Some of the earliest records on meditation date all the way back to 1500 BCE. Obviously, meditation has been around for a long time. But meditation is on the rise in the West like never before and it’s being capitalized on. Fortune Magazine says that “meditation has become a billion-dollar business.”
There’s plenty of debate within the meditation community about whether or not “mindfulness should be for sale.” Personally, I don’t care. After dabbling in meditation here and there for a decade, I found Headspace and it changed everything. The guided meditations made meditation approachable and understandable. I was happy to pay the $7.99/mo. For the service. I also use Calm. Both are great services. If someone is making a little money bringing meditation to the masses, then I say, “who cares?”
A quick side note: I do not approve of employers implementing mindfulness meditation programs in their businesses for the sole purpose of justifying longer hours and even more ridiculous work conditions. “Oh, employee, you’re stressed? Well we set up a meditation corner, so, you know, get over it.” Mindfulness is about awareness, not coping. So, let’s put an end to that perversion.
Not everyone is charging a subscription for guided meditations. There are lots of resources out there and I’m excited to announce that Guideful is now offering its entire guided meditation library for free.
Guideful has a half dozen teachers (from all over the world) who have submitted guided meditations to Guideful to be streamed, for free, by anyone.