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Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#81

Post by vorpalhex »

Tarq0n wrote: post #56
rockbruno wrote: post #7

I think you're misunderstanding the point of these apps, which might very well be intentional on these companies' part to get you to spend money on something that you might not need. Therapy doesn't "solve" anything by itself, you must see it as a tool to help you put your mind in a better position so that you can solve your problems. Lots of people see these as magical apps that will somehow magically make them bett…

I feel like this is rephrasing the issue in an unhelpful way. Sure the app isn’t going to do the work for you but it’s still valuable to know what the average marginal benefit is relative to not using one or using a different one, especially considering these are paid services and therefore need to be considered for value.

I run into this problem a lot: people think buying "health food" will fix their weight, or that a gym membership will make them fit.

You have to eat the food. You have to use the gym.

It's a bit like arguing about the best gym to join. People waste months answering that question. The answer is "whichever one you will actually use".

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#82

Post by vorpalhex »

cube00 wrote: post #73
rockbruno wrote: post #7

I think you're misunderstanding the point of these apps, which might very well be intentional on these companies' part to get you to spend money on something that you might not need. Therapy doesn't "solve" anything by itself, you must see it as a tool to help you put your mind in a better position so that you can solve your problems. Lots of people see these as magical apps that will somehow magically make them bett…

> Therapy doesn't "solve" anything by itself, you must see it as a tool to help you put your mind in a better position so that you can solve your problems. One part of mediation is resisting the temptation to try and solve anything. You improve being able to notice each thought, acknowledge in a non-judgemental way and then allow it to continue moving through the station. The next thought will be arriving shortly. Mi…

You are espousing a single type of meditation practice. Parent is talking about a different meditation practice.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#83

Post by runjake »

I’m sure others have, but I’ve gotten no real life benefit they as these apps require attention and fiddling.

And notifications (of which I don’t have many) get in the way. I could configure some Do Not Disturb mode, but so far, it’s been less trouble just to use something less technical.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#84

Post by picardythird »

ozim wrote: post #44
lotsofpulp wrote: post #34

I feel like 45min to 60min high intensity interval training (HIIT) cardiovascular exercise (e.g. swimming, running, rowing, bicycling, stairs, elliptical, etc) would be cheaper and address a host of other health issues also. Include some compound weight lifting like pull ups, deadlift, squat, bench press, lunges, and core workouts like planks, and I bet outcomes greatly exceed whatever an app can provide.

For meditation I think people are trying to "meditate". Where I would get same benefits from 45-60 min cardio where I focus on the training and rhythm of music. I definitely also felt "meditation" effects from reading books - but of course with intense focus on the book not thinking about anything else and not having tv running in background and people trying to talk to me. In the end I do believe I get the same bene…

As someone who enjoys all of those activities I will say that meditation offers something that those activities do not offer. There is an inner clarity that can be found in a much more profound way from meditation, in my experience.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#86

Post by spicymaki »

cscurmudgeon wrote: post #76
spicymaki wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> While you can get some benefits from simply practicing meditation, it can feel a bit aimless > Isn’t that… the point of meditation? Absolutely not! The secularization of meditation in the west has completely divorced meditation from it's original purpose (in the Buddhist context). Meditation is a complete mental training program. Monks did not just sit there on a cushion; they worked with teachers, reflected on id…

> The secularization of meditation in the west has completely divorced meditation from it's original purpose (in the Buddhist context). FYI: Meditation originated in Hinduism where the original purpose was connection with God (as part of Yoga, the physical yoga is more recent). The earliest records of meditation can be found in Upanishads. Originally, meditation was highly directed. Buddhism removed the God aspect. A…

Yes, there is a lot of complexity to what you mentioned.

That is why I bracketed it: in the Buddhist context. The Buddha came out of the Vedic tradition (ancient Hinduism) so I agree that meditation practice is sourced from there. I cannot speak to what other Gurus were doing at that era.

Believe it or not there are deities (devas) in Buddhist Cosmology. The deity Brahma appears in much of early Buddhist scripture. Gods were not eliminated, but reduced in terms of importance.

In the West the “sit and do nothing practice” was extracted from the Shikantaza practice of the Zen tradition.

The problem is Zen includes all practice as part of meditative practice. There is no separation. This is not exclusive to Zen either. It is how Buddhism has been practiced in monasteries for over two thousand years.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#87

Post by ThomasGlanzmann »

stranded22 wrote: post #21

I've used headspace almost everyday for meditation for years - I used to do there programmes but now just do the daily meditation. And every night, I put on the sleep stories. I also put on pooch palace sleep story for my son each night. Absolutely love it - well worth the money for me.

I also did one or two years daily headspace and it helped me a lot. At some point I stopped, but I need to get back to it. I also used a headspace sleep meditation often. Now that you mentioned the pooch palace sleep story, I searched for it everywhere but did not find it. Where can I get it?

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#88

Post by givinguflac »

vorpalhex wrote: post #79
givinguflac wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Respectfully, I don’t think you understand mediation. It’s not about intense focus, it’s about awareness.

Respectfully, you seem dramatically unaware there are over a dozen different schools of meditation from singing buddhist monks to silent Yogis, all of whom have distinct goals in meditation. Even reading the Wikipedia article on meditation would helpfully orient you in these basic facts.

Here is a quote from said article, noting that while there are many techniques, all of them are about fostering awareness:

“Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.”

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#89

Post by vorpalhex »

givinguflac wrote: post #88
vorpalhex wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Respectfully, you seem dramatically unaware there are over a dozen different schools of meditation from singing buddhist monks to silent Yogis, all of whom have distinct goals in meditation. Even reading the Wikipedia article on meditation would helpfully orient you in these basic facts.

Here is a quote from said article, noting that while there are many techniques, all of them are about fostering awareness: “Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.”

> all of them are about fostering awareness

It explicitly does not say that.

Reread your quote, slowly.

> such as mindfulness, *or* focusing the mind on a particular object,

and

> to train *attention and awareness*, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.”

You will note the intro distinctly does not say this applies to all meditation, and that awareness is one of 7 different goals mentioned.

It's a shame you didn't continue to read, particularly the section on definition:

> Meditation has proven difficult to define as it covers a wide range of dissimilar practices in different traditions. In popular usage, the word "meditation" and the phrase "meditative practice" are often used imprecisely to designate practices found across many cultures.[19][20] These can include almost anything that is claimed to train the attention of mind or to teach calm or compassion.[21] There remains no definition of necessary and sufficient criteria for meditation that has achieved universal or widespread acceptance within the modern scientific community.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#90

Post by michaelbarton »

maroonblazer wrote: post #15

After trying Headspace and Calm I settled on the app Waking Up[0] and have been using it for a couple of years now. It's been a huge help. It's a lot more than just a guided meditation app. While you can get some benefits from simply practicing meditation, it can feel a bit aimless. What I like about Waking Up is the conversations with experienced meditators where they talk about the practice itself. These serve as a…

I agree. I’ve been using headspace on and off for about 3 years. The last three months it really started to click when I was able to meditate comfortably for 30 minutes or more.

To answer OP’s question: the benefits I’ve found are to start to recognize the constant internal (mostly critical) monologue as just another appearance in consciousness in the same way sight and sound are. When I have a really good meditation session this monologue just kind of dissolves and I’m left feeling very peaceful.

Would love to hear from any other experienced meditators on what they found their next steps to be at this stage.

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