Written by: Kworq Team on Tue Feb 21

Finding Zen in a Social World

Find peace in the digital age with meditation apps, studios, and unplugging techniques. Embrace mindfulness for a happier, healthier life amid social chaos.

blue background, black side profile with image of space inside

It’s been a busy start to 2017 for the Kworq team. We just finished production for the Lokai #ChooseToChange campaign with our agency friends, RXM; we’re helping to launch a new brand in March; and our partnership with The Founder Institute is off to an incredible start. We’re a small but mighty cohort here at Kworq, but when crazy deadlines and expectations become routine, reality beckons the question: how do we manage our client and work expectations while remaining sane and functioning human beings?

Meditation? Social media detox? Juice cleanse? Well-being and hard work shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, right? We don’t think so — which is why we’ve been scouring the internet for  ways to jumpstart our ~ zen ~ journey.  We thought we might not be the only ones, so read on for some good vibes.

Headspace Headspace is an app-based meditation service that streamlines and simplifies the meditation process for newbies and pros alike. The app describes itself as a “gym membership for your mind”where users can strive to “live a happier, healthier life” with just 10 minutes of meditation a day. From addiction and relationships to insomnia and anxiety, the app-based service offers a range of content in addition to a free introductory trial and a selection of subscriptions packages.  The startup was recently listed on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2017 list and has acquired more than 500,000 subscribers. We’re also digging the company’s motivational subway ads all-around NYC.

Meditation Studios If you’re craving a physical space to release and de-stress without devices, a meditation studio might do the trick. There’s an influx of meditation businesses taking over the space where health and wellness meets corporate life. What was once a lifestyle at odds with demands of corporate America is now becoming a hallmark of quality work-life balance in offices all over the world. Google, Target and Intel are just a handful of companies catching on to the advantages of integrating mindfulness programs in the workplace for their employees.

For those of us lacking in mindfulness options stationed at work, meditation classes and boutique studios are popping up all over wellness mecca Los Angeles as well as here in New York City. MNDFL is a new meditation studio with locations in Williamsburg, Upper East Side, Greenwich Village, with a new location just opening in Flatiron.

The studio offers guests an array of meditation-focused classes with a variety of themes ranging from breath and movement to mantra and emotions. The company also hosts a series of videos for mindfulness on demand to satisfy your meditation needs at home or on-the-go. Future office field trip anyone?

Lose Yourself in a Book Sometimes the best way to escape reality is to nosedive into fictional life, through the words and eyes of someone else. What a more direct way to do this than through books? For a topically relevant read, Dave Eggers’ book The Circle addresses themes of connection, social media addiction and technology in a covert but entertaining manner. As described by The Huffington Post,

The Circle has a way of making you take a step back from our interconnectedness and if you let his writing get to you, you’re likely to just drop your phone on the floor and take a few steps back from it.”

If you’re looking for an alternative book option, try a “zen coloring book” to tap into your inner child zone and block out digital distractions.

Unplugging 101 In a time where the 24 hour news cycle might actually drive us insane and our smart phones beckon an answer to every ping, terms like “unplugging” and “self-care” are becoming increasingly common. Scroll through any article on tips and techniques to declutter your life and mind, the light suggestion of a ‘digital detox’ strikes as vital, especially for those of us constantly tied to our technology devices (#agencylife).

There’s real life research conducted on the benefits of detoxing from our digital worlds to practice self-face and better enhance our lives . Better sleep, healthier relationships, and improved posture are just a few of the benefits reported to improve when technology is less present in our lives.

It’s all about baby steps, folks.

What are some ways you’re blocking out the digital noise? Share your tips with us below in the comments section!

Article by: Krysten Peck


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