For old students of S.N. Goenka 10-day courses
Sit every morning with the same Vipassana buddy
One matched fellow old student in your time zone. The same person, the same time, the same Google Meet link, every day. Not a group sit. Not an app. No streaks.
Built by an old student on day 972+ of daily practice, after 6 courses at 3 centers and 40+ days of dhamma service. Free forever.
Takes 2 minutes. No app to install, no streaks, no fees, ever.
Sign up
2 min form
Get matched
By time & style
Meet daily
Google Meet link
Stay consistent
Same time, every day
You get a permanent Google Meet link. Join at your sit time, play a Goenka recording, meditate together. No scheduling, no app — just show up. Learn how it works in detail →
Who's Waiting
What people are saying
“Thank you so much for the initiative, the connections and beautiful tool. It is a very helpful thing that you built here.”
— Marine, Paris
“Having an accountability partner in meditation goes a long way in ensuring that you continue on this journey continuously.”
— Vikas, Delhi
“What an amazing initiative! Thank you for doing this 🙏”
— u/salothedud on Reddit“This is actually awesome, thank you very much for sharing!”
— u/fronku on RedditMeditators matched so far, from Paris to Delhi to San Diego. See the conversation on Reddit →
Apply to Be Matched
Tell us about your practice so we can find the right match for you.
The Problem Everyone Knows
You leave a 10-day course transformed. You commit to sitting two hours a day. Then life happens: work, family, fatigue, doubt. Within weeks, the cushion gathers dust.
This isn't a personal failure. It's a structural one. At the center, you had a schedule, a group, a shared commitment. At home, you have none of that. The technique is the same, but the support system vanishes.
Research backs this up: meditation apps have a 4.7% retention rate after 30 days. Most people who start a daily practice lose it within a month.
What the research says
goal completion rate when you have a specific accountability appointment with someone
goal completion rate when you just have the goal in your head
more likely to maintain a new habit with structured accountability (meta-analysis of 42 studies)
of well-being app benefits come through reduced loneliness, not the content itself
The evidence is clear: the single most effective thing you can do for your practice is commit to another person. Not an app, not a streak counter, not a notification, a real human who expects to hear from you.
What Makes This Different
Connection is the product
We don't offer guided meditations, timers, or content. Those already exist. We offer one thing: a matched human who cares whether you sat today.
No gamification
No streaks, no badges, no leaderboards. The Vipassana tradition teaches non-attachment — we're not going to undermine that with dopamine loops.
Vipassana-native
Built by and for Vipassana meditators. We use the language of the tradition, respect the teacher's guidance, and require course completion to participate.
Free, in the spirit of Dana
Just as the courses are offered freely, Practice Buddy will be free. We may accept donations to cover operating costs, but the matching service itself will always be free.
For old students only
You must have completed at least one 10-day Vipassana course (as taught by S.N. Goenka). This ensures shared context and a genuine practice foundation.
Why This Doesn't Exist Yet
The Vipassana tradition is intentionally low-tech. Centers run on volunteers and donations. The official app has course schedules and recordings — but no community features, no accountability tools, no way to connect meditators.
Virtual group sittings exist at some centers, but they're at fixed times, passive (you join a Zoom room), and don't create personalized accountability. Local sit groups require geographic proximity.
Meanwhile, the broader meditation app market (Insight Timer, Waking Up, Balance) treats community as a bolt-on feature, not the core mechanism. And none of them understand the specific needs of Vipassana practitioners: the two-hour daily commitment, the Goenka-tradition technique, the retreat-to-home transition.
There's a gap between what the tradition provides and what practitioners need. Practice Buddy is designed to fill it — respectfully, simply, and freely.
How We Match
Research on peer support platforms shows that matching on shared goals and interests produces far better outcomes than matching on problems or diagnoses. Here's what we'll consider:
Experience Level
Number of courses completed — so you're paired with someone at a similar stage
Time Zone
Within a few hours of each other, so check-ins happen at reasonable times
Practice Goals
Daily consistency, longer sits, preparing for a longer course, deepening equanimity
Communication Style
Weekly video call, daily text check-in, or async voice messages — matched to your preference
Current Struggles
Consistency, restlessness, doubt, integrating practice into daily life
Language
So you can discuss subtle meditation experiences in a language you're comfortable with
Questions people ask before signing up
If something else is on your mind, reply to the confirmation email after you sign up and you'll hear back from a real person.
What if my buddy stops showing up or goes quiet?
How long until I get matched?
Do I have to talk during the sit?
Is this run by a Vipassana center or an assistant teacher?
What about my privacy? I see names on the waitlist.
What if I take a break, travel, or my schedule shifts?
Is it really free? What's the catch?
I haven't sat a 10-day course yet, can I still apply?
Got the answer you needed? Apply to be matched →
Ready to sit with someone tomorrow morning?
Takes 2 minutes. Free forever. No app to install, no streaks, no content. Just a matched human who expects to see you at your sit time.
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