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Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

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Re: Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

#73

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Our Android app is currently not available in some non-English speaking countries, but try our web app ( http://simplehabitapp.com/ ), which is available worldwide!

May I ask why, since there are usually many expats and often locals who speak English fluently in most countries around the world? What are the benefits of restricting distribution and thus market penetration? I'm curious both as a user and a fellow startup entrepreneur.

The only concern for enabling in some of the non-English speaking countries is that often users give 1 stars for not having meditations translated in their languages, and that's challenging to do so quickly for a small startup, as you might understand :)

Re: Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

#76
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for these great questions! 1. Before Simple Habit, I was actually a power user of some of other meditation apps so the benefit of a multi-teacher platform is something I stumbled upon personally. Being able to explore different voices, styles, and techniques helps users experiment with what really resonates with them. We’ve found that our users like the diversity and will often (if not always) engage with cont…

Question number two asked "is there any evidence". Your response number two explains, "we believe". Is there any evidence which backs up your belief?

I don't have any specific scientific research or studies to share. I do wish someone did a study on this. That said, it does seem to be working for a lot of people. Check out the user reviews. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simple-habit-mindfulness-med...

Re: Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's a business.

Well, showing some teaser might actually help me comprehend what it's all about. All I see is three icons. I moved on to the next post.

Yup, thanks for that feedback. New & updated web landing page coming soon :)

Re: Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

#78
post #26

John Kabat-Zinn masters the link between science and meditation and has published very valuable books (including progressing guided/audio meditation exercises, each 5-10 minutes), such as https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4180277/Mindful_Way_Through...

> https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/41...

I think it's inappropriate to encourage piracy here.

One legal way to get Jon Kabat-Zinn's material: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-Through-Depression-Unhapp...

Re: Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

#79
post #64
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Charging people as a subscription service for meditation help feels a little queasy. Yes and it's sad that they all do it. I would prefer a one time buy.

I believe they have a one-time "lifetime" subscription buy

I use this app which used to be $5 but is now free - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mindfulness-app-meditation/i...

Apparently they too switched to a freemium subscription model. Having subscription models for meditation apps is like having a subscription model for a music service with 20 albums. I get that there's the whole tracking aspect of it but that's hardly interesting enough and there's not enough demand for new content to make sense to rent monthly. Clearly I'm in the minority because Headspace is hiring in Santa Monica and SF now.

I'll say this, if Converse changes to a subscription model for chucks there's gonna be trouble...

Re: Launch HN: Simple Habit (YC W17) – Spotify for Meditation

#80
post #27

Cool app! Thanks for sharing. I think this is great for an introduction to meditation and to help build a habit. One difficulty I have with apps like this is that they're not necessarily incentivized to produce good meditation habits. If a user builds a real meditation practice then they're likely not going to want to use an app like this -- they'll probably want to meditate in silence and for much longer than 5 minu…

This is a great question! It’s true that hardcore meditators often prefer to meditate for longer than five minutes, so we do have meditations up to 30 minutes in length to cater to that. What’s interesting, though, is that even experienced meditators can see the value of a quick meditation in the middle of their day, like during their lunch break or right before an important phone call. We like to think of meditation…

there is something very weird to me about calling someone a "hardcore meditator" for meditating >5 minutes. It takes me 5 minutes just to get my brain to shut up. Listening to someone else put words in my brain for five minutes isn't meditation. It's not mindfulness. It's training towards the two, but it's not a substitute for either.
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