My Experience with Meditation using the Headspace App
I have started doing meditation on a regular basis for the past 4 months. I do miss 1-2 days here and there but I try to make it part of my routine. I should say that it has been having a positive impact on the way I think about myself and others. As I may have described in my earlier posts; I was really skeptical on the effects of meditation but everything changed once I started using the "Headspace App".
The reason I like this App is, it is really simple to use and has an amazing user interface. One of the creators/the mind behind the app, who is also a Buddhist Monk - Andy Puddicombe gives these guided mediation exercises. The way it works is....You start with a 10 Day Foundation Course. You need to complete this course to unpack other modules in the app. You can select the duration of each exercise to 3, 5, 10, 15 or 20 mins based on the pack you select. This 10 day exercise teaches you the basics of meditation which is-
Closing your eyes and recognizing the different sounds and smells around you
Then, you gently scan through your body and notice different areas and how they feel at that instant
Then, you shift the attention to your breath and whenever you get distracted, you bring the attention back to the breath
Then, you let your mind loose to think about anything it wants for 20-30 seconds
Finally, shift the focus back to the real world recognizing the sounds and smells around you and open your eyes
After the 10 day course, you can choose to do different modules based on your interests. There are different modules for Anxiety, Stress, Sleep, Depression, Pregnancy, Cancer etc. There is also a freaking module for kids covering Sleep, Calm, Kindness, Focus and Waking Up.
There are also Single modules (containing just 1 exercise) you can do while walking, sitting, while at work and even travelling. Here are some screenshots from my account. Based on the effects I was seeing with me and my body, I started reading different articles on meditation to understand the science behind it.
Here are few of them I liked - http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/12/11/harvard-study-unveils-what- -literally-does-to-the-brain/
Effects of meditation on children
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/young-brains-benefit-meditation/story?id=19217997https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/10/18/the-many-benefits-of-meditation-for-children/#2425d05edbe3
And there are million other studies on this. How doing Mediation has impacted me and my life.Since I started doing meditation, I have become more mindful, empathetic, calm and have been able to make informed decisions based on data instead of emotions. Also, it has been constantly teaching me to be a good listener and a better leader. Seeing the changes in me, my wife has started doing meditation too, using the Headspace app.
If you have any other thoughts on meditation or other apps you use for it, please feel free to share it here in the comments or contact me here - http://www.rajsubra.com/contact/
On a side note, I am not getting paid by Headspace for this :-) It is my real life experience.