World Meditation Day, tips for 'slowing down'. App market to reach $3.6 billion in 2030

If you can breathe, you can do yoga, said Desikachar, a great Indian teacher who passed away in 2016, son of the far more illustrious teacher Krishnamacharya, considered the father of modern yoga. And similarly, if you stop and focus your attention on the breath for even a minute, you are meditating. There is no need to go to India or sit in the lotus position: if we want, we can find a corner of peace anywhere, at any time of the day, simply by listening to the rhythm of breathing, or the sounds around us, or by 'observing' the continuous flow of our thoughts as if we were spectators.

This is the magic of meditation, a very ancient practice that for centuries has shown us the way to wellbeing, physical and mental health, and inner calm, so much so that Unesco has decided since 2024 to celebrate it in a world day on 21 December every year. And it did so to raise awareness of the benefits of the practice, pointing out that it can help reduce stress, blood pressure and anxiety, promote emotional health, increase self-awareness and improve sleep. Estimates provided by Unesco say that between 200 and 500 million people worldwide practice meditation, and technology has increased the possibility of practising anywhere, anytime with the help of apps and online platforms. The meditation app market is estimated to be worth billions of dollars globally and is growing steadily, including in Italy.

According to data from the US research firm Grand View, the global market for meditation apps generated revenue of $1,131.9 million in 2023 and is expected to reach $3,632.3 million by 2030, a growth rate of 18.1 per cent. North America was the market with the highest revenue in 2023 and Android is the most profitable platform segment. In Italy, the market reached $32.9 million in 2023 and the forecast is to reach 114 million by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 19.4 per cent. Even in our country, Android is the fastest growing platform segment over the forecast period (2024-2030).

While the practice of meditation and mindfulness (i.e. techniques for cultivating awareness and mental presence) is growing globally, as noted by Unesco, in Italy we are still far from a widespread diffusion of these habits. This is stated by the data of a survey conducted by Doxa, according to which in 2025 more than half of Italians (52.4%) declare that they never practise mindfulness techniques, and only 12.1% use them with some frequency ("very often" or "fairly often"). The remaining 15.3% say they practice them 'sometimes', while 17.4% do so rarely.

But all it takes to approach the practice is very little, even just a few minutes a day in which to slow down the pace. What techniques can we use? We asked Alessio Carciofi, professor, author and speaker, one of the leading experts on digital detox and corporate wellbeing in Italy, author of the book "Wellbeing. Il futuro umano e digitale del benessere" published by Il Sole 24 Ore. "Knowing how to slow down has become a real skill," he says, "and slowing down does not mean stopping, but living everyday life better. This does not necessarily mean going to an ashram or a hermitage, but simply doing small exercises every day'.