Meditation videos jump in popularity amid pandemic stress
NEW YORK - Fatigue, stress, uncertainty — all words we can use to describe 2020. And as we try to manage life in our new norm in the coronavirus pandemic, many are turning to mediation for self-care and relaxation.
Google parent company Alphabet is reporting that YouTube views for guided meditation videos are up 40% since mid-March.
"We ourselves noticed a huge uptick in our viewership," said Juliana Spicoluk, the cofounder of Boho Beautiful, which has more than 1.7 million subscribers to its YouTube channel.
The content is centered around yoga, travel, fitness, self-awareness, conscious living and guided meditations.
"Once the coronavirus pandemic hit and people were in lockdown and studios closed and gyms closed, people were really forced to find an outlet for themselves from the comfort of their own home," Juliana said. "That's what we found really boomed our business."
Cofounder Spicoluk Mark said that views on their videos are up 200%.
"We were doing a video a week before the pandemic," Mark said. "When the pandemic hit we were doing seven videos a week."
Boho's No. 1 video is "Meditation for Uncertainty," which was uploaded in April.
"Our meditation videos compared to yoga have always been a little bit lower in viewership because it's more of a niche content," Juliana said. "But we noticed that particular video just skyrocketed. It was quite shocking to us."
The need doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. The couple hopes people continue to find mindfulness and peace internally.