I’m an avid reader and there are quite a few books that have made me completely restructure my life and thinking. This is a relatively new phenomenon. It is only when I started facing a lot of uncertainty and conflict that I started to read and think more seriously and let what I read change me. These books have not been about facts or history or science or philosophy but rather about introspection and thinking. I’ve grown more and more aware of the years of behavioral conditioning that we all constantly, routinely, mindlessly, and unquestioningly undergo.

I have been meditating on and off for quite some time now and have been experimenting with various books and apps but never found anything satisfactory, until now. The books I find too dry (it’s like reading a book about how to drive) and the apps I find either too shallow or too dogmatic. They all focus on calm, peace, tranquility, equanimity, and all kinds of boring behaviors. My interest in meditation is neither to become a monk nor to be less stressed. I’m interested in it from a scientific perspective. Sam Harris’s Waking Up app is the first book/app that provides this perspective.

I got interested in Sam Harris thanks to his interview on Lex Fridman’s podcast. Since then, I find myself agreeing more and more with his ideas and his approach toward life. In the Waking Up app, which is a guided meditation app, he strips away the religious aspects of meditation and barely ever mentions Buddhism. But at the same time, the app is not childish. He is not trying to get you to “sleep better”. He is more interested in studying the nature of consciousness and openly talks about it during the guided meditations.

The structure of the app is great. There are several guided meditations and alongside are several conversations and “lectures” about the theory of meditation, which is exactly what works for me. It’s almost as if the app has been designed specifically for me! So far, the “lectures” have been extremely insightful and interesting. I eagerly look forward to listening to them, with concentration, every day. In the short period that I’ve used this app, I’ve become more mindful and observant. I’ve become less lost in thoughts and, surprisingly, more active throughout the day. I’m suddenly discovering more and more free time during the day, which has always been there but I’m only now becoming aware of it, to do the things I like doing. (Of course, I could be attributing my current state of mind to the wrong reason(s) or it might just be a passing phase, only time will tell.)

This is the most expensive app I’ve ever purchased and it has already been worth the expense. I’m excited to see what other changes it brings about in my day-to-day life.