Okay, let me be upfront and tell you that I wrote this week’s blog simply because I was super interested in the subject. As these things tend to happen, a simple Google search to satiate one of my many questions throughout the day lead me down a rabbit hole which has culminated and resulted in this post.
I really hope you like this post as much as I enjoyed researching it!
Meditation Madness
Is it just me, or does it seem like meditation is everywhere these days? Whether you’re in the checkout line at the grocery store and you see a magazine cover headlining the latest and greatest meditation technique or you’re watching a news special on TV, it seems like the meditation and mindfulness movement is indeed here to stay.
Here are the facts:
Before the year 2000, the number of scientific articles related to mindfulness or meditation was under 100….
Just 15 years later, that number has grown to over 32,000 articles (3)!!!
And it’s not just our popular culture that’s obsessed with meditation. It seems like everyone from scientists to doctors to business owners are interested in this simple yet profound practice.
In fact, as sited in several articles, roughly 22% of employers were expected to offer mindfulness training for employees in the year 2017!
Think about that!
That means, 1 out of every 4 companies taught meditation and mindfulness a year ago and if the current estimated growth rate of 11.4% persists (4), the number of employers helping their employees lives more mindfully could surpass 1 out of every 3 companies by the year 2020!
I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of potential here… Not just for the teacher and practitioner of meditation, but also for the conscious growth of capitalism.
Whether some people like it or not, the meditation industry is no different than any other in that it exists solely to grow.
In 2015, “The U.S. meditation market was estimated to be valued at $959 million, growing to $1.8 billion in 2016 and $1.21 billion in 2017”…By now the meditation industry could be north of $1.3 billion (4)!
That’s a lot of cash!!!!
Furthermore, 18 million Americans surveyed in 2017 said they have tried meditation. Meaning, 8% of our population is already meditating and as science and the capitalistic machine continue to catch up, the number of Americans meditating is bound to grow (6).
Why Now?
After doing a lot of research I came up with 3 reasons that might help explain the recent explosion in the mindfulness and meditation industry.
We are stressed the eff out!!!! I’m not sure there has ever been a time like this in history. With so much information being shoved down our throats and with so much global competition and angst, it’s no wonder people are feeling anxious and looking for ways to chill out.
It’s becoming cool to meditate. Here is a list of famous people that you might know who have publicly discussed their meditation practices: Katy Perry, Russell Brand (my personal favorite), Madonna, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Seinfeld, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Howard Stern and the list goes on…I don’t know about you guys, but if was a young impressionable kid today and I saw people like this talking about meditation, I’d definitely be on board (1), (2)!
The science is starting to back it up! With new innovations in science and technology, it’s never been easier for us to understand what happens to those who practice meditation. F-MRI scans, CAT Scans, and other medical advances allow us to see the tangible benefits of practicing mindfulness. For years, practitioners of meditation espoused its benefits, but it wasn’t until this latest turn of the century that we humans were able to verify the claims with our technology.
As technology improves so too will the methods and ways in which we meditate so if you ask me, it’s an exciting time to be alive! Our generation has the opportunity to help spread this ancient and powerful practice around the world!
Imagine a world where everyone knew how to observe and meditate -what would that world look like? In my humble opinion, a world of mindfulness is a world I would love to live in so the best thing I can do is to start with myself…
Thank you as always for reading our blogs! We hope you liked todays post and if you do, be sure to let us know! I was truly blown away with the growth of meditation over the last 2 decades and hopefully after reading this article you will be too!!!
Until next time!!
Why Meditation and Mindfulness Training Is One of the Best Industries for Starting a Business in 2017
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