10 TED Talks about Mindfulness

Mindfulness has entered mainstream. Its popularity and phenomenal growth can be traced back to Jon Kabat-Zinn who spearheaded the mindfulness movement. The mindfulness revolution has, to a great extent, indirectly introduced Buddhism to many people in the Western countries.

TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is a media organization which posts talks online for free distribution since 1984. Its slogan is “Ideas Worth Spreading”. We don’t have to restrict ourselves by reading books to learn about mindfulness; watching TED videos is a splendid way to gain more knowledge about the practices and benefits of mindfulness.

Let us check out the list of 10 Ted Talks about Mindfulness:

#1 – Teaching the ABCs of Attention, Balance, and Compassion  with Susan Kaiser Greenland

Founder of the Inner Kids program, Susan Kaiser Greenland adapted adult meditation practices for kids, seeing a marked improvement in their capacity to focus, calm themselves, and manage stress. She is also the author of The Mindful Child. She shares her insights on how children can learn practical skills to live more balanced, joyful lives. Her approach for teaching mindfulness to kids involves research-based techniques and playful activities.

#2 – The Power of Mindfulness: What You Practice Grows Stronger  with Shauna Shapiro

Dr. Shauna Shapiro, a professor at Santa Clara University, a clinical psychologist, and an internationally recognized expert in mindfulness, draws on modern neuroscience and ancient wisdom to demonstrate how mindfulness can help us make positive changes in our brains and our lives.

#3 – How Mindfulness Can Help You to Live in the Present with Rev. Takafumi Kawakami

Rev. Takafumi Kawakami, Deputy Head Priest at Kyoto’s Shunkoin Temple, embraces the skill of mindfulness as the center of Zen Buddhism and meditation, inspiring us all to slow our frantic lives to stay true to the present.

#4 – How Mindfulness Meditation Redefines Pain, Happiness, & Satisfaction  with Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat

Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat is a therapist with interest in fostering positive change in mental health both inside and outside the therapy room. Kasim teaches and presents on the use of mindfulness for creating healing, transformation, and peace. He is passionate about enhancing people’s sense of joy, authenticity, and presence. Kasim also teaches and speaks about the use of laughter and laughter yoga for improving wellness.

#5 – Why Aren’t We Teaching You Mindfulness with AnneMarie Rossi

AnneMarie Rossi is the founder and director of Be Mindful, a non-profit association of mindfulness instructors dedicated to making the practice accessible to all. In this powerful talk, an instructor bringing mindfulness to shelters shares her research into how mindfulness can set us up for success and break cycles of transgenerational trauma.

#6 – Mindfulness in Neural Integration with Dr. Daniel Siegel

Daniel Siegel, MD, is Clinical Professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Co-Director of Mindful Awareness Research Center, Executive Director of Mindsight Institute, author, and recipient of numerous awards and honorary fellowships. This talk examines how relationships and reflection support the development of resilience in children and serve as the basic ‘3 R’s” of a new internal education of the mind.

#7 –  All It Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes with Andy Puddicombe

When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. (No need for incense or sitting in strange positions.)

#8 – Mindfulness and Healing with Shannon Paige

Shannon Paige is a writer, sacred activist, dedicated Yoga teacher. She is also the founder of Om Time Yoga Center and the styles of Bhava Vinyasa for Depression and Anxiety and Anjali Restorative Yoga. Shannon battled with cervical cancer ferociously….and won. Although she had survived, the  battle with depression, especially the pressure and anxiety of how she should feel “lucky” for having survived, nearly crippled her. She narrates how many people, after surviving life threatening circumstances, are also robbed of the ability to smile for real, the ability to connect, and the ability to hope.

#9 – How Meditation Can Reshape our Brains with Sara Lazar

Neuroscientist Sara Lazar’s amazing brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress.

#10 – The Habits of Happiness – Matthieu Ricard

What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Buddhist monk, photographer and author Matthieu Ricard has devoted his life to these questions, and his answer is influenced by his faith as well as by his scientific turn of mind: We can train our minds in habits of happiness. Interwoven with his talk are stunning photographs of the Himalayas and of his spiritual community.