The world of meditation has seen many innovations over the last few years.

In the last few years there has been something of a ‘meditation craze’ in which the benefits of meditation, a spiritual practice probably best known in the west as being associated with Buddhist monks, has become popularised and commoditised, with the focus on ‘mindfulness’ being the latest obsession.

Many forms of meditation are propagated, with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – a form of positive thinking promoted by the NHS to counter anxiety and depression and influenced by Buddhist thought – a particular example of the evolving methodology of Western psychology.

Acem meditation was started by a Norwegian known as Are Holen. A disciple of Indian guru Mahesh Yogi, he was involved in the transcendental meditation movement started by the guru before leaving due to a disagreement over its ideology.

He ended up founding a school of meditation – which he named Acem – which would help fulfil many of the benefits experienced by practitioners of meditation such as a reduction in stress and improved physical health – while avoiding much of the Eastern philosophy that alienates some westerners.

The group’s UK website emphasises that it promotes what it calls ‘non-religious meditation’, with a focus on the rational benefits that can be found by those that use its services.

A similar process of the secularisation of meditation can be seen in the ‘mindfulness industry’ in which major corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Google and even the US Army undertake courses to train their employees in the usage of a practice intended to help you focus on the present moment to enjoy greater profits and reduce employee fatigue.

Further details on Acem are available here.