Max Keilbach is a meditation teacher in Berlin and founder of Stille Mitte, an institute for meditation. Before that he worked 15 years as a research economist and spent 15 years as singer and vocal-group leader with a swing big band. Yoga and meditation have been a constant in his life since 1995.
Dr. Max Keilbach
Meditation Teacher & Founder of Stille Mitte
Stille Mitte Institut für Meditation
Meditation Teacher, Berlin · Berlin chapter
First a shepherd's apprenticeship, then a doctorate in economics and 15 years in research, then 15 years singing with a swing big band. Meditation ran through all of it. Max founded Stille Mitte, a Berlin institute for meditation, and teaches what the research on meditation actually shows.
Highlights
- Founded Stille Mitte, an institute for meditation, inner development and scientific dialogue at Wartburgstraße 52 in Berlin-Schöneberg.
- Spent 15 years as a research economist, including positions at ZEW Mannheim and the Max Planck Institute of Economics.
- Co-author of "Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth" (Oxford University Press, 2006, with David Audretsch and Erik Lehmann).
- 15 years with a swing big band as singer, leader of its vocal group and later producer.
Founded Stille Mitte, an institute for meditation, inner development and scientific dialogue at Wartburgstraße 52 in Berlin-Schöneberg.. Spent 15 years as a research economist, including positions at ZEW Mannheim and the Max Planck Institute of Economics.. Co-author of "Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth" (Oxford University Press, 2006, with David Audretsch and Erik Lehmann).. 15 years with a swing big band as singer, leader of its vocal group and later producer..
About Max Keilbach
Max Keilbach has a CV you read twice. He trained as a shepherd first. Then came a degree, a doctorate in economics, and 15 years at research institutes, among them ZEW Mannheim and the Max Planck Institute of Economics, where he studied entrepreneurship and innovation.
When research stopped filling the days, music took over: 15 years with a swing big band, as singer, leader of its vocal group and later producer. On the side he rebuilt a landmarked ruin in Kreuzberg, where he lives today, and now looks after several buildings in Berlin.
Meditation is the older story. He was drawn to the traditional texts of Asia early on; in 1995 he picked the thread back up and began practicing yoga and meditation. A longer stay in India in 2022 deepened his practice, above all Vipassana meditation.
In Berlin-Schöneberg he founded Stille Mitte, an institute for meditation, inner development and dialogue with science, housed in a quiet carriage house in the Akazienkiez. His courses combine long-established techniques with current research.
On 1 September 2026 Stille Mitte hosted the Longevity Cities workshop "Longevity Masterclass: Science of Meditation & Nervous System Regulation" in Berlin. Max gave the talk "The Science of Meditation" there: what current research shows about meditation's measurable effects on the brain, the nervous system, emotional wellbeing, cognitive performance and healthy aging.
Credentials
- Doctorate in Economics (Promotion, Volkswirtschaftslehre)PhD— Technische Universität Berlin
Topics & Expertise
- Mental & Emotional Health
- Brain Longevity
- meditation research
- vipassana meditation
- guided meditation
- contemplative traditions
- meditation and healthy aging
- stress and emotional regulation
Talks at Longevity Austria
Past
- Longevity Masterclass: Science of Meditation & Nervous System Regulation 🧘♂️✨ — Sep 1, 2026 · Stille Mitte (Institut für Meditation), Wartburgstraße 52, 10823 Berlin
Frequently asked questions
Who is Max Keilbach?
What did Max Keilbach speak about at Longevity Cities?
On 1 September 2026 in Berlin he gave the research talk "The Science of Meditation" at the workshop "Longevity Masterclass: Science of Meditation & Nervous System Regulation", hosted at his own institute, Stille Mitte. He covered what current studies show about meditation's measurable effects on the brain, the nervous system, emotional wellbeing, cognitive performance and healthy aging.
What is Stille Mitte?
Stille Mitte is an institute for meditation, inner development and scientific dialogue in a quiet carriage house at Wartburgstraße 52 in Berlin-Schöneberg. It offers meditation courses, workshops and teacher training; its teachers include the Buddhist monk Bhante Kusala Gnana and yoga author Anna Trökes.
What is Max Keilbach's background?
An unusually varied one: a shepherd's apprenticeship, then a doctorate in economics and 15 years at research institutes, then 15 years with a swing big band, plus rebuilding a landmarked ruin in Kreuzberg. A longer stay in India in 2022 deepened his meditation practice, above all Vipassana. Founding a meditation institute was the next step.