In college, Yael Shy began struggling with anxiety, and loneliness. It got so bad that she started experiencing panic attacks and was looking for relief. That brought her to a weeklong meditation retreat that she thought would be nice and relaxing. Instead, it involved meditating in silence from morning till night, sitting with nothing but her anxious thoughts. At first, it was uncomfortable, but then, it became transformative. By examining her negative thoughts, she was no longer be ruled by them.
Now with more than a decade of teaching and consulting experience, in addition to nearly 20 years of meditation practice experience in Zen, Jewish and secular contexts, Shy teaches classes, gives workshops, hosts talks, and leads individuals and teams in the transformative power of meditation and mindfulness. Her areas of expertise include times of change and transition, young adulthood, parenthood, and Jewish meditation. She is the author of the award-winning book, “What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond” and the founder of MindfulNYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the country. Shy is also the mindfulness program director for Fotografiska New York City and the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, providing consulting, coaching, and private teaching to businesses and individuals across the globe.
