FAQs

1 Giant Mind is an education company on meditation education programs, services and technology.

Mission

Our mission is to inspire millions of people around the world to take up meditation as a daily practice and live more conscious, fulfilling lives, free from the negative impact of stress.

Vision

Our vision is a world where meditation is as commonplace as brushing your teeth, and mainstream culture supports personal growth and wellbeing as a social responsibility.

The 1 Giant Mind technique is an introductory method we refer to as “going beyond”. The technique brings multiple methods of meditation into one style that has proven to decrease stress and improve wellbeing. This data has been collected from thousands of users from the 1 Giant Mind Learn to Meditate smartphone app. To gain the full benefits of this style of meditation, we recommend seeking out a qualified teacher and continuing your learning face-to-face.

1 Giant Mind defines meditation as any mental process that induces a set of integrated psychophysiological changes termed as the 'relaxation response'. The relaxation response is defined as a protective mechanism against stress that brings about decreased heart rate, lower metabolism, decreased respiratory rate, and increased mental clarity and focus. It is the physiological opposite of the 'fight or flight' or stress response.

Meditation is generally practiced sitting silently with the eyes closed, however there are meditation techniques that involve keeping the eyes open or involve repeating words or sounds out loud.

Yes, The 1 Giant Mind app can be used by anyone. The rule is, if you can think, you can meditate. The youngest age we recommend anyone learning with 1 Giant Mind is 11 years old.

The word mantra is a sanskrit word that literally means MANAS = mind and TRA = vehicle. There are thousands of different mantras or 'mind vehicles' that are used in many different ways. In the case of the 1 Giant Mind app, the mantra that is used is a sound that acts as a vehicle for the mind to move into deeper, quieter states of awareness.

With all the challenges and demands of life, we need a strategy to help us manage stress and fatigue. Learning to manage stress is the most powerful way of ensuring that life is fun and creative.

There are many scientifically validated benefits from a regular meditation practice. These include:

• Increased brain function
• Increased immune function
• Decreased stress, anxiety and depression
• Greater energy and vitality
• Increased emotional stability
• Increased focus and concentration
• Greater feeling of happiness and wellbeing.

To get the full instruction of how to use the 1 Giant Mind mantra, we recommend you complete the 12 Step Course as the details are explained sequentially.

The short answer is yes! The mind is complex, layered and requires an experienced teacher who has been trained to understand its complexity and show you how to navigate it. A qualified teacher will teach you techniques to awaken the full potential of the mind without being dependent on them. The 1 Giant Mind app has been created by qualified teachers as an introductory program in the absence of learning face-to-face with a teacher. If you have the chance to learn face-to-face with a qualified teacher this is always best. 

AHAM is a sanskrit word that means 'I am'. In this technique we do not ruminate or contemplate the meaning of the mantra. The meaning is an expression of the experience of simple, innocent, present moment awareness.

If you have already been given a mantra by a meditation teacher and you would prefer to use this, then we encourage you to do so. If this is the first mantra you have used, we strongly encourage you to stick with it. Over time as AHAM becomes more familiar, it will become easier to think softly and faintly.

You will begin to experience the benefits of meditation immediately. For some, detecting the benefits will be a lot more obvious than others. If you are stressed and tired, you will likely see the obvious benefits of feeling more calm and rested. For others who are less stressed, you will notice a more calm awareness and greater levels of energy. These are the early benefits that will increase exponentially from your very first session.

It's important to note that to maximise the benefits of meditation, it's important to practise daily. You will still get benefits if you practise every now and then, however the benefits of meditation exponentially increase through daily practise.

It is recommended that the use of the mantra AHAM remains silent within mind during the entire meditation. There is no value repeating the mantra out loud for the purpose of practising this technique.

The 1 Giant Mind meditation program is one the most effortless things you will learn. Regardless of whether you feel it would be impossible to quiet your mind, this technique is failsafe. It works for anyone and everyone.

It only takes 12 x 15 minute sessions to complete the 1 Giant Mind 12 Step Course. After completing the course you will know how to effortlessly lead yourself into meditation. We then recommend taking the 30 Day Challenge to help make meditation a daily habit.

Traditionally, yoga is an eight-fold system that derives from the ancient Vedic tradition of India. Its purpose is to awaken the mind to its full potential so to realise the true meaning of life. In the West, most people associate the word yoga with postures or stretching exercises. These postures are actually known as 'asana' and are only one part of the eight-fold system of yoga. One part of the yoga system is meditation, which is traditionally practiced after asana as a complementary practice.

It's important to note that the great masters would often say that practising yoga asana without meditation is like taking an hour to prepare a delicious healthy meal and then as you’re about to sit down and eat it, get up and walk away. Yoga asana prepares the body and mind for a more restful meditation. Yoga asana itself is not traditionally recognised as meditation.

Yes, the 1 Giant Mind program has been created by expert meditation teachers, with years of experience teaching students face-to-face. The 1 Giant Mind app has been created as an introductory program to teach the basic mechanics of a “going beyond” technique.

To gain the full benefits of this style of meditation, we recommend seeking out a qualified teacher and continuing your learning face-to-face. In the absence of this, the 1 Giant Mind app does an excellent job.

We are fully aware that many people associate their phone with busyness, distraction and stress. It may take you a couple of sessions to realise that your phone can also be a powerful tool for switching off and recovering from stress and fatigue. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions in the 12 Step Course, and before you know it, you will have forgotten that it's actually your phone that has been facilitating this new experience of rest and recovery from stress.

If you find yourself distracted part way through a session and it does not require your immediate attention, simply close your eyes and continue with the session. If you are distracted and need to attend to something else, press pause on the session, let go of the mantra and do whatever needs to be done. If you missed part of the initial instruction, simply go back and restart the session. If you had to get up for some reason and you have only been meditating for 5 minutes, we recommend starting again. If you were going for longer, them simply carry on from where you left off.

No, this is not necessary. Falling asleep in meditation is a natural and important part of the process of recovering from fatigue. This counts as a meditation.

In the 1 Giant Mind program, more does not equal better. We recommend meditating once a day for the 12 Step Course. After this, if you desire to meditate more we recommend a maximum of 20 minutes of meditation twice a day. It's very important that you don't practise more than twice a day as this may cause strong stress release that can be experienced as emotional and physical agitation in your eyes open state.

We recommend a minimum of 10 minutes once a day and maximum of 20 minutes twice a day. We recommend meditating for 20 minutes twice a day to maximise the benefits of your practice.

Yes you can, however we recommend that you only practise for max 20 minutes in a session using the 1 Giant Mind app.

The best position is the most comfy position. The only requirement is that you are sitting upright with your back supported and your head and neck free from resting against anything. Your hands and legs can be crossed or stretched out. It’s really up to you. If you feel uncomfortable at anytime during a session, simply move to get comfy again. We don’t recommend you practice this technique laying down.

No, this is not recommended. When the eyes are closed and the mind begins to move inward, it is likely you will lose balance and possibly fall over.

The best place to meditate is where you are comfortable and least likely to be disturbed. Having said this, you can practise this technique anywhere. Even in a noisy environment it is possible to have deep restful meditations.

This is a definite no. Besides the fact that this is an eyes closed meditation technique, listening to the instruction can cause heaviness in the eyes and may cause you close them and move into meditation while you are driving. Not what we're desiring. 

Yes, and we highly recommend it! Apart from the awesome shared experience, there is an understanding that group meditations are generally quite deep. We recommend forming a meditation group, or finding an established group in your area and meditating together regularly.

We recommend that you only use the mantra AHAM for eyes closed practices and techniques. If the mantra is used in other activities with the eyes open, it will lose its potency in the eyes closed state.

If you can feel even the slightest effect of alcohol in your system, we don’t recommend you meditate. If you know you will be drinking alcohol at lunch or in the evening, we recommend you get your meditation session in beforehand.

This really depends on how you react to coffee. Some people don't feel the effect of it while others experience a powerful rush from the caffeine. We don't recommended drinking coffee before you meditate, however if you can sit there without feeling like you need to get up and move about, then go for it. If you feel over stimulated by a coffee, let the effects wear off for a while and then sit down to meditate.

Yes! Haha… just joking. No, being able to meditate has nothing to do with diet, unless of course all you consume is energy drinks and coffee. Then this may be an issue.

No. We don't recommended drinking coffee before you meditate, however you can still drink coffee after your meditations if that's your preference.

Yes and we highly recommend it. Meditating while pregnant is a great way of getting all the rest you need to keep performing that incredible feat of producing a child inside your belly! Meditation also produces all kinds of wonderful hormones that will benefit the development of your growing baby.

Yes, and we strongly recommend it. If you are travelling overseas and are changing times zones, we recommend several meditation sessions during the flight. This will help combat the negative impact of jet lag and assist you to arrive feeling more calm and rested.

Yes you can. For some people meditating in public may feel unsafe or uncomfortable, however if this isn’t the case then we suggest you give it a go as meditating outside can be a very gratifying experience. We recommend meditating outside near water or in a park from time to time, as the experience of connecting with nature is enhanced after meditating.

No it's not. Vedic meditation is a technique that is only taught in-person by a qualified teacher. The 1 Giant Mind app uses an automatic transcending technique as an introduction to this style of meditation. We always recommend learning any meditation technique face-to-face with a qualified teacher. In the absence of having access to a teacher, the 1 Giant Mind app is a great option. If you want to take your meditation practice further, we suggest seeking out a qualified teacher.

The 30 Day Challenge is a great way to help you make meditation a daily habit. It’s understood that the brain learns new habits through repetition. Doing this challenge for 30 consecutive days will help you form a habit of meditating for at least 15 minutes a day.

No, it's not necessary to start from the beginning if you miss a day of the 30 Day Challenge. All you need to do is pick up from where you left off.

Yes, we encourage you to do this! We recommend you use the 30 Day Challenge tool for your first meditation and the Timer tool for your second meditation. This way you can still keep the challenge going for the full 30 Days and unlock content along the way.

Yes, although we recommend headphones for the best audio experience. If you are in a quiet environment, the quality of the audio on most phones today are more than sufficient. 

From time to time, meditation can cause you to feel roughness or uneasiness for a short while. If you have noticed that feelings of stress or anxiety have increased since you started meditating, this is an indication that you are practicing correctly and stresses in your body are being released.

If your feelings are becoming overwhelming and you are meditating twice a day, drop back to one session a day. It's important to meditate at least once a day through this period, as meditation allows creates the perfect conditions for stress to be released. The feelings of anxiousness and uneasiness will subside after some time and you will feel a great sense of relief. The process of releasing stress sometimes involves us feeling 'flavours' of the stresses as they leave the system. When this happens, it's important to remember you are having a stress release, not a stress reaction. Allow the feelings to be there, and allow them come to flow through you with no resistance.

Yes, we encourage you to team up with a friend or family member. It makes sticking with the challenge a lot easier and more enjoyable. Being able to share your experiences as you progress is really powerful and motivating.

We suggest forming a group and doing the 30 Day Challenge more then once!

This is a matter of personal preference and circumstance. The aim of the 1 Giant Mind 'Learn to Meditate' program is to teach you how to meditate, so that eventually you feel capable of practising with or without the app. For maximum benefits, we suggest meditating for 20 minutes. Over time as you feel more confident in your practice, we recommend meditating with no music or guidance, just silence. 

Yes. After you have completed the 12 Step Course and taken the 30 Day Challenge, we recommend you give it a go meditating without the app. It may feel strange at first, but over time you will come to appreciate your ability to meditate anywhere, anytime without the support of the app. To gain the full benefits of this style of meditation, we recommend seeking out a qualified teacher and continuing your learning face-to-face.

We don't recommend doing this. Many years of training and experience both practising and teaching meditation has gone into creating this program. For the most successful experience, we suggest you recommend the 1 Giant Mind 12 Step Course as the starting place to learn this technique. Although the program may appear simple in its nature, the sequence of instruction is exact. The success of this program is entirely dependant on being able to follow the instruction exactly. To teach this, requires you have an in depth understanding of the mechanics of the mind and the technique. This is why we have created the app, to provide anyone the opportunity to learn meditation easily and effortlessly. To gain the full benefits of this style of meditation, we recommend seeking out a qualified teacher and continuing your learning face-to-face. This is especially the case if you wish to learn to be a meditation teacher yourself.

Try the following in order to rectify any technical issue:

1. Log out of the app then log back in.

2. Delete the app then re-install it and log back in. All your data will be saved, you will just need to download the audios and videos again.

3. If none of the above work, please go to the app's MENU>ABOUT>SUBMIT A BUG REPORT. We will then receive the details from your device and can send it on to our developers to work out the issue.

Thanks for your patience and sorry for any inconvenience!