Ringing in the New Year with a renewed focus on health and wellbeing is an important consideration for many of us if not for everyone.
Indeed, many people choose the traditional route of making resolutions like to lose weight, or maybe even to find a new job. The optimal goal we keep in mind is to engage in new or more beneficial life experiences such as having and increasing better health, and happiness, all with the intention of leading to a more joyful and enjoyable life.
In the past few years, meditation and mindfulness has gained in popularity not only in personal wellbeing but is often seen as beneficial in the business environment as well that increases wellbeing both mentally and physically.
The following two links are recent examples of large companies who have initiated goals of increasing employee health and wellbeing focusing on meditation and types of immersive experiences.
> Deloitte
Also the WorkWell podcast series, we talk about all things well-being. Stay up-to-date with the latest health and wellness trends and discover tips and tricks along the way with host Jen Fisher, Deloitte chief well-being officer. Subscribe today and learn ways to enrich your own well-being, improve work-life balance, and create a culture of wellness at work. Each podcast is designed to help you better understand—and more importantly—embed well-being into your life and work!
Google
A work in progress since 2017, Google has been working with the American design practice, Office of Things, to design and construct five meditation chambers in the Youtube and Google offices in the Bay Area, adapted from an area of research which the practice has been investigating on its own. Conceived and designed pre-pandemic, the rooms’ philosophy of offering employees a place to acknowledge and restore their mental health could not come at a more relevant time.
As a Yoga, and Mindfulness Educator, I’ve chosen to recommend two meditation Apps that are free to try out and one that I currently have a yearly subscription to.
If you are interested, I recommend learning about how to breathe - which sounds kind of funny- but there are evidence based information research studies on the benefits of healthy breathing, called deep breathing, sometimes diaphragmatic breathing, and then to also trying a guided breathing meditation. Start off with 3- 5 minutes. There is no need to stay in lengthy meditation practice unless you choose to. Please consult your physician if you have concerns or are under the care of a doctor.
Since we all know about the pandemic, stress and anxiety levels have significantly increased for many of us. Knowing that there are freely accessible resources is great but often we look for advice from a friend, family member or colleague who has maybe tried out or recommends an App.
Medito: Meditation and Wellness
Please add comments and your own experiences with Apps.