Death Awareness

A contemplative practice of remembering mortality and the changing nature of all things.

What is death awareness?

Death awareness is the practice of remembering our own mortality and the mortality of others.

It is rooted more broadly in awareness of impermanence: the changing nature of our bodies, relationships, circumstances, thoughts, and everything around us.

The practice can take many forms, including meditation, reflection, conversation, journaling, or simply remembering mortality in the midst of ordinary life.

What can the practice cultivate?

Clarity

Death awareness can help clarify what matters, where we place our attention, and how we want to use our limited time.

Compassion

Remembering mortality can soften our relationship with ourselves and others by bringing us into contact with our shared vulnerability and impermanence.

Courage

Awareness of life’s fleeting nature can encourage us to engage more directly with our lives and act on what matters.

The Death Awareness Project

The Death Awareness Project exists to help people develop and sustain a practice of death awareness.

We create contemplative spaces for reflection, practice, and shared inquiry, with community at the center of the work.

Through courses, a monthly Practice Group, and individual practice, the Project offers several ways to explore mortality and impermanence in a form that fits your interests and circumstances.

About the Project

Start Here

New to death awareness? The free introductory course offers a simple, self-paced introduction to the foundations of the practice.

Through guided reflection and contemplative exercises, you’ll explore aliveness, change, and the ways we respond to impermanence.

Ways to Practice With Us

Practice Group

A recurring community gathering for guided practice, shared reflection, and conversation about mortality and impermanence.

Courses

Structured programs that explore death awareness through contemplative practice, reflection, and discussion over several weeks.

1:1 Practice

Individual exploration of the curriculum with personalized support and space to work at your own pace.

"Ryan is an incredible teacher and every week I felt I had a new perspective on death. It's a great course."

Wendy W.

Contemplating Living and Dying participant