Version 2024.230 January 2024With this update, you may just want to meditate with your eyes open. (And that’s OK.) This release contains some visual upgrades to elevate your meditation experience, including an enhanced meditation player.
Oh, we’ve also gentle captured & released some annoying bugs into the wild and made performance improvements..
Version 7.0.106 December 2023Notice something different? Good, this meditation thing is working! In this release, we are bringing you new meditations and timely collections (hello, holiday pack), alongside an update to the look of our app. It’s the Ten Percent Happier you know—with a bit more vibrance and joy. Don’t worry—all your favorites are exactly where you left them (no changes to our navigation or your profile).
~~Excerpted from “Pain x Resistance = Suffering” by Sebene Selassie~~
This may sound weird, but meditation has taught me that you can have joy even when you have pain.
In the beginning, most of us start meditating to eliminate our pain. I know I did. I wanted to get rid of my sadness and fear. But meditation doesn’t eliminate pain -- it eliminates suffering.
What’s the difference?
There’s a saying in meditation circles that Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/the-difference-between-pain-and-suffering..
Version 6.32.010 October 2023In this update, we added a way to track download progress, and made some behind-the-scenes improvements.
~~~Excerpted from "Finding Peace with Work," by Dr. Susan Pollak~~~
For those of us who need to show up at work everyday to support ourselves and others, how can we find a balance that minimizes the cost to our physical and mental health? Three things can help….
Strong Back, Soft Front
Bring attention to how your body feels throughout the day. Roshi Joan Halifax has an expression that I find both anchoring and balancing: “strong back, soft front.” This means to check in and feel your innate strength and dignity, perhaps standing or sitting up a little taller. And at the same time, notice where you can soften, perhaps bringing more relaxation to your body as you let your senses open to what’s around you.
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/finding-peace-with-work.
Version 6.29.021 August 2023Improved Unguided Timer experience
~~~Excerpted from "How to Meditate on Your Breath," by Diana Winston~~~
You don’t need to breathe a special way
First, in most forms of mindfulness meditation, resting the attention on the breath doesn’t mean changing the breath.
Now, in some meditative and yogic practices – pranayama, for example – you do breathe in a special way, perhaps modulating the length of inhales and exhales. There are even forms of mindfulness meditation that involve lengthening the breath to increase calm. These are very helpful!
But most basic mindfulness practices involve the unregulated, natural breath, just as you find it. Attending to the ordinary breath teaches us to be mindful of things as they are. We learn not to try to control our experience, but to let it unfold, exactly as it is, so that we can learn to recognize it, accept it as what it is, and investigate it. If the breath is deep, let it be deep. If it’s shallow, let it be shallow. In this way, you gain skills in observation and acceptance rather than control.
In general, mindfulness is essentially receptive rather than active. You’re not forcing the breath, not changing it, not manipulating it. You’re noticing what’s there.
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/how-to-meditate-on-your-breath.
Version 6.26.008 June 2023Bug fixes and improvements.
~~~Excerpted from "How to Meditate on Your Breath," by Diana Winston~~~
You don’t need to breathe a special way
First, in most forms of mindfulness meditation, resting the attention on the breath doesn’t mean changing the breath.
Now, in some meditative and yogic practices – pranayama, for example – you do breathe in a special way, perhaps modulating the length of inhales and exhales. There are even forms of mindfulness meditation that involve lengthening the breath to increase calm. These are very helpful!
But most basic mindfulness practices involve the unregulated, natural breath, just as you find it. Attending to the ordinary breath teaches us to be mindful of things as they are. We learn not to try to control our experience, but to let it unfold, exactly as it is, so that we can learn to recognize it, accept it as what it is, and investigate it. If the breath is deep, let it be deep. If it’s shallow, let it be shallow. In this way, you gain skills in observation and acceptance rather than control.
In general, mindfulness is essentially receptive rather than active. You’re not forcing the breath, not changing it, not manipulating it. You’re noticing what’s there.
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/how-to-meditate-on-your-breath.
Version 6.23.004 April 2023Bug fixes and improvements.
~~~Excerpted from "How to Meditate on Your Breath," by Diana Winston~~~
You don’t need to breathe a special way
First, in most forms of mindfulness meditation, resting the attention on the breath doesn’t mean changing the breath.
Now, in some meditative and yogic practices – pranayama, for example – you do breathe in a special way, perhaps modulating the length of inhales and exhales. There are even forms of mindfulness meditation that involve lengthening the breath to increase calm. These are very helpful!
But most basic mindfulness practices involve the unregulated, natural breath, just as you find it. Attending to the ordinary breath teaches us to be mindful of things as they are. We learn not to try to control our experience, but to let it unfold, exactly as it is, so that we can learn to recognize it, accept it as what it is, and investigate it. If the breath is deep, let it be deep. If it’s shallow, let it be shallow. In this way, you gain skills in observation and acceptance rather than control.
In general, mindfulness is essentially receptive rather than active. You’re not forcing the breath, not changing it, not manipulating it. You’re noticing what’s there.
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/how-to-meditate-on-your-breath.
Version 6.20.006 February 2023This release polishes our formatting and, more excitingly, reveals one of our best-kept-secrets to all users: you can now find a card for Live Coaching on our Home tab.
Live Coaching is a way to connect directly with Ten Percent Happier’s stellar teachers and lovely community of meditators. Every day we offer fresh classes, live group meditations and special events.
Want to read more? Here’s a snippet with descriptions of the live classes Cara Lai (a meditation teacher you’ll recognize from our Singles meditations, and the Podcast) is offering in February:
~~~Excerpted from the Ten Percent Happier Live Coaching calendar~~~
Don’t Harsh My Mellow
Sometimes the world moves so fast that we can hardly keep up. At other times, it feels unbearable to sit still and do nothing. This class series focuses on how to keep your cool when things feel out of control.
Extreme Chill-Out
What if you believed that you were good enough, or more, that your mere existence was helping the world? There are lots of ways of ‘doing’ meditation. In this class series we'll learn how to stop the self-improvement project and start simply existing.
Who Even Are You?
Mindfulness can reveal to us that there is no such thing as a fixed self, but also, that you matter and are lovable. What’s the deal? This class series explores the concepts of identity and not-self, and how they relate to our happiness.
You Do You, Boo
A special class series: “about being yourself feeling all the feels; and yes, I'm gonna say it, self-love.” Each session will include guided meditation and some reflections, plus time for Q&A.
Check the bottom of your Home tab for more details on our 50+ live classes and meditations this month..
Version 6.16.012 December 2022Bug fixes and improvements.
Want to read more? Here’s a snippet from the latest “Ten Percent Weekly” newsletter:
~~Excerpted from “Undomesticate your Mind,” by Cara Lai~~
Let’s be honest: our minds are wild animals that, if left to their own devices, would run amok like excessively caffeinated squirrels.
This is actually an important aspect of how our brains work. It’s helped us survive as a species.
But when we learn to meditate, we often get the message that we need to force that wild animal into a box and somehow get it to stay there without tearing its way out. So we sit down and try to white-knuckle our attention onto the breath, or some other focal point.
Sometimes this works and is even helpful. We can build concentration, calm, and focus. But other times, it’s the opposite of helpful. Sometimes the squirrel just won’t stay in the box, and trying to force it leads to frustration, suppression, and self-judgment. We feel like whenever we’re not paying attention to the breath, we’re doing something wrong. Or we might get the message that whatever else may be happening in our bodies or minds doesn’t matter, or isn’t worthy of our attention. This can be not just counterproductive, but actually damaging.
It turns out that mindfulness is not about pretending to be calm until you are, or about faking it until you make it. It’s about showing up authentically and not having to feel anything other than how you’re actually feeling. And there are different ways to meditate that can help us do that.
For example, we can allow our attention to be drawn to what’s actually interesting to us, rather than force it to remain on a single anchor….
To read the rest of this article, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/undomesticate-your-mind.
Version 6.13.111 October 2022Bug fixes and improvements.
Want to read more? Here’s a snippet from the latest “Ten Percent Weekly” newsletter:
~~Excerpted from “Undomesticate your Mind,” by Cara Lai~~
Let’s be honest: our minds are wild animals that, if left to their own devices, would run amok like excessively caffeinated squirrels.
This is actually an important aspect of how our brains work. It’s helped us survive as a species.
But when we learn to meditate, we often get the message that we need to force that wild animal into a box and somehow get it to stay there without tearing its way out. So we sit down and try to white-knuckle our attention onto the breath, or some other focal point.
Sometimes this works and is even helpful. We can build concentration, calm, and focus. But other times, it’s the opposite of helpful. Sometimes the squirrel just won’t stay in the box, and trying to force it leads to frustration, suppression, and self-judgment. We feel like whenever we’re not paying attention to the breath, we’re doing something wrong. Or we might get the message that whatever else may be happening in our bodies or minds doesn’t matter, or isn’t worthy of our attention. This can be not just counterproductive, but actually damaging.
It turns out that mindfulness is not about pretending to be calm until you are, or about faking it until you make it. It’s about showing up authentically and not having to feel anything other than how you’re actually feeling. And there are different ways to meditate that can help us do that.
For example, we can allow our attention to be drawn to what’s actually interesting to us, rather than force it to remain on a single anchor….
To read the rest of this article, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/undomesticate-your-mind.
Version 6.11.103 August 2022This release is a fun one! We added a new podcast “mini-player” - now you’ll be able to pick up where you left off on a podcast, even if you closed the app partway through. You’ll also be able to browse through the app while you’re listening to a podcast. We also made some behind-the-screens changes and tweaked a few pixels.
We’d also like to give a shout out to Celine, our wonderful student co-op, who made all of the changes in our last release (6.10.0). Great work Celine - we’ll miss you!
And if you are still reading, here’s a snippet from the latest “Ten Percent Weekly” newsletter:
~~Excerpted from “Not Knowing,” by Jay Michaelson~~
On its way from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the D train takes a dramatic journey over the Manhattan Bridge, offering a stunning view of downtown, the Hudson River, and, in the distance, the Statue of Liberty.
Most of us, being New Yorkers, don’t pay attention.
The other day on the train, I noticed that literally every person in the subway car was on their phones. Most were alone, though some seemed to be in groups or pairs. All had their heads inclined downward toward the little screens we carry around every day.
It’s at this point that, I think, many meditation teachers would bemoan the fate of our distracted digital age. I’ve moaned in that way before. If only we could be more present, yada yada yada. But that’s not actually what I want to say.
Instead, what occurred to me this time was different: how, actually, I had no idea what they were doing or what they were going through, and really had no business judging them or their choices.
I mean, who knows? Maybe they were texting relatives in the hospital. Maybe they were setting up a date. Maybe they were playing Candy Crush Saga, or reading the news, or listening to music, or – anything, really. And who knows where each person was going to or leaving from, whether their day had been filled with hard work or delight or indolence or grief. Maybe they were just relaxing, and what was so wrong with that? Really, despite the reflexive judginess that I once mistook for being “into meditation,” I knew absolutely nothing about what was going on.
This felt enormously freeing. I didn’t need to feel superior, to cluck at their benighted actions, or to feel depressed about the zombification of the world. I could just.. not know. What a relief!
It was also really interesting to see how my identity as “meditation teacher” could so easily become another way to divide the world into us and them, with my team, of course, being the virtuous, non-phone-addicted one. That all-too-human desire to feel better-than can show up even in a context in which, supposedly, we’re working toward more compassion, patience, and humility. They are phone addicts, but I am a meditation teacher who knows better. Of course, beneath that desire lurks the fear that I, too, waste too much time on my devices. I’m projecting my own shadow onto others.
Now, as someone who, in addition to my Ten Percent work, works as a journalist who writes opinion pieces, I am literally paid to be judgmental. I have a lot of strong opinions. But, you know, it’s possible to both have strong ideological commitments and still refrain from judging and presuming things about other people. To be sure, I think it’s appropriate to have strong ethical views about, say, racism and sexism, or science and democracy, for that matter. But it’s also the case that I don’t really know what a given person really thinks, or why they think it. It might be better if I didn’t make as many assumptions….
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/not-knowing.
Version 6.9.201 June 2022In this release, we freshened up our guided meditation (aka Singles) experience, adding new imagery for topics. We also made Singles easier to browse on a variety of devices. Finally, we updated fonts, and made some behind-the-scenes improvements!
As always, we regularly add new meditations and podcast episodes, and also regularly update the app. If you have feedback, we’d love to hear from you — send feedback, comments, or questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or [email protected].
And if you are still reading, here’s a snippet from the latest “Ten Percent Weekly” newsletter:
~~~Excerpted from “The Healthy Kind of Self-Doubt,” by Jay Michaelson~~~
Last week, I was recording psychologist, Dr. Luana Marques, for Teacher Talks, the podcast I host in the Ten Percent Happier app. Although it wasn’t the main point of her talk, a couple of lines in a script of hers really jumped out at me:
“You’re not good enough!” “You are unlovable.” “You will never accomplish your dreams.”
Although we think we are being rational, the reality is that these thoughts are coming from our emotional brain, which is sensing danger. Shifting our perspective means really understanding that when our brain is in fight-or-flight, what we see in front of us and what we say to ourselves may not actually be reality.
This simple paragraph expresses, I think, a central insight of mindfulness: that it’s not about repressing or silencing our inner-critical voices, but learning not to trust them quite so much.
On one level, Dr. Luana’s point is pretty straightforward: when we’re under stress, we think, say, and do things that we would never do if we were calmer and more centered. That may seem obvious, but actually changing our behavior is a lot harder than simply hearing someone talk about it. Behavior change takes work – like the work of meditation.
In meditation, you can see these patterns directly, in real-time, and you can see how they cause you to get stuck. For example, you might be hungry, tired, or restless, and you can watch your mind spin insane stories about you, meditation, life, the universe, and everything. Or maybe you’re meditating and a traumatic memory arises, and you can feel your body and mind re-triggered. Perhaps you hear the voice of the inner critic, like in the quotations above, and feel the pain that it causes you.
If you see this again and again and again and again, eventually the mind learns – the brain learns – not to take the bait so much. You learn to become a little more skeptical of every thought that pops into your head, especially the ones that are cruel to yourself or others. You develop the healthy kind of self-doubt – not doubting your self-worth, but doubting your opinions about your self-worth…
For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/healthydoubt.
Version 6.6.109 February 2022Our new iPad app now supports landscape!
Over the holidays, we rolled out support for iPad (hurray!). We then heard quick feedback from several of you that landscape was a must (thank you!). So we gathered our crew and quickly spun the next iteration of the iPad app to support landscape (mindfully, of course). We hope you enjoy!
As always, more meditations, podcast episodes, and app updates will continue to roll out. If you have feedback, we'd love to hear from you -- send feedback, comments, or questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or [email protected].
And last, for those reading this far, if you haven't caught the latest "Ten Percent Weekly" newsletter, it's a good one... Here's a snippet:
~~~ Excerpted from "From Wellness to Wellbeing" by Sebene Selassie ~~~
bell hooks, the pioneering educator, Black activist, feminist, and all-around troublemaker for justice who died last month, once said that “One of the mighty illusions that is constructed in the dailiness of life in our culture is that all pain is a negation of worthiness, that the real chosen people, the real worthy people, are the people that are most free from pain.”
When I first read that statement years ago, it revealed to me a subtle but corrosive attitude from our culture that I had unconsciously adopted in my own life. Often, the marketing of wellness presents physical health as a marker of worth. And since wellness is now an “industry,” it sells success. Eat/fast/breathe/meditate/buy your way to physical robustness! As if there is a static condition of being forever young and pain-free. As if being in a human body can be “hacked” or “optimized.”
And if physical health signals success, then illness, disability, aging and pain are failures. Failure implies fault. Rarely is there an examination of the many differently distributed causes and conditions of wellness/illness (such as youth, genetic lotteries, and access to resources). In this “industry,” if you’re unwell, it’s your problem, and up to you to fix it.
In fact, it’s this wellness myth that is sick. And one remedy for it is the concept of wellbeing."
(Read more at tenpercent.com/newsletter).
Version 6.6.025 January 2022Our new iPad app now supports landscape!
Over the holidays, we rolled out support for iPad (hurray!). We then heard quick feedback from several of you that landscape was a must (thank you!). So we gathered our crew and quickly spun the next iteration of the iPad app to support landscape (mindfully, of course). We hope you enjoy!
As always, more meditations, podcast episodes, and app updates will continue to roll out. If you have feedback, we'd love to hear from you -- send feedback, comments, or questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or [email protected].
And last, for those reading this far, if you haven't caught the latest "Ten Percent Weekly" newsletter, it's a good one... Here's a snippet:
~~~ Excerpted from "From Wellness to Wellbeing" by Sebene Selassie ~~~
bell hooks, the pioneering educator, Black activist, feminist, and all-around troublemaker for justice who died last month, once said that “One of the mighty illusions that is constructed in the dailiness of life in our culture is that all pain is a negation of worthiness, that the real chosen people, the real worthy people, are the people that are most free from pain.”
When I first read that statement years ago, it revealed to me a subtle but corrosive attitude from our culture that I had unconsciously adopted in my own life. Often, the marketing of wellness presents physical health as a marker of worth. And since wellness is now an “industry,” it sells success. Eat/fast/breathe/meditate/buy your way to physical robustness! As if there is a static condition of being forever young and pain-free. As if being in a human body can be “hacked” or “optimized.”
And if physical health signals success, then illness, disability, aging and pain are failures. Failure implies fault. Rarely is there an examination of the many differently distributed causes and conditions of wellness/illness (such as youth, genetic lotteries, and access to resources). In this “industry,” if you’re unwell, it’s your problem, and up to you to fix it.
In fact, it’s this wellness myth that is sick. And one remedy for it is the concept of wellbeing."
(Read more at tenpercent.com/newsletter).
Version 6.3.031 October 2021For the last 6+ years, a team of incredible meditation teachers at Ten Percent Happier has been fielding a wide variety meditation questions from all of you… from "Am I doing this right?" to "How do I know if I'm making progress?" to "What's the point of this anyways?"
In over 100k (!?!) conversations, we have taught and learned, celebrated and mourned, supported and encouraged, and built relationships with many dedicated and inspiring Ten Percenters.
Because of this (and so much of what we've learned), our coaching feature is about to change.
As of October 31st, we will be sunsetting text-based coaching in the app. You can find the answers to many of your common meditation questions at https://support.tenpercent.com/ (which we'll be updating in the coming weeks with more articles based on the conversations we've had), and you can reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions about this change.
In its place, we have been quietly piloting 1-on-1 and small group coaching. That is, you and a teacher on a video call. And the early results have been… magical (to say the least)… and you'll be hearing more from us about this soon.
There's a good chance that - if you are reading the release notes this closely - you're a dedicated follower (hats off to you!) and you can sign up to be part of the ongoing alpha program here: https://10percenthappier.typeform.com/to/aymLVWYc.
Version 6.1.410 September 2021Exciting news! You can now listen to the Ten Percent Happier podcast with Dan Harris in the app so you can seamlessly go from learning to practicing.
It’s sort of like a science class in college: the podcast is the lecture, and meditation is the lab. So whether you’re interested in treating yourself with a little more compassion, having hard conversations without hurting your relationships, or pausing and taking a breath instead of snapping at your kids, you can now learn and practice in one place.
When you listen in the app, you get all episodes completely ad-free, and get suggested related meditations and courses to help you put into practice what you’re learning about.
You can also now find Talks in the Podcasts home. Expect to see more podcast content coming your way soon!.
Version 5.21.114 July 2021We've fixed some bugs and made a few other minor improvements. And as always, we're adding new meditations and new talks every week.
We'd love to hear from you - send feedback, comments, or questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or [email protected]..
Version 5.18.426 April 2021Introducing milestones!
Milestones are intended to celebrate your accomplishments: meditating many days or weeks in a row (also known as a streak), completing meditation sessions, and using important features like coaching. If you hit a new milestone during a meditation session, we'll show you a badge after the session is over. You'll be able to see all of your badges on the Profile tab of the app.
We'd love to hear from you - send feedback/comments/questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or [email protected]..
Version 5.18.024 February 2021Introducing milestones!
Milestones are intended to celebrate your accomplishments: meditating many days or weeks in a row (also known as a streak), completing meditation sessions, and using important features like coaching. If you hit a new milestone during a meditation session, we'll show you a badge after the session is over. You'll be able to see all of your badges on the Profile tab of the app.
We'd love to hear from you - send feedback/comments/questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or [email protected]..
Version 5.15.016 December 2020It’s safe to say the best thing about 2020 is that it’s (almost) over. Coming out of this flaming train wreck of a year, the last thing we need is to start off 2021 beating ourselves up for all the ways we fell short over the last twelve months.
That’s why we at Ten Percent Happier are taking a counter-intuitive approach to the new year. You’re not gonna hear any of the usual “New Year, New You!” stuff. You know: the fad diets, the restrictions, the recriminations, and self-loathing.
In fact, we’re going all-in on self-love during our New Year’s Challenge: a free 21 day meditation challenge starting on January 4.
Join our co-founder Dan Harris, meditation teachers Jeff Warren, Susan Piver, and Tuere Sala, and the whole Ten Percent Happier crew for a free 21-day reset, featuring guided meditations from some of the world’s greatest teachers. (Keep your eyes peeled for special appearances by Karamo, TV host of Netflix’s Queer Eye)..
Version 5.14.509 December 2020Curious how you did in your last Challenge? We've added your last completed Challenge to the profile tab, so you can see which medal you won and how many days you meditated.
We'd love to hear from you - send feedback/comments/questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or [email protected]..
Version 5.14.205 November 2020Curious how you did in your last Challenge? We've added your last completed Challenge to the profile tab, so you can see which medal you won and how many days you meditated.
We'd love to hear from you - send feedback/comments/questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or [email protected]..
Version 5.13.513 October 2020We're making it even easier to play courses and meditations with widgets and Wind Down in iOS 14.
Widgets come in two flavors. Daily Dose showcases our editor's meditation of the day. Up Next lets you quickly pick up where you left off in your most recent course.
Wind Down helps you make Ten Percent Happier part of your bedtime routine. Lock out distractions and play a sleep meditation, stress meditation, or our Daily Dose without leaving your lock screen.
We'd love to hear from you - send feedback/comments/questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or [email protected]..
