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I don't know how adequate the 10-minute sessions promised by apps like Headspace are in the long run. In my experience, a 20-minute session feels a lot more eff

I don't know how adequate the 10-minute sessions promised by apps like Headspace are in the long run. In my experience, a 20-minute session feels a lot more effective than 2 10-minute sessions, and so on for 40 minutes over 20 minutes, and so on. I found Headspace and similar apps to be a good introduction to meditation for the first week or two, but they really are 'meditation lite' compared to reading some of the classics and sitting in unguided meditation for at least a 30-minute session everyday.

beatgammit 8y ago
Do you have any good suggestions for "the classics"? I've read "Siddhartha", "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", and I'm just about done with "Mindfulness in Plain English". I'm pretty new to the whole idea of meditation, and I'm still a bit skeptical about it, but I'm willing to go all in for a few weeks to see how it goes. I feel like reading will help me keep going. I've heard it's good, but I'm really not sure what the goal is, so perhaps further reading will help me "stay on the course" or whatever.
- kranner 8y ago
  Other than Culadasa's 'The Mind Illuminated' which others have recommended here, I can recommend Michael Taft's 'The Mindful Geek'. There's also Chade-Meng Tan's 'Joy on Demand'. If you don't actually meditate regularly, much of what even the best meditation books talk about can sound faffy and repetitive. So please, give the actual practice at least a month or two before deciding to drop it. Even 10 minutes a day is OK if you don't skip more than a day or two over several weeks. Practicing everyday builds aptitude and sensitivity during concentration meditation a lot better than longer sessions with gaps of a few days.
ma2rten 8y ago
Headspace has the option for longer sessions. I think it depends on your individual needs if two 10 minute sessions or one 20 minute session is better. Some people gain concentration after 10 minutes, some people get impatient. Longer sessions might give you more concentration, but more frequent meditation might give you more mindfulness in your daily life. In my mind the biggest disadvantage of headspace is that there is no community around it. It helps a lot to meet in person and practice together.
scns 8y ago
In Mind Illuminated, John Yates recommends starting out with 15 minutes and to add 5 after one week.

beatgammit 8y ago

Do you have any good suggestions for "the classics"? I've read "Siddhartha", "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", and I'm just about done with "Mindfulness in Plain English". I'm pretty new to the whole idea of meditation, and I'm still a bit skeptical about it, but I'm willing to go all in for a few weeks to see how it goes. I feel like reading will help me keep going. I've heard it's good, but I'm really not sure what the goal is, so perhaps further reading will help me "stay on the course" or whatever.

kranner 8y ago
Other than Culadasa's 'The Mind Illuminated' which others have recommended here, I can recommend Michael Taft's 'The Mindful Geek'. There's also Chade-Meng Tan's 'Joy on Demand'. If you don't actually meditate regularly, much of what even the best meditation books talk about can sound faffy and repetitive. So please, give the actual practice at least a month or two before deciding to drop it. Even 10 minutes a day is OK if you don't skip more than a day or two over several weeks. Practicing everyday builds aptitude and sensitivity during concentration meditation a lot better than longer sessions with gaps of a few days.

ma2rten 8y ago

Headspace has the option for longer sessions. I think it depends on your individual needs if two 10 minute sessions or one 20 minute session is better. Some people gain concentration after 10 minutes, some people get impatient. Longer sessions might give you more concentration, but more frequent meditation might give you more mindfulness in your daily life. In my mind the biggest disadvantage of headspace is that there is no community around it. It helps a lot to meet in person and practice together.

scns 8y ago

In Mind Illuminated, John Yates recommends starting out with 15 minutes and to add 5 after one week.