Welcome to the 37th issue of The Daily Meditator. This is your monthly resource for fun, quirky, interesting, and noteworthy happenings in and around the worldwide meditation community, curated by Light Watkins and co. Our mission is simple: to help broaden the horizon of what a daily meditator looks like while providing you with relevant information and timely inspiration for staying committed to your daily practice.
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[ MEDITATION & NEWS ]
Has Will Smith Found What He's Looking For?
Will Smith has become a seeker? One month after the infamous Oscars slap, 53-year-old actor Will Smith flew to India, apparently for 'spiritual purposes' according to reports.
Our imagination of what he experienced is the following: after landing in Mumbai, Mr. Smith met privately with Sadhguru (Instagram's favorite spiritual teacher who, a year ago, stopped by the actor’s Calabasas home and met with his entire family during his last motorcycle tour across America). We imagine that Sadhguru led Mr. Smith in a silent meditation retreat over 10 days, with evening dharma talks, all from the privacy of Mr. Smith’s presidential suite at the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. And by the end, Mr. Smith likely reported symptoms of reaching satori, which is the experience of sudden enlightenment. With the help of his new daily meditation practice, hopefully, Mr. Smith can restore his reputation of being the nicest guy in Hollywood.
Oops, we just got word that Sadhguru has been motorcycling around the Middle East advocating for soil regeneration over the past few weeks, so our prediction may not have happened.
Bottom Line: Perhaps Mr. Smith found the enlightenment elsewhere in the motherland of meditation—and we wish him well along his journey.
From Shooting Down Mask Mandates to Lifting Up Meditation Mandates
Thanks to Arizona H.B. 2707, Arizona students will now have 1-2 minutes each morning to observe a moment of silence. The bill, recently signed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, provides students the opportunity to start their school days with silence, meditation, prayer, or however else the students decide to use their free time.
Teachers will hold space during this time, not encouraging their students to behave in a certain way (as long as they aren’t disruptive to anyone else in the classroom). Parents are encouraged to speak with their kids about how to use this time every morning.
Ducey, in gratitude for those working on this bill, shared that he thinks it will help “strengthen students’ well-being and benefit kids of all faiths” and help them to “refocus emotionally.”
Bottom line: Florida governor also signed a similar bill last year, and we can’t wait for more governmental officials to acknowledge the importance of daily, structured, mindful, quiet time for students.
Join Light’s Double-Dose Meditation Challenge. This is where you commit to meditating TWICE a day for 108 straight days. If you have a practice that is intended to be done twice a day, or if you just want to double your dose of meditation, this is a way to hold yourself accountable to two meditations a day—one in the morning, and one in the afternoon or evening. Consistency comes down to accountability, support, and community, which is what you get with this challenge. And once you complete all 108 days, your entry fee will be credited back to you to use with another challenge or Masterclass in the Happiness Insiders community. Click here to join.
[ MEDITATION & MONEY ]
Calm Offers $5000 If You Can Help People Fall Asleep
A good reason to join the crowd and download TikTok. Top meditation app Calm is hosting a contest on Tiktok until May 10th in search of a new voice to narrate a Sleep Story. If you’re selected, you get $5000. To enter, stitch your response to this video. You can read anything from a to-do list to some IKEA installation instructions.
For the full list of rules, check out Calm’s blog post and keep voiceover expert Erik Braa’s tips in mind:
Slow down
Speak quietly
Accentuating sleep-related terms like “sleep” or “snooze”
Smile
Bottom line: Who knows, this could become your new gig: “I’m a voiceover artist for Calm” has a ring to it.
David Lynch Bets That Money Can Buy Peace And Happiness
How much money does it take to attain world peace? Apparently, Twin Peaks creator and David Lynch Foundation founder, David Lynch, is going to donate $500 million to help fund transcendental meditation (TM) training for 30,000 college students.
The aim of this project is to train the students to become expert meditation activists and establish a legacy of lasting global peace, according to People.com.
Bottom line: While Elon is spending his money to explore outer space, David Lynch is using his to explore inner space.
How Mindfulness Can Impact Your Money Management
Can you meditate your way into being a millionaire? Although a recent study concluded that mindfulness won’t help improve your financial decisions, meditation experts think otherwise.
In fact, they believe that meditation is a superpower for achieving financial health because of these reasons:
Developing self-awareness in your spending habits and obstacles with sticking to financial goals.
Getting clear about your future gives you an idea of how you should live right now to get there.
Using yogic principles to face your financial responsibilities.
Working with like-minded financial advisers to find institutions that promote social good or sustainability.
Cultivating “staying power” in reaching your financial ambitions.
Bottom line: Health and wealth go together!
Join Light’s 108-Day Movement Challenge: Light Watkins created this challenge to provide you with a daily exercise that can be completed within 10-15 minutes, a daily step-count goal, and a daily stretch—plus community, support, and accountability. It will get you in the habit of moving your body each day, and will be the perfect complement to your daily meditation and inner work. Click here to join.
[ MEDITATION & BUSINESS ]
More Meditation, Less Daydreaming
Now that workers are returning to the office… More research is coming out showing that (drumroll please) meditation helps you focus on work! A recent University of Cincinnati study verified a previous Harvard study showing that a human mind indeed auto-wanders about 47% of the time—but that regular meditation increases your ability to recognize said distraction and get back on task.
Bottom line: Pay for your employees to learn meditation, and they’ll spend fewer work hours spacing out.
[ MEDITATION & POP CULTURE ]
Naomi Osaka On A Mission To Modernize Mental Health

We just became an even bigger fan of Naomi Osaka. According to StupidDope.com, four-time Grand Slam winner, Naomi Osaka, is now the Chief Community Health Advocate for Modern Health and will help raise further awareness and destigmatize mental health care, especially among younger generations and marginalized communities.
One of the first initiatives to come to life as part of this partnership is the release of the first of several, personalized meditation tools developed and narrated by Naomi and made available publicly to Modern Health members and non-members alike.
You may recall that in May 2021, Naomi made headlines when she voluntarily withdrew from the French Open in order to prioritize her own mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Bottom line: If tennis thing doesn’t work out, perhaps Naomi has a big future as a meditation guru?
Enroll in Light’s new Masterclass: Radical Authenticity. The goal of this Masterclass is to help you discover your most authentic self, so you can start making bolder life choices that feel more aligned with who you truly are, and with your true path—as opposed to the path that society has told you to follow. Click here to enroll now.
[ REALITY CHECK ]
Real Meditation
Real meditation doesn't look anything like the photos you see online, of people sitting perfectly erect on cushions in brightly-lit whitewashed rooms or atop cliffsides overlooking a ravine.
Real meditation happens in living rooms with little people walking around banging on things. It happens in the closet after a fight with your spouse. It happens in the car while parked on a busy street, before going into the bar for drinks with friends.
Real meditation gets interrupted by the neighbor watching Wheel of Fortune too loud, or the dog barking at a squirrel. Real meditation involves drool, and sleep, and farts, and bizarre thoughts about armadillos.
Real meditation is spontaneous and cluttered. Internet meditation happens only when the camera is on. Real meditation is what happens when nobody is watching.
Reprinted from Light Watkins’s Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration
[ READ. WATCH. LISTEN. ]
Read: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. This book offers a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Read more
Watch: Principles of Pleasure
You’ve probably heard about the gender pay gap, but did you know that there is an orgasm gap? The Principles of Pleasure explores this and much more in this 3-part docuseries on Netflix. The series is centered around women’s pleasure, starting with in-depth anatomy, moving on to the role of the mind in arousal, and emphasizing the power of social connection. Women of all types are interviewed, sharing their most intimate experiences to their struggles with getting female-focused sexual research funded in academia. If you’ve been wanting to connect with your inner feminine, this easy-going and humorous show will help you learn more about your body, sexuality, and connection with other women. Watch now
Listen: The Backdrop
The Backdrop podcast is a monthly interview program featuring conversations with UC Davis scholars and researchers working in the social sciences, humanities, arts, and culture. Hosted by public radio veteran Soterios Johnson, the conversations feature new work or expertise on a trending topic in the news. Listen now
Light Watkins has rebranded his podcast. It’s now The Light Watkins Show. If inspiration was a drop of water, The Light Watkins Show would be like an ocean. Each candid interview is sure to leave you uplifted, inspired, and motivated to follow your heart, take a leap of faith, and believe in yourself. Listen or watch now.
[ REPORT FROM THE FIELD ]
Meditation has helped me receive streams of consciousness for ideas that are meant to come through to assist humanity.
What have you gotten from Meditation? Channeling insights, books, and spiritual wisdom.
Strangest meditation moment? Channeling specific ayurvedic information in my book Idiots Guide to Ayurveda.
Most unexpected benefit of meditation? Receiving streams of consciousness for ideas that are meant to come through to assist humanity.
Two of Our Favorite Instagram Accounts with a Purpose
NAO (left) whose real name is Neo Jessica Joshua, is a British singer-songwriter from East London. Her sound has been described as soul combined with electronic music, funk, and R&B. Nao coined the term 'wonky funk' to describe her style. Nao will host a new BBC meditation podcast, using music to help listeners deal with the stress of everyday life. Follow her @this_nao
Kute Blackson (right) is a Transformational Truth Teacher & Author of The Magic of Surrender. Kute Blackson has been inspiring audiences around the world. His electrifying presentations, not only offer real-world practical ideas and soul-stirring wisdom, but also ignite the heart, and inspire courageous action. His mission is simple: To awaken and inspire people across the planet to access inner freedom, live authentically, and fulfill their true life’s purpose. Follow him @kuteblackson
Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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