We are made for joy. This is who we are. We are not our fear, our grief, our anger, or our jealousy. We are so much more than that. This practice is about uncovering this well-being that is within us. And it's accessible, it's always here, we just need to cool ourselves down a bit, open up our hearts, and look clearly. As you touch into the profound, luminous qualities of your own heart, you know deep in your bones that you are completely worthy—that there is nothing wrong with you, and nothing has ever been wrong with you. Who you are, as you are, is perfect, perfectly imperfect, and perfectly perfect.
Diana Winston
Residential Retreat Teacher
Diana Winston is the Director of UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center of UCLA Health. She has taught meditation retreats at Spirit Rock since 2004 has been a pioneer in the field of mindfulness where she has taught and helped seed the establishment of mindfulness into variety of settings including in healthcare, universities, businesses, non-profits, and schools in the US and internationally. She created the evidence-based Mindful Awareness Practices Program (MAPs), is the founding director of UCLA’s Training in Mindfulness Facilitation and is a founding board member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association.
She is the author of “The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering your Natural Awareness”, “Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens”, “Glimpses of Being: A Training Course in Expanding Mindful Awareness”, and co-author (with Susan L. Smalley, PhD) of “Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness”. Diana’s meditations have a worldwide reach and are available on the UCLA Mindful, 10 Percent Happier, and Waking Up Apps.
She has practiced vipassana meditation since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma, and each day she tries to be a mindful mom.
Diana Winston's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
January 10 - January 17, 2025 | Friday - Friday | 7 nights
Mettā Retreat: Teachings and Practices to Cultivate a Wise, Awakened, and Responsive Heart
Registration Open. Mettā, or lovingkindness, practice is the cultivation of the intention of benevolence as the orientation of our heart and mind. It is also a path to wisdom. We develop our capacity for mettā through meditation in order for it to manifest in our daily lives. Mettā practice strengthens self-confidence, self-acceptance, and steadiness of mind and heart, revealing our fundamental disposition toward kindness. We’ll be joined on one day of the retreat by Sylvia Boorstein, a beloved long-time teacher of mettā.
Donald Rothberg
Gullu Singh
Beth Sternlieb
Diana Winston
Sylvia Boorstein
Jonathan Relucio
Family | On-Land
July 30 - August 3, 2025 | Wednesday - Sunday | 4 nights
The Family Retreat
Applications Open February 19, 2025. Find joy in a retreat for the whole family and take time together to rest, reconnect, play, and enjoy! This four-night residential retreat for adults and children ages 7-15 years old will combine meditation and Dharma teachings, games, arts and crafts, nature time, and more. Kids and teens will have organized time each day to be with peers, fully supervised by our mindful leaders, and adults will also have time to practice, relax, and receive Dharma from the teachers.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Diana Winston through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.