A variety of people have recommended meditation to me in the past, and although I’ve thought it’s something I would like to be able to do, I’ve always been quite skeptical. My brain is so busy with so many different thoughts going on in my head, I always thought I would struggle to clear it and I wasn’t really sure where to start! That was until a friend mentioned mindfulness to me and recommended Headspace.

What is Headspace?

Co-founded by Brits Andy Puddicombe and Richard Pierson, Headspace is a website and an app that offers guided mindfulness meditation. It is packaged as ‘meditation for modern living’. The idea behind it is that it will help de-stress you and improve your mood. Headspace defines mindfulness as ‘the intention to be present in the here and now, fully engaged in what is happening, free from distraction or judgement, with a soft and open mind.’

Why download the Headspace app?

1) The 1st 10 sessions are free

Take Ten is a 10 day free trial. It consists of 10 guided meditation sessions, each lasting 10 minutes. If you love these sessions, you can purchase a Headspace subscription from their website. This gives you access to hours of content that builds up your meditation skills for as little as £3.74 a month. Alternatively you can re-listen to the 10 free lessons as often as you want.

2) Andy’s voice is amazing!

Andy Puddicombe, one of the co-founders, narrates the sessions and he has an awesome voice that you could listen to for hours! This makes the sessions very easy to partake in.

3) It’s surprisingly easy

The app takes you through a number of different steps including, concentrating on your breathing, on your body and how it feels, your emotions and the outside environment such as noises and even smells. It’s really easy to follow the instructions and every time your mind wanders off, Headspace seems to anticipate it, point it out and get your thoughts to come back to the guidance provided.

One of the best part’s of the exercise is where you go from focusing on counting your breaths to just letting your mind wander free and think about whatever it wants to. This usually seems to have the effect of allowing you to completely zone out and your mind is totally free of all thoughts and feels totally clear. This is a totally amazing feeling and really makes you feel like you have accomplished meditation.

4) It’s relaxing

After 10 minutes you feel super relaxed, grounded, and your thoughts seem more organised and less chaotic. Andy suggests taking a few mins after you finish, before you carry onto the next thing. You might find you have no choice in this and you have to take a few minutes as you are so relaxed, you need a bit of time to gather yourself before doing anything else!

5) It’s flexible

Because it’s an app that you can download on your phone, you can do it whenever you want. Depending on how you schedule your day, you might want to fit it into your morning routine, to help you prepare for the day, or you could make it part of your evening routine to prepare for sleep.

Let me know how you get on and whether you find using the Headspace app beneficial in the comments below.