E18 Andy Puddicombe: Meditation Man

In this episode it was my sincere pleasure to be joined by Andy Puddicombe.  Andy is a former Buddhist monk and has a degree in circus arts but is best know as the co-founder, and voice, of the headspace meditation website and app.

Andy recently spoke at the Web Summit in Dublin, has contributed frequently to BBC radio and tv, and his TED talk: "All it takes is 10 mindful minutes" has over 4.5 million views.

I've been chasing Andy for some time and spoke to him on the phone from London.  He couldn't have been more helpful, sincere, generous, and informative.  Andy is a great ambassador for meditation and mindfulness and his decision to come down from the mountain and take it to the masses in his simple, direct, and unassuming style is something many are grateful for.

Below is a summary of some of the things we spoke about:

1. The series of tragedies Andy experienced in his late teens.


2. His decision to leave college and join a Buddhist monastery in Northern India.


3. The loneliness of monastic life.


4. Meditations ability to introduce us to ourselves.


5. The importance of teachers in the Buddhist tradition.


6. Andy's decision to swap the robes for civvies.


7. The thinking behind headspace the app.


8. The practical benefits of meditation in everyday life.

Enjoy the episode,

Dave.

To find out more, including links to stuff mentioned in the show please visit:

www.inspirelandpodcast.com