The Conscious Classroom
The Conscious Classroom with host Amy Edelstein explores the future of education and the world of mindfulness and contemplative approaches in education. Amy is the Founder and Executive Director of the award winning nonprofit Inner Strength Education, which trained more than 35,000 students and supported 5,000 teachers in its first decade with evidence based programming. In each episode, Amy, who began her own meditation practice more than 40 years ago, leans into the edge of authentic transformative practices and makes them relevant and accessible. She shares classroom tools and activities for adolescents and young adults, articulates why teaching students about perspectives, worldviews, and context develops essential skills for long term happiness and success in work and life. Incorporating trauma sensitive approaches, systems thinking, and emotional intelligence to empower teens and uplift school communities, the Conscious Classroom is rooted in real life, field-tested approaches. Honored with a Philadelphia Social Innovation Award and a Philadelphia City Council Resolution for her work, Amy is passionate about what's possible and inspired to share that with you. More at: www.InnerStrengthEducation.org
The Conscious Classroom
Latest Episodes
A Night Under the Bodhi Tree: The True Posture of Meditation
In a rare podcast, our host Amy Edelstein shares a personal experience of meditating at the site of the Buddha's awakening in Bodh Gaya back in 1985. In her inimitable narrative style, you'll feel the chill of a predawn rickshaw rid...
Awe, Accountability, and AI: Teaching the Next Generation to Co-Create Responsibly
Why awe belongs not the makers, not the machines...Awe belongs to the makers who dare, persist, and stand by their work. In this episode, Amy Edelstein opens with a striking contrast: Olympic snowboarders whose courage makes ...
Meme Carriers - An Encounter with Alexa
A simple request for the time turned into a lesson on hidden defaults and the values they carry. When Alexa, perhaps the most popular voice assistant offered eight new voices, Amy Edelstein follows the breadcrumb trail from “small” UX choices t...
Mindfulness, More than A Productivity Hack
In this episode, Amy Edelstein unpacks why mindfulness goes beyond technique and how wonder is a key ingredient that develops authentic leadership in young people and adults. Mindfulness as only an add-on falls short of what it can be and how a...
Teaching Wonder: Jane Goodall inspires a Conscious Generation
What if the most powerful classroom tool isn’t another strategy, but a deeper way of seeing? In this episode, Amy Edelstein explore show purpose, presence, and philosophical clarity can reshape teaching from the inside out—so young people feel ...