EP187: Meditate to Stress Less, Sleep Better, and Be Happy with Light Watkins

Light Watkins is a former fashion model turned meditation teacher. He was raised in the South, has lived in New York City and Los Angeles, and has traveled extensively. He brings a ton of perspective from a wealth of experience, in a super calm, direct, and grounded way. Relax and enjoy this interview, wild ones. We talked about different forms of meditation and which ones work best for which people. Light walked me through some really interesting scientific facts about meditation (don't worry - we didn't get too technical!), and what the four catalysts for distress are. We got into boredom, connection, and happiness. AND!! He shared a really awesome story of a trip he took to Paris many years ago that was filled with synchronicity (our favorite!). About Light Watkins: Light has been operating in the meditation space since 1998, first as a practitioner, then as an apprentice to his Vedic Meditation teacher, and finally as a teacher himself. He's currently based in Santa Monica, CA, but travels the world giving talks on happiness, mindfulness, inspiration, and meditation, as well as leading popular meditation trainings and retreats. His passion is to teach people simple tools for increasing happiness. To date, Light has taught meditation to thousands through his live courses, books, and online trainings. He's taught at Apple, Soho House, Summit, and several tech start-ups around the U.S. His first book, The Inner Gym (L&G;), is a 30-day "inner workout" for strengthening happiness, and his upcoming book, Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying (Penguin), is a straight-talk how-to book that teaches busy professionals how to enjoy meditation. Light contributes to multiple wellness blogs and writes a popular daily email called Light's Daily Dose of Inspiration. Light's TEDx talk has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and he is the founder of The Shine Movement, a global pop-up inspirational variety show on a mission to share the stories of regular people who are making a difference in the world. In this episode, Light shares: 1. Why reverence for a practice enhances the practice 2. Why flossing your teeth is like meditation 3. The difference between actual meditation and meditative activities