ANDY PUDDICOMBE

"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 has led an unusual and interesting life. After an accident killed several friends in his youth, he traveled to the Himalayas seeking answers and later became a Tibetan monk for 10 years. He eventually left Northern India for a circus life and studies in Moscow and London, all the while focused also on meditation. While in England he founded Headspace with a friend, Rich Pierson, and together they developed an app that today is used by 36 million worldwide. He now lives in Venice, California.

I highly recommend the Headspace app which I used sporadically at first and now it's a daily practice. It makes a difference! Below you'll find a video that leads you through a sample guided meditation session.

Headspace offers 30 free introductory mediation sessions — called the "Basics" — to get you started. If decide to subscribe the full library includes meditations for everything: anxiety, stress, sadness, trouble sleeping, productivity, sports performance, panic attacks, compulsive eating, coping with cancer, anger, regret, self-esteem, grief, difficult conversations, and much more.

The app also includes brief helpful animations, a few of which I share below.

This is not a paid commercial but rather a personal testimonial. There are other apps including Dan Harris' 10% Happier and Insight Timer, but I've chosen Headspace for my daily practice. If you've thought about meditation and didn't know how to start, this might help.

I encourage you to try Headspace. You can meditate using your computer, tablet or phone. There are 30 days of free meditations to familiarize you with the basics and to practice. If you're not quite ready to jump in but are still curious to know more, check out the Headspace Blog and/or Andy Puddicombe's book.

Check out the book,
available in print and audio.