If you're one of the millions of people social distancing or quarantining right now, you might waiver from boredom to overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. Although you may have more down time at home, you're likely feeling anything but relaxed.

That's completely normal during this strange time, said Ethan Nichtern, a Buddhist teacher, author, and host of the podcast "The Road Home."

"I think, for everyone, there's just this kind of invisible anxiety slash foreboding," he told Business Insider. "It doesn't feel like anyone's on vacation, you know, I haven't talked to anybody who feels that way."

So how do you feel more calm during this strange and unpredictable time?

Practicing meditation is one way to improve physical and mental health. A 2018 study by the University of Delhi showed that eight weeks of meditation and mindfulness reduced inflammation and hypertension in participants. A 2007 study published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience found that mindfulness meditation increased people's attention spans.

It's also good for your emotional well being. A 2009 meta analysis of research on mindfulness showed that the practice can reduce stress and cortisol levels. And Harvard University research shows that mindfulness may actually change the brain of people with depression.

Meditation doesn't have to be simply sitting in silence. Here are four creative ways to meditate or be more mindful.

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A Buddhist teacher on how to meditate during the coronavirus pandemic - Business Insider - Business Insider

The Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, meditations for Good Friday this year have been prepared by prisoners, volunteers, family members and others, associated with a corrections facility in Northern Italy.

By Francesca Merlo

Each meditation represents a life and a story. Each one is associated with the fourteen stations of this years Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross. The meditations have been written by people whose lives are in some way connected to the Due Palazzi correctional facility in Padua, Northern Italy. They were collected by the prison chaplain, Fr. Marco Pozza, and journalist, Tatiana Mario.

Lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Italy began on 8 March. Prison riots around the country followed when prisoners were told they could no longer receive visitors. Two days after the riots, Pope Francis offered Mass for prisoners: I would like to pray for those who are in prison, he said. They are suffering, and we must be near to them in prayer, asking that the Lord might help them and console them in this difficult moment.

The author of the first meditation is serving a life sentence. My crucifixion began as a child, he says, explaining that his stutter made him an outcast. He says he feels more like Barabbas than Jesus. Sometimes he weeps. After 29 years in prison I have not yet lost the ability to cry, to feel ashamed of my past, and the evil I have done. In the non-life he lived previously, he always sought something that was life, he says. Today, strange as it may seem, prison has become my salvation, he adds.

If, for some, I am still Barabbas, that does not make me angry: I know in my heart that the Innocent One, condemned like me, came to find me in prison to teach me about life.

The parents of a girl who was brutally murdered recount how theirs was a life of sacrifices based on work and family. They used to ask themselves: Why has this evil overwhelmed us?. They could find no peace. "At the moment when despair seems to take over, the Lord comes to meet us in different ways, they say. He gives us the grace to love each other like newlyweds, supporting each other, even with difficulty". Today, they continue to open their doors to all those in need.

The commandment to perform acts of charity to us is a kind of salvation: we do not want to surrender to evil. Gods love is truly capable of renewing life because, before us, his Son Jesus underwent human suffering so as to experience true compassion.

It was the first time I fell. But for me that fall was death. The third meditation is written by a prisoner. He did not know about the evil growing inside him, he says. After a difficult life, one evening like an avalanche. anger killed my kindness I took someones life. After considering committing suicide in prison, he found people who gave him back the faith he had lost, he says.

My first fall was failing to realize that goodness exists in this world. My second, the murder, was really its consequence, for I was already dead inside.

The author of the fourth meditation is a mother whose son is in prison. She says she was not tempted even for a second to abandon her son in the face of his sentence. That day, she says, the whole family went to prison with him. She describes people pointing fingers like knives, and wounds that grow with every passing day. She has entrusted her only son to Mary and says she feels her closeness. I confide my fears to Mary alone, because she herself felt them on her way to Calvary.

In her heart she knew that her Son would not escape human evil, yet she did not abandon Him. She stood there sharing in His suffering, keeping Him company by her presence. I think of Jesus looking up, seeing those eyes so full of love, and not feeling alone. I would like to do the same.

The author of the fifth meditation is a prisoner. He says he hopes to bring joy to someone someday. Everyone knows a Simon of Cyrene, he explains. It is the nickname of those who help others carry their cross up their own Mount Calvary. He describes his cellmate as another Simon of Cyrene: someone who lived on a bench, without a home or possessions.

His only wealth was a box of candies. He has a sweet tooth, but he insisted that I bring it to my wife the first time she visited me: she burst into tears at that unexpected and thoughtful gesture.

The catechist and author of the sixth meditation wipes away many tears, just like Veronica. They flood uncontrollably from hearts that are broken, he says. In the dark reality of prison, he describes meeting desperate souls, trying to understand why evil exists. Finding an answer is hard, he says. He asks how Jesus would wipe away their tears if He were in that position. How would Jesus ease the anguish of these men, he asks. So, he tries to do what he believes Jesus would do.

In the same way that Christ looks at our own weaknesses and limitations with eyes full of love. Everyone, including those in prison, has an opportunity each day to become a new person, thanks to Christs look which does not judge, but gives life and hope.

The prisoner responsible for the seventh meditation says he often walked past prisons, thinking to himself he would never end up in there. Then he was convicted of drug dealing, and found himself in what he calls the cemetery of the living dead. Now, he says, he did not know what he was doing.

I am trying to rebuild my life with the help of God. I owe it to my parents... I owe it above all to myself: the idea that evil can continue to guide my life is intolerable. This is what has become my way of the cross.

The author of the eighth meditation describes how her whole life was shattered when her father was sentenced to life in prison. She has been travelling around Italy for twenty-eight years, following her father as he is moved from prison to prison. Deprived of her fathers love, and his presence on her wedding day, she has had to cope with her mothers depression as well.

Its true: there are parents who, out of love, learn to wait for their children to grow up. In my own case, for love, I wait for my Dads return. For people like us, hope is a duty.

The author of the ninth meditation recognizes the many times he has fallen. And the many times he has risen. Like Peter, he has sought and found a thousand excuses to justify his mistakes, he says.

It is true that my life was shattered into a thousand pieces, but the wonderful thing is that those pieces can still be put together. It is not easy, but it is the only thing that still makes sense here.

The author of the tenth meditation is a teacher. Just as Jesus was stripped of His garments, so he has seen many of his students stripped of all dignity and respect for themselves and others in prison. They are helpless, frustrated by their weakness, often unable to understand the wrong they have done. Yet, at times they are like newborn babies who can still be taught, he says.

Even though I love this job, I sometimes struggle to find the strength to carry on. In so sensitive a service, we need to feel that we are not abandoned, in order to be able to support the many lives entrusted to us, lives that each day run the risk of ruin.

The author of the eleventh meditation is a priest who was falsely accused, and later acquitted. His own Way of the Cross lasted ten years, he says, during which he had to face suspicion, accusations and insults. Fortunately, he also encountered his own versions of Simon of Cyrene who helped him carry the weight of his cross. Together with me, many of them prayed for the young man who accused me, he says.

The day on which I was fully acquitted, I found myself happier than I had been ten years before: I experienced first-hand God working in my life. Hanging on the cross, I discovered the meaning of my priesthood.

The author of the twelfth meditation is a judge. No magistrate, he says, can crucify a man to the sentence he is serving. True justice is only possible through mercy, he adds. Mercy helps you find the goodness that is never completely extinguished, despite all the wrongs committed. To do this, one must learn how to recognize the person hidden behind the crime committed, he says.

In this process, it sometimes becomes possible to glimpse a horizon that can instill hope in that person and once his sentence has been served, to return to society and hope that people will welcome him back after having rejected him. For all of us, even those convicted of a crime, are children of the same human family.

Prisoners have always been my teachers, writes the religious Brother, author of the thirteenth meditation. He has volunteered in prisons for sixty years. We Christians often delude ourselves that we are better than others, he says. In His life, Christ willingly chose to stand on the side of the least. Passing by one cell after another, I see the death that lives within, he says. But Christ tells him to keep going, to take them in His arms again. So he stops, and listens.

This is the only way I know to accept that person, and avert my gaze from the mistake he made. Only in this way will he be able to trust and regain the strength to surrender to Gods goodness, and see himself differently.

A corrections officer has written the concluding meditation for this years Way of the Cross. Every day he witnesses first-hand the suffering of those who live in prison. A good person can become cruel, and a bad person can become better, he says. It depends on that person. But prison changes you, he adds. Personally, he is committed to giving another chance to those who have chosen what is wrong.

I work hard to keep hope alive in people left to themselves, frightened at the thought of one day leaving and possibly being rejected yet again by society. In prison, I remind them that, with God, no sin will ever have the last word.

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Way of the Cross: Meditations from a corrections facility - Vatican News

On five Saturdays - March 28, April 4, 11, 18, and 25 (newly added!), 2020 at 5pm EDT - Music on the Rebound and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) present The World Wide Tuning Meditation. IONE, Claire Chase, and Raquel Acevedo Klein lead a global performance of the late Pauline Oliveros' The World Wide Tuning Meditation, a sonic gathering with a legacy of bringing communities together through meditative singing.

Anyone from anywhere in the world is invited to join in via Zoom to sing together from their personal phone or computer. No music experience is necessary. The last performance on Saturday, April 25 will also be included in Basilica Hudson's 24-HOUR DRONE Sound and Music Festival, moved completely online with web-based programming in place of its previously scheduled weekend.

Oliveros' The Tuning Meditation consists of four steps:

1. Begin by taking a deep breath and letting it all the way out with air sound. Listen with your mind's ear for a tone.

2. On the next breath using any vowel sound, sing the tone that you have silently perceived on one comfortable breath. Listen to the whole field of sound the group is making.

3. Select a voice distant from you and tune as exactly as possible to the tone you are hearing from that voice. Listen again to the whole field of sound the group is making.

4. Contribute by singing a new tone that no one else is singing. Continue by listening then singing a tone of your own or tuning to the tone of another voice alternately.

The first three iterations of The World Wide Tuning Meditation on March 28, April 4, and April 11 welcomed participants from more than 30 countries, with 824 RSVPs for the first meditation and sold out virtual crowds of 950 attendees for the two April sessions.

Music on the Rebound founder Raquel Acevedo Klein explains her inspiration behind the project, "Music is an expression of our irrepressible voices and serves as a tangible means through which we can connect in times of isolation. In response to Hurricane Mara after it devastated my family and friends in Puerto Rico, music helped me tell the story of communities coming together to share scarce resources and to illustrate regrowth. The Tuning Meditation creates a space where people all across the world can come together and share our irrepressible voices, create a new story for our time, and heal together."

Music on the Rebound is an online, interactive music festival designed to bring people together and support performing artists affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Viewers are invited to participate in live events and stream digital curations. On Mondays starting April 20, at 7pm EDT, Music on the Rebound presents Connecting ACO Community, a weekly series of online world premieres commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra. Performances will feature esteemed artists such as Anthony Roth Costanzo, Jennifer Koh, Shara Nova, Jeffrey Zeigler, Miranda Cuckson, and more.

Program Information The World Wide Tuning Meditation Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 5pm EDT Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 5pm EDT Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 5pm EDT Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 5pm EDT Saturday, April 25, 2020 at 5pm EDT - Newly Added! Tickets: Free. RSVP Here to receive Zoom call-in information. Information Link: https://www.musicrebound.com/pauline-oliveros-tuning-meditation

Performers and Administration: Raquel Acevedo Klein - Founder & Producer, Music on the Rebound Ione - Co-Organizer, Tuning Meditation Bridgid Bergin - Co-Organizer, Tuning Meditation Larry Blumenfeld - Advisor, interviewer Claire Chase - Co-Organizer, Tuning Meditation Boo Froebel - Producing Advisor Ross Karre - Co-Organizer, Tuning Meditation Erica Zielinski - Producing Advisor International Contemporary Ensemble - Host, Tuning Meditation

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Music On The Rebound And ICE Present The World Wide Tuning Meditation - Broadway World

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New Delhi: The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has invited researchers to study the benefits of yoga and meditation in fighting Covid-19 and similar viruses.

In a notification issued 8 April, the DST has asked scientists, clinicians and yoga/meditation practitioners with a proven track record in the field of yoga and meditation research to submit proposals for projects that can benefit a larger section of society. The last date for submissions is 30 April and selected researchers will get up to Rs 15 lakh to pursue their proposals.

The DST, which falls under the Union Ministry of Science & Technology, is not looking for a cure to coronavirus through yoga and meditation. The projects, it says, should instead focus on boosting immunity, improving the respiratory system (since Covid-19 causes respiratory illness) and alleviating stress, depression and anxiety.

The invitation is a special call under the DSTs Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM) programme, which funds three-year-long projects that aim to scientifically validate the benefits of yoga and meditation in dealing with different diseases.

The aim of this special call is to provide assistance to our society in todays critical condition arises (sic) due to pandemic Covid-19, the DST notification states.

Also Read: Govt prescribes Yoga with Modi for foreign envoys battling stress of Covid-19 lockdown

While yoga and meditation are known to be beneficial for holistic health, there is no proof so far that they help gear up the human body to fight coronavirus, which has infected over 7,000 people in India so far.

Speaking to ThePrint about the special call, DST secretary Ashutosh Sharma said projects in the SATYAM programme, as the name implies, investigate the effects of yoga and meditation holistically through teams of clinicians, scientists and practitioners by using the modern tools of science such as MRI etc.

In the context of Covid-19, shoring of immune system, respiratory function and also addressing stress, anxiety, etc are of relevance and importance, he added. The projects are to investigate these aspects through scientifically designed protocols and experiments to determine the outcomes and efficacy of yoga and meditation practices under different conditions.

According to the notification, the proposed work should be completed within six to 12 months.

Researchers have been invited to submit proposals under three categories. The first is to compile existing knowledge, protocols and best practices in boosting immunity, respiratory system and mental health and make a critical assessment of the same.

The second category is for proposals to develop specific protocols and modules of yoga and meditation based strictly on scientific approach with proper documentation. Under this section, existing protocols can also be refined or reframed in view of Covid-19.

The last category is for short-duration pilot studies based on experience in the abovementioned areas by a team of scientists, clinicians and yoga/meditation practitioners. The studies will need to be scientifically designed, documented, open to scrutiny and employ scientific tools for validation or falsification, the notification states.

This report has been revised to correct an error in the number of Covid-19 cases in India

Also Read: Yogi Adityanath goes viral on Chinese social media for yoga cures coronavirus speech

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Think you can prove yoga, meditation ward off Covid-19? Modi govt has an offer for you - ThePrint

Ad sales staples, such as lunch-and-learn meetings and product giveaways, have had to adapt to the quarantine. In lieu of catered meals inside company meetings rooms, streaming services like Xumo and ad tech firms such as Innovid are demoing their products over Zoom with meals delivered via Uber Eats. And instead of SoulCycle classes, TV networks are offering agency executives subscriptions to meditation apps.

Considering how many advertisers have canceled or paused campaigns as they deal with pandemic, these not-so-subtle sales pitches may seem particularly superfluous at the moment. However, in an industry that likes to describe itself as a relationship business, agency executives on the receiving end of these offerings said they have become valuable for managing relationships at a time when there isnt much business to be done so long as they are handled properly.

Everyone wants to do a webinar, and it feels very opportunistic and salesy, said one agency executive. The tone matters more than anything else.

As an example of how companies approaches can differ, this agency executive said they have received food delivery gift cards from two different ad tech companies. In one case, the company sent it seemingly at random with no communication from the sales representative at the company. In the other case, the companys sales rep sent an email asking for ideas of shows to stream during quarantine. Its the difference between Hey, heres a coupon and Hey, how can I engage with you from a relationship perspective? this executive said.

To their credit, those on the sales side largely are skewing more toward the interpersonal versus the nakedly transactional, according to agency executives.

[TV] networks are coming back to advertisers and agencies and saying, How can we help you in any way? said a second agency executive. This executive, who has been in the industry for more than three decades and worked through multiple economic downturns, said the extent of these current relationship management efforts are something novel. I havent seen this before.

What would normally be considered gifts are being received as care packages by agency executives. In some cases, the items, such as gift cards to food delivery apps, are being offered in exchange for agency executives participating in virtual lunch-and-learn meetings. But in others, they are being provided with no strings attached, such as the $7 gift cards for Amazon Prime Video movie rentals that Innovid has sent streaming video ad buyers.

The gestures have gone beyond such gifts to be more open-ended offers of aid, be that creative services assistance or Sudoku strategy advice, according to agency executives. Its not really a sales conversation anymore, said Clair Bergman, associate media director at The Media Kitchen.

While ad sellers are asking if theres any data they can provide to help agencies and advertisers navigate the present uncertainties and implicitly steer any available ad dollars in the media companies direction they are more often checking in to see how people are coping and sharing puzzle ideas and other ways they are passing the time in quarantine. Its been a breath of fresh air, said Bergman.

Seamless gift cards, care packages and meditation app subscriptions: How ad sellers are adapting their sales tactics

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Seamless gift cards, care packages and meditation app subscriptions: How ad sellers are adapting their sales tactics - Digiday

As usual today also Hima was travelling back home after a long day at office. She stepped inside and soon found a comfortable seat.She was quite and just observing the people who were boarding the bus. During these hours there were hardly any smiles on the faces of the boarders. She could see tired, weary and given up looks on the faces around.

Hima is talkative but during the journey her face is blank as she is preparing herself secretly for an impossible mission.

The rotation of the wheels announced the start of journey. She closed her eyes and within a fraction of second reached her pre-planned destination. Nature started showering all its bounties generously on her. Here everything seems to be dancing in trance of youth and happiness and her romance attains its zenith. Tender grass allows her to throw her worn out physicality on its soft blades and she starts rejuvenating.

The big fruit acts as a lap and she rests her head on it. The sweet pulpy heart of the fruit calms every swirl of thoughts inside her nuttier brain. The exotic leafy hands caress her cheeks and she sinks her face in those careful hands. Meanwhile the soothing windy eye-lids give her plenty of butterfly kisses. Soft flower buds gently press against her lips and after few moments leave her dizzy and drunk.

Fully bloomed arms with scented fragrance of a beautiful creeper wraps her body and she surrenders completely to them to treat her with lovely tickles on her back. Later the watery feet of a slow-moving cascade when washes her feet and legs, she starts shrinking with the heavenly pleasure of them. She then embraces, squeezes, cuddles and nestles with her serene romance and goes in deep slumber.

Time intervenes. The wheels are decreasing their rotations and are ready for the halt. She realises the situation and gently opens the eyes of her brain, stands, adjusts her scarf and with very light steps, gets down the vehicle and walks towards her home. This is her routine practice. She visits heavenly bodies, hill- tops, sea- beds, skies and what not. There are no rules or logics in there.She can stroll on the moon without an oxygen supplying mask and can catch the comets, talk to them and even sway them to some other direction.

She can dance with the colourful fish under the crystal clear waters of oceans, and can fly without wings up in the sky without her skirt being fluttered by the naughty wind.

No rules!! No logics!!! Wow!!

Though nothing applies in the virtual world yet time plays its role in the same manner. So now its high time to start her journey towards her home, or say the real world. Her brain automatically starts winding up her visit to the virtual land with the logic of approaching her home station.

The moment she steps down from the vehicle, she unties herself from all the strings attached to the virtual world and comes back in one whole identity to face her very real and not so sweet but logical living world.

But why does she enter that beautiful virtual world?

What is she gaining from that?

The sweetness and softness of the lovable virtual world may have an adverse effect on her view point. She may get stuck in there. She may refuse to come back. She may get confused between the logical and illogical worlds.

But thankfully it never happened, rather the impact of the short lived virtual world was beyond imagination.

You can call this whole process as a me-timetherapy. A weird way of meditation which surprisingly results in showing up peace and contentment on her face. That everydays journey time is her only me-time and she is never ever sharing that time with anyone. Not even in her thoughts. None of her social relations pops up in her mind while having her me-time therapy. This meditation therapy fades away all her whys, whos, wheres, dos and donts. It turns the fierce waves of emotions into a clean,deep but silent lake.

This one wild thing prepares her to accomplish all her duties at home and also for the successful completion of job tasks before the deadline. Just an hour in virtual world and she is all set to manage rest 23 hours.

Give a thought

Move to a place where you are the only one to guide the universe to work according to your own sweet will and where you are not scared of being caught lying carelessly anywhere.You can spoil your clothes, change them and can restart.

Not a bad deal!!

Good luck !!!

[emailprotected]

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Meditation in virtual worldme time therapy - Tehelka

Turn off your worries and tune in to a guided meditation class, as these wellness centres and yoga studios across the UAE are offering soothing online and live-streamed sessions almost every night of the week amid the coronavirus crisis.

Every Tuesday at 9pm, Fitness First Middle East uploads a new meditation class to its YouTube, Instagram and Facebook pages. The 15 to 30-minute sessions incorporate a soothing narration of breathing techniques that are designed to alleviate stress, improve focus and encourage self-kindness. Check out the YouTube channel here.

This alternative therapy centre in Dubai is running a range of online meditation sessions at the moment, from morning gratitude to mindfulness and even past life regression. Theyre run by qualified instructors and last about an hour each. Prices start from Dh30. View the schedule here.

This newly launched Facebook group offers daily live sessions on all sorts of topics, from nutrition and childrens fitness to meditation. For example, Kate Sheikh, the co-founder of Soul Space, is running a 20-minute meditation session on Thursday. Join the group, which already has almost 500 members, and get access to all the latest content.

The popular Dubai wellness and yoga hub, formerly known as Life n One, is gearing up its virtual platform to host a whole range of yoga and meditation sessions. In particular, various instructors are offering a range of sound healing meditations using Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls and gongs. Keep an eye on the website for more details.

Illuminations well-being centre, which has branches in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has all sorts of free and paid-for classes on offer. For example, there are complimentary meditation sessions designed to boost your immunity, delve into past lives and generally find the calm within. These take place throughout the week, alongside practitioner workshops and training courses. Check out the online schedule here.

Every week, this Dubai yoga studio uploads a new schedule and it tends to include at least a couple of meditation sessions led by instructor Neesha. These take place in the afternoon or evenings via Zoom and last for an hour. Theyre open to all levels, from beginners to advanced, and the studio is offering its online classes for Dh45 per session. Packages of five (Dh210) and 10 (Dh400) are also available. Check out the schedule here.

Jivamukti yoga instructor Dina Ghandour, who is based in Dubai, offers a weekly 30-minute meditation session on Tuesday for $6 (Dh22). These are done live via Zoom and can be booked on her scheduling website.

There are a couple of different types of meditation sessions on offer at this Dubai yoga studios online portal. Firstly, Neesha Radia leads a relaxing breathing and meditation session that promises to introduce us to a calmer mind. This one lasts an hour. Alternatively, Zeid Bataineh hosts a 90-minute moving meditation session that incorporates traditional tantra yoga. These are done via Zoom and cost Dh40 for a single session. There are five and 10-class packages available, too, for Dh35 and Dh30 per class respectively. Check out the online schedule here.

Abu Dhabis The Studio is also offering online sessions live via Zoom, with prices starting from Dh35. You could opt for a meditation class with a gentle Yin Yoga sequence incorporated into it, or try a session that also promises to facilitate detox. The class schedule is posted here every week.

The Dubai studio is currently offering only about one meditation session a week online, but there are different options to tune in to. This week, Fatima Garcia is hosting a one-hour sound meditation on Wednesday from 5pm to 6pm, whereas next Wednesday theres a Yoga Nidra session by Benedicte Alice Kapur. The latter is also referred to as yogic sleep and aims to aid emotional and physical healing as you fall into a state somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Check out the online schedule here.

_________________

Read more:

Now is a good time to start your own meditation practice here's expert advice on how to begin

#Namastayathome: 11 online yoga classes led by UAE instructors

11 simple mood boosters: techniques to improve your mental health when staying indoors

_________________

Updated: April 14, 2020 09:18 PM

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Say 'om': 10 UAE wellness centres offering online meditation classes - The National

By Caitlin Welsh2020-03-25 10:42:30 UTC

March Mindfulness is Mashable's series that examines the intersection of meditation practice and technology. Because even in the time of coronavirus, March doesn't have to be madness.

Whether you're social distancing, in lockdown, self-isolating, sheltering in place, working to keep essential services going, or just finding yourself with a lot more free time and uncertainty ahead, you could probably benefit from developing a mindfulness or meditation habit right now. Or at least doing something with your phone that isn't doom-scrolling the news.

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting everyone in different ways, but stress and anxiety is a pretty universal effect. Whether or not you were already in the habit of taking some time regularly to meditate, the practice could be extra helpful for your mental health now and in the coming weeks and months.

There are loads of apps, courses, and other resources to help you develop a regular practice, but some of the most popular apps and guides now have dedicated resources to help you do so in the midst of this unprecedented moment. All the below have free resources, from special access for healthcare workers or people who've lost their income, to apps that are completely free anyway.

Take a deep, slow breath, and let's have a look.

This app is great if youre looking for something with minimal woo-woo vibes. Theres a pricey premium tier, but the Basics course of explanatory videos and guided sessions is free. With most, you can choose from a couple of options depending on how long you have, from just a couple of minutes to longer guided meditations. There are also free daily highlights you can do on their own, including some specific new ones for dealing with coronavirus anxiety.

Theyve even created some free meditations especially for healthcare workers and other coronavirus responders, and are offering those workers free subscriptions too. Their website now includes a whole section on managing anxiety around COVID-19 (the disease caused by coronavirus), with daily live sanity break videos.

App Store, Google Play

The OG gym membership for your mind is a comprehensive go-to in this, uh, space, and theyre now offering free Premium access for people working in U.S. public healthcare. The company says its working on ways to verify healthcare workers in other parts of the world, too.

For everyone else, theres a broader section with some free guided meditations, as well as more specialised resources for work and education.

App Store, Google Play

Calm has an entire page of resources dedicated to mindfulness exercises to practice during isolation.

Calm, another super-popular mindfulness and meditation app, has curated a page full of resources to help you meet this moment together, all of which which you can access in your browser without having to download the app and sign up.

As well as mindfulness exercises and guided meditations at a range of lengths, there are calm body stretching exercises to take care of your working-from-home back, resources for kids, a talk on creativity from Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, calendars to print out with a mindfulness exercise or idea for every day, conversation and kindness prompts to help you reach out to others, and even a half-hour bedtime story read to you by the most chill man in showbiz, Matthew McConaughey. The page is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Korean, and Portuguese.

App Store, Google Play

Insight Timer is incredibly popular and always free, with a library of over 30,000 guided meditations and a simple timer for meditation. You'll need to log in to use them. There's also a premium support tier, which has a generous 30-day trial.

App Store

This free app was designed originally for kids and young adults (and their parents and teachers) but its a comprehensive resource for everyone, including over 41 sessions across 10 modules in its Mindfulness Foundations section for adults. If youre a fan of Australian accents, the narrators soothing, incredibly chill tones are a relaxing listen on their own.

Their COVID-19 resource page isnt as comprehensive as Calms, as the resources are already completely free, but it features simple tips on self-care and grounding yourself during moments of panic, with a super effective, looping breath-guiding animation. The design is super kid-friendly, so it's great if your newly home-schooled littlies need some calm.

App Store, Google Play

Smiling Mind also has a page dedicated to COVID-19 resources.

This app from UCLAs Mindful Awareness Research Center is always free, with (as you might guess) a research-based approach. It includes basic meditations in English and Spanish, and the Center also hosts weekly podcasts from the Hammer Museum, which are currently being held over Zoom for safety reasons and will no doubt be tackling some topical strategies.

App Store, Google Play

This popular app, which focuses on five-minute sessions to help busy people develop a daily practice, also has a collection of online resources dedicated to combating anxiety and other feelings around the coronavirus crisis. Youll need to sign up for a free account to access them.

In a nice inclusive touch, theyre also offering free Premium memberships to anyone who cant afford to pay for them due to loss of income in the pandemic; you can just send them an email. Theres more detail in this blog post by the companys CEO.

App Store, Google Play

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7 meditation and mindfulness apps with free tools for coronavirus anxiety - Mashable

PORTLAND, Ore.

If you feel like your brain is spinning in circles and you cant find a moment of calm in your day, youre not alone. There is a lot of stress in the world right now, for good reason. But its important to find some moments to relax, ease your mind, and be able to just breathe.

One thing that might help with that is meditating. Personally, I have been meditating for a few months now, and I love the benefits it has brought to my brain.

But you dont have to take my word for it.

Its so important to give ourselves a rest. Its really easy to feel overwhelmed right now, says Ryan Kenny, co-founder of Pause Meditation in Portland. We have to be really careful with our mental space because that has a huge impact on our overall health and well-being. So learning to meditate offers us an opportunity to develop ways to relax our minds and our bodies, to restore and replenish some of our energy, and can help us feel more resilient as change continues to unfold.

So if you want to try meditating, where do you start? Start by setting up what Ryan calls a breathing space - a space that feels welcoming and inspiring. This space should, ideally, be away from the typical distractions, like technology.

Whatever you can craft that will feel welcoming, says Ryan.

Here are some things Ryan uses in his breathing space:

Floor cushions (or a chair, if that works better for your body)

Flowers (or anything else beautiful)

Inspirational books

Blankets

Ryan also says that having a sense of community can be very beneficial to your meditation practice. Normally, Pause Meditation hosts group classes in a studio. But right now, during this time of social distancing, for the first time ever, the studio is offering online classes throughout the day.

Its just really neat to see people. Were all isolated in our little corners and doing the best we can, but its really kind of beautiful to see the other people that youre with, and to rely on one another to hold the space for meditation.

Whether youre meditating alone or with others, you still may find it difficult to focus and tune out the world during your practice. But dont worry - that is natural, and ok."

Whats really important to know, is that this is not a practice of eradicating or squashing our thoughts, says Ryan. But what we can do is learn to relate to our thoughts in a different way. And when we notice ourselves get pulled into a stream of thinking, and we gently acknowledge, like, Oh, Im thinking right now! you just kind of touch it, and then you let go, and you come back to your anchor - breath, sound; then youre actually practicing resilience. You expect or hope life to go one way, all of a sudden you find yourself going this way. And then you catch and you correct, and you start over. And so, just the simple practice of noticing your mind take off, coming back, gently resetting can be really nourishing, and prepare us to take on the challenges that are inevitable.

Cassidy Quinn is the host of Tonight With Cassidy on KGW. But right now, like many of you, she is working from home, trying to focus on the happier things going on in the world. Tonight With Cassidy is currently on hiatus, but you can watch previous segments from the showhere, and follow Cassidy on Twitter@CassidyQuinn.

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Feeling stressed? Try meditating to find a moment of calm in your day - KGW.com

Is Now the Time to Try Meditation?

As many of us hunker down in our homes at this frightening and stressful time, there are all kinds of things we are doing to fill the time. Some things we havent done in a while, like the 1000 piece puzzle that is near completion. Other things are brand new, like using Duolingo to learn a foreign language. How about trying out meditation? The science is clear, meditation is a quick way to reduce stress, something we could all use. For those who havent tried before, it can take a little time to get started, so how about now?

When my husband, Nez, was being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) a few years ago, our stress and anxiety was at an all-time high. This is when we both began a meditation practice. We used a free 21-day series by Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra to get started. A new series was just released yesterday #HopeGoesGlobal. You register online and can access the free meditations on your computer, or you can download the app on your phone or iPad. Oprah and Deepak give inspirational thoughts and then there is roughly 15 minutesof meditation.

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There are other choices of course. If you Google free meditation you will get over 400,000 results. MSKCC has a series online as part of their Integrative Medicine. The App Stores have all kinds of offerings, such as Headspace or Calm. You can find meditation on many fitness apps like Peloton, and YouTube is a treasure trove. Find something that speaks to you, find a quiet corner, get comfortable, and get started. Help clear and calm your mind; even if only for a few minutes.

Emily & Nez Nikoo

After meeting at Purdue University, Emily & Nez Nikoo (both Electrical Engineers), married and began their professional journey working together first for the space program and then in media & entertainment. After tackling lifes challenges, Emily gravitated to healthcare innovation and Nez to STEM advocacy and education.

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Finding a Peaceful Place: Is Now the Time to Try Meditation? - TAPinto.net