I recently completed Andy Puddicombe’s book The Headspace Guide to Meditation & Mindfulness. I started Andy’s book several months ago and had not quite finished it. This was not a statement on the quality of the book, as you will see from what I will say in this post, I think it is excellent. It was merely life and a lack of mindfulness that got in the way. It was in fact for these very reasons that I picked the book back up and restarted it. I want to say before I really start into the post that I have linked to Amazon’s listing of the book. I am in no way affiliated with Andy Puddicombe, Headspace or its Parent Company, or Amazon. I’m just a guy who likes to read and write.
I consume a lot of books in audio format. This stems from a serious illness I had that limited my vision, and even though my vision is better now, the pleasure of listening to the written word has remained. This was especially true with Andy Puddicombe’s book on Meditation & Mindfulness. I would likely never have used an Audible credit on this book had I not already been a long-time Headspace App user. If you are not familiar, Headspace is one of the leading smartphone applications for guided meditations and mindfulness practice. Andy is the leading voice of Headspace, and when I started was, maybe the only voice. Since that time Headspace has grown to include a number of additional meditation teachers, increased their meditation courses on the app, and now even includes Star Wars breathing exercises and sleep stories!
The Headspace app has been a critical component in saving my very life. I will not elaborate on life circumstances here, this is a post about a book I read, but meditation and mindfulness are critical life skills that humans need to learn. They are as important as social, emotional, and physical skills. Unfortunately, most of us are not taught them and in fact, have the importance of them given a negative association. Andy and the folks at Headspace helped my journey into meditation. It is a journey I am still beginning and the road to mindfulness will be lifelong.
It was a great experience to hear the guy I trusted with teaching me meditation explain in much greater detail his story and how he arrived at his approach. Andy has a way of delivering a story and a message that is unique and simply puts you at ease. I picked this book back up when I started to suddenly have great difficulty with my morning meditation. I had grown so accustomed to the 10-minute exercise that I perhaps even took it for granted to a small degree. I noticed one morning that I simply could not move thoughts gently away from my mind as I had become accustomed in doing. I was flooded with thoughts about work, personal life, world events, and other things from the moment I sat down, and I could not calm my mind.
I decided to restart the Headspace book in an effort to help sort this out… I get up very early and get ready for work. I then prepare things for the day, meditate, and then eat breakfast. I decided that each morning I would listen to the book as soon as I got into the bathroom and conclude for day at morning meditation time. I had to forgo my repetitive playlist of Buffet, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Tracy Lawrence, and Garth Brooks, with some ’80s and Eagles thrown in and my occasional listen to my other audiobooks. This was time well spent. As I said the book is excellent. It is one thing to understand that meditation works because you experience it. It is another to understand it with the understanding of the teacher’s perspective and experience.
I found that I could not wait to listen each morning to the book. The stories Andy tells about his own experiences and those of the people he has provided guidance for were instructive and provide such insight. I found much greater insight into the world of meditation and a greater understanding of what mindfulness means. The audio version of the book is great because Andy guides you through the exercises and prompts you to pause the playback to do them. By the time I would reach the meditation portion of my morning I was in a much better mindset for the experience.
The Headspace Guide to Meditation & Mindfulness is an excellent read or listen for anyone who needs a starting place, a refresher, or simply a lifeline in the subject of mindfulness and touching base with their mind. I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this book and download & use the Headspace App. The work I have done with Headspace has changed my life, I think it can have a positive impact on you as well.
