It’s not what you know, but how you connect

Hannah Page

Chief Operating Officer

Insight Timer is the community-based meditation app creating deeper connections for stronger teams

Inspired by new research showing that that connection improves well-being even more than previously thought, community-based meditation app Insight Timer connects 18 million meditators worldwide.

Insight Timer has now turned its attention towards the workplace, introducing a new programme that focusses on strengthening connections amongst colleagues to create stronger teams.

As an early adopter of the programme, we are excited to share this interview with Nicole Ghobrial, Head of Enterprise at Insight Timer. Find out how the  community-based mediation app works – and how to make it work for your teams.

What is Insight Timer?

Insight Timer is a community based meditation app with 18 million meditators worldwide. We host over 100,00 meditations from 10,000 teachers in 50 languages. In 2020 alone, Insight Timer members meditated for 5.6 billion minutes – that’s more than 5 times the minutes was spent on Calm!

As a community based meditation app we are a little different to the other apps on the market. There are lots of different ways you can connect with our community; by joining one of our teacher-run interactive live sessions, joining in the discussion in our Teacher classrooms where you can ask one of our teachers for advice, or by creating a Workplace Circle to meditate with your teammates.

New research is starting to prove that connection – either with a teacher or fellow students – is more important in improving well-being than the type of meditation technique. So meditating as part of a community, whether they are close to you or on the other side of the world can really enhance your well-being journey.

How does Insight Timer differ from meditation apps like Headspace or Waking Up?

There are two things that make us very different from other meditation apps on the market. Firstly, connection to a community of like minded people. We’ve spoken about that already, so in this question I’ll focus on the second most important difference – diversity.

Our teachers are truly a diverse and global representation; they come from different countries, ethnic backgrounds, some are scientists and some hold religious or spiritual beliefs. This means that everyone can find a teacher or a teaching that resonates with them – regardless of their background or belief system. And we know to be true that finding the right teacher is core to a student in developing a regular and effective meditation practice and in doing so enhancing their wellbeing.

What situations can Insight Timer help me navigate? 

With so much content available, Insight Timer can support you across so many different areas. It can sometimes be overwhelming to navigate which is why our Customer Support team works with customers like L Marks to understand their business challenges and make custom recommendations for teachers, courses, live events and content.

The one I’d like to talk about today is sleep. I think everyone knows that getting a good sleep is essential to feeling good the next day, but still 60-70% of adults worldwide report being sleep deprived each month. Less than 6 hours per night can negatively affect our mental, physical and cognitive health – but it can also decrease our lifespans.

Insight Timer has over 4,000 pieces of content that can support healthy sleep; from courses that teach you about sleep hygiene, Yoga Nidra to help you relax and sleep music or nature sounds to help you drift off to sleep.

In March Insight Timer ran a Sleep Series where every night we hosted a new sleep practice each evening for 80,000 community members. We shared learnings on the benefits and healthy habits of sleep and showcased different meditation styles to help them drift off to sleep. You can still access all of this incredibly useful content in Circles, Soothing Sleep Series. 

Is there specific content for when I’m feeling stressed at work for example?

There absolutely is. Insight Timer has a curated kit for mindfulness at work with sections dedicated to stress and anxiety.

However, what I often recommend for employees who are feeling overly stressed or burned out is to focus instead on cultivating happiness. We have over 15,000 guided meditations and music tracks to help lift your spirits. Sometimes taking a 15 min break to dance around your home office is just what you need to break repetitive thoughts that a stressful work situation might bring.

What are some key milestones in Insight Timer’s journey so far?

Insight Timer grew to a community of 18M meditators through word-of-mouth alone – no advertising. That’s unheard of today! Through the hard work of our team, we support 10,000 teachers growing businesses on the platform. In the last year, 6,000 companies signed up for the workplace program we introduced. And it all keeps growing: we get more than 100,000 new members every week and new companies signing up to our Workplace product every day.

What do you like best about Insight Timer?

Personally, I love working at Insight Timer because I believe that we are making a positive difference in the world today. I wake up energized every morning knowing I’m helping to make meditation and mindfulness accessible to as many people as possible which in turn is increasing the wellbeing of communities around the world.

What can we expect from Insight Timer next?

We can’t tell you too much or we might ruin the surprise! But you can expect to see a more personalized experience for each meditator. We also have some great new products and features that will be launching specifically for companies.