Research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected people’s physical health, but it’s come with a heavy psychological toll as well. In a study published in July 2020 in Globalization and Health, experts found that COVID-19 has been directly responsible for increased stress, anxiety, and depression in people and communities around the world. As we continue to navigate a sea of uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, one possible way to help quell persistent stress is meditation. A well-known mind and body practice that helps promote relaxation and calmness, meditation has been used throughout history to help people improve their health and well-being, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you’re wondering whether meditation is right for you, one upside of meditating is the wealth of mental health benefits it has to offer. A review published in JAMA Internal Medicine that included data from 47 studies with 3515 participants showed that meditation can help improve anxiety, depression, pain, and stress over time. Another helpful aspect of meditation, especially as the pandemic wears on, is that there are plenty of ways to practice it virtually, making this stress-reducing technique compatible with our “new normal” of social distancing. The authors of a study published in March 2021 in Global Advances in Health and Medicine investigated the effects of mindfulness — a type of meditation — in 233 people, all of whom accessed a mindfulness session online. The results of the study showed that engaging in a single, virtual mindfulness session helped temporarily decrease participants’ anxiety, stress, and worries about COVID-19. So, what makes meditation a good salve for stress, especially during COVID-19? Meditating can help you center yourself and bring your awareness into the present moment, says Alexis Conason, PsyD, a licensed psychologist in private practice in New York City, and author of The Diet-Free Revolution. “When we think about stress and anxiety, it’s almost always about things that are not happening right now,” says Dr. Conason. “We tend to worry a lot about things that have already happened in the past, or we worry about things in the future that haven’t happened yet and likely will never happen, at least not in the way that we imagine it. “So, certain types of meditation [like mindfulness] can help us focus our awareness on what’s actually happening right here, right now in the present moment, and that tends to be a less stressful moment than the one in our mind,” Conason adds. Not to mention, live virtual meditation sessions can help give you a sense of community, especially during the pandemic as social distancing measures continue. Humans are inherently social beings, explains Conason, which is one reason that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken such a toll on our mental health. “A spiritual community or ‘sangha’ has long been an important component of meditation in Buddhist traditions,” Conason explains. “While meditation may seem like a solitary practice, it is very much about our relationship with others and how we are all interconnected.” Thinking of giving virtual meditation a go? If you’re not sure how to start, here are four live virtual meditations you can try to help feel a greater sense of community — even from a distance — as the pandemic wears on.
1. Live Virtual Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness — the form of meditation that participants tried in the virtual study mentioned earlier — is a meditation technique that’s focused on bringing your full awareness into the present moment, says Conason, who teaches mindfulness to her patients. “It’s not about clearing your mind or going off into some kind of existential state or anything like that. It’s really just about being fully present with a sense of nonjudgmental observation and acceptance of the moment,” she explains. Mayo Clinic states that in mindfulness meditation, you can use breathing techniques and guided imagery to help direct your mind away from negative emotions, planning, and problem-solving — which can all contribute to stress. To try mindfulness virtually, Conason recommends the free app Insight Timer, which she describes as “the YouTube of meditation apps” because of its wealth of content offerings. “Insight Timer has some great guided meditations from well-recognized meditation instructors, and they also have a timer feature where you can just set the timer and guide yourself through a meditation for however long you want,” Conason explains. Not to mention — Insight Timer has a “sangha” aspect to it. You can participate in Insight Timer’s meditations in a live class format from wherever you are. The app allows you to add live meditations to your calendar and, according to Insight Timer’s website, you can engage with the meditation instructors. But if you’re in a time crunch, you can still access Insight Timer’s mindfulness meditations on demand. And, if you’d like to experience the premium features of Insight Timer, you can upgrade to Member Plus ($60 per year).
2. Online Airbnb Meditation
Airbnb offers more than just accommodations for your next trip to the mountains or tropical getaway — according its website, you can also book online experiences, including meditations, for small groups of people. One popular live online meditation experience on Airbnb is hosted by a Japanese Buddhist monk named Kuniatsu. He teaches classes via Zoom, and up to 25 to 30 people (either individuals or private groups) can participate starting at $14 per person. Another live, virtual option available through Airbnb is a tarot card reading and meditation. The host, Shilpa, offers classes via Zoom for groups of 10 to 100 (either individuals or private groups), with pricing beginning at $64 per person.
3. Outdoor Virtual Meditation With a Friend
Even though you and your friends can’t yet be together indoors, why not bring things outside and try a live, virtual meditation from your smartphone or tablet in your backyard or a spacious, local park? According to recent COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people from different households can gather in outdoor settings as long as they’re seated at least six feet apart. Another aspect of meditation that lends itself well to the outdoors? Although often practiced while seated upright, meditation can also be done while walking. “Walking meditations, especially as the weather gets nicer, are great for people who have trouble sitting during meditation or who want to incorporate some movement,” says Jenine Camins, a certified meditation and mindfulness instructor in Denver, Colorado who teaches meditation in workplace settings. You could try a virtual walking meditation outdoors with a friend, says Camins, though during the meditation session itself, you would not engage with one another. “Their anchor or focus would be to stay in their own present experience by feeling the sensations of the movement in their body and walking slowly, or by using their senses to notice their environment,” Camins explains.
4. Peloton Live, Virtual Meditations (and Invite a Friend!)
Like Insight Timer, the Peloton app ($12.99 per month) offers a plethora of live, virtual meditation classes with different instructors, and depending on your schedule, you can choose meditations as short as five minutes or as long as 30 minutes. The kinds of meditations available range from energizing to calming to sleep meditations. And not only can you can add live meditations to your calendar on the app using the “Schedule” function, but if you have friends who also use the Peloton app, you can invite them to join you so that you can both experience the live session together — which Camins says can help you stay committed to meditating. “If there is a scheduled live class, we make that appointment with ourselves and tend to account for that in our schedule and show up. This is especially true during the pandemic,” says Camins. “Having a live class offered can give people something to look forward to and participating with a group contributes to our sense of belonging.” And if something comes up in your schedule and you can’t make the live meditation, the classes are recorded and available on demand on the Peloton app under the “Meditation” section of the “Classes” tab.
