirmation Bias: Our minds naturally seek out information that confirms what we already believe. Mindfulness helps us create space to consider new perspectives and see the bigger picture.

• October 13 — Permission to Be Human / Permission to Rest: Rest is essential for clarity, energy, and presence. Slowing down is not falling behind or selfish, rather it’s how we restore our capacity to engage fully with life, nurture our relationships, and approach challenges with greater resilience and clarity.

• October 20 — Non-Duality: Non-duality invites us to see beyond the habitual tendencies of dividing experience into opposites—good/bad, right/wrong, pleasant/unpleasant. Life is rarely so clear-cut, and seemingly contradictory experiences often coexist. Mindfulness allows us to notice and hold and lean into this complexity: joy within sorrow, ease alongside discomfort, love entwined with frustration.

• October 27 — The Trick AND Treat of Presence: October reminds us that our minds often play tricks—pulling us toward distractions, worries, or comparisons—while the treats of life quietly wait in the present moment. By noticing these tricks and savoring the simple delights of ordinary moments, we can uncover the richness and magic of being fully present.

November 2025 Mindful Mondays and Thankful Thursdays

• November 3 — Gratitude for the Small and Simple Moments invited appreciation to the everyday moments of goodness around us by pausing to notice the ordinary moments that bring comfort, connection, and quiet joy.

• November 6 — Gratitude For What We Do Have explored how noticing the simple gifts already present in our lives can shift perspective, cultivate contentment, and invite a deeper sense of fullness and connection.

• November 10 — Gratitude Amidst Difficulty reflected on how even in times of challenge, small moments of connection, care, and comfort can be noticed and appreciated, helping us stay present and nurture resilience.

• November 13 — Gratitude for What We Don’t Have invited intentional awareness to the unseen gifts in our lives, appreciating the absences that bring ease, relief, and clarity, and discovering a deeper sense of abundance within ourselves.

• November 17 — Gratitude for Ourselves encouraged recognition of our own strengths, qualities, and inherent worth, cultivating compassion and inner fullness that naturally supports deeper connection with others.

• November 20 — Gratitude for Our Body invited appreciation for all the ways our bodies continue to support us each day, focusing on what works well or even okay, rather than focusing on what could be better.

• November 24 — Gratitude for Our Community offered appreciation to each of you who helps make this a space of belonging, compassion, and growth, honoring the ways our connections support, inspire, and strengthen one another. THANK YOU for being part of the MHI community!

• November 27 — Embracing the Fullness of History and Heart explored the complex history of Thanksgiving, holding joy and sorrow together, and practicing awareness and compassion in the face of painful truth.

December 2025 Mindful Mondays

• December 1 — Holiday Edition: Being with Intention reflected on setting intentions for the holiday season and explored how small, deliberate choices and actions can align with those intentions.

• December 8 — Holiday Edition: Presence Over Perfection reflected on the idea of perfection during the holidays and explored how attention to the present moment differs from striving for an ideal.

• December 15 — Holiday Edition: Forgiveness: A Gift of Love During the Holidays reflected on forgiveness toward ourselves and others, and explored ways to engage with forgiveness as an ongoing practice. Read more in the “Forgiveness: A Gift of Love During the Holidays” article.

• December 22 — Holiday Edition: Wants Versus Needs reflected on noticing the difference between desires and essentials during the holiday season and explored distinguishing between what may be wanted versus what may be needed.

• December 29 — Holiday Edition: Looking Back with Presence reflected on reviewing the past year with presence and curiosity. By noticing joys, challenges, and lessons without judgment, we can carry insights into the new year with clarity, compassion, and intention—stepping forward just as we are.

All emails included practical reflections and guidance to carry mindfulness into daily life.

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