Dan Harris: Even You Can Meditate (And Be Less Reactive)

Dan Harris: Even You Can Meditate (And Be Less Reactive)

From Self-Conscious with Chrissy Teigen by Chrissy Teigen

March 5, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

Dan Harris joins Chrissy Teigen to discuss meditation techniques for those who believe they can't meditate.

Dan Harris—journalist, former  Good Morning America  anchor, and author of  Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics —joins Chrissy to demystify meditation for people who think they “can’t” do it. After a panic attack on live TV, Dan found a practice that helped him quiet the mental chaos, stop taking his thoughts so personally, and become “less of a jerk” to himself and others. In this episode, he delivers a no-gurus, no-jargon toolkit: one-minute meditation, straw breathing, self-compassion, and a guided loving-kindness practice you can actually use today. Key Takeaways Start absurdly small: the brain isn’t built for long-term habit change— one minute  counts and compounds. Meditation isn’t clearing your mind: getting distracted is the point; noticing it and starting again is success, not failure. Default Mode Network 101: mindfulness quiets the self-judging, future-tripping mental “default setting,” even briefly—and that’s liberating. Straw breathing for instant regulation: inhale through the nose, exhale long through pursed lips (3–4x longer than the inhale) to settle your nervous system. A five-minute guided practice is enough: breath…

People in this episode

Host: Chrissy Teigen

Guest: Dan Harris

Topics covered

  • meditation
  • self-compassion
  • mindfulness
  • mental health
  • stress management

Keywords

  • meditation
  • mindfulness
  • self-compassion
  • mental chaos
  • panic attack
  • guided practice
  • breath focus

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

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