Waking Up with Sam Harris (app/video)

The Waking Up app, created by neuroscientist and author Sam Harris, offers guided meditation sessions, theory lessons on mindfulness and the philosophy of mind, and video conversations with guests on topics ranging from neuroscience to ethics. It is designed to pair practical meditation with intellectual understanding rather than treating meditation purely as stress relief.

Harris emphasizes secular, non-dual awareness drawn from traditions like Dzogchen and Advaita Vedanta, aiming at a fundamental insight into the nature of self rather than primarily relaxation. Waking Up includes substantial philosophical and scientific content that goes beyond the guided-relaxation format of most mainstream meditation apps.

Yes. Sam Harris has stated that the app will be provided free to anyone who cannot afford the subscription, and users can request a free account through a form on the Waking Up website. The app otherwise operates on a paid subscription model with a free trial period.

The app takes its name from Harris's 2014 book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, which argues that spiritual experiences and meditation can be pursued within a secular, rational framework. The app expands on the book's themes with structured guided practice and conversations.