We can’t change every little thing that happens to us in life, but we can change the way that we experience it. — Andy Puddicombe, founder of Headspace
I’ve finally got round to trying the Headspace App and after day two, I thought I’d share my first impressions.
Meditation used to conjure up pictures in people’s minds of hippies, incense and floaty clothes with tiny mirrors. The makers of Headspace have pretty much shattered this image with their app, described as “a gym membership for the mind”.
I’m currently practising the 10 day free trial which involves listening to a short daily guided meditation on my phone.
Meditation misconceptions
A lot of people who have tried some form of meditation before might say ‘I’m bad at meditating’ and I think what they mean by this is that they thought meditating was about ridding the mind of thought — which is next to impossible to do.
In day one, this misconception was pretty much turned on its head, as Andy Puddicombe, the founder of Headspace and former Buddhist Monk, asks you to begin by observing thoughts, listening to surrounding sounds and allowing the mind to do what it wants.
When you read about people who have had magical, mind blowing meditation experiences, it could end up misleading people who just because after day one, they haven’t transcended time and space, think they’re doing it all wrong. Instead, you end up missing the subtleties of meditation if you’re expectations are too high.
The beginner’s mindset
We spend so little time in the present moment that it’s anything but ordinary. — Andi Pudicombe, founder of Headspace
The Headspace App basically takes you back to being a beginner, which is what Zen Buddhism teaches. With a beginner’s mindset, you take each meditation practice as it comes and you have no expectations. Ironically, it’s with this beginner’s mind, that you’re likely to get a lot more out of your meditation practice.
