Andy Puddicombe

As founder of leading mindfulness app Headspace, Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe is the man behind modern meditation. Here, he talks about putting headphones on to tune out, the difference between mindfulness and meditation, and why just 10 minutes a day can achieve calm and clarit.

As an ordained Buddhist Tibetan monk, Andy Puddicombe spent years pursuing meditation the traditional way – in a temple, up before the sun, silent for 18 hours of the day, quietly attuning to his higher power. The Englishman began after university, treading the path of enlightenment in Northern India then moving to Burma, Thailand and Russia before settling in the Indian Himalayas. “The area is stunning and it’s hard not to be impressed with the Himalayas as a backdrop,” he says today.

However, Puddicombe realised that not many could be persuaded to follow his solitary path. He left the monastery, undertaking a stint in the circus as he adjusted to life outside, and then set up in London to offer private meditation practice, which soon attracted the rich and famous – and future Headspace partner Richard Pierson. But when the idea of a meditation app was born he initially shied away.

“Traditionally teaching was always done in person at monasteries – it was passed down through the generations and there is something very beautiful about that,” he says. Although he felt a strong call to bring meditation to the masses, an app seemed impossibly modern. “Rich did a lot of convincing even to get me to entertain the idea of putting content online, much less an app – but he was right. It was the most obvious way to make Headspace available to as many people as possible,” he says.

CREATING A BUZZ

How true that turned out to be. Having now been downloaded more than 2 million times by people in more than 150 countries, Headspace is famous for taking the hippy-dippiness out of meditation in a pioneering platform that delivers 10 minutes of daily soothing calm. Among the notable people plugging headphones in and blissfully tuning the world and their worries away are actors Gwyneth Paltrow and Zach Braff. Downloads are still gaining speed as well, growing 20 per cent month-on-month, as Hollywood stars Jessica Alba and Jared Leto raced to invest.

It’s not just the west tuning in. Despite Asia’s long traditions with Buddhism and meditation, many people in the region now have frenetic lives full of stress and anxiety.

In 2015, Puddicombe and Pierson visited Hong Kong and Singapore. “We were struck by how focused and driven people were by success – this must play an integral part in mental and physical health,” he says. Yet, China, Japan and India were the first to buy the foreign rights to Puddicombe’s books, so like the rest of the world, achieving balance and improving mental strength is highly desired.

TAKING TEN

New users are introduced to the practice through initial free 10-day 10-minute trial. Puddicombe’s smooth voice eases the listener into various scenes, breathing techniques and then finally to silence. There’s a nurturing quality to the recordings and the listener is encouraged to treat these moments of stillness as a well-deserved indulgence.

Puddicombe says that Headspace timeouts take up less than one per cent of the average day but that’s still enough to induce the benefits of mindfulness. Regular practice is said to relieve stress and improve sleep, lower pain and reduce blood pressure. It can ease depression, induce calm, kindness and perspective. “Even after 10 minutes a day you start to see a massive difference in your life and it can be a great starting point to get the foundation just right,” says Puddicombe, who maintains that a daily practice should become routine.

MIND ON MATTER

Mindfulness has come to be a modern buzzword, but what exactly is i t? Puddicombe says, “We define mindfulness as the intention to be present in the here and now, fully engaged, free from distraction, with an open mind.” His apps aim to introduce meditation tools that harness this.

From there, paid Headspace subscriptions are offered, where devotees can lengthen their practice to longer stretches, or focus on being fully present during everyday activities. Practices move from guided with speech to unguided in silence, like bringing the monastery into your bedroom or office. Headspace has also launched an SOS section where its most stressed members go for an immediate head cleanse – two minutes of calm meant expressly for meltdown moments.

Of course, you don’t always need the app to bring mindfulness into your day. At lunch, if you focus on the presentation, scent and taste of individual flavours, and feel thankful for the sustenance good food provides, the mere act of eating becomes a moment of mindfulness, says Puddicombe.

Spa-goers can make the most of tranquil surroundings using the same techniques to focus on peace, nature and its abundance. During a massage, it’s worth staying awake to factor in extra mindfulness. Appreciating the smell of oils, the comfort of human touch and noticing particular stress points can elevate the experience. The idea, says Puddicombe, is to prioritise being present, building mental strength that gives us clarity and resilience to deal with our lives.

DIALLED DOWN

Puddicombe came to the monasteries after experiencing the death of friends in a car crash, admitting to an early mid-life crisis which had him asking heavy questions and travelling thousands of miles to answer them. Headspace avoids others having to go to the same lengths and has also turned monk into millionaire, although Puddicombe says big bucks were the farthest thing from his mind when he created it.

“We were just keen to find a way to demystify meditation and make it available to a wider audience. It’s been incredible to see how the perception has shifted in the 10 years since and to see so many people benefit from this simple skill,” he says.

It’s true that mindfulness seemed to be on everyone’s lips and looks to continue. Puddicombe says these days you are just as likely to find an Olympic athlete using the techniques, as you are a global company to support well-being – an ideal that he visualised very early on. www.headspace.com