Is it really possible to learn the intricate skills of mindfulness and meditation through an App? After a year long experience of Headspace, I can confidently confirm that progress can be made and there are many benefits to be gained from daily guided meditations.
What I found from a year of using headspace
My sleep improved in both quality and duration.
I learned techniques how to relax when required. This could either be when I am in the moment of stress, or when I feel a sustained building of stress over time. Quick breathing exercises to calm the moment are a blessing, whereas some of the longer guided mediations bring comfort at the start or end of a stressful day.
I became more aware of my feelings. The awareness of knowing and observing what is going on in my own mind brings comfort and allows me to apply other strategies as required.
I became much more compassionate to others, as well as to myself. Compassion is an integral part of the Headspace message, as not only does it help others, but we also gain immeasurable benefits from providing that support.
I became more aware of being present and also conversely when I lose focus in the moment. This has improved my relationships and helped me maintain a better perspective of day to day life.
I found time for me- my morning guided meditation have become my sanctuary, and an integral part of my morning routine. It is something that I genuinely look forward to each day.
It brought me great comfort during times of trauma. When I lost my Dad and brother in quick succession, I didn’t know how I would cope. I looked to a variety of support strategies, one of which was a 30 day guided meditation module on coping with grief, which I followed twice. The sense of calm and security that this brought me at this desperately sad time could not be underestimated. Please do not get me wrong, Headspace is not a ready made solution to grief, but used as a tool alongside other support mechanisms, it really did help me start to deal with my grief.
I became more grateful for all things in my life. Daily meditation and reflection build an awareness of gratitude that I have previously never felt. I suddenly started to appreciate the smaller things in life that mean so much, such as sunrises and sunsets, a roof over my head, fresh coffee in a morning, the list could go on…and does so every day.
My happiness grew and I became more content with my life. It is hard to ascertain where this feeling originated, but it was a definite outcome of my daily headspace practice.
I realised the power of music when I need periods of absolute focus. This definitely feels like a dodgy life hack, but it works for me. Interrupted focus from either internal or external noise, can so easily be restricted by the correct choice of music.
So what is Headspace?
Headspace is a mindfulness app with an easy-to-use interface that takes the seriousness and intimidation out of meditation. I was lucky enough to get a free subscription to the app as a teacher during the COVID pandemic and have never looked back.
According to TechCrunch, Headspace is one of the most frequently downloaded mindfulness apps in the world, only second after Calm. Having tried Calm previously, I would say that app is more suited to more experienced meditators, and Headspace is better for those people like me that are just getting started on the road to mindfulness.
Headspace was co-founded by Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk who narrates many of the guided meditations. Although meditation itself is rooted in Eastern Buddhist tradition, the app isn’t tied to any singular religious identity and is solely focused on mindfulness development.
Here are some of the most popular features
Meditate
There are both meditation courses and single programs. Courses are clusters of guided meditations that centre around different topics, like dealing with grief, sparking creativity, boosting confidence, and finding focus. Single programs are one-off meditations for stressful moments, like gearing up for a presentation or conquering night-time worries.
Many meditations are customisable. You can choose between Puddicombe and a range of different narrators to suit your preference or mood. You can also choose how long you want the session to last, anywhere from 3 to 20 minutes. I love this feature, as right at the beginning of my journey I could only cope with a few minutes, but as my skills developed, I found that I wanted more time within each meditation. I have also found this feature useful for different times in the week when I may want to devote more time to a particular meditation.
The app tracks how long you’ve meditated and updates you on your “minutes meditated” after each session. Headspace also tracks how many days in a row you meditate and then shares a positive quote centered around mindfulness.
Sleep
Trouble sleeping is one of the reasons that I looked to meditation. I am one of an estimated 50 percent of people that have some form of sleep problem, including initiating and maintaining sleep. Headspace’s sleep content includes relaxing guided sessions and Sleepcasts, which are 45 to 55 minutes and feature audio tours of fictional realms paired with white noise. There are also night-time guided meditations with short breathing exercises and relaxing visualisations to help you let go of your worries. I have found both of these features particularly useful in enhaceing my sleep routine and supporting me if I wake in the night. There is also a sleep radio feature with more than 8 hours of rain, ocean, or music sounds to help you doze off. I have not used this particular feature as I do not really like falling asleep with my ear phones in!
Move
Move is one of the app’s newest offerings and to be honest, not a feature that I have used at all. It has many low to medium impact workouts that are 10 to 30 minutes long and focus on the mind-body connection, with a particular focus on breath work. None of these classes focus on exercise intensity. Instead, the classes focus on such things as reframing anxiety through yoga or mindfulness while doing cardio.
Focus
The Focus tab offers music and meditation playlists designed to help you focus on the work in front of you. Some playlists feature ambient music and lo-fi beats while other playlists contain soundscapes, such as flowing water, from a range of different locations. There are other playlists of collections of themed tracks to relax to.
I have discovered the wonder of this particular aspect of mindfulness, bringing a new found focus to my work when I find myself having to push hard on a key task. People may think that I have lost the plot when I pop in my earphones in my office…but it works for me!
Social connection
The app allows you to add friends and family from your contact book as buddies. Adding buddies allows you to see how many minutes your friends have meditated, and send them cheerful messages like “keep it up” or “thinking of you!”.
This feature can help you hold each other and yourself accountable, although it is not something that I have engaged with.
Is Headspace right for you?
Headspace can be a great choice for anyone looking to try meditation for the first time. It’s affordable, simple, and easy to use. As you develop, you can take your practice to the next level by meditating with untimed sessions or wandering through fictional lands during the Sleepcast feature.
Headspace teaches eight helpful techniques derived from Burmese and Tibetan Buddhist traditions:
Noting- labeling experiences as they arise into “thinking” or “feeling”
Visualisation- picturing something or someone in your mind
Resting awareness: letting your mind roam free during meditation rather than focusing on the breath or a visualisation
Focused attention: focusing your attention on a single object, goal, or affirmation.
Loving kindness and compassion: mentally sending goodwill, kindness, and warmth toward others
Self reflection: asking yourself questions
Body scan: performing a mental scan, from the top of your head to the end of your toes to sync the body and mind
Directed compassion: focusing on a person you know or love and paying attention to the sensations that arise from the heart
The research (taken directly from the Headspace product page- who am I to question the scientists?)
Headspace decreases stress. An internal study that was published in the top mindfulness journal found that only 10 days of Headspace reduced stress by 14%.
Headspace can make people kinder to others. Separate studies conducted by Northeastern University found that 3 weeks of Headspace increased compassion by 23%and reduced aggression by 57%. In addition, an internal study found 10 days of Headspace reduced irritability by 27%.
And Kinder to themselves. A study with health professionals found that only 10 days of Headspace improved self-compassion.
Headspace improves focus. We can spend almost half of our waking hours lost in thought and distracted. Research published in a journal focused on cognitive enhancement showed that Headspace improved focus by 14% and significantly decreased mind-wandering.
Headspace can make people happier overall. A study with students found that just 10 days of Headspace increased positivity and well-being.
Headspace can make you happier at work. Studies conducted with different populations of employees have found Headspace can reduce stress and job strain and improve job satisfaction.
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