As Americans look for strategies for coping with the fear and anxiety brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, interest in meditation has reached historic levels in the U.S. Author and former monk Jay Shetty’s recent series of live meditations drew over 7 million views a week, and received such a tremendous outpouring of appreciation that Shetty has announced he will begin 20 more days of live meditation today, April 20 (9:30 AM PT/12:30 PM ET). Shetty is a leading worldwide force in the growth of meditation, a significant trend which has also seen downloads of meditation apps increase by as much as tenfold over the past few weeks.

Meditation has had a place in American popular thought since Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson introduced the practice to one of American’s most original thinkers, Henry David Thoreau, in the early 1800s. Walt Whitman, the author of America’s seminal masterpiece ‘Leaves of Grass,’ used meditation as an inspiration for his poetry, and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi captured Americans’ imagination when he became a spiritual adviser to the Beatles. But interest has never been stronger than in the past month, and it has been embraced not only as a method for controlling the mind but also as a tool to promote physical health and lower heart rate. Because Shetty’s live meditation series is embraced by a worldwide audience, it offers an additional component, a sense of unity and community for those who share in the live experience.

The reaction of those who joined Jay Shetty in his first 20 day series of live meditations has been poignant and powerful, and is coming from many who have never meditated before.

“I'm surprised how emotional this made me,” wrote one of the thousands of commenters on Jay’s livestream meditations. “I've never experienced a meditation like that before - the most powerful guidance I've received yet.”

“Please continue this until the quarantine goes,” wrote a new fan.

“I have never meditated before. My family did it together long distance in other states, and I cried,” wrote another.

Jay Shetty is a storyteller, former monk, author, and top podcast host who has developed a huge international following for his ability to help us focus our thoughts away from feelings of anxiety, negativity, and hopelessness. Shetty describes the reaction he received to the meditations he launched on March 20: “It has been so meaningful to see people from all over the world joining daily live meditations to find calm amidst the chaos and meaning in the madness and most importantly a feeling of unity to meditate together for the world, the frontline workers and anyone affected by this pandemic.” Shetty, the author of 'Think Like a Monk' which will be published by Simon & Schuster this fall, has found an eager audience through streaming these meditations on his Facebook (8.1 million total views), Instagram (2.5 million), and YouTube (nearly one million) pages.

The new series begins today, April 20.

9.30am PT

12.30 pm ET

5.30pm UK

10 pm India

Jay will stream his daily live meditations on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayShettyIW/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayshetty/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/gxURcDSeRns