The Longest Trend in Hollywood
Keep Calm and Meditate
In the fast-paced world where trends come and go, Hollywood is one of the places to look for the latest inspiration and idea. But there is one trend that never fades with time and has even gone from strong to stronger: meditation.
In its typical Hollywood fashion, the type of meditation is as varied as styles, with bird watching having become the latest form of meditation touted by celebrities and stars as an excellent tool in calming their minds. Among them are Daryl Hannah, Cameron Diaz, and Pretty Little Liars’ star Ian Harding. The ‘Creed’ star Michael B. Jordan also practices meditation as part of his daily routine. They represent the young generation of stars who make it part of their routines.
But it’s the older generations who are credited for popularizing meditation. From Richard Gere, Oprah Winfrey, and Jim Carrey to Adele, Lady Gaga, and JK Rowling. Billionaires such as Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson have also said meditation plays a major role in helping them navigate through stressful days and find inner peace.
It is not surprising why meditation has become more than a fad in the entertainment business. To reach their highest potentials, artists rely heavily on creativity and imagination for inspiration, all of which fostering excessive thinking. This leads to mental exhaustion particularly in those who are not good at managing their emotions. If left unsolved, it could progress to mental illness.
The power of meditation cannot be underestimated as attested by Oprah Winfrey, an A-list media personality who promotes meditation whenever she has an opportunity. For her, meditation isn’t just beneficial and helpful, but life-changing.
Winfrey is America’s first African-American billionaire who rose from rags to riches to become the ‘Queen of All Media’. For more than four decades, she has built her career through telling inspiring stories about herself and others in The Oprah Winfrey Show, and dedicating her wealth on philanthropic projects under the Oprah Winfrey Foundation.
As inspiring as it is, her stories also reveal a deep trauma imbedded in her heart. Reading a person’s tragic life story and experiencing it are two different things.
Born in a rural Mississippi, Winfrey was raised by her teenage mother and relatives. Her father, a Baptist preacher, left the family since she was two years old. Growing up alone in a farm without a television, the little girl did not know what shoes were, and never had a dress until she went to school. But it was this period that she developed her love for books and learned to read and write before she even turned three.
Throughout her teens, Winfrey had struggled to stay strong after she moved to live with her mother and siblings. The girl was constantly abused and felt her life was full of challenges as she was often told that she was “nothing” and that she could “never do anything.”
In her interviews with media outlets, Winfrey said that meditation made her “a 1000% better person” and “transformed” her life. The changes have been so profound that she paid for meditation course fees for all 400 employees in her company.
The TV host was first introduced to serious meditation when she made a documentary about transcendental meditation and its impacts in reducing crime rates in the community, while increasing the general well-being of practitioners. When Winfrey tried it for the first time, she said it was a “powerfully energizing yet calming experience.” At the end of the session, she was full of “full of hope, a sense of contentment, and deep joy.”
Since then, meditation has become her morning routine, like more than half of Hollywood A-listers who believe that meditation is the key to a successful life. Numerous interviews with these celebrities have shown that the most important reason they make mindfulness meditation part of their lives is how the practice keeps them stay grounded.
Call it philosophy, a principle, or a motto, we all have our own set of rules that serve as a life compass whether we realize it or not. How wonderful would it be if we can train our minds to be more reliable when making decisions? It is even more crucial when we’re now bombarded with pressure to be famous and successful, and could forget what really matters in life.
Even someone with extraordinary inner strength like Winfrey finds tremendous benefits of mindfulness and a renewed sense of true happiness through meditation. So, if there is one trend worth jumping on the bandwagon, why not meditation?
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