It’s 2 p.m. on a Monday, and a pre-recorded voice is instructing my coworkers and I to focus on our breathing. My eyes are closed, feet flat on the floor, and the air in MediationWorks’ cozy mobile studio, set up in Hour Media’s parking lot, is still. I’m attempting to work through distractions stemming from my deadlines and never-ending to-do list, and as I quiet these thoughts, the outside world begins to fade, the sound of my inhale and exhale amplifies.
I first noticed the black and orange MeditationWorks mobile clinic a few months ago while I was driving to our Troy headquarters. Prior to that, I had only briefly experienced meditation-induced relaxation at the end of yoga classes and during a trial run of the popular Headspace app. Taking a 10-minute, mid-day meditation break at work, however, felt unprecedented, innovative, and far more appealing than an afternoon meeting that I was in.
Fittingly, Jake Leider, COO of Meditation Works, co-founded the traveling mindfulness concept in 2016 with his mother, program director Joanne Leider, partly to alleviate the amount of stressors experienced by metro Detroit office dwellers. Today, the Huntington Woods-based business offers nearly 100 meditation sessions to clients like Mike Morse Law Firm, Leo Burnett, and Magna, and participants report seeing an increase in positivity, decreased stress, and boosts in creativity. “It’s fast, easy, mindfulness,” Jake says. “People come back [to work] in a completely different mood.”
Considering it’s our team’s first time using MeditationWorks’ services, we’re not expected to experience benefits immediately. Yet, when the session concludes, I can at least understand why Jake vouches for workplace meditation. As I slowly open my eyes, I feel calm. It may seem small, but like many others on the 9-5 grind, it’s a distraction I eagerly welcome.
For more information, visit meditationworks.com.
|
|
|
