How to Meditate Deeply

Want to make more of yourself? Want to be happier, healthier and more confident?

Of course you do: pretty much everyone does! The only difference is that some people are willing to admit it and then do something about it. These are the people who enjoy self-help and who read lots of books on the subject to try and learn how to improve their lot in life.

Alpha M is a YouTube channel that helps you to do just that with short and well-produced videos discussing a wide range of topics. These range from how to tuck your shirt in properly, to how to wear a suit, how to wear a scarf – you name it.

Art Of Manliness is a website that delivers high quality content that is aimed squarely at men trying to make the most of themselves in the modern age. That means the usual topics – like fitness and style – but also some rather less obvious ones like how to be a gentleman, how to get the most from traveling, how to use kitchen knives and how to make great conversation.

These are not just fascinating posts that are a lot of fun to read, they also delve a little deeper than the average into topics that can help you to discover more about yourself and what it means to really be a man in this day and age.

Headspace is an app that is quickly becoming popular among those who struggle with stress, who lead busy and hectic lives, or who just need a little more down time to reflect.

Headspace essentially provides little sessions of guided meditation along with animations/video and a great design all intended to help you unwind. These are short little bursts and meditation that typically will last around 10 minutes, which makes them much easier to fit into a busy routine (and harder to get out of!).

Unfortunately, the app is not entirely free and after your 10th session the price will ramp up rather severely. However, for those looking for a gentle introduction into the benefits of meditation it can serve as an excellent primer. Give the 10 free sessions a go and then decide whether you want to stick with it or move to a cheaper service.

Another great app is Fabulous: Motivate Me. And the app certainly is fabulous too. This is basically a tool to help you set and meet your goals but it’s all presented in a beautiful manner that adheres to Google’s ‘Material Design’ principles and is filled with charming animations.

Other than his insightful blog posts, one of the main draws of the site is the podcast. Here, Tim enjoys interviews with all manner of incredible figures. Guests so far have included the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ramit Sethi, Tony Robbins, Maria Popova and Elon Musk.

Speaking of Maria Popova, you should also pop over (sorry) to her website ‘Brain Pickings’. Here you’ll find a ton of fascinating articles that cover book reviews and musings on neuroscience, philosophy, morality, creativity and more. It’s a little more heady perhaps than your usual reading and something that might hopefully get you to do some thinking.

Brain HQ is a website/web app that aims to offer useful brain training games to help you give your grey matter a workout. While Luminosity has recently been in the news for the wrong reasons (basically for making claims that it can’t back up), Brain HQ is based entirely on real research and is the closest thing we have to a proven-effective method for improving our mental prowess.