Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax. Repeat.
In a city like Mumbai, it’s imperative to unwind and relieve your stress. Some may hit the gym to pump iron, others may attend self-defense classes. Then there is someone that sees the need to calm the mind through meditation. These meditation centres in Mumbai teach you to do that and a lot more.
Founded in 1918, The Yoga Institute is considered the oldest organised yoga institute in the world. This institute, established by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra and his wife Hansa Yogendra has visitors from across the world coming and learning the art of meditation. Apart from regular classes, they also hold workshops on managing stress.
Cost: INR 700 for the first month (inclusive of fees for Samattvam).
Duration: Classes are of 1-hour duration held on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. They also have women's-only classes on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
Annual fee: INR 7,000
Ananda was founded in the USA in 1968 to support people in search of spiritual growth. In countries across six continents, Ananda Sangha provides classes, events, satsangs, study materials and other resources around the world through a network of individual devotees, communities, teaching centres and meditation groups. They are the organisation behind the book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’.
Calling themselves a holistic wellness and stress management centre, Yogacara is a tribute to the great yoga legend, BKS Iyengar, whose unwavering dedication to the practice has brought tremendous inspiration, light and healing to thousands around the world through the unsurpassed Iyengar school of Yoga.
Fee: INR 6,500 per month and INR 50,000 per year, with a 20% discount for senior citizens
The Varanasi-based yoga institute runs their school out of Bandra. They club the importance of healthy eating with meditation and have several classes for beginners and advanced students of meditation.
#LBBTip: They also offer free classes from time to time, which are great if you're looking for an intro to yoga at no cost
At Cosmic Fusion in Khar, classes are conducted in small batches with up to 12 people. It offers yoga classes for couples as well as children and also has special pre-natal and post-natal yoga classes.
Transcendental Meditation or TM is a meditation technique that aims to calm the mind and body through scientific techniques. It's supposed to help remove stress and get your body to a state on rest and increase positivity. There are centres around the country, and the Mumbai centre is located in Vile Parle. You can sign up for an introductory session to know more, followed by a 4-day course and follow-up sessions.
It's said to have real mortal remains of the Buddha, and it's a space that's super close, yet far enough from the city. For a crash course on meditation (or a full-blown, off-the-grid Vipassana experience), you can hit up the Global Vipassana Pagoda. There's a 10-day course, too! It's also perfect for working professionals, and has great living facilities too.