Barnaby is a contemplative educator, futurist, and mindfulness teacher from Portland, Oregon. He is currently a Garrison Institute Fellow.

“Barnaby’s incredibly dedicated, disciplined spiritual practices—combining rigorous religious and philosophical study and research, contemplative practices, and soul-scribing—have given rise to, in my opinion, a clarity of mind, spirit and vision which needs to be operationalized in the world for the benefit of all sentient beings.”

–Dr. Sará King, Neuroscientist, Meditation Teacher, Founder of MindHeart AI

WORK

  • Ally Work

    Ally Work is a contemplative practice distilled from authentic alchemical and wisdom traditions.

  • MindHeart AI

    MindHeart AI is creating an interactive map of human awareness.

  • Garrison Institute Fellowship

    With The Garrison Fellows, I am part of a group of contemplative leaders working for transformation..

  • Peace in Schools

    With Peace in Schools, I helped create, scale, research, and teach the first semester-long mindfulness classes in U.S. public schools.

  • Inward Bound Mindfulness Education

    With iBme, I teach week-long teen mindfulness retreats for teens.

CONTEMPLATIVE EDUCATION FOR ADULTS

The Power of Imagination: Activating the Inner Relational Field

Garrison Institute Fellow Barnaby Willett and co-presenters explored the power of the imagination and shared a foundational overview of the contemplative practice of ally work — the relational partnership with the inner guide — with influence and inspiration from the work of Dr. Jeffrey Raff, Henry Corbin, Ibn ‘Arabi, and Avicenna.

The Garrison Institute Fellowship

“The inaugural cohort of eleven Fellows includes activists, researchers, healers, artists, trauma-informed care practitioners, and contemplative teachers who represent the next generation of diverse leadership in our movement for a more compassionate, resilient future.”

Mothering AI Systems with Ecosystemic Values and Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Angel Acosta, Barnaby Willett, Dominic Mayas, Shai Tubali, and Wakanyi Hoffman discuss how these value systems can guide the ethical frameworks of AI, drawing on Indigenous wisdom to highlight sustainable, holistic approaches that foster empathy, communal harmony, and environmental stewardship.

Wisdom 2.0 Workshop: Slowing Down as Compassion

Teachers: Dr. Dan Siegel, Nico Cary, Barnaby Willett, Nichol Chase, Jennifer Bloom & Orlando Villarraga.

Given the urgency of our times, we might consider slowing down to be a form of compassion, and a pathway into creative possibility. Weaving music and meditation, this workshop offers participants an emergent space to explore mindful self-compassion as a gift to ourselves, a means of experiencing our interconnected nature, and perhaps even a radical action we can carry into the world for new

Surfing Corona

I was interviewed for Surfing Corona — a short fillm made one month into the Covid-19 pandemic.

”Welcome to the Unknown. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting us all in a myriad of ways. SURFING CORONA, is a love letter to humanity, as we are, at this time. Let's gather in community and share strategies for how we can transform our anxiety into hope, joy and compassion. Be inspired to BE - alive - in this moment. Let's imagine the possibilities... together.”

 

CONTEMPLATIVE EDUCATION FOR YOUTH

Into Light (Associate Producer)

I collaborated with Wavecrest Films on the third film in their series of Mindful Shorts. "Into Light" features four teens - including two of my high school mindfulness students - who successfully use mindfulness to help navigate depression. These teens learned mindfulness through Peace in Schools, a nonprofit that designed the nation's first for-credit, semester-long course Mindful Studies in Portland, Oregon public high schools.

Voices of the Future: High School Students from My Mindfulness Classrooms

With Peace in Schools, I helped create, scale, research, and teach the first semester-long mindfulness classes in U.S. public schools.