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Azrieli Fellows Workshops 2025-2026

Back to all workshops
  • Space, Balance and Joy in the midst of Academic Life: Mindfulness for Scholars

Synopsis

If modern life can be stressful, it is even more so for scholars. For the average person in the twentieth century, the fast pace of daily life, the habits of multitasking, and the constant demands of technology have taken a toll on our ability to focus, relax, and be fully present. 

Academics face these challenges to an even greater degree. The ups and downs of the creative process, the competitive nature of the academic world, the all-consuming lifestyle of research, and the tendency of intellectuals to dwell primarily in their minds rather than in their bodies make mindfulness—one of the greatest remedies to the challenges of contemporary Western lifestyle—even more important for scholars.

Can one retrieve more space and joy in the midst of an academic life? Yes, says mindfulness — and it might be simpler than we think. In this three-part workshop, participants will learn essential mindfulness practices that they can integrate into daily life to cultivate mind-body well-being and support better work-life balance in both their academic careers and personal lives.

Outcome:

  • Reconnect with the body and reduce overthinking 
  • Break free from negative thought patterns 
  • Self-regulate emotionally in stressful situations 
  • Improve sleep and focus 
  • Cultivate better work-life balance 
  • Reclaim inner space and the joy that comes with it 

Session Dates

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 10:00–12:00 Israel Time

Thursday, March 26, 2026, 10:00–12:00 Israel Time

Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 10:00–12:00 Israel Time

About the Instructor

Rabbah Dr. Mira Neshama Niculescu holds a PhD in Socio-Anthropology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where she researched the phenomenon of Jewish Buddhists (2018). Born in Paris, she lived in New York as a visiting scholar at CUNY and Columbia and as an Arts Fellow at the Drisha Institute of Jewish Education. Since making Aliyah in 2018, she has lived in Jerusalem, where she was a Golda Meir Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2021–23). After prior experience in Japanese Zen meditation, she received Orthodox semicha from Rav Prof. Daniel Sperber at Beit Midrash Har El (2022), while also completing a secular Mindfulness Training (Mindfulness Training Institute, 2022) with Marc Coleman and Martin Aylward. A firm believer in the integration of body, breath, and mind, Mira is also certified as a Vinyasa yoga instructor (200 RYT, Sira Jerusalem). She has been teaching mindfulness and Jewish spirituality online and in person in the United States, Europe, and Israel since 2013. https://www.miraneshama.com/ 

Instructor

Rabbah Dr. Mira Neshama Niculescu

Start Date

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Format

Online (Zoom)

Language

English

Open to

All tracks

For more information about the Azrieli Fellows Program please contact:

fellows@azrielifoundation.org

Azrieli Fellows Program

85 Medinat HaYehudim St.
Herzliya Pituach 4676672
Israel

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The Azrieli Foundation is strictly apolitical. As a registered charity, the Azrieli Foundation does not engage in or fund any partisan political activities.

Charitable Registration Number: 892425166RR0001
The Azrieli Foundation
The Azrieli Foundation
The Azrieli Foundation is strictly apolitical. As a registered charity, the Azrieli Foundation does not engage in or fund any partisan political activities.

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