Headspace - 21st century meditation

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Many people try to learn meditation from books and videos. And they fail. I went through this too. I still couldn't make meditation a habit. Until I got acquainted with Headspace, which changes the idea of meditation. Perhaps this is how people will meditate in the 21st century!

What is Headspace

Headspace is a modern interactive meditation teaching system. Its creator is Andy Paddicomb, the popularizer of meditation in the West. You may have read his book Meditation and Mindfulness.

How does it work … for me

16.00. Middle of the working day. Much has already been done, and the brain is boiling. How to get freshness back? A nap is a good solution, but this is not always possible. And it is not always possible to fall asleep "on request." And this is where meditation helps me. Or rather, meditation with the Headspace app.

1. I leave the office.
2. I get to the square.
3. I take out my smartphone and headphones.
4. I turn on airplane mode.
5. I launch the application.

One exercise is 30 minutes and I feel refreshed. I'm ready to work and create again. Don't laugh, but Andy has become a kind of friend for me, with whom you come to chat in the bar after work.

Meditation

Each exercise - essentially a voice-guided meditation - follows the same pattern.

Andy kind of teaches on the go. One meditation is only slightly different from the other. But in this, a little bit, he teaches something new:

• what to do with obsessive thoughts
• what to do if you feel sleepy
• what to do if bored during meditation,
• how meditation will help with pain.

Isn't this hypnosis?

Well, in places it looks like. Andy's confident, yet soft and friendly voice is conducive to passing out. On especially busy days, I can't even finish the exercise to the end - I fall asleep.

But still no, not hypnosis. All the same - training.

Format

Audio (95%), video, and sometimes even cool cartoons.

Conveniently, all lessons can be downloaded in advance when the internet is good. And do it anywhere.

Exercises for all occasions

Meditate before bed, while walking, or even while eating …

Meditate to get rid of stress and anxiety to get more creative …

And much, much more … What is a harvester, eh? It is clear that this is largely marketing, but it is organic here and does not infuriate.

It's a pity, but everything is in English …

However, Andy uses simple language. 95% of words are repeated from exercise to exercise. Therefore, even with a weak knowledge of the language, it is worth trying.

Whistles and groaners

Meditation has never been so modern. The application works in a browser or (which is more convenient) in smartphones with Android or iOS. Gamification and progress tracking are not forgotten.

And "sociality."

For some, this is probably important. For me, the main value is quality content.

Prices

To begin with, the first 10 lessons are available for free. You can take your smartphone right now, install the Headspace app and start practicing. If you get hooked like me, here are the prices:

As you can see, the pleasure is not cheap.

Total

I wrote in my blog about how I have been doing meditation for a year and what it gave me. But it was only with Headspace that my meditation became regular and became a real habit, like brushing my teeth or drinking green tea.

Yes, Paddicombe makes money from what has probably been known for a long time. But he does it talentedly and efficiently. Why not pay for such a "repackaging" of ancient techniques and philosophy for modern platforms?

Decent work of Andy himself and, of course, programmers. Recommend!