Andy Puddicombe: The Power of Meditation

Today's guest on The School of Greatness might just have the most unexpected list of credentials of anyone.Andy Puddicombe is the founder of the massively popular meditation app Headspace. He is also a renowned meditation teacher.But he started out as just a normal college kid who liked playing sports.And then he suddenly decided, at the age of 22, to move to Nepal and become a monk. 10 years later, after training in several countries and ending up in Moscow as a Tibetan monk, Andy realized he wanted to share the gift of meditation on a greater scale.So he left monk-hood and went to circus school in London.Yes, that's right.While training in circus arts, Andy started to develop the idea of what is now Headspace, but it still took years before the app became the success it is today with over 6 million users.I had so many questions for Andy, and he answered all of the PLUS did a simple but powerful 2 minute meditation with me during the interviewI can't wait for you to try that out as well as hear all of Andy's insight into the power and ease of meditation in Episode 309.Some questions I ask:Why did you become a monk? (1:15)What is the benefit of lucid dreaming? (7:27)Does fulfillment ever become unfulfillment? (8:51)What is the big lesson you learned at circus school? (16:00)What was the scariest part of being a monk? (16:55)How do you navigate emotions in a busy life? (18:39)What does science say about the benefits of meditation? (33:24)What is the key to getting in the zone? (47:03)In This Episode, You Will Learn:How monks can survive for years on only 4 hours of sleep a night (5:50)Why you can sleep for 10 hours and still be exhausted (6:10)How Andy re-entered normal life coming from owning nothing as a monk (13:35)Why the approach is more important than the technique you use in meditation (27:50)How to give your 100% in meditating (30:46)A quick, easy meditation Andy gives to ground yourself for anything big (37:30)The quickest way to get out of downhill mental loop (48:30)Where the future of meditation is headed (53:55)Plus much more...