Mindfulness and sustainability at the crossroads: towards mindfulness curricula for human and planetary wellbeing and transformation

Abstract In light of the escalating global polycrisis—a convergence of environmental, social, and mental health crises—this paper explores the potential of mindfulness-based approaches for fostering human and planetary wellbeing and sustainability. We specifically investigate the linkages between Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and sustainability, and how they can be strengthened to support transformative education. Drawing on interviews with key informants and in-depth case studies of innovative courses, we assess historical connections and current developments, as well as the needs, gaps, and opportunities for adapting existing approaches to sustainability contexts. What is the curriculum of the present moment, in a situation where the whole world has become the hospital? Based on our findings, we identify possibilities and principles for modifying, expanding, upscaling, and transforming mindfulness-based practices, interventions, and curricula—offering pathways that other training institutions can draw on. We synthesize our results into a “taxonomy of mindfulness-sustainability integration,” outlining key features and ethical considerations at different levels. Finally, we caution against protocolizing mindfulness and instead emphasize its non-instrumental dimensions—embodiment, emergence, and relationality—for finding a path of hope, joyful engagement, and meaningful transformation towards sustainability that is grounded in the inextricable connection between our inner lives and the living planet.