The Mindfulness Industry is now worth over $1.2 BILLION DOLLARS. It’s become the greatest thing since sliced bread (or float tanks).

Quick experiment. Fire up Google and type in “mindfulness”.

You’ll find thousands of websites, books, & apps created to help you meditate, sleep, chill out , etc.

Calm now has a TV ad with Lebron James, Sam (& Dan) Harris both have their own mindfulness apps, and Headspace now has a freaking Netflix series.

And don’t even get me started on all the cringey celebrity endorsements for Transcendental Meditation…

I’m not blabbing on to dismiss the scientific benefits of mindfulness or meditation. I am a daily meditator and try to be as mindful as I can be. I often recommend meditation, breathing techniques, and mindfulness exercises to my clients.

What I am not OK with is how mindfulness is becoming another monthly subscription service or book you need to purchase in order to find inner peace & tranquility.

Mindfulness is a state of consciousness and awareness of the present moment.

Let’s try to be conscious and aware that meditation or being mindful should not cost you anything but your time and effort. If something like an app or teacher helps your practice then cool but beware the capitalization of mindfulness.

After all, the ancient Buddhists and Hindus never paid for Headspace.