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.

Takes 2 minutes. No app to install, no streaks, no fees, ever.

“Having an accountability partner in meditation goes a long way in ensuring you continue on this journey.”

— Vikas, Delhi

Meditators sitting together every morning, from Paris to Delhi to San Diego

Built by an old student on day 1017+ of daily practice, after 6 courses at 3 centers and 40+ days of dhamma service. Free forever.

2 min form

Get matched

By time & style

Meet daily

Google Meet link

Stay consistent

Same time, every day

What an actual morning looks like

5:55am in your kitchen. 6:55am in your buddy's. The same Google Meet link you've sat in together for 40 mornings. Cameras off. You hit play on your Goenka recording. 45 minutes pass. You wave; they wave. You close the tab.

No scheduling. No app. No streak. Tomorrow at 5:55am, the same link is waiting.

A permanent Google Meet link, a real person on the other side, and the recordings you already trust. Learn how it works in detail →

Who's Waiting

Loading waitlist...

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 Reddit

Meditators matched so far, from Paris to Delhi to San Diego. See the conversation on Reddit →

What happens after you apply

Matched in days, not months

Usually within a few days, sometimes the same day if someone already sits your hour.

No dead waitlist

We never auto-pair to clear a queue. If your hour is sparse you stay on, free, until a real fit lands in your time band.

Same link, no streak to lose

Your Google Meet link stays the same. If your buddy goes quiet, tell us and we re-match you.

Apply to Be Matched

Two quick steps, about a minute. Start with the basics.

Step 1 of 2

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

95%

goal completion rate when you have a specific accountability appointment with someone

10%

goal completion rate when you just have the goal in your head

2.8x

more likely to maintain a new habit with structured accountability (meta-analysis of 42 studies)

62%

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?

Send us a note and we'll re-match you. Your Google Meet link stays the same; only the person on the other side changes. If two people stop showing up, we hold the next pairing until someone with similar consistency lands in your time band.

How long until I get matched?

Usually within a few days, sometimes the same day if there is already someone in your morning hour. We don't auto-pair just to clear the queue. If your time zone or sit hour is sparse, we'll tell you and you stay on the waitlist (free) until a real fit appears.

Do I have to talk during the sit?

No. Most pairs join the Meet, exchange a brief good morning, mute, play their preferred Goenka recording on their own device, and sit in silence together. Camera optional. Many pairs leave the Meet running with cameras off and never speak.

Is this run by a Vipassana center or an assistant teacher?

No. This is a peer project built by an old student on day 1017+ of daily practice, after 6 courses and 40+ days of dhamma service. We don't teach the technique, prescribe a schedule, or interpret instructions. For anything operational about your practice, refer to dhamma.org or speak with an authorized assistant teacher at a 10-day course.

What about my privacy? I see names on the waitlist.

Names and emails on the public waitlist are masked (so “Matthew” appears as “M***w” and emails as “m***w@gmail.com”). Only your matched buddy receives your real first name and time zone, sent in a single intro email. No public profile, no leaderboard, no retargeting.

What if I take a break, travel, or my schedule shifts?

Tell your buddy and email us. Pauses are normal: courses, work travel, illness, family. You can come back to the same Meet link, or get re-paired if your hour shifts permanently. There are no streaks to break, because we don't use streaks.

Is it really free? What's the catch?

Free forever, in the spirit of Dana. No subscription, no premium tier, no upsell, no paid course recommendations. Operating costs are covered by the founder; if a donation page ever appears it will be optional and matching will stay free.

I haven't sat a 10-day course yet, can I still apply?

Practice Buddy matching is reserved for old students of S.N. Goenka 10-day courses, because it relies on shared technique and shared retreat experience. If you haven't sat one yet, the right next step is to apply for a course at dhamma.org; come back here once you've completed it.

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.