Mark my words: Meditation is the new Yoga. And will probably end up being even more prolific, as it can be done anywhere, anytime, by anyone.

As we get more engaged with our health and well-being – and as the mind-body connection is more researched and studied – our states of mental health will be as important as our physical health. In fact, more studies will show how inter-connected they really are, as the benefits of meditation include improvements in stress levels, blood pressure, pain relief, sleep disorders, addictions and even cellular health. Researchers at Harvard Medical School call the improvements ‘the relaxation effect’, a phenomenon that empowers the body to activate disease-fighting genes and could be just as powerful as any medical drug but without the side effects.

Prominent artists, businessmen and politicians have admitted to the practice to improve creative thinking, energy, stress levels and even success. And progressive companies have also jumped on the bandwagon. Neuroscientists Dr. Hedy Kober and Sara Lazar have told their amazing stories on TED. With the amount of hyper-speed electronic distractions in our world today and the manic pace at which we consume them, the concept of pausing, grounding and centering will evolve from ‘luxury’ to ‘necessity’. And not a moment too soon.

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This post is featured in The Ammonista Report – Spring 2014: quarterly inspiration to help people and companies create brands of significance. Subscribe Here.