Day in the Life:
Allan Goldstein
Allan Goldstein is a co-founder and managing director at UC San Diego’s Center for Mindfulness, and is also a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher, trainer and mentor.
The journey on the path of becoming an MBSR Mentor and the Managing Director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness (UCSD CFM) began over several decades ago, in Boston, MA. Allan had a passion for learning, teaching, and providing mentorship and support for teachers of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Programs since participating in his first MBSR program in 1993. Continuing to explore the foundations of MBSR led Allan to begin his professional training and teaching through participating in MBSR training programs offered by the UMass Center for Mindfulness. Soon after, founding MBSR Programs of Hawaii and teaching MBSR for many years on the Island of Oahu.
Joining Dr. Steven Hickman, UCSD CFM Executive Director, in 2011 at the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness, Allan began his role in the co-development and evolution of the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute (MBPTI) and MBSR Certification programs. His growth within the field of Mindfulness-Based programs has led teaching MBSR extensively to groups and individuals in health care, university, military, business, and community settings, including teaching MBSR programs online in the virtual world of Second Life.
Teaching, “Professional MBSR Teacher Training programs” including 6-Day MBSR Teacher Training Intensives, 8-Week and 9-Day Intensive MBSR Teacher Training Practicums, and especially Mentoring current and future MBSR teachers like you is now Allan’s dedicated focus of work in his beloved field. Allan’s strong passion, for facilitating and mentoring the valuable teachings found within MBSR and Mindfulness-Based Interventions, now continues to unfold on a global scale through teaching MBSR Training programs and mentees around the world.
Location
San Diego, CA
What’s your favorite vegetable?
Artichoke
What’s your motto?
“You can’t teach someone their own insights”
What’s your favorite book?
Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
What’s your favorite exercise?
Swimming
What gets you out of bed every morning?
The curiosity of what the day will bring.
What is the most important part of your daily routine?
Meditation practice, movement practice and exercise.
What about your daily routine do you think is unique or special?
Not be driven through living in a “doing mode” and focusing awareness on being.
What is the best piece of health advice you’ve ever received?
Adopting a lifestyle of living in the moment.
What is your favorite part about living a healthy lifestyle?
Less stress, worry, expectations through cultivating a sense of well-being.
Whose daily routine would you most love to see?
As MBSR Teachers, we can not teach someone their own insights… https://t.co/hQj6NFEM1t #MBSR #MBSRMentorship pic.twitter.com/G0YtROr5Df
— AllanGoldstein (@MBSRMentorship) January 23, 2016
What is your biggest wellness challenge? How do you overcome it?
An aging body, catastrophizing thoughts, destructive emotions that are addressed by moving in closer to what is here through cultivating mindful awareness in my meditation practice.
Tell us about a time you were stuck in an unhealthy cycle and how you got out of it. What was the main inspiration for positive change?
Anxiety that resulted in a time where I was experiencing panic attacks. The main inspiration was taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction program and seeing the benefits that developing a meditation practice brought to all aspects of my life.
If you could give one piece of health advice to your future kids, what would it be and why?
“Be here now” by cultivating non-judgmental, moment-to-moment awareness. Meditate.
Allan Goldstein is an Entrepreneur and Mindfulness Trainer, Teacher, and Mentor. For more tips from Allan, follow him on Facebook and Twitter, and check out his websites: MBSR Mentorship and the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute.