Staying chill during your daily commute or drive can be a lot easier than it sounds. Sure, you’re sitting down for the most part—but there’s traffic to deal with, bad weather, and other factors that combine to make for a less-than-zen experience.
If you or anyone you know could use a little help keeping your stress levels down while you’re out on the road, Waze is introducing a handful of limited-time features in collaboration with the Headspace mindfulness app designed to do exactly that.
These include the ability to stream a custom Headspace Spotify playlist from the Waze app and navigation prompts from Headspace director of meditation Eve Lewis Prieto. Drivers can also choose between five driving moods (Aware, Bright, Hopeful, Joyful, and Open), and can replace their in-app car icon with a hot air balloon.
According to Prieto, people should not think of meditation as a chore or a checkbox to tick at the start of every day. “That said, it often takes practice and we often need reminding to come back to the present moment.”
“It is amazing how much of the time we drive on autopilot and we actually miss a lot of the journey, which also applies to how we roll through life more focused on the destination rather than enjoying the journey.”
Prieto also highlighted that some of the benefits observed by studies in people who practice mindfulness include reduced stress, improved focus, and less aggression: “Start small and look for moments in your day where you can intentionally bring attention to what you’re doing. That could be as simple as brushing your teeth, having your morning cup of coffee, or driving to work,” she said.
Reduced stress and less aggression—we’re certain more than a handful of drivers out there could use a little help achieving this. Know anyone who should try these features out?
