Behind The Shield

Andy Puddicombe is the creator of the meditation app Headspace. We discuss his childhood trauma, becoming a monk in India, the many benefits of mindfulness and meditation, mental resilience and much more.Andy is a meditation and mindfulness expert. An accomplished presenter and writer, Andy is the voice of all things Headspace.In his early twenties, midway through a university degree in Sports Science, Andy made the unexpected decision to travel to the Himalayas to study meditation instead. It was the beginning of a ten year journey which took him around the world, culminating with ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Northern India.His transition back to lay life in 2004 was no less extraordinary. Training briefly at Moscow State Circus, he returned to London where he completed a degree in Circus Arts with the Conservatoire of Dance and Drama, whilst drawing up the early plans for what was later to become Headspace.