10% Happier With Dan Harris

Tackling one of the best known contemplative clichés: being in the present moment and “inhabiting the now.”Matthew Brensilver, MSW, PhD, teaches retreats at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock and other Buddhist centers.He was previously program director for Mindful Schools and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine. Each summer, he lectures at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center on the intersections between mindfulness, science and psychotherapy.  Matthew is the co-author of two books about meditation during adolescence and continues to be interested in the unfolding dialogue between Buddhism and science.In this episode we talk about:What being present actually means What to do when Buddhist teachings or meditation instructions feel out of reachWhat to do when a memory aris

A slew of evidence-based, ready-to-try-today interventions we can use to “complete the stress cycle.”Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life. She has a MS in counseling and a PhD in health behavior, both from Indiana University. She’s also the co-author of Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle.   Amelia Nagoski holds a DMA in conducting from the University of Connecticut. An assistant professor and coordinator of music at Western New England University, she regularly presents educational sessions discussing the application of communications science and psychological research for audiences of other professional musicians, including “Beyond Burnout Prevention: Embodied Wellness for Conductors.” She is the co-author of Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress CycleIn this episode we talk about:The three characteristics of burnoutThe difference between addressing stressful

How to stay focused, fight distraction, and function at your peak.Dr. Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. Dr Jha is the author of the national bestseller, Peak Mind. In this episode we talk about:What peak mind isWhy meta awareness is important to practice and achieve peak mindThe suite of mindfulness-based attention training practicesWhy humans developed attention in the first placeUsing the flashlight and floodlight metaphors to help us understand different types of attentionThe mental pushup for attention: focus, notice, and redirectThe attention benefits for high stress populations who engage in contemplatives practicesMultitasking vs. monotaskingThe real life and death consequences of confirmation biasPart of the reason why we may be experiencing a crisis of attention Giving our mind the freedom to choose where it goes nextR

Sometimes we feel like we have too much energy to meditate. Make space for all of that energy by listening to sounds as they come and go.About Sharon Salzberg:A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of thirteen books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Real Life. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “When You Have Too Much Energy.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Understanding the Buddhist concept of “the five aggregates.“Pascal Auclair has been immersed in the study and practice of Buddhist teachings since 1997. He has participated in retreats in Asia and America with renowned masters from both monastic and secular backgrounds. Pascal completed four years of teacher training with Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. Pascal teaches mainly in North America and Europe. He is one of the founding members of True North Insight, where he teaches and acts as a mentor.In this episode we talk about:How the five aggregates got Auclair hooked on Buddhist practice and philosophyThe five aggregates as a way to work with difficultyLiving with the non-negotiable prospect of dyingPaying attention to pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feeling toneMeditation training as a way to understand that experiences are conditionalRelated Episodes:Seven Buddhist Ingredients for a Happy Mind | Pascal

The interview that changed the way Dan relates to food. Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD,  CEDRD-S is an award-winning registered dietitian, with a nutrition counseling practice in Newport Beach, California. She has written ten books including the bestsellers Healthy Homestyle Cooking and Intuitive Eating (co-author). Her newest book is the Intuitive Eating Workbook: Ten Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food.In this episode we talk about:How meditation practice and intuitive eating are similarThe difference between mindful eating and intuitive eatingWhy gentle nutrition is the last principle of intuitive eatingHow to rethink negative body imageWhy you can’t tell how healthy a person is by looking at their bodyWhy it’s important not to talk about food in moralistic termsHow to make peace with and rethink our relationship with foodRelated Episodes:How to Embrace the Anti-Diet | Christy HarrisonSign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier

A comprehensive strategy for setting and maintaining boundaries—and respecting other people’s boundaries.Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW, is the author of bestsellers Drama Free and Set Boundaries, Find Peace. She is a licensed therapist, and sought-after relationship expert and has practiced relationship therapy for 15 years. Tawwab is the founder and owner of the group therapy practice, Kaleidoscope Counseling. In this episode we talk about:The definition of boundariesLeading with love when it comes to boundary settingTawwab’s taxonomy of boundariesHow to summon the courage to set and maintain boundaries, even when it's hardHow to respect other people's boundaries, even when they aren't clear about what they might be Related Episodes:How to Handle Family Drama | Nedra Glover TawwabSign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Epi

Cultivate resilience by choosing to turn towards joy, and transform difficult times into growth opportunities and heartache into gratitude.About La Sarmiento:La Sarmiento is a mentor for the MIndfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) and a teacher with Cloud Sangha. They have taught meditation retreats for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Teens, and Young Adults, and everyone in-between around the United States since 2010 and are a 2012 graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Training. To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Opening to Joy.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Next year marks the fifteenth anniversary of Gretchen Rubin’s #1 New York Times bestselling book, The Happiness Project. To celebrate, she’s leading a one-time, one-year course called “The Happiness Project: Revisited.” In this bonus excerpt from the course, Gretchen and Elizabeth explore the lessons Gretchen has learned over the years, talk about her plans to do a new happiness project in 2024, and discuss how other people can do their own happiness projects. You can learn more and sign up here—plus, get 30% off through December 31st with code THPR30DEC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Frequent guest Sam Harris discusses life after quitting Twitter and the metaphysics of meditation along with special co-host and brother Matt Harris. Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, and author of five New York Times best sellers. His work covers a wide range of topics—neuroscience, moral philosophy, religion, meditation practice, political polarization, rationality—but generally focuses on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live. His books include The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, and Waking Up. Sam hosts the popular Making Sense podcast and is the creator of the Waking Up app, which offers a modern approach to living a more examined life, through both in-depth mindfulness training and secular wisdom. Sam has practiced meditation for over 30 years and has studied with many Tibetan, Indian, Burmese, and Western meditation teachers, both in the United States and abroad. He holds a degree in philosophy from Stanfo

What the ancient Greek philosophers discovered about how to do life better.Tamar Gendler is dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University. Her Open Yale course “Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature” has hundreds of thousands of views. An updated version of this course will be available on the Coursera website this spring. In this episode we talk about:The tension between our animal nature and our spiritual/intellectual natureHow to define concepts such as “virtue”, “morality” and “the soul” Whether living a moral life actually makes you happy The similarities and differences between ancient Greek philosophy & Buddhism And how Tamar has applied all of this to her own lifeRelated Episodes:How (and Why) to Hug Your Inner Dragons | Richard SchwartzAn Ace Therapist Gives Dan A Run For His Money | Dr. Jacob HamSign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagra

Not thinking is not the point of mindfulness. We know, shocking! Emotions and thoughts are inextricably linked: know them to know yourself.About Cara Lai:Cara Lai has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist, but at this point she’s given up on being an adult in exchange for an all-out mindfulness rampage. Her teaching is relatable, authentic, funny and sometimes crass, and is accessible for many people. She teaches teens and adults at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and UCLA. To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Can’t Stop Thinking.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The longtime TV host and actor talks about working onscreen with her husband, her fear of public speaking, and what she does instead of sitting meditation.Kelly Ripa is one of the most powerful voices in media with a career at ABC spanning over 30 years. She's the author of the NY Times Bestseller, Long-Winded Short Stories and the host of her new podcast "Let's Talk Off-Camera" on Stitcher Podcasts.In this episode we talk about:What it’s like to work with her husband The value of marriage counseling, even when you’re not on the cusp of divorceHer resistance to meditation, and what she does insteadThe upsides of anxietyHer surprising fear of public speakingMenopause and the whole idea of “growing old gracefully,” whatever that meansFull Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/kelly-ripa-690Additional Resources:Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/installSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19

One's a legend, the other's a phenom. Together, they offer practical wisdom for maintaining your daily meditation practice, handling conflict, connecting with community, and understanding the limits of the mind.Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies, and the co-founder of Cloud Sangha.Diego Perez is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who is widely known on Instagram and various social media networks through his pen name, Yung Pueblo. Online he has an audience of over 3 million people. Diego’s books are Inward, Clarity & Connection, Lighter, and The Way Forward.In this episode we talk about:How and why to maintain a daily meditation practiceThe importance of communityThe limits of the thinking mindHow to handle conflictHow to love without being

A counterintuitive way to become more clear, creative, and persistent, via a writer who calls himself a “human guinea pig.”A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, podcaster, and human guinea pig. His new podcast “The Puzzler” is produced by iHeart and is in the Top 20 Apple Podcasts. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. Among his books are “The Year of Living Biblically” and “The Know-It-All.” He has told several Moth stories, has given several TED talks that have amassed over 10 million views. His latest book is “The Puzzler,” which Booklist called “ridiculously entertaining,” and The New York Times called “a romp, both fun and funny.” In this episode we talk about:The “puzzle mindset” and how it can change the way you approach your problems Creating a puzzle that will take billions of years to solveHow puzzles can help us during dark timesThe dark side of the puzzling worldHow his gratitude project made him better at talking to h

Make peace with pettiness through good old understanding.About Oren Jay Sofer:Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication. He has practiced meditation since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India and is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training program. Oren teaches retreats across the country and works as Senior Program Developer at Mindful Schools, teaching and developing curricula for one of the international leaders of mindfulness in education.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Soothing Resentment’s Burn.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Buddhist strategies for navigating tumult— and even becoming a node of sanity amidst it all.Oren Jay Sofer teaches meditation and communication internationally and has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1997. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma. Born and raised in New Jersey, he is the author of several books, including the best-seller Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication as well as his newest book, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love.In this episode we talk about:26 qualities for both navigating and positively impacting a chaotic worldWhat inspired the title of his newest book Why the cultivation of attention and aspiration can be transformative toolsHow mindfulness isn’t just about feeling goodWhy joy can help us to persevere through challenge

This guest says you can thrive with anxiety. And the trick is learning to get comfortable with discomfort.Dr. David H. Rosmarin is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, a program director at McLean Hospital, and founder of Center for Anxiety, which services over 1,000 patients/year in multiple states. His most recent book is Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You.In this episode we talk about:The difference between anxiety and stressHow anxiety and distress can, paradoxically, improve our relationships with ourselves and othersWhy he’s a proponent of exposure therapyHow anxiety can be transmuted into loveWhy we often use anger to cover up fear and anxietyAnd the spiritual benefit of thinking the worstSign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular EpisodesFull Shownotes:https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podc

Learn the skill of not taking sh*t for granted.About Matthew Hepburn:Matthew is a meditation and dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a passion for getting real about what it means to live well. He emphasizes humor, technique, and authentic kindness as a means to free the mind up from unnecessary struggle and leave a healthier impact on the world. Beyond Ten Percent Happier, Matthew has taught in prisons, schools, corporate events and continues to teach across North America in buddhist centers offering intensive silent retreats and dharma for urban daily life. To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Daily Gratitude Booster.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Practical tools for regulating your nervous system in stressful times.  Deb Dana is a licensed clinical social worker, clinician, and consultant who specializes in working with complex trauma. She is the author of Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory.In this episode we talk about:What polyvagal theory isThe case for understanding our nervous systemThe practical tools and exercises for changing our nervous system and learning to become more regulatedThe fact that our nervous systems aren’t simply isolated, self-contained phenomena – they are social structuresOur responsibilities for our own nervous system and the nervous systems of othersFull Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/deb-dana-rerunSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.