10% Happier With Dan Harris

A self-described “silly man” tells us about what’s really important in life. Ted Danson has an acting career spanning over four decades. He rose to prominence in the 1980s with his iconic portrayal of Sam Malone in the long-running sitcom "Cheers," earning him critical acclaim and multiple awards. Danson's charisma and acting prowess have since led him to a myriad of diverse roles, including his Emmy-nominated performances in "Damages" and "Fargo." Most recently, he starred in the existential comedy “The Good Place.” Beyond his acting career, Danson is also celebrated for his environmental activism and philanthropy, demonstrating a commitment to making a positive impact beyond the screen. His next venture? A podcast with his old “Cheers” buddy, Woody Harrelson.In this episode we talk about:meditationmarriagehypochondriagriefwhat he means when he calls himself a joy junkiewhat he learned from being on the TV show “The Good Place”and that time he did shrooms with his fellow cast members on “Cheers”Sign up

Practical tips to stop judging yourself, chill out about exercise, and start taking better care of your body – from a Buddhist teacher who learned the hard way.Description: It’s an urgent question for so many of us: Can we exercise, can we take care of our bodies, without being driven by shame, self-loathing, or noxious comparison to other people?Our guest today has a unique perspective on this. Cara Lai is a former social worker and psychotherapist who is now a Buddhist teacher. She also used to be a marathoner. But in the last few years, her body has undergone some radical changes, leading her to some hard-won, fascinating, and deeply useful insights about how to strike the balance between taking care of your body and staying sane.In this episode we talk about:Practices for that moment when you’re getting out of the shower, see yourself in the mirror, and engage in a festival of self-judgmentThe surprising things that happened when Cara was forced to stop exercisingA counterintuitive mindfulness practi

What if one of the often overlooked keys to being productive is being lazy? That’s the case you will hear made today by Brother Pháp Hữu, a very impressive young zen Buddhist monk.Brother Pháp Hữu is a senior Dharma teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh’s International Plum Village Community and abbot of Upper Hamlet, the monks’ community in Plum Village Monastery, a practice center founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in southwest France. Born in Vietnam, he emigrated to Canada as a child. He began training with Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of thirteen when he first entered the monastery to become a monk. Thich Nhat Hanh gave him the name Chân Pháp Hữu, which means “True Dharma Friend.” For more than ten years, he accompanied Thich Nhat Hanh on his international teaching tours as his attendant and assistant. Today, Brother Pháp Hữu is deeply committed to building community and continuing Thich Nhat Hanh’s legacy, bringing his teachings in particular to businesspeople, families, and young adults. Brother Phap Huu is passionate abou

While we may want to conquer physical pain, it’s actually observing the sensations and knowing when to take a break that’s the key to relief.About Sharon Salzberg:Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is among the first to bring mindfulness & lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture fifty years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers.A co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, Sharon is the author of thirteen books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindess.In 2023, Sharon released two new books: Real Life, available from Flatiron Books, and Finding Your Way, a small gift book from Workman.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “When Your Body Hurts.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do

On this show, we talk a lot about ways to stop the interpersonal and intrapersonal violence of obsessing about thinness. Today’s episode, though, is a bit of a departure… because this whole dynamic and debate has been deeply disrupted by the advent of Ozempic and other new weight loss drugs, which are technically called GLP1s. This is a controversial and touchy subject, to say the least. Journalist and best-selling author Johann Hari discusses his latest book Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs. He believes drugs like Ozempic are the equivalent of the invention of the iPhone – and will impact all of our lives, whether we like it or not, and whether we take them or not. And in Magic Pill, Hari – who somewhat ambivalently takes Ozempic himself – marinates in the complexity of all of this. This is Hari’s third time on the show. He has come on before to discuss his books on distraction and depression—entitled Stolen Focus and Lost Connections.This is

Five takeaways from a year's reporting on fitness, and why this journalist says it's time to go easier on yourself.Shannon Palus is a features editor at Slate covering heath, science, and human interest. In 2023, she edited Slate's year-long fitness column, Good Fit, about exercise. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times' Wirecutter, Scientific American, and the Atlantic. In this episode we talk about:How this conversation changed the way Dan thinks about exerciseWhy you shouldn’t drive yourself crazy following the latest trends about health and fitnessWhy tracking your workouts isn’t always helpful - and remembering that there is always the option to “go slow.” The importance of remembering that exercise is not one-size-fits-all Related Episodes:Can You Get Fit Without Self-Loathing? | Cara Lai — Ten Percent Happier How to Stop Obsessing Over Your Body and Eat Sanely in a Toxic Culture | Virginia Sole-Smith — Ten Percent Happier Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter hereFo

After an intense day, try this simple meditation to decompress and de-stress by getting comfy and putting your feet up.About Jeff Warren:Jeff is an incredibly gifted meditation teacher. He's trained in multiple traditions, including with renowned teacher Shinzen Young. Jeff is the co-author of NY Times Bestseller "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics," and the founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto. He has a knack for surfacing the exact meditation that will help everyone he meets. "I have a meditation for that" is regularly heard from Jeff, so we've dubbed him the "Meditation MacGyver."To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “End of Day Decompress: The Porch Sit.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How to overcome inertia and research-backed plans that actually work.Dr. Gary G. Bennett is Dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. He is also a professor of psychology & neuroscience, global health, medicine, and nursing, and is the founding director of the Duke Digital Health Science Center. He has authored nearly 200 scientific papers and is a past president of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.T. Morgan Dixon is the co-founder and CEO of Girl Trek, the largest health movement in America for Black women– with over one million members. Also check out Jeffrey Walker’s podcast, System Catalysts, where they did an episode on Morgan and Dr. Bennett.This is the latest episode of our Get Fit Sanely series. This is the third time we’ve done Get Fit Sanely, and in this go-round, we’ll be covering not only longevity but also ozempic, exercise, and the Buddhist case for laziness. Related Episodes:Get Fit Sanely PlaylistThe Dharma of Harriett Tubman | Spring Wash

Insights from the places on the planet where people apparently live the longest and healthiest lives.Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, and journalist. He has written a series of bestselling books, including The Blue Zones of Happiness and The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes for Living to 100. He is also the host of the Netflix show, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.This is the kickoff official interview of our Get Fit Sanely series. (If you missed it, go back and check out the informal chat I posted on Friday with lead producer, DJ Cashmere). This is the third time we’ve done Get Fit Sanely, and in this go-round, we’ll be covering not only longevity but also ozempic, exercise, and the Buddhist case for laziness. In this episode we talk about:The origin story of the Blue ZonesThe nine common denominators, or Power Nine, to longevity.The surprising information about much maligned foods such as pasta and breadWhy trying to pursue good health can actually work against youWhy the

Mindful movement is an excellent way to integrate and even invigorate mindfulness while cultivating the power of curious awareness.About Dawn Mauricio:Dawn Mauricio discovered the practices of Buddhist meditation in 2005, and from then on, did what any well-intentioned perfectionist would do — plunge in head first! Since then, she's graduated from several teaching programs, including Spirit Rock's four-year Teacher Training. Her teaching style is playful, dynamic, and heartfelt, and she teaches extensively in her home-country of Canada, as well as the US, to teens, people of color, and folks of all backgrounds.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Gentle Mindful Movement.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How to pursue fitness without succumbing to the “subtle aggression of self-improvement.”The kickoff episode for the latest installment of an occasional series we do here on the show, called Get Fit Sanely (listen to past – and future – episodes here). In this candid conversation, managing producer DJ Cashmere talks with Dan about how they manage their mindsets on these issues, and how the interviews we’re doing on the subject have and have not impacted them. We’ll also preview the guests for this fresh round of Get Fit Sanely, where we cover longevity, Ozempic (and related weight loss drugs), the latest science on exercise, and the Buddhist case for laziness.The cost of getting lean infographic. Related Episodes:Get Fit Sanely PlaylistThe Science of Self-Compassion | Serena ChenThe Anti-Diet | Evelyn Tribole3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel LingoSign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubsc

Using your senses to reduce overthinking, turn down the voice in your head, and get out of what these scientists call "the house of habit."Dr. Zindel Segal is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough and a cofounder of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.  Professor Norman Farb, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he directs the Regulatory and Affective Dynamics laboratory. In this episode we talk about:How the brain’s default mode network is essential to our survival but also can keep us stuck in rumination and overthinking Segal and Farb’s simple practice of “sense foraging” and why they say it can help break patterns and thoughts that aren’t serving us The differences and the similarities between sense foraging and mindfulness Related Episodes:Depression and Anxiety: Your Old Enemies, Your Best Friends | Zindel SegalGretchen Rubin on: How To Use Your Five Senses To Reduc

The radical shift in perspective that can come when we change our question from “what’s wrong with you” to “what happened to you?”Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D. is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network and a Professor (Adjunct) at the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria  Australia. Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Dr. Perry's most recent book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021), co-authored with Oprah Win

When you feel anxious about a difficult decision, meditation can help take the edge off and put you in touch with your own wisdom as a guide.About Oren Jay Sofer:Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication. He has practiced meditation since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India and is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training program. Oren teaches retreats across the country and works as Senior Program Developer at Mindful Schools, teaching and developing curricula for one of the international leaders of mindfulness in education.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Making A Tough Decision.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Radical advice on rethinking success, individualism, and the American dream.Mia Birdsong is a pathfinder, culture change visionary, and futurist. She is the founding Executive Director of Next River, a think tank and culture change lab for interconnected freedom. In her book How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community, Mia maps swaths of community life and points us toward the promise of our collective vitality. In this episode we talk about:How to build communityWhat it looks like in her own lifeMutuality vs reciprocity How to work with resentment and rejection The etymological connection between friendship and freedom The transformative power of asking for helpAnd why she thinks the idea of bootstrapping—or going it alone—is a kind of self-hatredRelated Episodes:How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends | Dr. Marisa G. FrancoThe Many Benefits of a “Paradox Mindset” | Dolly Chugh. Ten Percent HappierEscape From Zombieland | Koshin Paley Ellison — Te

The surprisingly common experience of near death experiences and what science still can't explain about them.Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, Fire, A Death in Belmont, War and Tribe, and In My Time of Dying.  As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world, and has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. In this episode we talk about:Junger’s near death experience and the impact it had on himThe conclusions he came to after investigation the possibilities of an afterlife The mysteries of quantum physics and what they might tell us about life and deathHow he believes we can all experience awe on a daily basis Related Episodes:How Thinking About Death Can Improve Your Life | Alua Arthur Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Why Having a “Cosmic Perspective” Will Help You Do Life BetterGeorge Saunders on: “Holy Befudd

Explore the preciousness of a new day with greater joy and ease while giving plenty of space to feel grumpy about it all.About Alexis Santos:Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (a well respected meditation teacher in Burma whose teachings have attracted a global audience), and his teaching emphasizes knowing the mind through a natural and relaxed continuity -- a style of practice that's particularly useful during our crazy lives. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “When Waking Up Is Tough.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How to find your voice when you need to be heard, learn when it's smart to choose silence, and communicate better with the people who matter most.Elaine Lin Hering is a former Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. She works with organizations and individuals to build skills in communication, collaboration, and conflict management. She has served as the Advanced Training Director for the Harvard Mediation Program and a Managing Partner for Triad Consulting Group. She has worked with coal miners at BHP Billiton, micro-finance organizers in East Africa, mental health professionals in China, and senior leadership at the US Department of Commerce. She is the author of the forthcoming book Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully.In this episode we talk about:How we learn silence and self-editing How we often miscalculate the cost-benefit when it comes to speaking up or staying silentElaine’s four steps to learn how to speak up and find your voiceHow we can unintentional

An acclaimed science writer on how to upgrade your mind by using more than your head.When you think about thinking, most of us think of it as a supremely solo pursuit. You’re in your head, concentrating and cogitating, all by yourself. But the science shows that if you want to improve your thinking, you need to get out of your head. Today we’re going to talk about a concept called “the extended mind.” Your mind isn’t just in your skull: it’s in your body, it’s in the people around you, it’s in your surroundings. The best thinking requires that you break out of what the writer David Foster Wallace called “the skull sized kingdom” and access these other resources. This may sound abstract, but our guest today makes it very practical. Annie Murphy Paul is an acclaimed science writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Scientific American, Slate, Time, and The Best American Science Writing, among many other publications. She is the author of Origins and The Cult of Personality, hailed

Connecting to self-compassion can be really tough. Ease the struggle by imagining your loved ones sending care & support your way.About Jess Morey:Jess Morey is a lead teacher, cofounder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education which runs in-depth mindfulness programming for youth, and the parents and professionals who support them across the US, and internationally. She began practicing meditation at age 14 on teen retreats offered by the Insight Meditation Society (IMS), and has maintained a consistent commitment to meditation since. Diving head first into meditation at such a key developmental stage makes the revelatory perspective of mindfulness & compassion her natural home turf, and gives her an easy, conversational teaching style anyone can relate to.For more information on Inward Bound: https://inwardboundmind.org/For more information on the Contemplative Semester: https://www.contemplativesemester.org/To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can s