InHere Meditation Spaces: Peace in a Pod
Yesterday morning I put my feet up, headphones on and melted into my seat, soaking up a soothing guided meditation. This might not sound particularly remarkable, except I was slap-bang in the middle of a buzzing London co-working space, alive with the chatter of creative types going about their work and hanging out in the stylish café.
I was fortunate enough to be the first person to try out InHere’s meditation pod at the trendy Uncommon co-working space in Borough. While this pod is only available to Uncommon members, it’s a precursor to a fully-fledged meditation studio that will be launching to the public in Fitzrovia later this year.
InHere was conceived by Adiba Osmani, a former management consultant who took her first meditation class at the Kamalaya health and wellness retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand. She says simply that she saw people’s faces change after meditating and wanted to create a business that would help do the same.
The benefits of meditation have been long documented; research shows that meditating, even for short bursts, can help us think more clearly, manage stress, sleep deeper, work more effectively and live in a more contented, peaceful way.
Adiba has practiced daily meditation for 12 years and radiates good health and vitality, and clearly has found her passion in bringing bite size meditation to the masses. She now works alongside a business partner, Ghazal Abrishamchi, a neuroscientist and breath work teacher.
There are 15 guided meditations to choose from, featuring Adiba’s gentle voice, or a selection of five sounds. They have different lengths, from 5 to 30 minutes, so even the most time poor can squeeze one in. However, there’s no pressure to meditate – the pods can be used as a space to relax, switch off, or think about something – whatever’s needed at that given moment.
The pods are made of sustainable sapele wood slats in an oval shape, framed with a fringed curtain for privacy. I’d worried that I would feel self-conscious inside, but any concern disappeared as I reclined on the chair and browsed through the options. I selected the “Centre” guided meditation, to help me feel calm and focused about my workload for the week ahead. The breathing techniques were easy to follow and I quickly relaxed. The time passed in a flash and I happily bounced out, feeling motivated to crack on with a few new projects.
According to the Government’s National Health Executive (NHE), over half a million UK workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17. One wonders how much of this could be reduced if we all took a little time every day to stop and just “be”.
- Carla O’Shaughnessy blogs at www.jabberwock.me
