“Gail has been an extraordinary mentor to countless students. They carry with them her spirit of curiosity, open-mindedness, and a commitment to activism long after.” –Ray Zimmerman

“Gail’s program has shown me how with kindness and understanding we can enhance and affect all relationships and bring social justice to our communities.” –Sally Allen

“It is easy to become overwhelmed with hectic schedules, difficult situations, and negative thoughts. Practicing Mindfulness with Gail Stearns has allowed my mind to become more quiet and more focused: it has made me a happier, calmer, more appreciative and peaceful person.” –Theresa W. Paulsrud

LIBERATING MINDFULNESS

“Using feminist critical theory and weaving in her Christian background and other depth practices, Stearns asks hard questions about the mindfulness field: What exactly is its promise of happiness? Can it be divorced from Western consumerist values? Is mindfulness contributing to systems of oppression or freeing us from them? In this thought-provoking book, she invites us to be mindful about mindfulness.” -Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, and author of The Little Book of Being

“At a time when ‘spirituality’ and ‘mindfulness’ have become buzzwords that can seem indistinguishable from the ‘self-help’ and even ‘business’ sections of bookstores, Stearns calls us to something higher and deeper: a robust model of spiritual life that transforms the self and our relationship with God and community. Highly recommended for all spiritual seekers and those engaged in interfaith work.” -Omid Safi, professor of Islamic studies, Duke University

“Stearns questions conventional assumptions about stress with mindfulness and compassion, addressing the stress-generating role of historical societal injustices and envisioning how mindfulness can contribute to a culture of mutual caring and awakening. A courageous, inclusive, and unique contribution to the field of mindfulness!” -Trudy Goodman, PhD, founder of InsightLA

“Going beyond sappy gratitude journals, ‘calculated compassion, ‘ and other trendy spiritual virtue-signaling, Stearns provides a careful analysis of how mindfulness has gone awry in service of market and consumerist ends. Liberating Mindfulness uncovers the revolutionary potential of numerous religious traditions, revealing new pathways that can repurpose mindfulness as a positive and disruptive force for social justice and personal healing.” -Ronald E. Purser, author of McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality

OPEN YOUR EYES

“What a read! Gail Stearns calls this ‘a practical book for progressive people of faith.’ It is that, and it is also a magnificent theological statement for our times. In Open Your Eyes, Stearns pares down some essentials of Christian life: living in the present, living with suffering, living in compassionate community. Her writing is clear, her faith strong, her mind sharp, and her witness to a very human and loving Jesus is as compelling as any I’ve come across. Best of all, she pays serious respect to other faith traditions. This is a marvelous testimony to what a compassionate, soulful, liberating Christianity can be.” -Carter Heyward, Professor Emerita of Theology Episcopal Divinity School

“Our obsessions about the past and our anxiety about the future are deeply related to what Gail Stearns refers to as the crisis of soul. We are so unconvinced of our own value that we seek that value in all the wrong places. The future of creation depends upon our seeking that value within the substance of our religious traditions. This book contributes very well to that search!” -Don Mackenzie, co-author of Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi, and a Sheikh

“This is a courageous and thoughtful book that does not accept tradition or doctrine for its own sake. It presents a wise reading of the Gospel of Mark for our time by letting it speak to the issues raised by living in the world of the twenty-first century. Gail Stearns draws upon her extensive experience as a college chaplain and teacher in bringing the deepest meaning of Mark together with the suffering and aspirations of her audience.” -Adela Yarbro, Collins Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Yale University Divinity School