Here's an article I wrote yesterday on 13 little-known benefits of meditation, and ...

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dsbatten / Daniel Batten

npub13l…4lpsy

2026-05-20 12:37:19 UTC

Here's an article I wrote yesterday on 13 little-known benefits of meditation, and how they apply specifically to Bitcoiners

https://x.com/DSBatten/status/2056760811624747095?s=20

I wanted to take this a step further on Nostr though ...

A common question I get "I've heard that meditation is something that would really benefit me, where should I start - try out an app?"

Here's my take: an app is a better starting point than most people think, and ... a worse endpoint than most people realise !

Learning meditation from an app to learning to cook from YouTube. You'll produce edible meals and learn real techniques. Some people even become good cooks this way.

But there are two things a video can never do - taste what you've made and tell you what's off.

A teacher can read your experience in real time, adjust the instruction to what's actually happening for you, and introduce progression at the moment you're ready for it.

An app delivers the same content to everyone regardless of where they are.

My objective appraisal is that apps like Headspace and Waking Up have genuinely lowered the barrier to entry and that's something we should celebrate. Someone who meditates daily with an app is in a categorically better position than someone who intends to find a teacher and never starts.

The risk isn't that apps teach badly (most teach the fundamentals accurately), the risk is that the early stages feel complete because you don't yet know what you're missing

Three months in, the app feels like it's working. And it is. But a teacher doesn't just correct your posture - they recognise when you've hit a plateau you can't see from inside it, and they introduce the next thing at the right time. An app delivers the same content to everyone regardless of where they are.

So, if the choice is app or nothing, then yes - the app wins every time

If the choice is app or course, the course will take someone further, faster, with less risk of plateauing without knowing it

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2026-05-20 12:37:19 UTC

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