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Letters from Dr. Richard J. Davidson and Dr. Cortland Dahl. Essays on modern neuroscience and practice.

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Essays from Richie and Cortland

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Science · Aug 14, 2026

Joy on Demand

A 17,000 person study asked a simple question: can a few minutes of practice each day measurably improve well-being?

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Practice · Aug 12, 2026

A 2-Minute Micro Practice

Cort leads a short practice. From doing to being.

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Practice · Jul 24, 2026

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Cort on a month in a Myanmar monastery, and why the hardest sitting of his life was also where the growth happened.

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Practice · Jul 6, 2026

One Mountain or Many?

Cort on Chatral Rinpoche, and why there is more than one path of awakening.

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Science · Jun 18, 2026

The Moment We Realized Meditation Could Change the Brain

How a high-profile scientific paper helped launch contemplative neuroscience.

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Flourishing · Jun 4, 2026

You Are Already Awake

Reflections on awareness and the far reaches of human potential.

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Practice · May 20, 2026

A Remarkable Encounter in Nepal

Scientists and Tibetan teachers in the same room. Curiosity as a path to enduring well-being.

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Science · May 13, 2026

When the Brain Suddenly Sees

A new study on how insight reorganizes the brain, and why practice may train us to see more clearly.

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Science · May 11, 2026

The Essence of Meditation Is Awareness

Richie and Cort on how practice can change the brain, from the inside of their own lives.

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Practice · May 11, 2026

Parenting in the Age of AI

A personal note on screens, kids, and finding steadiness in a changing world.

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Science · May 4, 2026

Neuroplasticity Is Neutral. Our Intentions Are Not.

The brain can change in any direction. What we practice is what we become.

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Practice · Apr 13, 2026

Don't Believe Everything You Think

How the stories in your mind quietly construct your sense of self.

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Flourishing · Dec 29, 2025

Information Is the New Junk Food

How never slowing down gets in the way of emotional well-being.

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Practice · Nov 11, 2025

From Doing to Being

We live in a world addicted to doing. What if the most useful shift is to do less?

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Science · Nov 11, 2025

Distraction Is the New Smoking

A research update on attention, habit, and what we are doing to our minds.

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Practice · Nov 5, 2025

When Thoughts Are Raging Like a Waterfall

How to turn the tide of overthinking and distraction.

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Flourishing · Oct 1, 2025

What Really Matters?

Scottie Scheffler said something honest about purpose. Here is why it landed.

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