Waking Up - Alarm & meditation app

NOT JUST ANOTHER MEDITATION APP

Don’t think of Waking Up as a conventional meditation app—think of it as a new operating system for your mind, and a guide to living a better life. We aim to offer a far deeper approach to mindfulness than you’ll find elsewhere—one that fundamentally transforms how you see yourself, and the world around you. But you’ll also discover life-changing, secular wisdom from top scholars and experts, on everything from sleep and doing good in the world to time management and happiness. Waking Up is free for anyone who can’t afford it. We never want money to be the reason why someone can’t benefit from what we’ve built.

What Users Say

“I use Waking Up every morning to get me out of my head and into the clarity and creativity of the present moment.”

Brian Grazer

Co-founder of Imagine Entertainment, with 43 Academy Award and 198 Emmy nominations

“Whether you want to sharpen your mind or experience more peace, this can help in dramatic fashion.”

Tim Ferriss

Investor, #1 New York Times best-selling author, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast

“Waking Up is, hands down, the most important meditation guide I've ever used.”

Peter Attia

Physician, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Outlive, host of The Drive podcast

“Waking Up is a critical part of my daily mindfulness practice. This app is my go-to for finding more presence, peace, and well-being in my life.”

Rich Roll

Ultra-endurance athlete, best-selling author, host of the Rich Roll Podcast

FAQ

1. What should I do after completing the Introductory Course?

After the Introductory Course, you’ll unlock the Daily Meditation. And we recommend you regularly revisit Reflections, a continuous playlist of clips, lessons, and Moments, whenever you're looking for a bit of wisdom.

We also offer a playlist called "After the Introductory Course," which also offers 28 meditations from a range of different teachers, each accompanied by a complementary lesson or clip from our Theory and Life sections.

And we encourage you to continue exploring the rest of the app, at your own pace. You'll find the collected talks of Alan Watts; series on topics including Stoicism, time management, procrastination, awakening; dozens of conversations with top scholars and teachers; and much more.

2. How can I fit meditation into my busy schedule?

You don’t need to meditate for long periods of time to start seeing the benefits. Meditating for just 10 minutes a day (or multiple times per week) can make an extraordinary difference in the quality of your life.

3. How is the app organized?

How is the app organized?

The app is structured in four main tabs:

Home

This is where you’ll find the Daily Meditation, Reflections, our latest releases, what you’re currently listening to, and more.

Explore

This is where you can discover Waking Up’s vast content library, including:

Practice, Theory, and Life. At the top of the Explore tab, you’ll find our three main sections, which offer series that help you meditate, contemplate, and engage in daily mindfulness exercises (Practice); understand the philosophy behind meditation (Theory); and live a more examined, fulfilling life (Life).

Conversations and Q&A. You can also find all of Sam Harris’s conversations, and our Q&A sessions, at the top of the Explore tab.

Search. Our search feature is located in the upper-right-hand corner of Explore.

And we’ve organized our library into a number of carousels, like guided meditations, contemplations and exercises, and more, to help you find the series you’re most interested in.

My Library

This is where all of your saved and downloaded content lives, including series, playlists, and individual tracks and episodes.

More

This is where you’ll find the meditation timer, notifications and settings, messages, and other core features.

**Created by Sam Harris

Sam Harris, neuroscientist and best-selling author, built Waking Up to be the resource he wished he’d had when he began exploring meditation over 30 years ago. Sam only includes those practices and insights he’s found to be utterly life-changing. The same is true for the many teachers, scholars, and experts you’ll meet throughout the app.

**A step-by-step approach to mindfulness

We’ve heard from thousands of members who say they never really understood meditation until they took our 28-part Introductory Course. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced practitioner, you’ll dive straight into the deep end of real mindfulness, so you don’t waste any time on the surface.

**Learn the true purpose of meditation

Meditation is about more than just relieving stress, sleeping better, or improving your focus. While it can help you do all of that, our goal is ultimately to help you open the door to a deeper understanding of yourself. Here, you won’t just uncover simple relaxation techniques—and you won’t find any New Age fluff or religious dogma.

**A place for serious seekers

Explore some of life’s most important questions, on topics like neuroscience, psychedelics, enlightenment, ethics, and Stoicism—from renowned authors and professors like Oliver Burkeman, Michael Pollan, Laurie Santos, Arthur C. Brooks, James Clear, and others.

**In-depth theory and practice

Waking Up explains both the theory and the practice of meditation—so you don’t just learn the “how” of mindfulness, but also the “why.” You’ll be guided by prominent figures like Joseph Goldstein, Diana Winston, Adyashanti, Jayasāra, and Henry Shukman, who teach a wide range of contemplative practices, including Vipassana, Zen, Dzogchen, Advaita Vedanta, and more.

**Timeless insights, modern lens

Within Waking Up, you’ll find some of the most profound spiritual teachings from throughout history—those that have stood the test of time. And you’ll hear from historic voices like Alan Watts. But we also pressure-test ancient wisdom against modern science, so you won’t find outlandish claims or anything we haven’t found to be empirically true.

**A comprehensive guide

Waking Up supports your growth and development in a number of different ways. You’ll find an abundance of useful features, like meditation timers, in-app support messages, an ever-growing audio library, and daily reminders to help bring your mindfulness practice into your life.

“Waking Up is, hands down, the most important meditation guide I’ve ever used.” Physician Peter Attia

“If you’ve had trouble getting into meditation, this app is your answer!” -Susan Cain, best-selling author

“Waking Up is not an app, it’s a path. It is equal parts a meditation guide, a philosophy master-class and a highly-focused TED Conference.” -Eric Hirschberg, former CEO of ACTIVISION

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