World Meditation Day Is May 21

World Meditation Day happens every year on May 21.

Let’s be honest: most of the “National this-and-that” days that show up on your social media feeds these days are marketing stunts.

But World Meditation Day doesn’t have an agenda.

It’s just a gentle reminder that if you’re looking for less stress and more calm, meditation is an option.

Let’s explore what World Meditation Day is, and some ideas for incorporating it into your schedule.

When is World Meditation Day?

World Meditation Day happens every year on May 21.

Depending on the sources you check, you can find a couple of different answers for when World Meditation Day actually happens.

However, May 21 has become the consensus based on a number of authoritative mindfulness organizations who’ve celebrated on this day, including:

• Headspace, which ran a live World Meditation Day meditation on May 21, 2020 (link)
• Calm, which ran an event on May 21, 2021 (link)
• Gaia, which ran an event on May 21, 2021 (link)

How do you celebrate World Meditation Day?

There’s no “one way” to celebrate World Meditation Day.

But if there’s one thing you may want to do, it’s the obvious:

Find a way to incorporate meditation into your schedule.

There are plenty of ways to do this, whether you participate in an online meditation gathering, or attend an event in your local community.

Some people choose to meditate individually, while others gather together in groups to meditate. Whatever you choose to do, this is a day that can help you strengthen your meditation habit.

6 ideas to celebrate World Meditation Day

Here are a few ways you might consider incorporating meditation into your life on World Meditation Day.

1. Do a meditation challenge

A meditation challenge is a great opportunity to learn more about meditation while laying the foundation for a strengthened habit in the future.

Whether you simply challenge yourself to meditate for a short amount of time, or kick off a 31-Day Meditation Challenge, World Meditation Day is a great time to reboot your meditation habit.

2. Download a meditation app

One of the easiest ways to take action on meditation is to download a meditation app. If you’d like to use May 21 as a day to set up a new meditation habit, you can download a free app like Insight Timer and set it up to remind you to meditate at a certain time of the day.

That way, by taking action once on World Meditation Day, you’re setting up the foundation for continued daily action.

3. Promote meditation in your school or workplace

With something as simple as the raisin exercise, a way to practice mindful eating, you can introduce students or colleagues to meditation and mindfulness.

4. Join a group meditation activity

There are free group meditations all around the world, and online.

Meetup.com has nearly 16,000 meditation groups across dozens of cities in the world. A total of 8 million members are part of these groups.

You can also join a free online group meditation run by MindfulLeader.org. They run group meditations every hour, five days a week.

5. Experiment with a new meditation technique

Already have a regular meditation practice?

This World Meditation Day may be a good chance to experiment with a new form of meditation, like mantra meditation or Shaolin meditation. You can even experiment with meditating in a noisy place if you normally meditate with headphones on, or vice versa.

Trying new meditation techniques doesn’t mean you have to replace your favorite meditation method. Instead, it’s a good way to shake you out of your routine and help you pay more attention, especially if you’re beginning to lose inspiration for your existing practice.

6. Commit to another mindfulness exercise like yoga or journaling

Maybe you’re not sure if meditation is your thing, or you’re already doing meditation regularly and want to expand your mindfulness practice.

Consider adding yoga into the mix to supplement your meditation practice. Most experts recommend doing yoga before meditation, if you do both in the same sitting.

You might also consider journaling as another way to clear your mind.

Looking for more mindfulness activities?

If you’re looking for more ideas on how to celebrate World Meditation Day, check out the following articles:

• 17 Mindfulness Group Activities
• 15 Mindfulness Activities for Kids
• 31 Mindfulness Activities for Teens
• 25 Mindfulness Activities for Adults

Here’s just a few of the mindfulness activities we cover in the articles above:

The perfect excuse to grow your meditation habit

January 1st is often considered the perfect time to kick off new habits for the year, and many people make New Year’s resolutions around meditation and mindfulness.

But New Year’s resolutions are hard to stick with. By the time February and March roll around, we’ve often lost steam.

That’s why World Meditation Day on May 21 is the perfect reminder to reboot your meditation and mindfulness habit. World Mindfulness Day, on September 12, is another great reminder.

Use this as an opportunity to download a meditation app, try a new meditation exercise, join a meditation group, or simply renew your efforts to meditate each day.

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