From Overwhelm to Clarity: Mindfulness Skills for Breaking Free and Living Fully
An 8-Week Sama Life Program with Dr. Shalini Bahl
From Overwhelm to Clarity is an immersive online gathering designed to brings together fellow practitioners, changemakers, and seekers to foster eight essential mindfulness skills. Based on Dr. Shalini Bahl's book "Return to Mindfulness" and her extensive research and practice, this 8-week journey creates space for us to break free from default patterns and live our full potential—both individually and collectively.
In our fast-paced world filled with competing demands and unprecedented challenges, we often find ourselves overwhelmed. Political polarization, social inequities, climate uncertainty, and technological disruption create a backdrop of constant change and complexity. Amid these pressures, we default to operating on autopilot, letting habitual reactions drive our decisions during crucial moments. While these automatic responses make us efficient, they can limit our effectiveness, cloud our judgment, and disconnect us from what matters most.
This program offers a path from overwhelm to clarity, transforming these patterns through the Return to Mindfulness framework.
Join our supportive community for weekly 75-minute sessions that will include:
Guided meditation practices
Exploration of each mindfulness skill
Small group discussions
Real-world application strategies and micro-practices to return to mindfulness especially when we need it most
Space for reflection on challenges and successes
Community building and mutual support
This journey isn't about achieving perfection—it's about developing practical skills to move from overwhelm to clarity again and again. The Return to Mindfulness approach recognizes that we'll always face challenges, but with the right skills, we can break free from default patterns and live more fully, both individually and collectively.
Whether you're new to mindfulness or an experienced practitioner, this workshop provides practical ways to find clarity in overwhelming moments and align with what matters most to you.
Resources Provided
All participants receive:
An e-copy of Dr. Bahl's book "Return to Mindfulness"
Access to an online platform with over 48 daily meditations and micro-practices for real-world mindfulness
Free assessment of your current mindfulness skills
Weekly practice guides and reflection prompts
Community forum for sharing insights and experiences
Optional Add-on:
Lifetime access to the 48 daily micro-practices on the Deckible app (additional purchase)
Weekly Outline
Week 1: Awareness - From Autopilot to Conscious Choice
Discover how cultivating awareness helps us observe our patterns with clarity and break free from the overwhelm of unconscious reactions.
Week 2: Compassion - Transforming Judgments into Understanding
Learn how compassion transforms harsh judgment and overwhelming self-criticism into understanding and kindness, both toward ourselves and others.
Week 3: Curiosity - Breaking Through Bias
Discover how curiosity helps us move beyond confirmation bias to explore new possibilities and perspectives.
Week 4: Energy - Overcoming Status Quo
Learn to align your energy with deeper intentions and overcome the pull of habitual patterns, disrupting status quo bias.
Week 5: Appreciative Joy - Countering Negativity Bias
Develop the skill of recognizing what's working to counter our natural tendency toward negativity.
Week 6: Inner Calm - Releasing Attachments
Cultivate inner calm by learning to release attachments to fixed beliefs and expectations.
Week 7: Focus - Cutting Through Distractions
Strengthen your ability to maintain attention on what truly matters amidst life's many distractions.
Week 8: Equanimity – Discerning What is Needed and True
Develop discernment and balance when facing competing viewpoints and complex situations.
Program Structure
When: Weekly 75-minute sessions 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm est from May 21 to July 9, 2025
Format: Online gathering via Zoom
Community: Limited to 20 participants to ensure meaningful connection
Price: Sliding scale from $222-$444
Each session follows a consistent structure:
Opening meditation (20 minutes)
Debrief of the practice and discussion of the skill's relevance in everyday life (20 minutes)
Small group discussion and practice (20 minutes)
Integration and daily application strategies (10 minutes)
Closing reflection and weekly practice commitment (5 minutes)
Beyond the 8 Weeks
This journey doesn't end after eight weeks. Participants will leave with:
A personalized mindfulness practice plan for continued growth
Skills to repeatedly move from overwhelm to clarity in daily life
Connection with a community of fellow practitioners
Optional monthly community gatherings for sustained support
About Sama Life
"Sama" in Sanskrit and Pali means balanced and skillful—qualities essential for modern leadership in your family, community, or organization. Each week, we focus on one of the eight mindfulness skills that help us disrupt default habits and return to our natural ability to see clearly, listen deeply, and act skillfully even amidst complexity and challenge.
"Mindfulness isn't just about meditation or maintaining non-judgmental awareness. In our complex, overwhelming world, we need specific qualities that help us align with our intentions and free us from conditioning that limits our ability to see clearly, connect with what matters, and act with both wisdom and creative potential. The Return to Mindfulness framework offers a path from overwhelm to clarity, again and again." - Dr. Shalini Bahl
Help Shape This Experience
Before finalizing the details, I want to ensure this program works for you. I've created a brief survey to better understand your preferences, interests, and scheduling needs.
Your input will directly influence how this program takes shape, helping create an experience that truly serves our community.