Original broadcast date: January 15, 2021. Breathing is essential to life. And lately, the safety of the air we inhale, or the need to pause and take a deep breath, is on our minds a lot. This hour, TED speakers explore the power of breath. Guests include former world champion freediver Tanya Streeter, journalist Beth Gardiner, activist Yvette Arellano, paleontologist Emma Schachner, scent historian Caro Verbeek and mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/tedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Andy Puddicombe is not your typical entrepreneur—in his early twenties, he gave away everything he owned to train as a Buddhist monk. But after ten years, he decided he wanted to bring the benefits of his meditation techniques to more people. While running a meditation clinic in London, Andy met Rich Pierson, who had burned out on his job at a high-powered London ad agency. Together, they founded Headspace in 2010. Over ten years later, Headspace's guided meditation app has users in 190 countries and an annual revenue of over $100 million. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Expert Andy Puddicombe discusses transforming nervousness into positive energy. He explores the link between nervousness and excitement, offering tips on managing emotions and shifting anticipation towards positivity in high-pressure scenarios.

Andy Puddicombe discusses how embracing change can make you fearless. The podcast delves into facing uncertainty with exploration, reflecting on life changes, overcoming fears of judgment, trying new experiences like attending circus school, and shifting focus to enjoy the process over the outcome.

Listen to mindfulness and meditation expert Andy Puddicombe discuss the challenges of finding personal space in communal environments. Discover the benefits of group retreats for self-discovery and kindness, emphasizing the significance of present relationships for growth and empathy.

Explore monk sleep patterns, transformative journey to monkhood, creating Headspace from circus school, finding balance through meditation, power of visualization, mindfulness in society, embracing uncertainty, and emphasizing happiness and peace through meditation benefits.

Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of Headspace, discusses the four essential foundations in life: the value of human life, impermanence, cause and effect, and developing acceptance. The podcast also touches on the importance of self-care for maintaining mental well-being and presence in daily life.

I was first introduced to meditation and mindfulness principles 17 years ago during my 100-day voluntary incarceration in what is more amiably referred to as rehab.Initially, I balked at the concept. How can stillness possibly improve my life?Intellectually, I attributed every decent personal achievement not to innate talent, let alone some intangible force of the Universe. Instead I credited my prodigious work ethic — a huge capacity to grind harder and longer than my peers. Get up early. Stay late. Put in the extra mile. Repeat. Never stop.Do more.At best, stillness meant stasis. Mostly I wrote it off as regressive — wasted time lost. The purview of flaky, new-age hippies who couldn't begin to fathom my logic-based intellect, understand my terminally unique life problems, nor comprehend how I successfully navigated the world.Always good for a solid re-sizing, my rehab counselor — let's call him Hugh because that's his name — reminded me of one simple, powerful fact:My best thinking landed me in a mental institution.That blast of truth and humility fell on my head like a ton of bricks. In recovery, they call it self-will run riot. And that was me, in a nutshell — a desperate hope to die alcoholic. A broken young man who had squandered promise and destroyed his life, literally tightrope walking the divide that separates life and death.Hardly a vision for you, It was time to try something different.Surrender.At the time, I perceived this concept as synonymous with defeat. Anathema to my core idea of who I was. But Hugh was right. I was out of options, with only one saving grace — willingness. So I (quite reluctantly) released my resistance. I let go of logic. I opened myself to possibilities beyond the rational, to something perhaps entirely unknowable. And in so doing, my life didn't just change, it transformed wholesale — dramatically and irrevocably improving every aspect of my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well being.I wish I could tell you that from that day forward I devoted myself to a daily meditation practice.That didn't happen.Newly sober, life quickly got better. Priorities rearranged, and that willingness to surrender — the one character trait that had saved me — started to wane until the very thing that had been so indisputably beneficial to my overall sense of self had been relegated to back seat status — a convenient tool relied upon only when life got complicated, but hardly a consistent mainstay. Despite great appreciation for the benefits of meditation, consistency and momentum eluded me. For many years, I would practice only in spurts as a last ditch salve to alleviate some form of emotional pain.Then about six months ago, I discovered Headspace– a mobile app and digital platform (boasting over 1 million users) pre-packaged with an endless rotation of very accessible, secular guided meditation programs all pleasantly voiced by the company's founder and today's guest, Andy Puddicombe.

Andy Puddicombe, a mastered communication expert, discusses navigating difficult conversations with openness and curiosity. He emphasizes the value of communication in fostering relationships and approaching challenging topics with an open mind. The podcast also includes sponsorship ads by Care.com and Wayfair's Black Friday in July.

Meditation expert Andy Puddicombe discusses balancing commitment and flexibility for perseverance. Practical tips for applying these principles in meditation and everyday life are shared, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in goal-setting.