What Is Mindfulness, Really? And How Do You Know if You're Doing It Right? | Diana Winston

About this episode

<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>Mindfulness is a word that is in danger of becoming meaningless. In this episode, we dig into the meaning of mindfulness, how to practice without getting overwhelmed, and how to stop the judgment spiral.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Today's guest is <a href="https://dianawinston.com/" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Diana Winston</a>, the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA's <a href= "https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mindful Awareness Research Center</a>. She has written several books, including <a href= "https://www.soundstrue.com/collections/authors-diana-winston/products/the-little-book-of-being" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Little Book of Being</em></a><em>,</em> and <a href= "https://bookshop.org/p/books/fully-present-the-science-art-and-practice-of-mindfulness-susan-l-smalley/16643828?ean=9780306829406" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Fully Present, the Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness</em></a><em>,</em> which she co-authored with Susan Smalley, and which is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Diana has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma. </p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <p><br /></p> <ul> <li>How Diana defines mindfulness</li> <li>How we know if we're in a state of bonafide mindfulness</li> <li>The difference between mindfulness as a trait and mindfulness as a state </li> <li>Whether you have to meditate to achieve mindfulness as a trait</li> <li>What current scientific research says about the benefits of meditation</li> <li>The link between intuition, happiness and authenticity</li> <li>Her definition of happiness</li> <li>How meditation can help us relate to our bodies differently</li> <li>How to stop the self-judgment spiral</li> <li>Creating a top ten list to deal with difficult thoughts</li> <li>How to use meditation for chronic pain</li> <li>Striking a balance between reason and intuition</li> <li>The ripple effects of practicing meditation</li> <li>And how to start practicing mindfulness without getting overwhelmed</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong><a href= "https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/diana-winston" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/diana-winston</a></p>