Uber Partners With Calm To Offer In-car Mindfulness Exercises

2 MIN READ • 23rd January 2019

by Ackelina Cvijetic

This year, 43 percent of people made a New Year’s Resolution around mental health and wellbeing – meaning it’s higher on the UK’s to-do list than physical health and giving up smoking – so the few minutes you’re in an Uber is the perfect time to fit a breathing exercise or meditation into a busy schedule. You can now do breathing exercises and practise mindfulness during your Uber trip anywhere in the UK. More Brits are becoming concerned about the necessity of mindfulness, with the most stressed Brits based in Edinburgh and Leeds. From Thursday 24th January, millions of Uber users across the UK will have access to a series of new, bespoke guided meditations and breathing exercises offering them a few minutes of calm.

Anyone who takes a trip with Uber in the UK can access these sessions. Exclusively produced in partnership with Calm, the number one app for sleep, meditation and relaxation. The sessions will help passengers relax, or improve focus, while they’re in the vehicle. Four relaxing exercises are available in total lasting three minutes, five minutes and 30 seconds, 12 mins 20 seconds and 30 minutes – the most common lengths for Uber trips. So passengers can choose one that’s appropriate for the length of their journey. Whether it’s a brief drive across town or a trip to the airport.

Drivers using the Uber app will be able to stream a special three-minute clip so they too can enjoy the benefits of Calm’s sessions between trips. The sessions are launching at the perfect time. According to a recent survey of 2,000 adults living in the UK, despite 2019 having barely begun, some 37 percent* are already exhausted by the prospect of the coming year. With obligations to work, family and friends making them feel tired.

More people made a New Year’s Resolution around mental health, wellbeing and meditation (43 percent) this year than one around their physical health (26 percent) or giving up smoking (5 percent) or drinking (9 percent). And a massive 47 percent say they’d like to introduce a form of meditation into their day to improve their sense of wellbeing – or already have done.

“In the rush of everyday life, it’s easy to lose balance,” says author and Calm’s Head of Mindfulness, Tamara Levitt. “For many of us, our hectic lifestyle leaves us anxious and exhausted. So if we can carve out a bit of time in our day to meditate, we’ll feel more relaxed, focused, and productive. The short time you spend in an Uber is a perfect occasion to pause, slow your racing mind and regain balance. Meditation has the power to guide you to a calm state of awareness that you can take with you into your day.”

An Uber spokesperson said: “Some 54 percent of people use their time in an Uber to scroll through emails, social media and the news on their smartphones. So on your next Uber trip, escape your work for just a few moments to unwind.” The meditations are available on the app for the next month.

Uber users can claim a 30-day free trial of Calm by heading to blog.calm.com/uberuk and typing in the code supplied on your Uber app.