For the second year, the UN is commemorating this ancient practice, which is proven to help improve personal well-being and mental health.

“When attention deficiency is so much, meditation is absolutely essential,” Indian spiritual leader Gurudev Ravi Shankar said at an event at UN Headquarters on Friday ahead of World Meditation Day.

“Nearly 500 universities around the world have today started to adopt meditation. Hospitals are adopting meditation,” he added.

In times of global challenges, meditation offers a powerful means to cultivate peace, unity and compassion.

What’s behind the international day?

With the aim of raising awareness about the benefits of this practice, the UN General Assembly last year proclaimed 21 December as World Meditation Day, reaffirming the right of every person to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Organised by the Permanent Mission of India and the other countries that promoted the establishment of the international day, the event “Meditation for Global Peace and Harmony” aimed at embracing inner harmony and promoting international unity.

Meditation has the power to bring those who practice it to a “space of unified feel, of tranquillity— that oneness that binds everyone,” said Mr. Shankar, who also led a meditation session at the event.

A powerful tool

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), meditation can be a powerful self-care tool to reinforce treatments and improve overall well-being, especially when it comes to anxiety.

Mr. Shankar noted that today there are 700 research papers showing over 100 benefits of the practice.

With an emphasis on breathing and presence, incorporating meditation into one’s daily routine, even for just a few minutes, can help achieve a sense of calm and focus.

Before commencing the meditation session, Mr. Shankar spoke about anger and desire, which grip the mind.

“These two things don’t let your mind settle, they don’t even allow you to sleep,” he said.

Meditation and breathwork can provide relief from those disruptive feelings.

“Our breath has a secret. The breath links our body and mind. Attending to the breath, you are able to calm your emotions,” he explained.

He concluded that meditation cannot be forced, it simply happens.

“You only create a situation in which meditation can and happen and for that you need to keep your desire to one side and your anxieties and fears to another side — we can attend to that later,” he said, before leading the room to a state of calm.