When the reality of the pandemic started setting in last year, the LA County Department of Mental Health announced a partnership with the meditation app Headspace - anyone living in the County could get a free subscription. 

Regardless of whether you took advantage of that, it does seem like more folks are turning to meditation and mindfulness practice in the stress of the last year. And that also means more tech platforms entering the space. As reported by the L.A. Times, wellness is now a part of the streaming wars, with Netflix partnering with Headspace for a three part program this year, as a counter to HBO Max’s “A World of Calm” series. 

We sit down with Diana Winston of UCLA to discuss the recent trends in mindfulness, the impact of tech as an avenue into meditation and the benefits of the practice. Plus, if you’ve started meditating because of pandemic-related stress or have questions about how to get started, we want to hear from you via 866-893-5722. 

Disclosure: Diana Winston has guided meditations on the UCLA Mindful App, the Ten Percent Happier App, Sam Harris’ Waking Up App and the Ultrahuman App.

Guest:

Diana Winston, director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center; she is also the author of several books, including “The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness” (Sounds True, 2019)