One of the wonderful things about wellness is that it draws inspiration from around the world, and that inspiration includes ancient wellness practises as well as contemporary innovation. This year the wellness trend that everyone’s been talking about is ‘hitting mung’. So what is it and what’s it supposed to do?
A South Korean wellness trend, ‘hitting mung’ is a mindfulness activity. The term doesn’t have a direct translation to English, but can loosely be described as ‘spacing out’ or ‘zoning out’.
In cities like Seoul, wellness seekers are invited to escape the urban buzz and the white noise of daily life, heading to a quiet cafe, theatre or other environment. They sit in front of a long ‘window’ or impression of a window, and space out to footage of nature, clouds, waterfalls and other relaxing imagery from the natural world.
The idea is to let your mind wander, easing the pressure of the day’s tasks and drifting away for a short period of time. It’s like releasing a pressure valve using the hypnotic powers of nature - or even a digital image of nature. In fact, the closest meaning of the term is ‘emptiness’ or ‘nothingness’.
‘Hitting mung’ has been gaining traction as a wellness trend in the USA and UK spas and wellness destinations, helping stressed out individuals to relax and unwind.
It’s conceptually similar to forest bathing except you don’t have to actually be in nature, making it a more accessible concept for those who live in the world's metropolises. The principle is that you can also tap into it for as long as you want, so it’s great for people who need to reset comparatively quickly - on their lunch break for example.
The benefits of ‘hitting mung’ are much like any mindfulness exercise really. They are purported to include:
The beauty of it, is that while dedicated destinations might be creating spaces that facilitate the practice, you can do it yourself any time, anywhere, by focusing on the natural world. Spend your lunch break in a local park and watch the clouds float by, listen for birds singing and try to drown out the other noises, or sit by a pond and watch the ripples on the water, for example.
One of the great benefits of spa experiences is that they allow us to mentally switch off as well as providing physical rest and relaxation. Massages, facials, reflexology and more - they all have a psychological impact. Forest Bathing is a particularly popular way to connect with nature however, and there are some beautiful locations around the UK to experience it.
Curious? Read more in our article by following the link below.
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