Mindfulness Meditation Podcast · Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

Mindfulness Meditation with Michel Pascal 05/15/2025

·36 min·3 clips

A meditation teacher shares how his program eliminated suicides in LA prisons for a decade.

This episode features a guided meditation session from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, hosted by Tashi Chodron and led by teacher Michel Pascal. The session draws inspiration from an 18th-century Tibetan thangka depicting the longevity goddess Pushni Shavijaya. Teacher Michel Pascal has taught meditation for 25 years and runs programs for prison populations. The chosen artwork is a detailed thangka painted with mineral pigments on cloth, measuring about 51 by 38 inches. This specific painting was commissioned by a grieving family to honor a deceased relative, who is depicted in a white robe at the bottom. Pascal connects the artwork's theme of compassion to a personal anecdote about a student at Google who struggled with overthinking. He advised that simple acts of kindness, like smiling at a homeless person, can immediately liberate one from stress. Pascal presents a neuroscientific argument, stating that kindness increases dopamine and decreases cortisol in the brain. He claims chronic stress causes neurons to "explode," reducing brain size, while kindness expands it. He references his work with prisoners in Los Angeles, stating his program has achieved zero suicides there for ten years. Pascal says the Mayor of New York City has asked him to expand this program to city jails, the police department, and at-risk youth. He mentions a recent suicide by a New York police officer named Mario and a subsequent meeting with the correctional commissioner. The guided meditation practice, called "meditate like a rose," is one he uses with Los Angeles prisoners, parolees, and lifers. He describes a unique dynamic where sheriffs, parole officers, and inmates sometimes practice together in the same room. The meditation involves visualizing one's heart as a rose and sending compassion to one's body, family, strangers, and even people who have been unkind. The episode's tone is instructional and gently persuasive, blending art history with personal storytelling and practical meditation guidance. It is conversational and hopeful, emphasizing accessible practices for immediate well-being. Listeners interested in the intersection of art, meditation, and social application would enjoy this episode. Those seeking a purely secular or silent meditation practice might find the spiritual and narrative elements less appealing.

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