Yael Shy is an award-winning author, meditation teacher, and faculty at New York University. She is the Founder and CEO of Sefira Wellness and the founder of MindfulNYU - the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the country.
Yael is passionate about the power of desire to ease anxiety and unleash joy.
Media Features
Yael brings warmth, humor, and clarity to speaking engagements, offering practical, transformative tools for audiences ranging from corporate executives to parents, students, and educators. She has spoken in front of audiences of thousands at New York University, Rutgers University, Columbia Law School, Yale School of Medicine, The National Association of Student Affairs Professionals, Mindfulness and Business Conference, Mind and Life Conference, and beyond.
Topics include:
Easing Anxiety by Claiming The Deeper Desire Underneath
Creating Goals with Soul: Getting Energized By Your Wants
Longing as a Compass: Hearing and Following the Call
The Key to Deep Satisfaction — Even If You Don’t Get What You Want
Reigniting Your Inner Spark, No Matter How Long It’s Been Dead
Speaking Engagements
Reimagining Desire Through Mindfulness
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![Shadow of a person taking a photo in a desert landscape with mountains in the background.]()
Embracing Ambition
Yael explores the tension between ambition and mindfulness, advocating for pursuing goals with passion while letting go of attachment to outcomes
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![A person’s hand reaching out over a body of water during sunset, with a bright sun on the horizon and a clear sky.]()
Get Your Hopes Up
In this Yael challenges the common advice of "not getting your hopes up," encouraging readers to embrace desire as a source of energy and motivation.
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How to Have Mindful Sex
Yael explores the intersection of mindfulness and sexuality, proposing that being present during intimate moments can deepen connection and satisfaction.
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Right Swiping
In this article, Yael provides insights into the challenges of online dating, offering Buddhist perspectives on navigating the complexities of digital relationships.
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![Two women sitting at a wooden table, one showing the other a photo of a man on a smartphone. The table has a decorative wire basket and a wooden base. The scene is indoors.]()
The Dharma of Online Dating
Yael explores the spiritual side of online dating, showing how mindfulness can turn superficial exchanges into genuine connections.
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![Person sitting on rocky cliff overlooking the ocean during sunset with a colorful sky.]()
Embracing Longing in Loneliness
In this guided meditation, Yael explores how to transform loneliness through mindfulness and self-compassion.
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![A couple sitting on a wooden bench by the water, with their heads leaning against each other, overlooking a river with a bridge and green trees in the background.]()
A Practice for Online Dating
When looking at someone’s online dating profile, it’s easy to make snap judgments. Here, Yael offers a loving-kindness practice and other phrases for matches.
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Dispatch Mindfulness
Yael explores tools to transform nervous energy into excitement and desire, cultivating a deeper sense of calm and balance in the body.
About Yael Shy
Yael Shy discovered meditation at 19 years old when she was struggling with severe anxiety and panic attacks. Through mindfulness, meditation, and therapy, she found a path to healing and transformation.
For over 20 years, Yael has supported others in uncovering their inherent worth and capacity for deep joy through mindfulness. She is the author of the award-winning book What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), the CEO and Founder of Sefira Wellness and Faculty at NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Yael founded Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based meditation program in the country, and has served as the Chief Mindfulness Consultant for Procter and Gamble. Her work has been featured on platforms such as Good Morning America, CBS News, and Fox 5 News, as well as in Time Magazine, Real Simple, and the Harvard Business Review. She is a regular contributor to the Happier and Roundglass apps.
