In one of the episodes of the now-canceled (but brilliant) Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, their office had these pods where an employee could lock themselves in if they wanted to take a nap or get away from everyone else. It seemed like a perfect thing to have at the office except that it looked pretty claustrophobic since you had to close the “cover” to get yourself away from everything. But a pod that could help you relax and have some me-time seems like a good idea, especially now when some companies are going back to work at their headquarters.
Designers: Mike & Maiike
A “progressive industrial design studio” has partnered with meditation app Headspace to create the Headspace Pod, a piece of furniture that can help you meditate without any distractions. It looks like a giant mailbox with its arc-shaped structure but with a comfortable-looking cushion seat inside. There is also a cushion at the back so you will feel more relaxed as you try to calm yourself down or wash the stress away with the appropriate meditation.
There are no screens within the pod or any device to plug in your headphones or earphones. The idea is to not bring anything with you while you meditate and to not have any distractions while you do so. They installed a built-in directional audio that you will only be able to hear when you’re inside the pod. Within it, you will only see three buttons that you can choose from: relax, refresh, and focus. Each meditation lasts 10 minutes, which may be enough time to give you time away from your work.
They designed the Headspace Pod not for your living room or bedroom but for public places like in offices, universities, building lobbies, hotels, co-working spaces, event places, and other spaces where people might need to take a break. While you can always plug in to the Headspace app on your phone, there’s something about sitting upright inside a pod and listening to curated meditations depending on what you need at the time.
The fact that it’s still partially open may not be comfortable for some people but for someone who’s not such a fan of tiny, enclosed spaces, this is the perfect pod to have. If you do see a Headspace Pod somewhere in your area, would you try it out?
