Visions of the Future: a Mental Health Gym
Our founder Emma was recently in NYC for the Mindfulness in America Summit hosted by Wisdom 2.0. It was a long way to go from sleepy Santa Cruz, but any excuse to get to NYC is a good excuse in Emma’s books. Here she tells us a little bit about her recent trip.
When I envision the future of Myrth, I see big things. The app is just the beginning. They (yes, the nebulous “they”) say that when you are beginning your startup journey, you’re supposed to equally look at what is right in front of you and your long-term vision.
So that’s what I do. One of my big dreams is to reinvent--or more like create--the world’s most amazing mental health gym. Don’t tell anyone! I have pages and pages of ideas and concepts and dreams for what it would look like, how you would feel after a visit, and how it would evolve with tech.
Can you guess what I did when I had that aha moment? I googled it! Of course. And what came up was a few (but growing) number of brick-and-mortar companies in NYC. And what luck, I had the opportunity to get to NYC and try them out.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the mental health-oriented places I visited.
Frequency
It is hard to describe the experience I had at Frequency--and if you try it for yourself, I am sure you will also have a hard time describing it. Essentially, Frequency is human connection and self-connection in a giant dome. You enter the dome and are guided through activities and interactions by either the in-person guide or a virtual guide. One exercise, in particular, has stayed with me. We were partnered up – randomly of course – and we had to tell our partner all their gifts and what made them special. You didn’t have any idea who this person was, so you had to make it up. It was incredible! Try it on the next random person you sit next to on the plane.
*I spent $27 for an evening in the dome.
https://www.frequencymind.com/
Good Old Yoga
Ok well technically not a mental health gym and not new, but NYC has some amazing yoga and other physical health gyms. And in a lot of ways, yoga is an introduction to mental health fitness, because it is as much about the breath and the meditation (vipassana) as it is about the physical movements. Over the years I have tried so many different studios and teachers all over the world – let’s say 150 studios in 40 countries over 20 years. At the end of the day, even when the class or the teacher is bad (in my opinion), it is still better than nothing. So my main criteria these days for yoga when visiting somewhere like NYC can be summed up in three things: (1) does it fit into my schedule, (2) is it close, and (3) is it anything but Bikram?
*I spent 21$ on a drop in yoga class.
MNDFL
MNDFL was the first meditation studio I came across in my search all those months ago. It is a small space near NYU. I signed up for a 35-minute evening meditation. As I was on a tight schedule generally I couldn’t really choose, so I just went when it fit in. I suppose that’s what these places are for – to fit into your full schedule. They offer pretty consistent “classes” throughout the day. In typical NYC fashion – and one of the reasons I don’t live here – the check in was rather chaotic and “stressful”. I can see why these places are gaining popularity. They provide comfortable cushions and a room partly full of other meditators. Now, I have a daily meditation practice (partly thanks to Myrth), but it is a solo meditation practice. This was new, and while I generally like new and different things, I found the group meditation didn’t work well for me. If you enjoy group meditation, this might be a better fit for you! As for me, I am back to my solo practice for now.
*I spent 16$ for a 35 min mediation class
https://www.mndflmeditation.com/
Inscape
Inscape had the best spiritual/holistic/self-help shop of all the other spaces. Okay, it was the only shop, but it was still great! Did you know that the self-help personal development industry is an $11 billion industry? Well neither did my Dad, and when he started to make the face at me--you know, that “why are we here?” face--I pointed that out to him. I do love a lot of those products and crystals and ointments and books and candles. In behind the cute shop are two meditation studios. One is a dome and the other has an ocean water feel to it. I didn’t get a chance to try out the studios but got a tour of the space by one of the friendly staff members. Inscape differs from MNDFL as the meditation guiding is not live but a recording. I suppose it still fulfills the purpose of creating community and giving you a safe space to meditate in. I imagine in NYC that many office workers will do this on their lunch breaks – just like going to the gym.
*I didn’t buy anything or have time for a meditation session
Recover
I went to Recover because I tried NuCalm at a Tony Robbins event last year. It claims to give you the results of a long restful sleep in a fraction of the time. I don’t have any independent data to prove or disprove their claims, but I am a life hacker, so trying these kind of products out is important to me. Recover is one of the only places – for now I suspect – that carries this type of product for the public. And so when I found Recover, I knew I wanted to try it.
When I showed up, it was a sad space, to be honest. I believe they have great products and cool tech, but the space could use some sprucing up. Not at all what I would picture as a mental health gym. They also managed to use my least-favorite line in the world of holistic/alternative medicine, “You won’t feel anything, but it is working.” I did 30 mins with NuCalm, a, FDA-approved system, designed to combat stress and improve sleep patterns. The four-step process incorporates a topical GABA supplement, micro-current transcranial stimulation, a neuro-acoustic soundtrack and an eye-mask, and Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field (PEMF) treatment that involves sending pulsed energy waves towards the targeted area of your body, stimulating circulation within the micro-vessels of your bloodstream. I was jumping on a plane back to the West Coast a few hours after and to be honest, I couldn’t say whether or not it did anything.
*I paid 75$ for 30 mins of NuCalm and PEMF
When I dream about my mental health gym, there are many layers and offerings, and of course, as with everything it is a work in progress. It was eye-opening to see these new types of businesses popping up in NYC – what an inspiration.
What do you picture when you think of a mental health gym?
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