Meditation isn’t about becoming a different, new or better person. In essence, it is training in awareness and developing a healthy perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings; you’re learning to observe them without judgment. Eventually, you will start to understand them better as well. In a fireside chat, bestselling author and yoga acharya, Ira Trivedi, spoke to Rich Pierson, Co-Founder and CEO of Headspace, and Andy Puddicombe, Co-Founder of Headspace, on the importance of taking time out to notice one’s surroundings. The conversation began with a short meditation session led by Andy Puddicombe at Gurgaon’s exclusive The Quorum club. It was attended by The Quorum’s members, wellness enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. Vivek Narain, Founder, The Quorum, said, "Wellness is an integral part of The Quorum, and we were delighted to host a conversation with the founders of Headspace, which has made meditation &amp; mindfulness accessible to people all across the globe. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and our wellness programme at The Q fine-tunes the body through yoga &amp; our world-class fitness centre, and the mind &amp; soul through meditation and personalised holistic coaching." When asked about how it all started, Puddicombe recalled that after completing his monastic commitment in 2004 he returned to the UK with a huge-yet-simple goal: to demystify meditation and mindfulness, and make them accessible to all. Soon after, while offering one-on-one meditation sessions at a health clinic, he met Pierson and began a skill-swap. Pierson offered him marketing advice for his clinic while Puddicombe taught him how to meditate. That exchange changed Pierson’s life and he saw, firsthand, what a difference meditation could make if taught in a more accessible way. It felt natural to empower others to experience the benefits, so both of them began working together on Headspace. The project launched officially in 2010. 
 
 <div type="image" title="Audience" msid="74668634" hostid="261"></div>





 While describing their struggles, Pierson mentioned that, initially, investment was a challenge since it took time to convince people about the concept. This forced them both to get creative and find ways to make mindfulness scalable. “We started Headspace by doing events, and in 2012 we created the subscription services via an app for iOS and Android,” said Pierson. When asked about competition as their 10-year anniversary approaches, Puddicombe said he welcomed different offerings but was confident that Headspace’s focus on authenticity and science – with 70 clinical trials and 25 published papers – is what makes the app stand out. Headspace is committed to advancing mindfulness through clinically validated research, having one of the largest research pipelines of any digital health and wellness company. Headspace for Work, its B2B business, offers its products and services to more than 600 leading companies such as Hyatt, Adobe, GE and Starbucks to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher-performing organisations. Headspace partners with many of the world’s most recognisable brands, such as Apple, Amazon and more. It also partners with sports brands and organisations like Nike, the NBA and the US women’s soccer team to offer sport and movement content. “Among all our clients, we have had sessions for Bill Gates and his family too,” he added. Headspace Health is the company’s digital health subsidiary working on pioneering new ways to incorporate the Headspace mindfulness experience into digital medicine. Headspace will enable Indian users to integrate mindfulness and meditation into their daily lives through easily accessible routines, including sleep and movement. Even today, Indian users can explore bite-sized audio sessions on a wide range of subjects, from focus and productivity to stress and anxiety. There’s even content for children, which teaches mindfulness and life lessons to kids. The courses are led by the guiding voice of Puddicombe, whose 10-year-long travels across the world culminated with his ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in North India. Headspace has one mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Now reaching more than 62 million users in 190 countries, it was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. 
 
 <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="74111300" title="Times Bridge invests in meditation company Headspace" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>





 Disclaimer: Both Headspace and Business Insider are Times Bridge partners in India

When Headspace founders, Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson met yoga guru Ira Trivedi

<ul><li>The author and founder of <keyword id="10302736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ira-yoga-wellness">Ira Yoga Wellness</keyword> and Yog Love has been at the forefront of the <keyword id="6355812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="yoga">yoga</keyword> movement in India. </li><li><keyword id="254874" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ira-Trivedi">Ira Trivedi</keyword> in an interview with Business Insider shares how more people turned towards yoga during lockdown and tuned in to online live classes. </li><li>Today, Ira Yoga Wellness has over 3000 active users and have seen a 100% month-on-month growth with repeat customers.</li></ul>When the coronavirus lockdown began in March, Indians stuck at home turned to online classes to pick up a new skill or just keep up with their fitness routine. And amidst the boom of online fitness, India’s age-old practice of yoga too donned a virtual avatar. And riding on the popularity of yoga is Ira Yoga Wellness. Ira Trivedi, who has long been an advocate for yoga and wellness in India, found herself at the right spot in the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown. Ira Yoga Wellness, which under its umbrella had physical classes along with a gamified app where people were rewarded for doing yoga, saw a sudden spike in interest. “The app actually started doing well during the pandemic as corporates offered their employees something more during work from home as a part of their corporate wellness initiatives,” Trivedi told Business Insider. Trivedi has been at the forefront of the yoga movement in India having been a part of the first International Day of Yoga at Rajpath New Delhi. While Trivedi calls the app a passion project, it was her quick decision to go online with live yoga classes that really did the trick. “We began with offering free yoga classes and everyone came online. We slowly grew from having one class a day to having six-seven classes a day. We grew along with the customer demand and kept responding to what our students wanted,” she said. Since March, Ira Yoga Wellness has launched yoga for kids, yoga for seniors, yoga for teens and more such classes to keep their students engaged. Doubling down every month Today, they have over 5000 active users and have seen a 100% month-on-month growth with repeat customers. Ira believes it is the different way in which they teach yoga that got their students hooked. For any live class, they create an ambience with soothing live music to make it as real as possible for the students. “We have teachers from five different countries and all follow the standard Yog Love format of teaching. We really figured out how to teach yoga online – every single class was interactive and it wasn’t like a youtube channel you are just following,” she said. And it is this format that got their users talking. “We have seen a completely organic growth, which is our strength. Most of our growth is from referrals where our current members invite their friends and family to come try yoga with us,” she said. A long road ahead for Yog Love They have also started live training courses to encourage more people to become yoga teachers. “It’s beautiful to see more and more women sign up for it. By teaching yoga from home, women can earn money while staying at home and all they need is a phone,” she said. Yoga might have become a favourite at-home exercise during lockdown. But Trivedi is gunning for more. During the lockdown, they even organised Yogathons which was an 11-hour event of yoga. “Yogathon is a whole day of yoga, meditation, healing, nutrition, and more for our users,” she said. While Yog Love has been profitable from the get go because they don’t spend much on marketing and instead have relied on organic growth and brand collaborations, Trivedi has left one door open for the possibilities of more. “We are very happy with where we are today, but we are being approached by many to consider expanding and we are beginning to consider external funding to go global,” she said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/vodafone-idea-shares-jump-after-selling-stake-in-indus-towers-for-3760-crore/articleshow/79316662.cms">Vodafone Idea soars nearly 5% on fund infusion from Indus Towers stake sale</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/indra-nooyi-may-be-in-joe-biden-cabinet-heres-a-look-at-her-take-on-some-key-issues-concerning-india-and-us/articleshow/79303469.cms">Indra Nooyi may be in Joe Biden's Cabinet – here's a look at her take on some key issues concerning India and US</a>

From downward dog to upward boom — influencer and teacher Ira Trivedi shares how virtual yoga took off during the lockdown

The Rajya Sabha on Friday passed two Bills -- the Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Replying during the discussion on the Bills, <keyword id="2468968" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Health-Minister-Harsh-Vardhan">Health Minister Harsh Vardhan</keyword> said, "The Ordinance was necessitated as Parliament was not in session." The Minister said that Yoga and Naturopathy will also be promoted in due course, as demanded by <keyword id="123786" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rashtriya-Janata-Dal">Rashtriya Janata Dal</keyword> (RJD) MP Manoj Jha. During the discussion, Biju <keyword id="123462" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Janata-Dal">Janata Dal</keyword> (BJD) MP Prasanna Acharya supported the Bill, but questioned the need for the ordinance. He said only in extraordinary situations the ordinance route should be adopted. Speaking on the Bill, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said that new things are always opposed first, but during covid times homeopathy medicine was prescribed as an immunity booster. Samajwadi Party (SP) member Ram Gopal Yadav asked the government not to delay the constitution of the commission as homoeopathy is a necessity for the poor as allopathy is costly and in covid times private hospitals are charging more than Rs one lakh per day. The DMK MP T. Siva said, "The government is taking away the powers of the states", and alleged that its diluting the federalism. The Bill brought by the Centre amends <keyword id="9958977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-homoeopathy-central-council-act">the Homoeopathy Central Council Act</keyword>, 1973. After becoming an Act, the Central Council of Homoeopathy will regulate homeopathic education and practice. The Bill replaces the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 which was promulgated on April 24, 2020. The period for the supersession of the Central Council -- The 1973 Act -- was amended in 2018 to provide for the supersession of the Central Council of Homoeopathy. The Central Council was required to be reconstituted within one year from the date of its supersession. This period was amended in 2019 to require the reconstitution of the Central Council in two years. The central government constituted a Board of Governors to exercise the powers of the Central Council. The Bill amends the Act to increase the period for the supersession of the Central Council from two years to three years. The resolution moved by K. C. Venugopal, E. Kareem and K. K.Ragesh was defeated. But Ragesh raised a point of order for the right to reply as the mover of the resolution and asked about the role of the state governments in this Bill. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/kia-sonet-suv-launched-in-india-price-starts-at-6-71-lakh/articleshow/78182816.cms">Kia Sonet SUV launched in India at ₹6.71 lakh— Here’s all you need to know about its features, design and competition</a>

Rajya Sabha passes Homeopathy Bills

<ul><li>The average purchasing power in India is depleting fast that is likely to affect consumer demand.</li><li>However, benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty have recently hit record levels thanks to a surge in corporate profits, most of which came from cost cutting.</li><li>The sustained fall in household savings, both financial and physical assets like gold or real estate, over the last five years has been worsened by the fall in wages.</li><li>This has led to a sharp fall in consumer confidence and that is bad news for companies looking to sell cars, jewellery, home appliances, and even shares and other financial investments.</li></ul>Forget gross domestic product (GDP) and the high-as-a-kite stock markets. Even the Narendra Modi government likes to <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/india-gdp-in-ppp-terms-more-than-bdeshs-govt/articleshow/78671559.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">cite the country’s purchasing power when cornered</a>. But even that is on a slide, a not-so-merry one. It’s hardly a surprise given the knockout punch that the COVID-19 virus has delivered. Businesses looking to protect their bottomline have laid off a lot of employees, and many of those who still have jobs aren’t earning as much as they used to. On the other hand, <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/markets/sensex-hits-fresh-record-high-tops-44000-level-2325095.html" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Sensex has kissed new highs</a> because corporate profits have surged in the latest quarterly statements. However, as Mahesh Vyas from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a business information firm, pointed out, between July and September 2020, corporate profits grew over 20%, the rebound in wages was just 3.8% after a sharp fall in the preceding quarter. And this is likely to be a continuing trend. As <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/why-companies-profits-have-rebounded-faster-than-wages-during-covid-pandemic/articleshow/79308002.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Vyas put it</a>, “The lockdown has taught companies a lesson or two on running business with fewer human resources. These lessons are unlikely to be forgotten.” That’s bad news for companies looking to sell cars, jewellery, home appliances, and even shares and other financial investments. There is more evidence of where the profits are flowing from. All the companies analysed by broking firm Motilal Oswal, put together, saw a decline of 7% in sales but a 16% jump in profit after tax. Simply put, most of the profit came from cost cutting and not a rise in demand. Consumer insights firm Nielsen recently explained the phenomenon. The Indian consumer is trading down in certain segments, those who can are buying larger packs to save money, and opting for more private labels. And that’s visible in the gross margin ⁠— before costs like wages, advertisements and promotion are deducted ⁠— of some of biggest names in consumer products. <table style="width: 233pt;"> <colgroup></colgroup><col /> <col /> <tbody><tr> <td class="xl63" style="height:45.0pt;width:129pt">Company</td> <td class="xl64" style="border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none; width: 104pt;">July-Sep gross margin change (basis points)</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Bajaj Consumer</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-74</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Agro Tech Foods</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-183</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Jyothy Labs</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">128</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">ITC</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-163</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Dabur</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">9</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">HUL</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-128</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Emami</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">55</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Marico</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-163</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Nestle</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">56</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Colgate</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">344</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Godrej Consumer</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-57</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Britannia</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">176</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Varun Beverages</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-149</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Tata Consumer Products</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-269</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl63" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Aggregate</td> <td class="xl63" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">-220</td> </tr></tbody></table>Source: IIFL, Change compared to same period last year Rational people spend more on discretionary items like cars and appliances when they save more. And the larger pessimism is visible in <a href="https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Publications/PDFs/CCS09102023E6F5FCA08F4C4BAB9F599F5D9DC754.PDF" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">the consumer confidence data</a>, put out by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is breaking the charts on the wrong side. People do not expect to spend more on non-essential items even in the next one year. <div type="image" title="rbi ccs" msid="79317971" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Indian consumer&amp;#39;s expectation of spending on non-essential items is abysmally low.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The Indian consumer’s ability or willingness to spend had started eroding long before the pandemic. And, on an average, there has been a steady decline in household savings in India, to a point that this year’s estimate is the lowest since at least 2012. The pinch is much worse for people who are retired, many of whom living on their savings lying at the banks. The interest on long-term fixed deposits make less money compared to the savings account, which is much lower than the current inflation. Essentially, people are paying banks rent to keep their money safe instead of earning from it. <div type="image" title="India household savings" msid="79318175" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;India household savings, both financial &amp;lt;span class=&amp;quot;redactor-invisible-space&amp;quot;&amp;gt;and in physical assets like gold, are sharply down in the last five years.&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> This should concern markets as well as policymakers. "GDP is an aggregative indicator of economic activity and hides the extent of human misery and the loss of social and human capital caused by the health crisis. Nonetheless, if the projections hold, the GDP would have fallen approximately 6% below its pre-COVID level and it may take years to regain this lost output,” Deputy Governor of the RBI and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee Michael D Patra recently <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rate-cut-will-depend-upon-moderation-in-inflation-rbi-governor-shanktikanta-das/articleshow/78829858.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">said</a>. The gloom, too, shall pass eventually. But to experience a boom people need jobs, good wages and a feeling of certainty. And that will only come from new corporate investment that can generate employment. And it has to happen sooner than later. Else, India’s famed demographic dividend would have been squandered. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/from-downward-dog-to-upward-boom-influencer-and-teacher-ira-trivedi-shares-how-virtual-yoga-took-off-during-the-lockdown/articleshow/79317417.cms">From downward dog to upward boom — influencer and teacher Ira Trivedi shares how virtual yoga took off during the lockdown</a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/from-downward-dog-to-upward-boom-influencer-and-teacher-ira-trivedi-shares-how-virtual-yoga-took-off-during-the-lockdown/articleshow/79317417.cms"></a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/remembering-ym-deosthalee-the-man-who-struck-the-right-chord-between-music-and-math/articleshow/79306305.cms">Remembering YM Deosthalee, the man who struck the right chord between music and math</a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/remembering-ym-deosthalee-the-man-who-struck-the-right-chord-between-music-and-math/articleshow/79306305.cms"></a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/indra-nooyi-may-be-in-joe-biden-cabinet-heres-a-look-at-her-take-on-some-key-issues-concerning-india-and-us/articleshow/79303469.cms">Indra Nooyi may be in Joe Biden's Cabinet – here's a look at her take on some key issues concerning India and US</a>

You Searched For "yoga acharya ira trivedi" and got 4 results

When Headspace founders, Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson met yoga guru Ira Trivedi

BI India Bureau

From downward dog to upward boom — influencer and teacher Ira Trivedi shares how virtual yoga took off during the lockdown

BI India Bureau

Rajya Sabha passes Homeopathy Bills

IANS

There is a lot of money in the share market but not enough in your pocket

Sriram Iyer