Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken about using eyes-open meditation to connect to her “highest self” and said she relies on it to “feel more whole”.
The Oscar-winning actress has launched the meditation app, Moments of Space, in collaboration with its founder Kim Little, a Buddhist and software developer.
Eyes-open meditation meditation involves meditating with your eyes partially or fully open, as opposed to closed-eye meditation. It often entails maintaining a gentle and relaxed gaze without fixating on any specific object.
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The AI-powered app uses the approach as it “challenges perceived notions of silent and solemn meditative practice by allowing users to engage with the world while developing a deep connection with their inner selves,” Little says.
Paltrow spoke about the practice, saying: “I relied on my eyes open meditation to connect to my highest self, to not lapse into reactivity, to try and keep my ego out of it.
“Especially when we feel something is not fair, or unjust, someone’s not living up to their end of the bargain, or something.
“For me anyway, I can get reactive. And so I will now use eyes-open meditation in some of those difficult conversations, just to stay present. And to stay connected to my better part.”
The AI-powered app Little says was “born out of a desire to make meditation an integral part of my daily life”.
“I was highly motivated to create an app that truly does justice to the teachings I experienced during my meditation retreats, and puts them in people’s pockets – making them practical and personal, any place and any time.”
Paltrow revealed that she started to delve into the “whole world of wellness and mindfulness” when her late father, Bruce, a producer and director, was diagnosed with oral cancer in the late 90s. He died in 2002.
“When my father was diagnosed with cancer was when I started to explore the whole world of wellness and mindfulness,” the 51-year-old says.
“That’s when I started a yoga practice and that’s when I also learned a different form of meditation and breathing techniques. I would say much of my adult life, I’ve had a morning practice that involves some meditation, some exercise.
“We all know that what we need to do for longevity… and there seem to be some really consistent common denominators – sleep is super important. Managing your thoughts, your mind, I think is very important for managing stress response.
“Stress can cause your immune system to not function as highly, that’s well-documented.”
The Shakespeare In Love actress said her friends are “pretty open” and also added: “There’s so much documentation around what meditation does, it’s scientifically proven, so I’m not sure there are a lot of people who disbelieve in its efficacy.
“I just say to people to start slow, start with just a couple of minutes then go from there. In my own life, when I try something, and I find that it really makes a positive impact then it makes me want to do it more and again.
“I also don’t judge my friends who don’t meditate or don’t want to – everybody is on their own journey.”
What are the benefits of open-eyes meditation?
Speaking about the benefits of eye-open meditation, Paltrow says: “Once you learn how to do eyes-open meditation – something you can literally incorporate at any time – you can be engaged with the world but still very connected to yourself.
“I rely on it to feel more whole.”
She believes that adopting the mindful approach holds the potential to positively change the world and foster self-connection among people.
“I think we’re living in a time where there’s a lot of bifurcation and people have gone into their corners – closing in, closing down, closing ranks.
“I believe eyes-open meditation could be potentially important for changing the world and deepening how we connect to ourselves, and others,” she says.
“That meditative state, that oneness, I feel that so much and I think us connecting to that oneness just intrinsically heals division. Because you feel the interconnectedness of every human being, it brings empathy into the forefront.
“We have quite a ways to go right now in terms of this bifurcation and incredible division all over the world, and the more that we can retreat to that place of connectedness. I think it’s such a nice way to start a conversation with someone that you disagree with from that place of being connected.”
The mother-of-two, who is married to Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk, adds that she feels a deeper connection to nature when practising open-eyed meditation, compared to using closed-eye meditation.
She explains: “I have a foundation of eyes-closed meditation, so when I’m doing eye-open meditation I can really dive back into the place where I am during my closed-eyes meditation.
“But it’s different because I feel more, especially when I’m doing my walking meditation, I feel very connected to nature. I feel like the space of nature coming into my meditation practice which is different to my eyes-closed.
“Eyes-closed, I think you’re sort of exploring another internal dimension or connecting in a different way. When my eyes are open you’re bringing the world in and synthesising it and calming everything down.”
Moments of Space is available to download today on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.
