Headspace

If you haven't already joined the meditation and mindfulness revolution, now is a great moment to jump on the bandwagon. The second version of digital wellbeing platform Headspace, which counts celebrities, members of the Wired team and more than a million other people around the world as fans, was announced today at The Royal Society of Medicine in London. "I'd really encourage all of you to prioritise the health of your mind," says Andy Puddicombe, the face, voice and one half of the brains behind Headspace, to the audience as he introduces Headspace version 2. "This is something so valuable for you and those around you."

The former monk is somewhat preaching to the converted -- most of the room profess to already being Headspace users -- but they will also therefore be used to succumbing to Puddicombe's dulcet tones. He has gained a reputation for bringing meditation to the masses "Andy's a massive part of it just because he's a proper expert and you can't fake that -- it comes across in the teaching,"


Puddicombe's business partner and Headspace co-founder Rich Pierson tells Wired.co.uk. "So often when people are given guided audio of any description, it can feel quite rehearsed, but because he does it straight off the bat and does it from his experience, it's really subtle, and that's what keeps people coming back. That and the quality of the content and the fact that it works."

Headspace

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Puddicombe himself is as modest as they come, in spite of his success both with Headspace and his books. He does admit though that he was baffled when the first countries to buy the foreign rights to his book were India, China and Japan. "They have their own heritage, but interestingly there's a whole generation growing up that have lost touch with this heritage and really need some help," he says. "I think the same exists in the West. I think in the past, although it may not have been meditation there was an idea of stepping out of the business of life to spend time all together... and so I think mediation has filled that void. I think we've always had the need as individuals and as groups to step away from the madness and to find some kind of solitude and calm and clarity, I just don't think in modern time we've had the tools we need to do that."

It's undeniable that Headspace is helping to cause a cultural shift in how we think and talk about meditation. A result of this is that all sorts of people, even the people you might least expect, are not only meditating, but openly discussing the effect that it has on their wellbeing. This was always Puddicombe's intention -- to bring mindfulness not just to those doing it already, for clinical or other reasons, but to the other 95 percent of the population. "They may not even know that they need some mediation, but it's those people who could benefit massively from it. So demystifying that and serving it up so it's accessible and friendly and creative is really exciting," he explains


That said, Puddicombe says that he knows people at the monastery who now use Headspace to help them with meditation, and that he knows of people who have visited monasteries after starting mediating with Headspace. He obviously doesn't use it himself -- "that would be creepy" -- but he says that he sometimes wishes there was a version without his voice that he could use.

New features

Headspace

Puddicombe and Pierson have worked hard to make sure that the latest version of Headspace offers users a more personalised and bespoke experience, and there are a host of new features -- all based on two years of user feedback.

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Each user's Headspace journey is now mapped out on timeline so that their personal story is woven deep within the design of the app and so they will have a clear idea of what they have achieved.


There are some gorgeous new animations and sweet details, such as the audio player itself, which now moves around as if it's inside a lava lamp. "I get really excited about the design of it. There's something about looking at something that's beautiful that engages you and just makes you want to do it," says Pierson.

The pair have clustered content in new four areas once you have completed the foundation stage -- health, performance, relationships and Headspace pro. The last of these categories was created, says Puddicombe, thanks to users who were further on in their Headspace journeys who told him that he talked too much. As such there are now guided and unguided meditations to help these people become used to meditating in silence.

Pierson is keen to extol the virtues of the relationship package, as this is the area he believes "the most change happens". "The thing that causes most stress is other people, or our reaction to other people and more importantly, how we react to the things that happen to us," he explains. "It's not that you don't still get all that rubbish that happens in life, but you've got a different lens to put over it if you give yourself the opportunity."

It seems sensible to have included a health package, given that meditation is not only a recommended therapy for mental health problems, but can also be successful in warding them off. Does the mental health aspect make Puddicombe feel responsible for people's wellbeing? Yes and no, he says -- he knows people use it to help them with these issues and benefit from it, but he also knows that it often gives them a sense of "self-responsibility". "We have a responsibility to deliver the most authentic, accessible service that we can and then it's up to individuals how they choose to use, whether they get benefit out of it."

Headspace

Headspace SOS offers two-minute sessions to help users overcome "meltdown moments" and Headspace On-The-Go is packed with 10-minute sessions that have been tailored to various activities, including commuting, eating and walking.

Puddicombe's personal new favourite feature is Headspace Buddy, which encourages users to link their accounts with up to five pals so they can track each other's progress, as well help, support and encourage each other. "I think that community aspect is so important," he says. "When I was learning meditation, had I not been a monk, and had I not been sitting surrounded by other people, I'd have just got up and walked away, and I'd have never done it again. Knowing that there were other people around me doing it, that kind of made it okay. There is something so comforting and reassuring knowing that other people are doing it at the same time."

If none of your friends currently uses the app you might want to take advantage of the fact that you now have the ability to earn rewards -- free Headspace packs -- to give away to friends as you progress.

In order that the effects of meditation does not wear off throughout the day, buzzers have been introduced to give users little nudges at regular intervals, with the simple effect of reminding them how easily their mind wanders. There is also now the option to set reminders so you can schedule in your diary the time you intend to meditate.

Headspace for teams and charities

Increasingly Puddicombe and Pierson have been approached by companies and organisations who want to bring Headspace into the workplace to improve the wellbeing of their employees. Headspace for teams will allow companies to take advantage of this, and they will even get a dashboard with all sorts of data -- all of which is anonymised -- including how many of their employees are using the app, how long for and which packs they are using.

Another thing the pair are keen to do is making sure they are working with the right charitable partners in order that they can find a way to make sure those who could benefit from Headspace, but perhaps might not be able to afford it, are able to get access to the app.

The future

Everyone who uses Headspace or is involved in its creation is on a journey, and this includes Puddicombe and Pierson, who have great hopes for the future of the app. Not only will they continue to add more packs over time, but they will also look at bringing it to new audiences.


One thing they are currently investigating is translating the material so that is available in otter languages. This will be a huge challenge, not only because it involves rerecording hundreds of hours of audio, but because they want to make sure they get the right people to do it -- people who understand meditation, just as Puddicombe does, so that users will get the authentic Headspace experience.

The pair are also looking into Headspace for kids, which they say is there is "urgent demand" for, but again they need to work out the best way to go about developing it.

Headspace Version 2 will be available on 26 June on Android and iOS. Puddicombe is encouraging anyone who is part way through a pack in version one to finish that before embarking on the next part of their Headspace journey.