We’ve had consistently positive feedback about our application, but one question that often comes up is how can one best use the material in the long term to develop a stable practice. People have different ideas about how long the sessions should be. Should one go through each course one after the other in strict order or can one pick and choose? Should one go through the same course several times or go back to parts that seem challenging or interesting?
I think the first thing to be said is that each course approaches similar themes in a slightly different way. Here is an overview of some of the content you will find under the menu “Explore”.

Matthieu Ricard’s videos are probably the first thing most people look at. The videos are grouped in thematic modules, with the idea that one can view them in order, one video a day. In the first two modules, “Why Should I Meditate?” and “How to Meditate?”, he explains what meditation is, why it’s useful and how to go about it. The third and fourth modules, “Training the Mind for Genuine Happiness” and “What is Mindfulness?”, discuss specific techniques to develop mindfulness. Then come the modules “A Passionate Case for Altruism”, “Introduction to Inner Calm”, “Deeper Insight” and “Meditations on Altruism”, which explain what you can do next: use your meditation to develop an altruistic mindset and a deeper insight, and of course connect your meditation to the rest of your life.
I think it’s important to start with at least the first two modules before going on to anything else, since they set the scene and give a context for what follows. As with all the courses each individual will find their own rhythm, but following the order is important.

If you then look under Explore at the rubric “Meditate Day by Day” the first thing you will see is my own series “Meditation Practice Foundations”, which in fact covers the themes that Matthieu has already discussed, but in the form of a very simple course which is easy to follow even for complete beginners with no background knowledge.
This course is also arranged by modules of seven 10 minute audio lessons, with the idea of listening to one a day to get into the habit of a regular practice. If this rhythm doesn’t fit for you, you can find your own pace, but it’s important to follow the steps of the course in order, since each new element builds on what has been acquired so far.
An alternative, or a complement, to this, is B. Alan Wallace’s course, “Insights Through Mindfulness”. Alan, in addition to his deep knowledge of Eastern philosophy and Western science, is an extremely experienced meditator, with very precise personal experience in the techniques of shamatha or ‘calm abiding’. I think even experienced meditators will learn from his first course, “Mindfulness of Breathing”.
Matthieu always emphasizes the importance of “caring mindfulness” and altruism, and we can really develop those qualities on the basis of our everyday experience. I have constantly emphasized this in the Foundations course, and my second course,”Awakening the Heart” provides further techniques to really develop an altruistic kind heart.
To enhance your experience, you can listen to the extracts from Matthieu’s book, “The Art of Meditation” which are arranged in themes for reflexion and meditation under “Mindfulness of Breathing”, “The Four Applications of Mindfulness” and “Contemplative Inspirations”.
Finally, you might like to try “Introducing your Child to Meditation” as a family activity. Dominique Butet’s simple meditations for children are targeted at the very young (from 4 to 8 years old), but you could present the meditations in a style adapted to your older children as well. Feel free to experiment!

The courses contain a lot of instructions with relatively little time to meditate. This is because it’s very important to know as clearly as possible what to do, and also how to recognize and deal with any difficulties that might crop up. On the basis of those instructions you could establish a short period of meditation practice on your own, starting with the right motivation and concluding by dedicating the benefits to the happiness of all. Some people have found it useful to listen to the same course more than once or to come back to a particular topic that seems specially interesting or challenging.
The goal is to integrate these techniques and ideas into your own life in the most fruitful way. If you need advice about the practice, or have any particular difficulties, I will do my best to respond, and Sébastien is there for any technical questions. We are immediately reachable via the message button. If you simply feel like dropping us a line and sharing your experience with the app, we would be delighted to receive your feedback