Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need hours of silence or a special cushion—just a few intentional moments in your day. In this episode of 1,000 Waking Minutes, Dr. Wendy Bazilian explores how to make meditation practical, approachable, and meaningful. Whether you’re brand new to it or looking for a fresh way to integrate it into your life, this episode will give you science-backed insights, practical tools, and a fresh perspective on how meditation can feel less like a task and more like a powerful pause in your 1,000 waking minutes.

FROM THE EPISODE

Meditation at its core is simply taking time to quiet the mind's chatter.

WE DISCUSS:

(2:52) My first experience with Transcendental Meditation (TM) as a teen

(6:46) What meditation is—and what it isn’t

(9:35) ROI of meditation: How it may help with pain, migraines, stress and aging

(14:43) What my 6-year-old is teaching me about meditation

(18:01) Guided Mindful Minute: A simple 5-Senses Mini-Meditation

(22:03) 3 small ways to bring mindfulness into your life

(24:47) Recap and final thoughts

CONNECT WITH WENDY:

Follow on Instagram: @1000WakingMinutes

Visit the website: wendybazilian.com

Email me: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com

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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey—together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams, and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.

HEALTH DISCLAIMER:

The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.

REFERENCES:

Barrett, B., Hayney, M. S., Muller, D., Rakel, D., Brown, R., Zgierska, A. E., ... & Coe, C. L. (2018). Meditation or exercise for preventing acute respiratory infection (MEPARI-2): A randomized controlled trial. PloS one, 13(6).

Colzato, L. S., Szapora, A., Lippelt, D., & Hommel, B. (2017). Prior meditation practice modulates performance and strategy use in convergent-and divergent-thinking problems. Mindfulness, 8(1), 10-16.

Epel, E. S., Daubenmier, J., Moskowitz, J. T., Folkman, S., & Blackburn, E. H. (2009). Can meditation slow rate of cellular aging? Cognitive stress, mindfulness, and telomeres. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1172(1), 34-53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04414.x

Estave, P. M., Margol, C., Beeghly, S., Anderson, R., Shakir, M., Coffield, A., Byrnes, J., O'Connell, N., Seng, E., Gardiner, P., & Wells, R. E. (2023). Mechanisms of mindfulness in patients with migraine: Results of a qualitative study. Headache, 63(3), 390–409. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.14481

Riegner, G., Dean, J., Wager, T. D., & Zeidan, F. (2025). Mindfulness Meditation and Placebo Modulate Distinct Multivariate Neural Signatures to Reduce Pain. Biological psychiatry, 97(1), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.08.023

Wachholtz, A. B., & Pargament, K. I. (2008). Migraines and meditation: Does spirituality matter? Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(4), 351-366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9159-2