diana winston
Author of
The Little Book of Being
Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness
Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens
Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA. She is the author of The Little Book of Being and the co-author of Fully Present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness. She has taught mindfulness for health and well-being since 1999 in a range of settings including in healthcare, universities, businesses, non-profits, and schools in the US and internationally. Her work has been mentioned in the New York Times, O Magazine, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, Allure, Women’s Health, among others. She created the evidence-based Mindful Awareness Practices Program (MAPs), is the founding director of UCLA’s Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, and is a founding board member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. The LA Times calls her one of the nation’s best-known teachers of mindfulness.”
You can find her on the UCLA Mindful app, the Ten percent happier app, at www.uclahealth.org/marc and www.dianawinston.com
BOOKS BY DIANA
A practical guide to experiencing natural awareness—an effortless and spacious state of resting in the depth or our being.
Do you recall, as a child, being enthralled by a drifting cloud, a rain-soaked leaf, a wandering ladybug? Or suddenly having a sense of timelessness, contentment, and ease? If so, then you've already had a taste of natural awareness.
Known and revered in many traditions as a complement to focused mindfulness training, natural awareness transcends even these wondrous childhood moments. Some describe it as a profound "awareness of awareness"—an effortless, boundless state of resting in the depth of our being.
For those new to meditation and experienced meditators alike, these 72 "mini-chapters" guide you on an in-depth odyssey into natural awareness, illuminated by many simple and enjoyable insights and exercises. The Little Book of Being invites you to explore: The spectrum of awareness practices, from focused mindfulness to flexible mindfulness to natural awareness
• How classical mindfulness and effortless natural awareness enrich and shape each other, and how to practice both
• Three ways to move into natural awareness—relaxing effort, broadening awareness, and dropping objects
• A treasury of "glimpse practices" to spark natural awareness anytime, in just a few moments
• How to bring this way of "simply being" into your daily life, into your connection with others, and into the world
"At first natural awareness may seem far away, just a whisper, but then it will begin to grow and expand and permeate aspects of living. Over time we may feel more peace, more connection to ourselves. We may find ourselves taking life a bit more lightly. We may feel a sense of relaxed ‘beingness’ throughout the day, and when we do get caught in our dramas, we may find ourselves moving out of them quicker than we imagined we could."
PRAISE
“Winston’s concise, easy-to-follow examples of how to cultivate a more self-compassionate meditation practice will appeal to meditators of all levels.” —Publishers Weekly
“A slim and simple guide to slowing down, savoring the simple, and indulging in a little mindfulness...perfect for both new and seasoned practitioners of meditation.” —Bustle
“Winston shows how to adopt...simple practices that allow one to gradually move from a more effortful approach to mindfulness to one that doesn’t consume so much energy, that has faith and conviction that we’re already aware and don’t need to be fixed.” —Mindful
“The Little Book of Being offers new and experienced meditators reliable guidance on the practice of natural awareness, as well as classical mindfulness. Helpful, accessible, and humorous, it makes meditation an inviting adventure while also setting realistic expectations.” —Guy Armstrong, author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators; guiding teacher, Insight Meditation Society
From Buddhist traditions to daily exercises, enhance your physical and mental health with the ultimate practical guide to mindfulness from two leading experts.
Mindfulness--the art of paying attention with an open and curious mind to present-moment experiences--has attracted ever-growing interest and tens of thousands of practitioners, who have come to the discipline from both within and outside the Buddhist tradition. In Fully Present, leading mindfulness researchers and educators Dr. Sue Smalley and Diana Winston provide an all-in-one guide for anyone interested in bringing mindfulness to daily life as a means of enhancing well-being. Fully Present provides both a scientific explanation for how mindfulness positively and powerfully affects the brain and the body as well as practical guidance to develop both a practice and mindfulness in daily living, not only through meditation but also during daily experiences, such as waiting in line at the supermarket, exercising, or facing difficult news.
PRAISE
“Excellent. Fully Present offers one of the clearest introductions to mindfulness in the field.” ― Library Journal
“[The authors’] collaboration in Fully Present draws on their expertise and experience in ways that readers can totally relate to…Take your time with this one. It's that good.” ―Cincinnati Parent
"Seamlessly combines easy-to-read reports on scientific research with first-person accounts and practice instructions...A lively read."―Mindful
Many of today's teenagers are tired of the pressure to compete and consume-and are looking for a different way to live their lives. This book offers an alternative: the 2,500-year old practice of Buddhism.
Written in a style that will have immediate appeal to young "seekers" and those wanting to understand the ancient teachings, this book addresses such relevant topics as peer pressure, emotional difficulties, stress, fostering peace, and even protecting the environment. For everyone looking for self-help, self-esteem, and self-awareness, this book offers advice on:
•Discovering truth in a world of hype
•Finding peace amid the ups and downs of life
•Accepting ourselves
•Working with difficult emotions
•How to meditate
•Dealing with temptations and making the right decisions about sex and drugs
•Advice on volunteering, working for peace, and protecting the environment
PRAISE
“One of the recent trends in Buddhist publishing has been a subtle generation shift: we are now seeing second-generation Buddhists' memoirs as well as introductory books for teenagers and young adults. Into this latter category falls Diana Winston's Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens, a well-written and basic primer for Gen-Ys who are asking Big Questions. Introducing concepts such as meditation, enlightenment, metta (lovingkindness), karma, the four noble truths and the eight worldly conditions, Winston writes accessibly but doesn't try overly hard to sound cool or relevant. Teens will appreciate the way she gives the dharma to them straight, while many adults will also benefit from this lucid manual.”—Publishers Weekly
“Gr. 6-10. Switching between anecdotes of her own journey in Buddhism and advice on how teens can apply the Buddha's teachings to their lives, Winston offers a personal and thoughtful introduction to Buddhist thought and practice. The fundamental tenets of Buddhism are introduced through the lens of adolescence: finding karma at a high-school basketball game or promising that metta (loving-kindness) can free teens from anger toward siblings and parents (a miracle, indeed). Winston frequently quotes from teens she has met in her work at a Buddhist center in California, showing what they have learned from Buddhism on such subjects as skipping school. The writing doesn't rely on slang that will go out of style, but Winston's retellings of Buddhist sutras and stories are delightfully colloquial ("I want to understand life," the Buddha tells his father at one point. "I can't stay cooped up in this castle"), and her celebration of inquisitiveness and doubt will appeal to readers. Give this, along with Franz Metcalf's Buddha in Your Backpack (2002), to spiritual seekers intrigued by Buddhism.”—Booklist