Staying Present

Meditation has been in the mainstream for some years now. With popular apps like Headspace and Calm championing the practice, meditation is something I’d bet a lot of people are aware of.

My Experience with Meditation

I’ve meditated on and off since late 2018. After watching some YouTube videos on the benefits of waking up early, I decided to try becoming an early bird myself. Part of that morning routine included meditation, which led me to give the practice a try using the Headspace app. Before then, I hadn’t really thought much about meditation or mindfulness.

The expectations coming into meditation can be all over the place. Some will picture a meditating monk who has reached nirvana. Others will approach it with a hefty dose of skepticism.

Like most things, I think the actual outcome is somewhere between “does nothing” and “reach enlightenment”.

Dan Harris puts it aptly with his book 10% Happier. His thesis is that meditation isn’t some panacea but rather something that – when done correctly – makes you about 10% happier (hence the name of the book). I’d agree with this assertation. 

The idea of meditation, at least how I’ve come to understand and practice it, isn’t to empty your head of all thought and feel like you’re floating. It’s actually the opposite.

The main goal of meditation is to sit with your thoughts and recognize them as they arise. That’s been the area where meditation helped me the most.

During the day, thoughts run through my mind, and I don’t have time to think about the source or legitimacy of them. When I meditate, it’s easier to notice how my thoughts just crop up out of nowhere. They don’t necessarily come from anywhere. I can be meditating and think about the Knicks one second and a stupid mistake I made in college another.

Thoughts arise. Thoughts dissipate. Just because you think a thought doesn’t mean you have to give it weight.

Meditation Apps

It can be daunting to start meditating. I know I was worried about the idea of sitting alone with my thoughts when I started. Luckily, there are plenty of good meditation apps out there if you’re curious to try the practice.

Headspace

Headspace is good for people new to meditating with a simple and straightforward beginner program.

As you get more experienced with meditating, Headspace might become a bit more difficult to justify the cost. They have plenty of courses, but most of those boil down to similar meditations with different topics discussed at the beginning.

They also have an extensive library of sleep sounds and stories. I haven’t really used these much, admittedly, since I try to sleep with my phone outside of my bedroom. 

Overall, Headspace is good for starters and folks who want a simple app with a pretty UI.

Calm

In many ways, Calm is like Headspace. They have a daily meditation and some other “daily” content. For example, they were partnering with Jay Shetty for a daily series last time I used it. 

On the courses front, I didn’t find Calm as good as Headspace. On the other hand, they had better focus music and sleep stories. They even recruited stars like Harry Styles and Matthew McConaughey to narrate their sleep stories.

Overall, Calm is very similar to Headspace. They’ve got more options in the daily department if you like the mediations being curated for you. For most people, the different between Calm and Headspace might just come down to personal preference.

Waking Up

Waking Up is the app I currently use and find the most enjoyable and challenging. I particularly like Waking Up’s approach to mediation.

Instead of focusing solely on breath like Calm and Headspace do, Waking Up focuses on consciousness. Breath is a common starting place for meditation, but once you get the swing of it, you really can focus on anything to meditate. This is something Waking Up understands by having you pay attention to many things like bodily sensations, breath, and occasionally your visual field.

In addition to meditations, Waking Up also has an extensive catalog of recordings. They have interviews with Alan Watts, Oliver Burkeman, Dan Harris, and others that cover topics ranging from Buddhism to ego and more. The value really is quite immense if you are interested in these areas.

Waking Up is also a bit unique in offering a “pay what you want” model. The creator believes money shouldn’t be the limiting factor to the app, so if you want to pay less than the monthly fee, there’s a path to do so.

Wrapping It Up

It’s probably needless to say, but I am unfortunately not being sponsored by any of these sites. I think at best I can probably give you a free 30-day trial to Waking Up.

I enjoy meditation as part of my daily routine. I’ve been good and bad about doing it, but when I am in the habit, I certainly don’t regret it.

In a world of super green powders and influencer expectations, we’re accustomed to expect a lot of quick results. Meditation won’t change you over night, but it might just help you feel that much better in the long run. If you give it a shot, let me know how it goes!

Sunday Suggestion – What I’m Watching:

This week, I’ve decided to try something new. A lot of my favorite newsletters give an insight into something the creator found interesting during the week. I’ve decided to do the same thing.

This week, I watched an interesting video on Dua Lipa’s interviewing styles. It turns out Dua Lipa might be the premier interviewer of authors. Check out the video below analyzing Dua’s book club and her interview style.

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Postscript

That’s right! The drawings are back. This week, I cracked the code and got back to drawing. Enjoy this drawing of two anthropomorphized avocados!