A central element of the Buddhist path is the practice of mindfulness—the skill of meeting our moment-to-moment experience with an open heart and kindness and without judgment. Mindfulness can help practitioners abandon mental states and behaviors such as greed and anger that cause harm. It can also cultivate those that lead to happiness and freedom, such as compassion, generosity, and gratitude.

In an interactive presentation Hugh Byrne, a senior teacher with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, shares the foundations of mindfulness and its benefits, leads a guided meditation, and conducts a Q&A session. He is the author of two books on mindfulness and habit change, The Here-and-Now Habit and Habit Swap.

Patron Information

• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
• Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
• Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
• Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
• View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.