March Mindfulness is Mashable's new series that examines the explosive growth in mindfulness and meditation technology — culminating in our groundbreaking meditation bracket contest.
What's a meditation bracket contest, you ask? Inspired by March Madness, we turn meditation into a competition using brain-scanning technology and an innovative scoring system. Competitive meditation is, at its core, the only sport you win by not caring about winning.?
Beyond the contest, we also explore the pervasiveness of "hashtag mindfulness," virtual reality meditation, why mindfulness may not work for you, and the burgeoning science of neurosculpting.?
Think of Competitive Meditation as the mental equivalent of a summer softball league. Using a brain-sensing headband, it lets friends and colleagues play for bragging rights over who can keep the coolest head.
At the same time, it demystifies the act and pursuit of meditation, in particular bringing it to the attention of those competitive Type-A personas who often need its calming and coping effects the most. What's not to love?
Two groups of meditators agreed to participate. One group consisted of the employees of Calm, the world's most popular meditation app, which claims 45 million downloads. The other group was the local chapter of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, which teaches to focus on the soul over the body, and to "enjoy the everlasting effects of meditation." The for-profit vs. the nonprofit. The material-world mavens vs. the spiritual cyphers. New school vs. old school, tech vs. tradition.?
Previously on March Mindfulness: We took the sport of Competitive Meditation to what you might call professional meditators at a local meditation center and Silicon Valley's top meditation app. This week's round brings the tournament to two groups of people more concerned with video games than mindfulness.?
The world final of Competitive Meditation was an absolute thrill ride. Two rivals from a previous match went head to head again; the one who lost last time found redemption and became the best version of her inner self. It had all the "do you believe in miracles" drama we expect, but so rarely actually get, from our sports. And it all took place in just five minutes.
At Silicon Valley’s spiritual retreat, the stressed seek help for their brains in a new practice: neurosculpting. Shaking, gargling, and mind-altering techniques are involved.
In a culture obsessed with self-care, feeling like you've failed at the practice of mindfulness can breed unique feelings of frustration, resentment, and even shame. It seems so simple: Quietly observing your thoughts, you remain open to and curious about the present moment without judging the ideas that ping back and forth in your consciousness. You expect to experience the benefits that research says mindfulness can offer, including reduced stress, increased attentional focus, less emotional volatility, and improved relationship satisfaction. Except, for some people, that's not what happens.
Instead of an app simply telling you to close your eyes and breathe, with virtual reality meditation you can go somewhere exotic and mesmerizing for a one-on-one relaxation vacation without really going anywhere.
Can simply "being mindful" while, say, sipping a kale smoothie, constitute a mindfulness practice? Some experts say, yes!
But what being mindful means to you — especially when you're posting about that moment on Instagram — may constitute a different version of mindfulness than the one that has prompted medical studies and attracted serious adherents across the globe.
At a time when companies like Calm are achieving unicorn status by building out overwhelmingly vast libraries of guided meditations you can access for a monthly fee, Tap In's one option is a refreshing, if rough, antidote. The idea is simple: tune in at 12 p.m. PT Monday through Friday for a single, 10-minute live, guided meditation session.?