UCLA Mindful

05/16/2025

Your skin works hard to keep pollution out. You can help it stay strong by following these six simple steps from UCLA Health experts:

05/11/2025

Cori Broadus, daughter of Snoop Dogg, faced a life-threatening pregnancy complication known as HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets) syndrome, a variant of preeclampsia. Despite this challenge, she welcomed her daughter, Codi Dreux, into the world and is preparing to bring her home from the NICU.

As she shared her story on Instagram, Cori realized that many women had never heard of HELLP syndrome. Now, she’s passionate about continuing to raise awareness about the condition, Black maternal health, and the importance of health advocacy.

Read her full story:

Breadcrumb Home News & Insights New mom Cori Broadus shares her harrowing pregnancy journey to raise awareness and provide comfort She was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, which resulted in her daughter being born prematurely. New mom Cori Broadus is sharing her health journey to help others. (Photo c...

05/11/2025

A mother’s love knows no bounds. When 17-year-old Jaren from Texas was diagnosed with kidney failure, his mother, Shyra, was determined to find him the best possible care. After extensive research, distance didn’t stand in the way—the family traveled to LA, where Shyra donated her kidney to Jaren under the care of Dr. Jeffrey Veale, whom Jaren calls “Uncle Jeff.”

Her boundless love not only gave Jaren a second chance at life, but also created a lifelong bond between their family and Dr. Veale. Read their story:

05/11/2025

🥦 Is your salad more than just a side dish? Discover the raw truth about uncooked eats:

05/08/2025

When multidisciplinary teams come together 🍽️ Urologists Dr. Kymora Scotland and Dr. Carol Bennett joined urogynecologist Dr. Lynn Stothers, with Shelby Yacezcko, RDN, to livestream a "Teaching Kitchen."

The Teaching Kitchen provides healthy, tasty food habits for kidney stone patients, by demonstrating quick and easy preparation based on a kidney stone prevention diet. Participants were able to watch via Zoom.

Learn about Teaching Kitchens available through UCLA Recreation: https://bit.ly/3Sgg6pM

05/07/2025

Running isn't just good for your body; it also benefits your mind and mood. Research supports exercise as a way to elevate mental health, according to UCLA Health's Dr. Eve Glazier and Dr. Elizabeth Ko. Get details from the experts as we Ask the Doctors:

05/06/2025

At just 12 years old, Herbert Najera dreamed of working in medicine. Today, he’s a nurse at UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital — a journey made possible by UCLA's Medical Assistant Program, a partnership with UCLA Extension, and UCLA School of Nursing.

Discover how this workforce development program is transforming lives and meeting critical healthcare needs across our community: https://ucla.in/446cAWj

05/05/2025

Everett waited four years for a kidney transplant—three of them spent on dialysis. When his cousin Sean wasn’t a match, Sean donated his kidney through the UCLA Health Kidney Voucher Program to help Everett move up the list.

Then came Cynthia. A stranger, whose altruistic kidney donation turned out to be the match Everett needed.

Their story came full circle when Everett surprised Cynthia at their shared “Laker for a Day” experience - surrounded by their families and transplant teams, including Dr. Hans Gritsch and Dr. Jeffrey Veale. 💜💛 Read more: https://ucla.in/4jJEhcq

Los Angeles Lakers

05/05/2025

05/02/2025

The UC Board of Regents has appointed James B. Milliken as the 22nd president of the University of California system. A nationally recognized leader in public higher education, Milliken brings over 30 years of experience advancing student success and harnessing the transformative power of public education to help every student achieve their full potential, uplift communities, and build a brighter future. Milliken will assume his role as UC President on August 1, 2025.

Milliken currently serves as chancellor of the University of Texas system, where he oversees record-breaking enrollment growth and advanced initiatives to expand access to higher education, including a commitment to provide free tuition for in-state students from families earning under $100,000 annually.

Learn more about Milliken here: https://bit.ly/3ER4dDG

05/02/2025

This Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we honor the legacy of leadership, resilience and diverse heritage of the AANHPI community. Together, we empower leaders and ignite meaningful progress.

05/02/2025

Our Wellness Wagons rolled through Stagecoach Festival this past weekend with tasty popsicles, SPF and lip balm to keep festival-goers feeling refreshed in the desert. Thank you everyone for visiting our carts! ☀️

04/23/2025

Free Weekly Meditation Class with Diana Winston and Guests

Join UCLA Mindful’s Director, Diana Winston, and other guest teachers live-online for a weekly opportunity to practice together and learn about different aspects of mindfulness. Each week we will explore a new theme or topic in mindfulness. Topics may include self-compassion, working with judgments, obstacles to meditation, dealing with difficult emotions, mindfulness in challenging times, the spectrum of awareness, and much more.

Each class will include a guided meditation, lecture, time for questions, and exercises related to the theme. Guest teachers will also visit the class. Check weekly for the schedule.

All levels of practice experience are welcome!

No need to register, just drop in any week, but please come to the full 90 minutes.

Upcoming Class Schedule:
April 23- Diana Winston

April 30- Special Event:
Film Showing of Three Short Mindfulness Films about Kids, Teens, and Mindfulness and Talk-Back with the Director, Julie Bayer Salzman

“Just Breathe”, “Release”, and “Into Light” are the first of three films in the Mindful Shorts series by filmmaker Julie Bayer Salzman. “Just Breathe” is an introduction to mindfulness with kindergarteners as teachers; “Release” offers middle-school kids a lesson in mindful breathing to help alleviate their stress and anxiety; and “Into Light” features four teens who use mindfulness tools to navigate depression. All three films, though designed with particular age groups in mind, are universal in their function.

We'll shorten our meditation to 15 minutes and then watch the films, followed by a discussion with the director on mindfulness for kids and teens, youth mental health, and the role of filmmaking in sharing mindfulness.

03/26/2025

UCLA Mindful is proud to present this six-week immersive course with Mitra Manesh, designed to help you move beyond survival mode and step into a more intentional, conscious way of living.

Built on the pillars of mindfulness and real-world application, each session includes:

📌Guided mindfulness practices to strengthen presence and awareness
📌Interactive teachings that bridge wisdom and daily life.
📌Live coaching and Q&A for personalized learning and support

🗓️Sundays, March 30 - May 4, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm PT

🎥 Recording available for registered participants

💵 Financial Assistance available

02/27/2025

Join us today online via Zoom and every week either in person at the Billy Wilder Auditorium or live-online. Thursdays 12:30-1pm, PT.

Thursdays not good for you? We now have free drop-ins Monday through Thursday every week!

Looking forward to practicing with you.

10/30/2024

✨ Need a midweek reset? ✨

Whether you’re at work, at home, or posted up at your favorite coffee shop, you can drop in anywhere for a mindful moment with UCLA Mindful and Diana Winston! 🌿💻

🗓 Every Wednesday
🕓 4 PM - 5:30 PM Pacific Time
📍 On Zoom

Join us each week for a FREE mindfulness session — open to all levels. Recharge, reconnect, and bring a little more calm to your day, right from wherever you are.

Tap the link in bio to join us 🌟 See you there!

09/27/2024

Mindfulness, Science, and Space

Mindfulness - Coming to a planet near you! 🤓

09/10/2024

Happy Tuesday UCLA Mindful Community 😃

Join us today (and every Tuesday) for a FREE drop-in Meditation class at Santa Monica Medical Center.

Facilitated by our knowledgeable and creative TMF grads 🫶🏼 .khetarpal and others!

Drop-Ins are available to staff, patients, and general public. All are welcome!

12:30-1pm
Santa Monica Hospital Auditorium
1250 16th St, Santa Monica, CA

07/29/2024

Dear Community,

Thank you so much for your patience during these past months when MARC has been undergoing a hiatus, a transition, and a restructuring process. We wanted to update you with the latest information.

As of 2024, the MARC remains at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience, where it is administratively housed in the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology.
Due to financial restructuring, Diana Winston and Serena Hoenig have migrated to the UCLA Healthcare System to create a new mindfulness education center, UCLA Mindful.
We thank you for your continued support to our organizations.

Stay tuned for exciting offerings coming from UCLA Mindful. Subscribe or view our newsletter by clicking link in bio.

08/01/2023

Journaling is a great way of reflecting on your daily life, habits, and practice. Try these prompts:

What practices do you think benefit your overall wellbeing most?

List out the specific benefits you notice.

Do you look forward to those practices?

What gets in the way of practice?

07/28/2023

Register here: https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc/daylongs

MARC's daylong retreats are designed to benefit both beginners and those with an existing mindfulness practice.

Beginners benefit from teacher support and the multitude of ways mindfulness meditation is available during a daylong retreat. Participants often enjoy the balance of weaving lecture with guided meditation to enable a longer period of practice.

More advanced meditators report a deeper concentration during supportive group practice all while learning new approaches to add to their toolbox of practice techniques.

No matter your level of experience, daylong retreats are a great addition- or start- to your meditation practice.

07/27/2023

Start by taking one breath with awareness.

07/26/2023

Did You Try Meditating for the First Time During COVID-19?

If you meditated for the first time between March 2020 and January 2022, would you be willing to share your experiences?

Hello, my name is Carol Beckerman. My doctoral study explores the motivations behind millions of people turning to meditation during the pandemic. You can learn more at meditationduringpandemic.org and find out if you qualify to take a brief survey (10-20 minutes). The survey is completely anonymous.

Learning more about the motivation to meditate will help inform meditation teachers, app developers and healthcare professionals about the underlying reasons why people turned to this practice during a global crisis.

Your time and the sharing of your experience is very much appreciated. If you know anyone who qualifies, please share this invite. meditationduringpandemic.org

07/07/2023

Equanimity is a state of balance, even-mindedness, a sense of stability and calm amidst the changing nature of life.

We all have had access to it many times in our lives, and it can also be cultivated. It can be cultivated through noticing that things change (“this too shall pass”), mindfulness practice in general, and through a specific equanimity practice described in the image.

Equanimity can seem like dispassion, disconnection, or apathy, but true equanimity is a deeply connected state of mind. One can be passionate yet recognize the truth of things “as they are.”

Having equanimity does not make us inactive. We can still engage in actions for justice, but do it from a mind of equanimity.

06/29/2023

Saturday, July 1, 10am -4pm, PT
Link in bio

Sometimes in meditation we find our bodies are uncomfortable or tense. Since ease and relaxation serve our meditation practice, this retreat will devote significant time to mindful movement, also known as "Easy Stretching Postures." These postures can be useful for cultivating relaxed awareness, ease in the body and an open heart.

We will use various activities to cultivate mindful attention including sitting, walking, stretching and eating. The day will also include lecture and discussion.

This retreat is suitable for new or experienced practitioners.

06/27/2023

The research is in! Our app, UCLA Mindful, has been found to improve psychological outcomes in pretransplant patients with heart failure.

06/21/2023

Diana will be teaching Cultivating Self-Compassion two ways this summer: a 6-week course and a daylong retreat.

Join us for a summer transformation.

06/15/2023

Join the Office for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for a Juneteenth Commemorative Discussion led by guest speakers Phia Salter, Ph.D. and Wendy Moore, JD, PhD

Registration link in Bio!

06/14/2023

Compassion is developed through understanding. “When I can’t be compassionate, what is it I don’t understand?” Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Compassion is a verb.” We can combine compassionate wishes with compassionate acts.

Remember the importance of not judging yourself wherever you are.

Over time we come to embody compassion and it becomes a natural default response instead of avoidance, pity, anger, or withdrawal, etc. It becomes who we are.

06/09/2023

Register Here: www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc/daylongs

Join Marvin G. Belzer for a daylong retreat. We will explore how to use the primary methods of mindfulness meditation to balance energy and calmness while we develop more ease and well-being.

Several meditation sessions in one day is a great way to deepen our mindfulness practice
It can also help us reach new and different depths of understanding of ourselves and the world.

As we practice with a group of like-minded others, we find additional inspiration for our practice. Sitting, walking, and relational mindfulness will offer opportunities to deepen our practices.

Our homes offer special opportunities for mindfulness practice both in meditation and in our daily activities. In this daylong we will meditate; and also we playfully will bring more awareness into daily lives: the spaces we occupy, our daily habits, and so forth.
-being