NYC Is About To Make History With A Mass Meditation In Central Park

On June 20, the city that never sleeps is about to get quiet — and I mean really quiet. For the first time ever in the five boroughs, thousands of New Yorkers will gather to sit in a few moments of silence, the largest mass meditation the Big Apple has seen to date. A hush will fall over a small swath of green just above 69th Street, at Central Park SummerStage.

With meditation fast becoming mainstream, the mission behind The Big Quiet is to deepen our real-time interactions with others and make meditation a part of our culture — much like music, art and food — fostering a sense of community and interconnectedness. The free event is hosted by Medi Club, a group of hundreds of "modern meditators" along with the folks at SummerStage.

Jesse Israel, a Medi Club member, wants to show New Yorkers that meditation doesn't have to be new agey. "We're hosting the event to create awareness for meditation within modern city living," he said in an email.

Newcomers to the practice are welcome, too — Medi Club members will be available onsite for guidance. They'll also be sharing a simple 5-minute meditation technique, though no teachers will actually be leading the meditation. Everyone is invited to practice the style of meditation that resonates with them the most.

Meditation teacher and frequent mindbodygreen contributor Light Watkins will be there, ready for meditation to taken center stage. "The Big Quiet is to meditators what the Star Trek Convention is for Trekkies," he said, "we've been holed up in our apartments meditating alone and finally we get to do it with a large community of like-minded folks."

The best part? There's also an after party, featuring performances by the UK's ever-elusive tribal funk band, Jungle, and the French-Cuban duo, Ibeyi. So for those of us who are always on the go, a few moments of silence among thousands is a powerful reminder to slow down.

And with more people turning to the mindfulness arena to socialize, instead of the bar (think Daybreaker dance parties and yoga classes with live DJs), mass meditation might just be the new way to party.

Just be sure to RSVP in advance.

For more information about The Big Quiet, check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter and Instagram. If you attend the event, use the hashtag #BigQuiet and tag us at #mindbodygram.

Photo courtesy of Medi Club