by Luisa Taliento
Wellbeing means looking after mind and body and we are always coming up with new ways of doing it. According to a report by the Wunderman Thompson Intelligence agency, which analyses trends in the making, of the 100 new trends of the future, several touch on wellbeing.
Photo Credits: Zero Touch Spaces Lmnts Outdoor Studio (lmntsoutdoorstudio.com)
ZERO TOUCH SPACES
One of the new trends will be clear, eco-friendly geodesic domes where you can practise yoga and other sports, replacing the bubbles we currently find in traditional gyms and yoga centres. The advantage of these domes is that they are safe, you exercise on your own but with others around you; they are heated and can be placed in a forest, on the beach, on a sand dune in the desert or in your own back garden. The domes used by Lmnts Outdoor Studio of Toronto (lmntsoutdoorstudio.com), for example, are particularly beautiful; they are made up of hexagons or triangles and can even be covered in grass. You can hear what the instructor is saying through a sophisticated sound system and he can communicate with you to correct your technique and make sure you are doing the exercises properly. The design is taken from a meditation technique where you imagine you are in a glass bubble, a protected space which helps you concentrate and zone out external stressors.
Photo Credits: Guided Meditation VR by m ss ng p eces, NY (guidedmeditationvr.com)
VR IMMERSION
Here, immersive virtual reality technologies are used to instil a feeling of peace and harmony. These experiences could well find their way into the spas of the future: imagine lying on a soft chaise longue wearing a visor and a white robe and being transported to a zen garden, gazing at the spectacular Northern Lights or being immersed in nature, breathing deeply as you watch the leaves dancing on the wind. These experiences can also be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. The New York-based company m ss ng p eces (https://mssngpeces.com) has already launched a number of them, while Guided Meditation VR (guidedmeditationvr.com) has a series of locations to choose from offering relaxation and wellbeing.
Photo Credits: Guided Meditation VR by m ss ng p eces, NY (guidedmeditationvr.com)
CYBER THERAPIES
Cyber therapies are a bit like a “gentle push”, using virtual situations to help modify our behaviour when treating conditions like food disorders, anxieties or fears, such as the fear of insects, claustrophobic spaces or crowds. Expert Manipulative Massage Automation is also in the experimental phase, with robots like Emma, created by AiTreat Robotics of Singapore (aitreat.com), which gives massages and physiotherapy sessions. Without forgetting the new generations of massage chairs which not only make you feel weightless, but are also controlled by a microcomputer, offering every possible massage technique you can think of for every part of the body, from your scalp to your toenails.
