Headspace Wants You to Get in Touch With Your Body
*By Alyssa Caverley*
You might not think that your smartphone, with all its flashing message alerts and beeping reminders, would be the tool to help you slow down and get in touch with your thoughts.
But that's what the guided meditation app Headspace aims to do by giving its 28 million users a way to improve their health and happiness at any time of day. It was one of the top lifestyle and wellness apps in the first quarter of 2018.
"It is genuinely a coming together of a consumer need and something being offered in a very different way," said the Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe in an interview with Cheddar's CEO Jon Steinberg. "You have meditation that's been around for a few thousand years, so this isn't new."
Puddicombe, who trained for 10 years as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Northern India, said that Headspace was designed to help make meditation accessible to people's modern daily lives.
"So most people think of meditation ー 'O.K. I've got to sit down on the floor, cross legged, light some incense' ー we've tried to kind of take it away from that to make you feel sort of grounded and down to earth," Puddicombe said. "So I encourage people to sit down on a comfortable chair and just focus their attention in the distance."
He said the point was to show people who download the app that meditation is an individual experience and anyone can do it. And it's Puddicombe's voice ー the voice of Headspace ー that will help guide you through it and maybe even lull you to sleep.
"Meditation gives you what you need and if, at that time, you need sleep and you feel amazing when you wake up, that's a win," he said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/headspace-founder-on-why-meditation-app-clears-up-the-brain-fog-for-users).
Mo Gawdat, author of 'Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World' joins Cheddar News to discuss his book that dives into the future of AI.
Mark Wagman, Managing Director at MediaLink, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the impact of Apple's iOS security change on fellow big tech companies Facebook, Snap, and Twitter. Apple now lets iOS users opt-out of cross-app data tracking - which hurt Facebook and Snap's advertising revenue in the third quarter.
Facebook has dominated the headlines over the past week. The social media giant reported earnings on Monday, has been in the crosshairs of lawmakers and is now expected to rebrand itself as it gears up for what it calls the metaverse. Daniel Newman, Founder & Principal Analyst at Futurum Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he discusses what we should expect to see ultimately unfold.
Verizon is teaming with Amazon's Project Kuiper low-orbit satellites to help improve communications and internet connectivity. Sampath Sowmyanarayan, chief revenue officer for Verizon Business, joined Cheddar to talk about the relationship with Amazon and what customers can expect from the strategic partnership. He noted that the 5G expansion via the satellite network will benefit rural communities where internet and wireless access remains difficult.
Social media platforms TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are facing questions in DC about consumer protections, data security, and product safety for young users. Emily Birnbaum, tech lobbying and influence reporter at Politico, joined Cheddar to provide some background into what led to the congressional hearing and the potential outcome. Birnbaum noted that social media platforms have been attempting to distance themselves from Facebook and the ongoing bad press it garnered in recent months.
Cisco's Webex Hologram is looking to transform workspaces with augmented reality technology. Jeetu Patel, EVP and general manager of security and collaboration at Cisco, joined Cheddar to provide some details about the virtual workspace and discuss the industries that might benefit most from it. "We're in the era of flexibility and choice and inclusivity, where people want to make sure that they can work on their terms so that they've got complete flexibility in how they structure the day," Patel said.