Ed is a mindfulness teacher and writer. He is the author of three books: Into The Heart of Mindfulness, How To Live Well By Paying Attention, and (as co-author) The Mindful Manifesto. He discovered mindfulness in 2001, during a period of depression and anxiety, and found it transformative. After several years developing his practice, including a year-long stay at a meditation retreat centre, he trained to teach mindfulness at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP) at Bangor University, and continues to receives regular supervision and training from CMRP staff. He has been teaching full-time since 2010, and leads mindfulness courses, retreats and workshops across the UK, working with a wide range of individuals and groups. Ed has taught mindfulness in organisations such as Imperial College Business School, Tate, Ardingly College, Accenture, and UNICEF UK, and has led mindfulness events for the The Guardian, the RSA, and Alternatives London, as well as the Latitude, Wilderness and Althorp Literary Festivals. He is a frequent public speaker and commentator on mindfulness-related topics, most often for The Guardian and Mindful magazine. Ed is on the faculty of the School of Life in London, and is an advisor to and former co-director of The Mindfulness Initiative, which is supporting the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group to develop mindfulness-based policies for the UK. He wrote the Be Mindful report for the Mental Health Foundation, and was on the editing team for the Mindful Nation UK report from the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group. He teaches on the Mental Health Foundation's Be Mindful Online training course, and is listed by the UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations as a mindfulness teacher that meets the UK Good Practice Guidance.
