For those who need a little mental break in their hectic travel schedule (don’t we all!) American Airlines now offers the meditation app Calm to help ease your nerves in the air.
American is the first airline to partner with the meditation and sleep app, which was named the best iPhone app of the year by Apple in 2017. They introduced the app to travelers in October.
Calm in the air
The meditative content was developed for the airline based on research by Tamara Levitt, head of mindfulness at Calm, who has been practicing meditation for more than 20 years.
Levitt has studied many different practices and traditions such as mindfulness meditation, Vipassana, Shambhala, Zen, and Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist teachings. She has studied with a long list of meditation teachers, so her expertise runs deep.
Calm created three exclusive sessions geared toward the specific stressors that can accompany air travel: deep breathing, focusing on specific sensations, and body scanning.
Calm’s soothing nature scenes are also integrated into the airline’s new boarding videos.
Want to know what it’s like? You can try out one of Calm’s meditation sessions in this video:
Calm’s in-air content follows in the footsteps of other attempts to bring a moment of peace to an otherwise very hectic, loud and stressful experience.
Calm competitor Headspace started working with Virgin Atlantic in 2011. It now offers its in-flight meditation sessions and mindfulness exercises on eleven airlines, including United and Delta.
It’s a trend we love.
The importance of mindfulness
Mindfulness can be a hugely beneficial activity to help support a healthy lifestyle. Especially when we feel particularly stressed or overwhelmed.
It’s a deceptively simple activity that takes some dedicated effort to benefit the most from. But once you get some practice in the technique, you can use it to find small moments of calm and stillness throughout your day, no matter where you are.
I’ve used meditation apps to help tackle stress, fall asleep, and help motivate me to exercise and find inspiration in my work.
Have you tried a meditation app in the air? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to tag #ITravelWell with all your travel meditation tips and finds.
Other inflight wellness tips you may like:
Airlines Are Giving Travelers Some Much-Needed Headspace for In-Flight Wellness
Traveling With High Blood Pressure: Travel Tips From Cardiologist Dr. Desai
ANA Airlines Wants to Help You Recharge En Route
Inappropriate Airplane Behaviour: Have you done these?
