Learning to relax through mindfulness

This winter series taught by UCSD’s Jamie Pineda will provide insights into relaxation and how to experience the mind freer from emotional reactivity. It will offer information on what mindfulness is and how to develop it to live a stress free, happier, and healthier life.

Perfect for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Sessions begin weekly on Sundays starting Jan. 4. Attend one class or all four.

Class 1: Learning to Relax

We will explore what creates an unbalanced mind and why learning to relax is important. Most of us believe that getting rid of thoughts is the way to a calm and peaceful mind. The key is in how to do it. By allowing the mind to rest as it is, we can turn down the volume of thinking so it no longer bothers us. We call this way of attending “mindfulness.”

Jaime Pineda is professor of neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of several books, the latest being Controlling Mental Chaos: Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). He is a long-time contemplative practitioner and a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher (MMTCP, 2025). He now dedicates his time sharing the insights he’s learned as a neuroscientist and mindfulness student.