Oprah and Deepak 21 Day Meditation Challenge starts 5 August

Can a 10 minutes a day really make a difference? Meditation apps are the latest Rage, but do they work? And can as little as 10 minutes a day make a difference? We’re interested in your feedback. Do you use them? Do you have friends that use them and say they work? Just Google mediation apps and you’ll find that there are a ton out there. Names like Stop, Breathe & Think: Calm, and Headspace developed by meditation teacher Andy Puddicombe. Headspace is a slick app that provides ten-minute meditation sessions, with the first ten days available free of charge, and it features Andy’s mellow voice to guide you and it’s been written up in Wired, The New York Times, Esquire and others. There is little doubt that meditation works and can soothe anxiety, inspire creativity and improve focus. In fact, Psychological Bulletin drawing upon the combined findings of 163 different studies has suggested that mindfulness-meditation practice had an overall substantial positive effect on improvingpsychological factors including negative personality traits, anxiety and stress; but – the question is – can that success be replicated in an app on your smart phone? Headspace’s founder Andy Puddicombe, a former monks says: For thousands of years, meditators have claimed many benefits for their practice. Our experience, and that of Headspace members, suggests that regular mindfulness practice, through meditation, is an effective treatment for stress, worry, lack of focus, relationship problems, addictions and more. It leads to peace of mind and wellbeing, greater focus and creativity and better relationships.   .