New York City’s largest mass meditation will take place at Madison Square Garden this month, stealing the record from the 2000-strong group meditation at SummerStage last year. When it comes to relaxation, New York City might not be at the top of your list of destinations. It’s a little like going to Rome to celebrate your atheism. Nevertheless, the city is the destination for a massive group meditation in one of the city’s landmark venues, Madison Square Garden. Last July, mass meditation specialists The Big Quiet organized a 2,000-person meditative session at SummerStage in central park. It was, up to that point, their largest to date. This summer the company is swinging for the fences and trying to fill MSG with 2,100 people to participate in a mass meditation.
If you’re anything like me, used to the relentless sound of car horns and sirens, this idea of sitting in a quiet room with 2099 strangers sounds more like an inventive torture than a relaxing pastime. For myself, a big part of that anxiety comes from the fact I’ve never done it before. One thing is a fact, with stressful jobs and a fast paced environment, some guided relaxation is probably something I/we all need. Thankfully, for first-timers like us, we will be taught a simple guided meditation technique so we can make the most out of the time we spend there.The mass meditation will last around 60 minutes. That time includes:
- A standing body movement warm-up led by one The Big Quiets partners in the event Outdoor Voices and Sky Ting.
- a 20-minute meditation and various acoustic performances.
- Then there will be closing statements.
- Before and after there will be 30 minutes for you to hang out and grab some photos of one of the worlds most famous venues.
Appart from all of the above there will also be some sweet swag to take home with you, like $15 free app credit for Sweetgreen for everyone who attends.
NYC is hardly a mecca for the most Zen in society, but one thing we do have is an eclectic mix of people and cultures. That itself could propel this event into something really record breaking, at least in NYC terms.
