By Elizabeth Harrington

Washington Free Beacon

The advantage of this is that it actually doesnt cost anything, said Karen May, a vice president at Google, explaining how her company offers mindfulness classes to its employees.

Mindfulness is a New Age kind of meditation that focuses on the present moment non-judgmentally, tracing its origins to Buddhism. The growing phenomenon was the subject of a 60 Minutes segment on Sunday, for which May and other fans of the practice were interviewed.

Were just asking you to sit and know that youre sitting, explained Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and author of the book Wherever You Go, There You Are. When youre in the shower next time check and see if youre in the shower, he advised viewers.

The segment featured Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio), a so-called rock star among mindfulness evangelists who earmarked nearly $1 million to teach mindfulness to preschool students in his district. The $982,000 project provided deep breathing exercises, and Peace Corners for kids in Youngstown, Ohio.

Ryan said he practices mindfulness on the House Budget Committee and hosts weekly meditation sessions for members and staff. No Republicans attend.

The congressman really believes it can change America for the better, as does the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Contrary to Mays assertion, mindfulness has cost taxpayers a fortune. The Washington Free Beacon analyzed 81 active studies on mindfulness that have cost taxpayers more than $100 million. Included in the total were all studies in which mindfulness is used as a central component in the research.

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NIH has spent $100M on mindfulness meditation