Hey everyone, it's Dora here. I just want to let you know that we've launched a brand new

call and advice podcast called Dear Headspace. Each week the headspace teachers along with

some amazing new friends are answering your questions about relationships, work, life,

mindfulness, and just about everything else. It's so different from anything we've ever

created and we're so excited for you to hear it. Dear Headspace comes out every Tuesday

on the Headspace app and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening.

Hi, it's Andy here and welcome to Radio Headspace and to Tuesday morning. So a couple of days ago,

in an interview, I was asked, what are the most important things for anyone starting meditation

or anyone training in mindfulness? Anyone who's on this kind of journey of looking after

the mind and I'm not sure I necessarily have an absolute answer, but you know, I felt

there were a few key things that I had learnt from my own training and that I'd been taught.

So I felt were kind of relevant and my hope is that at least one of these will be helpful,

maybe all three and that they might just not just influence your practice in some ways,

but maybe even outside of your practice as well. But the first one's expectation. It is

I think these single biggest obstacle to beginning meditation and continuing with meditation.

The idea that somehow maybe the expectation I don't know is to clear the mind to stop

thoughts. That's probably the most common. If that is our expectation, then we're going

to really struggle because the mind is going to keep thinking. I promise you, it's going

to keep thinking, sure it might quiet down sometimes and yes, you might experience some

time without any thought. Maybe, but the mind will still keep thinking and it's such an ingrained

thought, the idea that somehow it is all going to stop. But as long as we have that idea,

as long as that is our expectation, then we're going to struggle with meditation and we're

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