Are you a thought horder? Is your brain so packed that you can’t even think? If so, you’re not alone. When I finished grad school (well, mostly, as I was still working on my thesis) I hot-footed it to a meditation class series in my neighborhood. My brain was so full and working so furiously that I had to do something to settle it down and create some space in my noggin.
That went well for a while, then I stopped taking classes because of scheduling conflicts. Soon, my fledgling meditation practice fell by the wayside even though the benefits of it were so obvious to me. I had downloaded the Headspace app many months ago, but had not so much as opened it, until one of my patients started raving about the difference it made in helping her manage her stress and become a generally calmer person.
So I finally cracked the app open a few weeks ago, and the rave reviews (from my patient and from the various write-ups that led me to download it in the first place) are spot-on.
You get 10 free 10-minute sessions (“Take 10”) via the app or the web version. After that, if you want to continue you need to buy a yearly membership…which I did. I like creator Andy Puddicombe’s approach, and his voice in the guided meditations. The Take 10 series starts simple and slowly builds. Plus there are fun animations every few sessions that really clarify what meditation is about and why it’s a valuable practice to cultivate.
Once you subscribe, you have access to tons of meditation sessions and content. You can access them on your computer or from the app, and you can download sessions on your smart phone to use when you are offline.
If you’ve been toying with bringing a little meditation into your life, I highly encourage you to visit the website and check out what Headspace is about. Oh, and here’s Andy Puddicombe’s TED talk:
