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Meditation Flash Mobs: Turning Sidewalks Into Holy Places

This meditation flash mob encourages mindful thinking, even in the busiest of cities.

In the U.K., a group called Wake Up London is turning the streets into their place of worship. Inspired by the teachings of peace activist and Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, Wake Up London started in 2010 as a group of 16-35 year olds focused on practicing awareness and thoughtful living. For the last two years, they have been mobilizing meditation flash mobs, taking over public spaces with a mob of mindfulness.


They've converged on Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, City Hall, and a room in the Victoria & Albert Museum dropping into Buddha-like postures at the sound of a bell, startling passersby and demonstrating that anyone can look inward, even amidst the chaos of a bustling city like London.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b75UD-XZoGc

Taking place every month, the group is part of the larger movement MedMob, who plans simultaneous flash mob meditations in over 400 cities around the world, inviting everyone to participate in an hour long introspection, followed by a "Sound Bath:" 11 minutes of chanting. MedMob explains on their website, "Our intention is to create an environment for people from all religions, all world views, and all experience levels to join together in meditation. Our vision is to continue inspiring world-wide meditations until the entire world is invited to join - literally!"

So if looking for inner peace on a crowded sidewalk is your thing, you're in luck, the next planned sitting is March 21.

This post is part of the GOOD community's 50 Building Blocks of Citizenship—weekly steps to being an active, engaged global citizen. This week: Be An (Un)Simple Pilgrim. Follow along and join the conversation at good.is/citizenship and on Twitter at #goodcitizen.

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