<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>
Actionable Insights
1. Practice Present Moment Awareness
Pay attention to your present moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with them as they are, rather than getting lost in the past or future. You can practice this by simply feeling your feet on the ground, noticing sensations with curiosity and openness.
2. Cultivate Mindfulness Through Repetition
Mindfulness is a muscle that builds over time; the more you practice being in a mindful state, whether through formal meditation or mindful daily activities, the more it becomes a lasting personal trait. Consistent effort to return to the present moment, even if your mind wanders, counts as effective practice.
3. Four Steps for Mindfulness Habits
To successfully form a mindfulness habit, ensure your steps are simple, create a supportive environment (e.g., a dedicated space or community), prioritize practice by connecting to your motivation, and commit to repetition over time. This approach helps integrate mindfulness into your daily life effectively.
4. Respond Wisely to Self-Judgment
When self-judging voices arise, use mindfulness to see them as fleeting thoughts, not personal truths, and apply self-compassion. Enlist your ‘wisdom mind’ to ask if the thought is true or to offer a kinder, more accepting perspective, thereby rewiring your inner dialogue.
5. Label Thoughts to Create Distance
Employ mental notes or labeling (e.g., ‘judging,’ ‘worrying’) to skillfully acknowledge thoughts without getting attached to them, helping you create distance from mental chatter. Ensure the tone of your mental note is soft and not suffused with aversion, avoiding judging yourself for judging.
6. Cultivate Loving Kindness Practice
Engage in loving kindness meditation, systematically sending phrases like ‘may you be happy, healthy, safe, live with ease’ to yourself and others. This practice can foster ‘balmier inner weather,’ helping you approach mindfulness with equanimity rather than gritted teeth.
7. Know Your Top 10 Mental Habits
Create a ’top 10’ list of your recurring negative mental habits (e.g., judgment, anxiety, comparison) to understand yourself better. Recognizing these patterns helps you anticipate them and not take them so personally, shifting your relationship to them with more ease and humor.
8. Mindfully Engage with Physical Pain
When experiencing physical pain, observe its non-monolithic nature (e.g., burning, tingling, increasing, decreasing) and notice the stories your mind creates about it (e.g., worry, fear). This practice, exemplified by the ice cube exercise, helps reduce suffering and improve quality of life by creating space and distance from the pain.
9. Access Intuition for Authenticity
Consistent mindfulness practice can deepen your access to intuition, an embodied knowing that distinguishes real insights from mental chatter. This increased intuition fosters authenticity, allowing you to take things less personally, admit mistakes, and connect more genuinely with yourself and others, leading to greater happiness.