Blog Profiles: Mindfulness Blogs

Welcome to Blog Profiles! Each week, we select a topic and a handful of blogs that do a great job contributing to the conversation. We’ve all been dealing with a lot recently, so this week’s roundup is dedicated to mindfulness blogs to help us recenter. Do you have a blog that deserves recognition? Tweet our writers at @BeyondBylines.

Getting back out into the world and basically relearning how to socialize has been A LOT. So I wanted to look for a few blogs that can help readers recenter and slow down a bit. I was specifically looking for mindfulness blogs.

Curious how mindfulness can help? The American Psychological Association lists a few benefits of being in this state of “moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment,” including:

• Reduced stress
• Improvements to working memory
• Better focus
• More relationship satisfaction

These mindfulness blogs are great for anyone new to the practice, experts, and everyone in between.

1. The Art of Living

The Art of Living Foundation provides courses dedicated to creating a stress-free, violence-free society. It was founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a humanitarian and spiritual teacher.

The nonprofit operates around the world helping people find inner peace, happiness, and well-being. Programs include breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and practical wisdom for daily living.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, adjusting to our new normal has been a lot. A recent Art of Living post looks at the potentially damaging effects of this near-constant stress and how a specific breath-based meditation can help. Another recent post takes a humorous look at the good and bad effects of meditation.

Follow @artoflivingusa on Twitter.

Nature can have a calming and normalizing effect on the mind and body. Let this be a reminder for you to make a point to get outside for at least 30 minutes every day. Being near and spending time in nature is measurably better for your mental health, both short and long term. pic.twitter.com/ZUkXBGUnFQ

— Art of Living Mid Atlantic (@artoflivingusaa) July 24, 2021

2. Black Zen

According to the website, Black Zen was created “to remove any and all social and financial barriers that restrict black and brown communities from discovering the benefits of meditation, and to make all communities feel included and seen in the wellness space.”

Founders Stacey and Jasmine both have experience in the practice. They came up with the idea to make meditation and mindfulness more accessible. They view their creation as more of a social movement than a self-help initiative. And during a time of great divisions and increased stress, I found their mission especially appealing.

A recent post looks at the benefits of meditation and mindfulness during turbulent times. “When we meditate, we give ourselves a chance to see society’s problems on a much larger scale, our personal view gets a wider perspective, and we become equipped with a lens that sees all possible outcomes rather than just focusing on the current state of affairs,” the post explains.

And don’t forget to check out the podcast.

Follow @StaceyBZen on Twitter.

Without an app, your girls at Black Zen made the list 😊😌 #meditation #meditateeveryday

8 Meditation Apps To Consider For When You Just Need A Moment https://t.co/QNMEPxzKXN via @refinery29

— Stacey Zen (@StaceyBZen) June 9, 2020

3. The Mindfulness Project

The Mindfulness Project, based in London, is a hub for learning to meditate and practice mindfulness. The teachers aim to make mindfulness more accessible and relatable while keeping it meaningful.

From the site, users can attend mindfulness courses like meditations, sleep workshops, journaling workshops, and more. The blog is updated regularly and covers a range of mindful-related topics, including how to be mindful in our communication, eating habits, and health.

When I think of mindfulness, I usually think of quieting the mind and body – focusing on being still. So I was intrigued when I saw a post about 5Rhythms, a form of movement meditation. This unique form of mindfulness helps us connect with our bodies, connect with others, and just be free.

And if you suffer from insomnia (it’s a recurring Sunday night problem for me), mindfulness can offer an alternative to counting sheep. “We stop trying to fight the situation, and instead surrender to it with awareness and self-kindness,” the post explains.

Follow @LondonMindful on Twitter.

Join us for this workshop on Mindfulness for Perfectionism with Dr. Pavel Somov, an internationally renowned clinical psychologist, speaker and author.

For bookings: https://t.co/yUKxL5Pw6s pic.twitter.com/yVN2SnGOGu

— The Mindfulness Project (@LondonMindful) July 23, 2021

4. Mindful Matter

This is the blog from Holstee, which provides tools and inspiration to help members live a more meaningful life. Members receive monthly art and an actionable journal connected to the month’s theme. They can also attend regular meet-ups with other members and access additional resources.

The blog content typically relates to one of Holstee’s monthly themes. Themes include intention, wellness, simplicity, resilience, and more. And the simple, clean design of the site is a big plus for me – seems like the mindful themes have been applied everywhere.

Recently, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with the amount of stuff around me, and decluttering/minimalizing is appealing. So the posts about getting more out of less and digital minimalism caught my eye right away.

Follow @holstee on Twitter.

✏️ Do you pledge to be open and compassionate toward your creative self? pic.twitter.com/aPYqUgknsc

— Holstee (@holstee) July 9, 2021

If you’re looking for more wellness content, check out our roundups of self-care, stress management, and meditation blogs.

P.S. Ever wonder how we come up with ideas for our blog profiles? Our handy list of industries and subjects on PR Newswire for Journalists stays top of mind. If you’re a blogger or journalist looking for wellness or mental health news, let us know. We can customize a newsfeed for you.

Rocky Parker is the Digital Content Lead at Cision PR Newswire. She works with journalists, bloggers, and content creators to create their targeted newsfeeds from PR Newswire for Journalists. Rocky has also counseled on content writing best practices. Check out her previous posts for Beyond Bylines. In her free time, Rocky typically can be found cooking, binge-watching a new show, or playing with her puppy, Hudson.