Russell Simmons On His New App, Transcendental Meditation And The Art Of Sitting The F*** Down

*note: This interview is edited for length and contains some profanity.

Russell Simmons cuts a striking figure in the world of music. Intellectual, yet down to earth. A mogul, yet not pompous. Innovative from his early days, his connection with his past is evident when he speaks. I find his connection with yoga and transcendental meditation even more interesting.

His new app—which goes live today—is little more than an audio book companion to his most recent book titled “Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple.” However it fits as part of his strategy for making his meditation message available to more people in more channels. The proceeds from his books go to various charities.

I can see how the app might be useful as a primer for people trying to get into transcendental meditation (sometimes referred to as TM) and it may be useful to hear a person’s voice while you are trying to go to through the motions and procedures (instead of reading and then trying and then reading and then trying, etc.)

However it makes me wonder if technology and meditation can coexist or if technology is a distraction from the state to which TM tries to get you?

I spoke with Simmons and asked him this question and a few others as we discussed his new app and his vision for transcendental meditation.

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