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How Meditation Went From a Fad to Mainstream
The practice of meditation is not a new concept in this world. It is a practice that is as old as time and has been embedded in human history for much longer than many realize. Did you know it is over 3,000 years old? Only those who’ve studied it are aware of this.
For many decades, its importance has been frequently dismissed as nothing more than a hippie fad. However, as the world gets increasingly connected and fast-paced, meditation is making a comeback for those looking for an escape and a chance to find peace in a frantic world.
How often have you advised a stressed-out person to take a deep breath and relax? You may not have known it at the time but this is the very essence of meditation. In the last few years, the concept of mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular. Wondering what it is and what use it has for a modern society? Keep reading!
The idea of mindfulness is one that was derived from Buddhism. Buddhism has a practice called vipassana. This is the concept of paying attention to our inner and outer experiences as they occur. It may sound like a lofty term for most millennials, however, its positive effects cannot be denied. The attention on mindfulness meditation has now made it even more accessible today than ever.
For instance, a new app called Headspace is becoming very popular as it is known to help people deal with anxiety and stress in their lives. It has a variety of tools, designed to help you become more aware of the present and to learn to be compassionate, patient, and be more accepting of everyone and everything around you. It is definitely a great tool to have - who doesn’t want a little escape from modern-day stresses now and then?
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How a Puppy can Help You Achieve Inner Peace
The downward dog is one of the most well-known yoga moves out there as it promotes core strength. But flipping that on its head, what about moves in other forms of flexibility exercise that actually include animals themselves? Can animals actually help you in your weekly or daily work-out? Believe it or not, the answer is yes.
This is no fad. One community in the USA has introduced small puppies to pilates classes as a way of doubling the endorphin hit that exercise provides. As a mood lifter, combining the mental invigoration of pilates with the boundless and ceaseless energy of a puppy is a real winner! Just check out the face of the women below, it's clearly enjoyable.
And what’s more, it’s being done with an added benefit to health and wellbeing in mind too. The sessions are hosted for charity, with the $15 fee that’s charged to attend being donated to the Asheville Humane Society. The society takes unwanted puppies in and then re-homes them with suitable families. All proceeds from the sessions then go towards looking after the tiny dogs before they are taken into their forever homes.
The idea’s conception has so many positives behind it. The organizers, Cisco Pilates, knew that their form of exercise was one that might not necessarily appeal to everyone, so they found a way to give it a broader scope. And frankly, who could ever say no to playing with a puppy for an hour? Try holding your core with a puppy licking your face though.
We’d love to give this a try, but we know that our discipline to get fitter and more flexible would go out of the window with such a cute exercise buddy. In fact, we'd be more likely to take a little puppy home.
