Do you know what celebrities Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Hugh Jackman, Meghan Markle, and Jerry Seinfeld all have in common? They all practice some form of meditation on a regular basis and have figured out how incredibly transformative meditation can be. (But more on that later!)
Finding joy, calm and more peace of mind, also known as Mindfulness, is a hot topic these days, and wherever you look in magazines, newspapers, and the number one best selling self-help books, meditation is everywhere. Entire issues of magazines are being devoted to becoming more present and discovering mindfulness practices that will bring more happiness and tranquillity into your life.
In National Geographic for instance, this month there is an entire issue devoted to Everyday Mindfulness, Finding Focus, Calm and Joy, and in a special issue of Time Magazine there is a whole edition entitled The New Mindfulness. This special edition of the magazine has articles ranging from The Future of Being Present, to Life Balance, Body Harmony and How to Find a Sense of Calm, How To Master The Moment, 13 Ways Breathing Improves Your Life and How to Be Centred in a Crazy World.
As reported by Hallie Levine in Time Magazine, there are even apps available now on your cell phone for how to achieve mindfulness, from the very popular “Calm” app, which is a series of meditations, to podcasts such as the 10% Happier App and Podcast, the Ruben Mindfulness Meditation Podcast and a wonderful guided meditation podcast series that originates from UCLA and their world renowned mindful awareness research centre. The topics cover everything from love and kindness meditation to body scans for sleep and even meditating with Tibetan singing bowls, which I have experienced in and it’s quite fascinating.
Techniques to “master the moment” as described in an article by Halley Levine in Time Magazine’s special edition, talk about everything from meditation to mindful breathing, body scans and one of my favourites, progressive muscle relaxation where are you tighten each muscle group for a count to five and then relax it, which helps you become aware of the difference between tension and relaxation. There are also wonderful visualization techniques where you can imagine your favourite beach scene, or a sunset and visualizing these calming places can really bring you more tranquility in times of stress.
As featured in the Time Magazine special issue in an article entitled Meditating With the Stars, Brooke Hauser writes about how celebrities are making Mindfulness a huge part of their lives. With everyone from superstar Jennifer Lopez who meditates every day for 20 minutes in the morning and again at night, to Katy Perry former American Idol judge and pop star who says that “Meditation is the key to really finding your true authentic self: Finding that stillness, recharging, having the strength, the mental strength, the physical strength, the immune strength, to be able to take on this big technological world.”
As reported by Hauser, Hugh Jackman, Broadway and film star, began transcendental meditation in 2012 as a way of reducing stress in his life and Meghan Markle studied with meditation coach Light Watkins, author of Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying.
The list goes on and on with Jerry Seinfeld, Kate Hudson and radio host Howard Stern, being big proponents of regular meditation practice.
When the chatter is gone, and you are quiet and peaceful, you gain so much clarity and awareness. As Buddha said:
Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.
Stayed tuned for Part 2 of this article, which is a wonderful interview I did in Spain this summer with Manuel Medina, an inspirational Yoga Teacher who specializes in Pranayama Breathing. (I was inspired to write about his thoughts on mindfulness after taking many of his beautiful yoga, breathing techniques and Mantra Meditation classes.)
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