Andy Puddicombe - How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in 10 Minutes a Day: A Guided Meditation

So, What Is Headspace?

Headspace is meditation, but not as you know it.

For a start, theres no chanting, no sitting cross-legged, no incense and definitely no gurus. Theres no religious agenda and no mystical or cultural barriersjust simple, practical tools to help you find a bit more clarity and calm in your everyday life.

And although its simple to learn, the benefits youll experience are pretty amazingfrom feeling less stressed, less tired and less tense, to just feeling generally happier and more fulfilled in your life.

This is meditation for you and everyone you know.

Our Vision

Our vision is to demystify meditation, to make it an indispensable tool for your everyday life and an integral part of your daily routine. We know that lots of people are put off trying meditation because of all the clichd stereotypes (you know the ones), but it really doesnt have to be that way.

Because stripped of all its cultural trappings (while losing none of the good stuff), meditation is simply a wonderful skill. Sure, like any new skill, it requires a little practice, but once youve got the hang of it you can apply it to pretty much anything in life that requires the use of your mind (and lets face it, what doesnt?).

But dont just take our word for it. Theres some fantastic research into the benefits of meditation (youll find a few of the highlights below in the

Our Mission

Basically, were on a mission to get as many people in the world as possible to take 10 minutes out of their day to sit in the here and now. Why? Well, obviously it will make the world a nicer place to live in, but we believe that it will give you a whole new perspective on life. At the same time, its quite likely to improve the way you feel toophysically, mentally and emotionally.

Thats why weve created Take10, a simple and easy-to-learn meditation program. Thats just 10 minutes a day for 10 days. 10 minutesthats less than 1 percent of your day to take care of your most precious resource. Better still, its free to use and you can find out all you need to know in our very own book entitled Get Some Headspace !

Its probably worth adding here that although the core ingredients of meditation have evolved over thousands of years, they are still totally compatible with modern-day living. In fact weve made sure of it, by providing all of our tools onlineand even on your mobile phone.

Before You Get Started

Before you start Take10, its a good idea to take care of a few practicalities. For example, when are you going to do it each day? Where can you sit undisturbed? And how will you remember to do it?

Taking 10 minutes out of each day really shouldnt be that difficult, but for many people it can be tricky at first. What with everything else going on in life, its easy to overlook it or to get caught up in other things. So the first step is prioritizing and committing to a regular, daily practice.

The best way to make that happen is to make it part of your schedule. So, create a space to sit at the same time each day, just like you shower at the same time each day. Mornings seem to work best for most people, but find a time that works for you (you may want to avoid right after lunch though, as you might just doze off).

Where you do it doesnt really matter, just as long as there wont be too many interruptions. A bit of background noise is no problem (as long as you just let the noises come and go), but youre likely to find it much easier to begin if theres not too much noise going on right next to you.

Finally, you can wear whatever you like to meditate, but you might want to loosen any tight clothing and slip off those high heels (if youre wearing any, that is).

Three Parts of Meditation

Its a good idea to approach meditation in the same way that youd approach learning any other new skillby understanding exactly what it is youre trying to do and how you need to go about it, before you actually start to practice. I guess thats why the in-depth understanding youll find in Get Some Headspace is so important.

Traditionally, there were always three components to meditation: approach, practice and integration. Now, although were not big on tradition for traditions sake, weve found that people get much more out of their meditation by sticking to this tried-and-tested formula.

So here are those three parts, broken down in the Headspace way.

Approach

Its hard to overstate the importance of this first component. How you approach the technique and how you choose to relate to the contents of your mind will define your experience of meditation. Get it right and your meditation will fly; get it wrong and it could feel like a real struggle.

Its difficult not to expect perfect results the first time aroundthats just how we seem to be programmed these days. But the reality is that meditation takes a little practiceagain, like learning any other new kind of skill.

So, right from the start, try to get used to the idea that your mind isnt going to stop whirring away just because you want it toand thats really not the objective of meditation anyway. The point is to discover a new way of relating to your thoughts and emotions, a way in which you can feel calmer, clearer and happier as a result.

Aside from unrealistic expectations, the biggest obstacle for most people is trying too hard. But remember, this is the one place in your life where you truly dont have to strive. In fact, applying lots of effort can even be counterproductive. Imagine thatjust sitting back and watching the mind without needing to do anything much at alldoesnt that sound inviting?

Of course, its easy to be skeptical (It will never work for me!), but here at Headspace we know from experience that when its approached and practiced in the right way, meditation works for pretty much everyone. So, if youre cynical thats just fine, but do try it anywaybecause wouldnt be nice to be proved wrong on this one occasion?

Practice

The practice is the part that you probably already think of as meditationthe part where you sit down and concentrate on a particular technique. And at Headspace these are our practical, tried and tested techniques, which youll find in this e-book, in Get Some Headspace, at our events, on our website, and even on our mobile app.

In fact youll find a brief introduction to the first technique, a taste of what you can expect in the book, and a link to your very own guided meditation right after the explanation about integration.

Integration

This final component is where meditation starts to get really interestingwhere you get the opportunity to integrate the calm and clarity you develop during your seated meditation with the rest of your lifewhich obviously includes your relationships too.

So, what does it mean to be present, or in the moment? And if you can do it sitting on a chair, then why not when eating your food, holding the baby, drinking a cup of tea, or even walking down the street?

Dont worry, that doesnt mean walking along with your eyes closed. It simply means being in the here and now, focused (in a very relaxed sort of way) on the physical act of walking.

So, rather than daydreaming about the vacation youd love to go on, or the new health regime youre about to start (always next Monday!), be present and aware, noticing the physical sensations, the sounds, the smells and the sights around you.

But its not just when youre walking. Take any opportunity you can throughout the day to pause and check in with how youre feelingphysically, emotionally and mentally. By filling your day with these short moments of awareness, life begins to feel a little easier, a little more balanced.