We are clever enough to create intelligent machines, but we are not machines.
Greetings!
I'm Dada Nabhaniilananda
aka The Monk Dude
I help professionals in the tech and creative industries connect to the most human part of themselves through storytelling, music, humor, and meditation.
How did I get here?
I was born in New Zealand.
40+ years ago I left my university and ran away to become a yogi. Then in 2008 my monk boss sent me to Silicon Valley, California. Here I've had an amazing time working with super talented people at some incredible companies, and I've learned a lot!
...and some others.
What makes this meaningful for me?
If you're an animal nerd like me, you may know that beavers feel compelled to bite trees down and block streams because they can't stand the sound of running water. I'm a bit like that – if I see people sad, depressed, or unhappy I feel compelled to make them laugh, or at least smile 🙂
"I bring in speakers all the time for Facebook. Dada was by far the most charismatic we have ever had. He engaged people in a way I haven't seen before."
- Aileen Cureton, META [Facebook]
On a deeper level, I've spent most of my life learning from the ancient wisdom of India and the meditation tradition of yoga. I've experienced how these practices have transformed my life, and I've seen the same in thousands of practitioners as they find more peace, meaning, and clarity in their lives.
Dada through his corporate talks brings a unique blend of ancient wisdom traditions, an understanding of life in today’s world, a refreshingly practical approach that will work in a corporation, and a wicked sense of humor."
– Gopi Kallayil, Chief Evangelist, Digital Transformation and Strategy at Google
Before I was a monk, I was a musician, and that has never left me. Almost by accident I discovered that music, along with humor and storytelling, is a wonderful way to communicate the value of this ancient wisdom
Plus my frustrated desire to be a rockstar needed some kind of outlet, so here we go...
The Revolution of Love - The Monk Dude at TEDx, East Side, New York.
Meditation, Creativity & Enlightened Leadership in the 21st Century
Meditation, Creativity & Enlightened Leadership in the 21st Century
- 85% of doctors visits are stress related
- We are in an arms race with distractions
- 80% of high achievers practice meditation
- Thousands of studies now validate this ancient mental health discipline
Happy Clients
Mindfulness and meditation are proven methods for opening the inner door to happiness and productivity. Thousands of studies from institutions like Harvard, MIT and Stanford universities confirm that meditation practice:
- reduces anxiety
- boosts immunity
- improves mood
- develops emotional intelligence
- and much more.
This is why 35% of US companies offer mindfulness or meditation programs on campus.
Meditation: Science & Practice
Find Inner Peace
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Engineers
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Designers
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Product Managers
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Humans
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Any organization looking to reduce stress and increase productivity
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an ancient system of concentration exercises
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develops self-awareness and an expanded perspective
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reduces stress and anxiety
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improves focus
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connects us with our inner source of joy, creativity and wisdom
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raises your energy level and your sense of well-being
From Inspiration to Innovation
Cultivate Creativity
A 2010 IBM survey of more than 3,000 organizations identified creativity as the #1 quality they looked for in future leaders.
Session 1: Creativity, Innovation & Meditation in the Modern World – an overview of the current place of meditation and creativity. Begin practicing meditation
Session 2: Open & Closed Mode - important creativity framework used by writers, inventors, film-makers and poets throughout the ages
Session 3: Play & Presence - Mindfulness for stress reduction and focus
Session 4: Imagination & Withdrawal - entering the world of imagination
Session 5: Collective Intelligence - team synergy & productivity
Session 6: Intuitional Science - deeper meditation to connect to inner levels of creativity, love and awareness
IDEAL FOR
- Creative professionals
- Cutting-edge organizations
- Creative media companies (film, music, innovation industries)
- Inventors, artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers
- Any group looking to foster creativity and create a culture of innovation
“I think a 99 times and get nothing. I float in silence, and the truth comes to me.”
– Albert Einstein
All innovation starts with an idea. Or more likely, 99 bad ideas, and one good one. Our best new ideas tend to arise when we are relaxed, at play, in the shower, walking in nature or even in a dream. When the mind is calm. Not so much when we are anxious or over-thinking a problem or up against a deadline. A busy mind is not a good place to look for intuitive breakthroughs.
If you quiet your mind, you can engage that all important intuition. Meditation is a powerful way to do just that. That’s why we call it, ‘Intuitional Science’. You can train your mind to ‘float in silence’ so that your intuition can deliver the insights and solutions you seek.
“Certain meditation techniques can promote creative thinking, even if you’ve never meditated before.” Leiden University study, 2012
In this course you will learn:
- How to optimize focus and clarity through mindfulness
- How to think less and allow your imagination to shine through with a simple meditation technique
- How to use music and singing to create the right mood for meditation
- How to break through creative blocks and free your imagination
- How to understand your two main creative modes with a time tested framework
- How to infuse your new creations with joy
Learn to Lead from the Heart
Enlightened Leadership
Session 1: Qualities of an Enlightened Leader. A survey of the obvious and the less well understood traits we need to develop to lead well.
Session 2: Meditation - A Technology for Conscious Evolution. Why do so many effective leaders practice meditation?
Session 3: Emotional intelligence, calm, resilience, anxiety and kindness
Session 4: Clarity, vision, perspective and imagination
Session 5: Relationships, trust and teams. Mentoring, developing people.
Session 6: Leading for the Future - The Ethics of Power
IDEAL FOR
- Team Leaders
- Entrepreneurs
- Executives
- Business professionals
- Any organization looking to increase creativity, productivity and workplace morale
“As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.” – Amit Ray
It’s quite easy to come up with a list of the qualities that define a good leader. The hard part is actually becoming that person. Even harder is remaining that person when provoked or under stress.
Meditation is a powerful tool that can help to make personal change real and lasting. It enhances self-awareness, empathy, patience and many other vital character traits. It is no accident that more than 80% of high achievers practice meditation.
In this course you will learn:
- How to cultivate emotional intelligence
- How to flourish under stress
- How to develop empathy with your people and remember that your main job is to help them develop
- How to tap into your inner source of inspiration and vision
- How to develop a regular, vitalizing meditation practice
- How to become more self-aware and remain true to yourself
Dada Nabhaniilananda
Dada is a yoga monk, a meditation instructor, an author, a keynote speaker and a musician. Born in New Zealand, he was ordained as a monk in India in 1979 and has been teaching meditation for 40 years. Dada has appeared on stage with the Dalai Lama, taught in more than 40 countries and has spoken for Apple, NVIDIA, Google, CISCO, Lam Research Intel and Facebook.
“Dada through his corporate talks brings in a unique blend of ancient wisdom traditions, an understanding of life in today’s world, a refreshingly practical approach that will work in a corporation, and a wicked sense of humor.”
Gopi Kallayil, Google
“I bring in speakers all the time for Facebook. Dada was by far the most charismatic speaker we have ever had. He engaged people in a way I haven’t seen before.”
Aileen Cureton, Facebook
“Dada embodies creativity and his teachings help make meditation simple for busy people with busy minds. His talks, classes and consultation help you access your innate gifts which leads to enhanced creativity and innovation. I highly recommend Dada for individuals and organizations that want to get unstuck and take their performance and lives to a higher level.”
Maryann Baumgarten, SLAC
“We piloted a meditation and creativity training program, and the meditation training really helped in stress management and overall better well being. It has become another tool for our team to use in driving an open mindset which is key for creativity and innovation.”
Lubab Sheet-Davis, Lam Research
"With his humor and in-depth knowledge of the science behind meditation, Dada introduced the team to a very effective meditation technique that incorporates music... Dada’s technique induces the rational mind into a state of relaxation and meditation more quickly. The best part was to see my colleagues planning to organize meditation sessions at work..., allowing us to boost creativity and increase our focus on the tasks at hand."
Marcela Lopez, Head of Transfer Pricing, PayPal
"We brought in Dada to our company to help our employees learn to meditate and be more mindful to our customers and vendors and each other. It has been an excellent experience and many of my team continue to meditate daily and ... I have noticed (they) are more mindful of what they do and their actions to others. I highly recommend Dada for any organization."
Alex Pelaez, CEO 5 Elements Analytics
"Dada guided my business group in a multi-week creativity workshop. He introduced us to recent studies linking creativity and meditation, guided us through exercises, and encouraged daily personal practice. I recommend this to other corporate clients as a team-building activity as well as for encouraging creativity and mindfulness."
Nerissa Draeger, Director of University Engagements, Lam Research
Finally, an Infectious Epidemic We Can Learn to Love!
The Value of Meditation for Companies
5 Benefits of Meditation in Your Professional Life
Love is the Seventh Wave
Reduce Stress with Just 10 Minutes of Meditation a Day
Meditation in the News: Dan Harris on Why He Meditates
Meditation Questions: How Do I Maintain My Practice?
