Andy Puddicombe, meditation teacher, former Buddhist monk and co-founder of Headspace led the closing keynote at SXSW Interactive 2016. The talk provided insight into Puddicombe’s philosophy behind the possibilities for finding inner peace in the modern world.
At an event for young innovators, early adopters and all-around incredibly tech focused and busy people, Puddicombe joked that he thought it was a mistake when he was asked to speak at SXSW Interactive. His Headspace meditation app is based on silence, which could have made for a very awkward 60 minute presentation. Puddicombe doesn’t have a problem with tech though, and he would rather us change our relationships with our inner minds than try to control external stimuli. Puddicombe believes in the practical aspects of slowing down and appreciating silence.
Puddicombe believes that mindfulness is as important to our health and longevity as anything else. “As human beings, we’ve made pretty bad choices when it comes to our health,” Puddicombe said. “There’s a risk that we’re going to do the same thing to the health of the mind. Change requires each and every one of us to take some responsibility and say, ‘OK, I value my mind.'”
Puddicombe intends to spread the word that if we don’t take care of our minds, they will start to break down. In 10 years it is expected that the economic cost of mental health will be greater than physical health.
“We live in a world where we have everything we need to be happy if only we take the time to slow down. We all get into these patterns in life where we think that happiness isn’t here and now, it’s somewhere in the future,” Puddicombe said. He believes that people should get comfortable with finding happiness within themselves. “There is freedom in that, a sense of ease. It doesn’t really matter anymore what happens in our life. Life is difficult enough as it is, but we add on these layers of complication, of thinking. Sometimes we forget to check reality.”
“It’s not that thinking is bad,” Puddicombe said. We need thinking to function and for creativity, but Puddicombe believes that intentional mindfulness will help us stay on course. Newcomers to meditation shouldn’t expect to shut all thoughts off right away either. It’s not as though meditation is an aspirin for the mind, but rather it’s a preventative health practice.
Nice thoughts arise in the mind, it’s OK. Unpleasant thoughts arise in the mind, it’s OK.
If we were to run our cars 24/7 they would break down. If the mind breaks down, it’s a different conversation. Stress spikes and then sometimes we stay at this high stress level for too long. “We need to find a way to step back from it,” Puddicombe said. “This isn’t about sitting crosslegged on the floor.” You don’t need to travel to the Himalayas, wear any special garment, or burn incense to enjoy the benefits of meditation.
Puddicombe stresses that meditation is for everyone. “When it comes to meditation, you define what it is by how you choose to use it,” Puddicombe said. Meditation can be used for better sleep, better relationships with the people around you, heightened creativity and much more. These are all side effects in the journey to better understand the mind.
Attendees of the closing keynote got the chance to participate in a live meditation with Puddicombe. Before beginning, Puddicombe gave some pointers to the audience for getting the most out of the experience. Likening a meditation session to standing on a busy road, Puddicombe suggested to think of the road as your mind and the cars driving by as your thoughts. You can choose to chase the cars or you can let them drive by, undisturbed. Meditation is not about stopping natural thoughts, but rather about acknowledging them, accepting them and moving on.
People tend to have high expectations for meditative mindfulness. Puddicombe stressed to newcomers that meditation is a practice and not something to be conquered.
“It’s not that we do it and then it’s done or finished,” Puddicombe said. “It’s looking after our minds for the rest of our lives.”
While the tech savvy audience may have expected Puddicombe to discourage use of modern technologies, Puddicombe rather asks people to realize that we create and control our own relationships with the technology around us.
“I absolutely do not think that tech is the problem,” Puddicombe said. “The phone is neither good or bad. It’s just a piece of plastic or glass. It’s just a thing. It brings stress, but at the same time there’s potential for incredible good. Find a way for you to relate to your device that still allows you to have peace of mind in your life.”
For me Headspace is about more than meditation. It’s about how do we have a shift in culture and society to take care of our minds.
There’s a healthy and an unhealthy approach to meditation. Puddicombe recommends approaching meditation as though you’re doing it for the very first time, every time. Be interested and curious in the experience. “As much as you can, bring a quality of beginner’s mind to your practice,” Puddicombe said. Don’t compare it to past sessions or attempt to track progress and over time you will find value and peace in every session.