The Women in Mindfulness Fellowship at NYU

Hosted by the NYU Changemaker Center

Supported by a generous grant from the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism 

Wednesdays, Feb. 14- April 17, 2024 from 12:00-1:00 pm (skipping March 13 and 20)

295 Lafayette Street, 2nd Floor Lafayette Conference Room, NYC

Are you an NYU student (undergrad or grad) interested in...

  • Developing or strengthening a Buddhist-based meditation practice to help ease your daily stress and anxiety?

  • Practicing in a cohort, building connections and friendships with other students at NYU? 

  • Examining the historical and contemporary contributions of women and non-binary individuals to the theory and practice of Buddhism and mindfulness?

Apply for The Women in Mindfulness Fellowship at NYU, an 8-week co-curricular program for fifteen NYU students (undergrad or grad) who wish to enhance their classroom learning with practical, evidence-based mindfulness practice centering the unique contributions of women and non-binary teachers and Buddhist ancestors.

The Fellowship offers a deep dive into mindfulness through a powerful curriculum that focuses on:

(1) Identifying and unraveling the building blocks of suffering

(2) Deepening emotional intelligence and regulation, and

(3) Opening the heart, reducing loneliness and boosting connection.

The purpose of this fellowship is to center the contributions and experiences of women and non-binary people within Buddhism and mindfulness. 

Participants do not need to identify as women or non-binary, but they should understand this is the program’s focus.

Fellows also commit to a daily meditation practice through the Fellowship, allowing the material to translate into their daily lives directly. 

Each section of the curriculum is 2-3 weeks long and features texts and teachings from Buddhist women and non-binary teachers from the time of the Buddha through today. Some of these include: 

  • Poets and teachers from the time of the Buddha, such as Pajapati, Subha, and Khema, featured in Susan Marcott’s book, The First Buddhist Women 

  • angel Kyodo Williams

  • Chenxing Han

  • Liz Lewinson

  • Jacoby Ballard

And many others.

Each week, Fellows will gather together and practice meditation, examine a text together, and apply the learnings and concepts directly to their lives.

During the week, Fellows will be expected to practice the different meditation techniques discussed in the live sessions, and invited to complete optional journaling prompts to deepen the learning.

Upon successful completion of the Fellowship, students will receive a $350 stipend. 

Applications are now open and will close on

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 5pm ET.

The Fellowship is designed and led by NYU professor, award-winning author, and Buddhist teacher, Yael Shy. Yael co-teaches the popular NYU Wagner mindful leadership course, “What Really Matters? Leadership with No Regrets." She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017) and the CEO and Founder of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC. Yael was the Founder and formerly the Senior Director of New York University’s Office of Global Spiritual Life and MindfulNYU – the largest campus based mindfulness initiative in the country. 

The Fellowship is hosted by the NYU Changemaker Center. It was generously funded by the Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism. For more information on the Lenz Foundation, please click here: https://fredericklenzfoundation.org/about/