Powerful. That was the word that kept repeating in my head as Kevin and I chatted with Mitra Manesh, a mindfulness educator hailing from Iran. Her stories, her wisdom, and her presence all struck me as someone who moves deliberately and acts with purpose.\u00a0
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Born in Iran, Mitra Manesh walked out on her home country (literally, walked out, like, on foot) during the political upheaval they experienced in the 80s. Since then she has lived on 4 continents, traveled to over 60 countries and has had a mindfulness practice for the last 32 years. She currently teaches at UCLA\u2019s Mindful Awareness Center and is the Chief Serving Officer for Innermap, a new story-based app for mindfulness coaching.
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Click the link below to listen to our full conversation where we discuss Mindfulness, Transcendental Meditation, Rumi, Artificial Intelligence, religion, and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe difference is between doing and being. I can do<\/em> mindfulness, but I need to be <\/em>mindful in order to hold the space. Another short story from a teacher, my teacher told me you should be able to teach mindfulness if you lose your tongue. And I said \u2018Vivekananda, how can I teach mindfulness if I lose my tongue?\u2019 He said, he took his hands out and said \u201cBy holding it and being it, by showing it, not by saying it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 Mitra Manesh <\/p>\n\n\n\n