Goldie Hawn On: "Brain Breaks," Curiosity, And How To Make A Romantic Relationship Last For 30 Years
Goldie Hawn, Academy Award-winning actress and founder of MindUP, shares her journey into meditation after experiencing panic attacks, the power of curiosity, and her unique perspective on God. She also discusses the keys to lasting romantic relationships and her work bringing neuroscience-based mindfulness to children.
Deep Dive Analysis
14 Topic Outline
Goldie Hawn's Journey to Meditation and Panic Attacks
Evolving Meditation Practice and Spiritual Exploration
Navigating Fame and External Perceptions with Mindfulness
Overcoming Jealousy and Managing Anger
Influential Teachers and Neuroscience of Meditation
Personal Meditative Experiences: Green Tara and Tonglen
Understanding God and Hardwired Belief Systems
Curiosity and a Non-Local Communication Experiment
The Power of Prayer and Personal Healing
Current Meditation Practice: Frequent Short Brain Breaks
Keys to a Lasting Romantic Partnership
Founding MindUp: Neuroscience-Based Mindfulness for Children
MindUp's Research, Impact, and Mental Health Prevention
Practical Advice for Parents on Children's Mindfulness
8 Key Concepts
Panic Attacks
Goldie Hawn described experiencing panic attacks as being unable to leave her house without getting sick to her stomach, feeling dizzy, and being frightened, which she later understood as mental health instability.
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
A form of meditation Goldie Hawn was initiated into in 1972, where practitioners receive a secret mantra and meditate in a quiet environment, leading to feelings of joy, silence, and a connection to one's true nature.
Witnessing (in meditation)
A practice learned through meditation and therapy where one observes external events and other people's behavior without internalizing them or letting them affect one's ego, understanding that everyone has different perspectives and problems.
Hedonistic Treadmill
The concept that regardless of one's material possessions or status, the desire to acquire more or surpass others (even by a small amount) can create an imbalance and a continuous pursuit of external things, which ultimately does not lead to lasting happiness.
Tonglen
A Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice where one consciously breathes in the sorrows and sickness of the world, transforms that darkness into light within oneself, and then breathes out that light and positivity into the world, primarily to refine one's own state of mind and cultivate compassion.
Non-local Communication
An experimental concept suggesting that when one person feels another's distant thoughts or prayers, the recipient can experience physiological changes, such as decreased blood pressure and a state of calmness, without direct physical interaction.
Brain Break (MindUp)
A term coined by Goldie Hawn for short, neuroscience-based mindfulness exercises, typically lasting a few minutes, designed to help children self-regulate emotions and improve cognitive function by understanding what is happening in their brain.
Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex
In the context of MindUp, children learn that when emotions run high, the amygdala (emotional system) becomes 'out of sorts' and the prefrontal cortex (thinking part) goes 'offline,' preventing clear thought. Brain breaks help bring the amygdala back into balance and reactivate the prefrontal cortex.
9 Questions Answered
Goldie Hawn started meditating in 1972 after experiencing severe panic attacks that made it difficult to leave her house and perform, leading her to seek therapy and then meditation for self-discovery and healing.
Research suggests humans are hardwired for belief systems, with a 'God part of the brain' potentially located in the pituitary area, indicating a natural inclination towards concepts of spirit or something greater than ourselves.
Yes, an experiment with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell suggested that when someone feels another person praying or thinking of them from afar, their blood pressure can go down, and they may doze off, indicating a calming physiological response.
She often takes multiple short 'brain breaks' throughout the day, sometimes just five minutes at a time, rather than only long formal sits, finding that this frequent practice helps train the brain to return to homeostasis.
Goldie Hawn suggests that partners must want to be together, cultivate clarity, compassion, and forgiveness through personal practice, and learn to witness the other person's perspective without becoming them or siding with oneself.
She founded MindUp after 9/11, driven by a concern for children's mental well-being and a desire to bring neuroscience-based mindfulness to classrooms to help children manage emotions, improve cognitive function, and foster happiness.
MindUp teaches children about three parts of their brain, including the emotional system, explaining how the amygdala can get 'out of sorts' and the prefrontal cortex goes 'offline,' helping them understand and self-regulate their emotions.
Parents can start by practicing simple breathing exercises with their children, such as taking slow breaths through the nose, using a chime to focus attention, and modeling calm behavior, making it a shared practice rather than sending children away to do it alone.
Early on, there was pushback against 'meditation' in schools due to perceived links to Eastern spirituality; using neuroscience-based terms like 'brain breaks' provides a cognitive context and scientific backing that makes the program more widely accepted and effective.
24 Actionable Insights
1. Seek Professional Mental Health Help
If experiencing mental health challenges like panic attacks or depression, seek help from a psychologist or other professional to understand and address your condition, as Goldie Hawn did for nine years. This proactive step can lead to healing and self-discovery.
2. Explore Diverse Meditation Practices
Don’t limit yourself to one form of meditation; explore various traditions like Transcendental Meditation, Thomas Merton’s approaches, Sufism, or different Buddhist paths to find what resonates and deepens your understanding of mindfulness.
3. Use Meditation for Self-Examination
Engage in meditation to rise above your immediate self, allowing for deep self-examination of who you are and what you believe, which is crucial for personal growth and understanding.
4. Witness Behavior, Don’t Internalize
Practice witnessing others’ behavior and perceptions as if observing a Rorschach test, rather than internalizing them or letting them define you, recognizing that everyone has their own perspective and problems. This helps maintain your sense of self and prevents ego inflation.
5. Maintain Balanced External Validation View
Cultivate a level-headed view of external praise or criticism, understanding that public opinion can fluctuate, which allows you to remain grounded and not be swayed by others’ perceptions.
6. Combat Jealousy’s False Premise
Counter feelings of jealousy by recognizing the ’lie’ that someone else intercepted something meant for you; instead, understand that you were likely not part of that specific situation, which can alleviate unnecessary suffering.
7. Prioritize Honesty, Care in Relationships
Value and demand honesty and caring treatment from others, especially family, as these are fundamental principles that Goldie Hawn found worth getting angry about when violated, unlike minor transgressions.
8. Practice Saying “I’m Sorry”
Cultivate the ability to sincerely apologize, as it brings significant health, joy, and wisdom into your life and relationships.
9. Study Neuroscience for Brain Health
Learn about neuroscience to understand what happens in your brain during meditation and other experiences, as this cognitive engagement enhances the effectiveness of positive practices and promotes a healthy, balanced brain.
10. Practice Focused Imagery Meditation
Engage in focused imagery meditation, such as visualizing a specific figure with intricate detail, to clear your mind, achieve deep focus, and access feelings of profound joy and emotional release.
11. Practice Tonglen for Compassion
Perform Tonglen meditation by breathing in the sorrows and sickness of the world, then transforming that darkness into light within your heart and breathing it out as positivity, which refines your state of mind and fosters compassion.
12. Integrate Frequent Short Meditations
Instead of only long sessions, incorporate multiple short (e.g., 5-minute) meditation or ‘brain breaks’ several times throughout the day, as this habituates your brain to return to homeostasis more consistently.
13. Take Breaks During Stressful Moments
When feeling overwhelmed or stressed, even in social situations like dinner, step away for a brief, quiet break to calm yourself and regain composure.
14. Cultivate Self-Practice for Relationships
In romantic partnerships, prioritize your own meditative or self-awareness practice, not for your partner, but for yourself, as this can lead to greater clarity, compassion, forgiveness, and the ability to witness your partner’s perspective.
15. Maintain Individual Identity in Partnership
Recognize the importance of maintaining your separate identity and perspectives within a partnership, rather than trying to become your partner, which fosters tolerance and understanding.
16. Avoid Always Siding With Yourself
Adopt the mindset of ‘don’t side with yourself,’ being open to understanding others’ viewpoints without always defending your own, especially in contentious areas like religion or politics.
17. Consider Upbringing in Disagreements
When encountering differing perspectives, particularly in areas like politics, consider the other person’s upbringing to understand the roots of their views, fostering empathy rather than blame.
18. Cultivate Curiosity as Life Driver
Embrace curiosity to understand your own feelings and external phenomena, asking ‘why’ things happen, as this continuous search keeps life fascinating and drives personal growth.
19. Use Prayer/Intention for Healing
When facing dire situations, like a child’s illness, use prayer or focused intention by emptying yourself and asking to be a conduit for healing, believing in the power of energy and belief to influence outcomes.
20. Teach Kids Neuroscience-Based Mindfulness
Introduce children to neuroscience by teaching them about the emotional parts of their brain and how ‘brain breaks’ help them self-regulate emotions, fostering mental fitness from a young age.
21. Implement Short “Brain Breaks” for Kids
Encourage children to take ‘brain breaks’ three times a day for three minutes, explaining how this practice helps their amygdala calm down and their prefrontal cortex come online for better thinking and emotional management.
22. Model Mindfulness for Children
Parents should actively participate in mindfulness or ‘brain break’ practices with their children, modeling attentive listening and calm behavior, as children learn by mirroring their parents.
23. Simple Breathing, Chime for Kids
Guide children in simple breathing exercises (in and out through the nose) and use a chime, encouraging them to listen until the sound fades, as this helps quiet their minds and build focus.
24. Visit MindUp.org for Resources
Explore MindUp.org to learn more about neuroscience-based mindfulness programs for children, teachers, and school districts, and how to implement them for preventative mental health.
9 Key Quotes
You know that feeling just before you're going to laugh? That thing where you get all bubbled up? It's like a bubble of laughter, but it hasn't come out yet. That's what God feels like. It's a feeling of joy and love and well-being.
Goldie Hawn
We're leaving too much information in the walls of universities and Petri dishes, and no one is pulling them out. To utilize them for the greater good.
Goldie Hawn
The lie at the heart of jealousy is that the thing that somebody else got was somehow heading to you, and the other person intercepted it, but in fact, you were not part of that situation most of the time, and if you can take yourself out of it, it can relieve you of a lot of unnecessary suffering.
Sharon Salzberg
There's so much health and joy and wisdom in being able to say, I'm sorry.
Goldie Hawn
I didn't go to bed feeling bad or good. I just went to bed like me. And I think that's what saved me by climbing so fast to, you know, when I was on laughing, it was like, boom, what happened?
Goldie Hawn
Mothers can heal their children and so can prayer.
Doctors (referring to Goldie Hawn's experience)
We can't always change, but we can manage, monitor, and become aware. You know when people say, well, they don't change their spots. But we can rearrange them.
Goldie Hawn
Don't side with yourself.
Joseph Goldstein
If we can prove with other research that this actually can change the expression of our children's genetics in a way that is positive, then we need to look deeper at how we are educating our children to be able to give them preventative mental health program.
Goldie Hawn
2 Protocols
MindUp Classroom Brain Break
Goldie Hawn (describing a child leading the practice)- Sit quietly.
- Put your hands in your lap.
- Rest in the chair.
- Take a deep breath in.
- Let it out.
Parent-Child Chime-Based Mindfulness Practice
Goldie Hawn- Sit quietly with the child for about two minutes.
- Play a chime and listen to its sound until it can no longer be heard.
- Breathe slowly through your nose and out through your nose for another minute and a half.