Chelsea Handler Meditates with an App and a Grounding Mat

Find out how the comedian has incorporated the practice into her routine.

The renowned actress, Chelsea Handler, was once quite resistant to the idea of meditation. However, she has now made it an essential part of her everyday routine. She shared her journey into embracing meditation during a recent conversation with Bustle. Handler confessed that she initially struggled with meditation, finding it hard to stop her mind from wandering. Even suggestions from her therapist did not seem to work for her. Then she came across Chopra, a meditation app that provided guided meditations which she found beneficial. She also credited cannabis as a significant factor in helping her enjoy meditation. She explained how cannabis helped her control her thoughts and focus on breathing. Despite its perceived difficulty, meditation has been scientifically proven to provide numerous benefits. These benefits include stress reduction, improved self-awareness, and relief from anxiety and depression. To start reaping these benefits like Handler, you can either use a meditation guide app or opt for traditional methods. All you need is a comfortable place to sit or lie down, set a timer, and concentrate on your breath. It's okay if your mind occasionally deviates; the objective is to continually regain focus on your breath. Handler revealed her morning routine to Bustle: "I wake up, I meditate, then I do my Peloton abs class for 15 or 20 minutes, and then I go do my real workout with Ben Bruno." She shared that setting an intention for the day, such as striving not to be unpleasant, helps her stay focused. After waking up, she meditates for 20 minutes, with her feet placed on a grounding mat before starting her day. For those unfamiliar, a grounding mat typically resembles large mouse pads and functions by connecting to the ground port of electrical outlets at home. The principle behind this lies in the concept of grounding, where direct contact with earth (like standing barefoot on ground) brings balance. Grounding mats mimic this connection, offering similar benefits. "The earth is like a battery," Step Sinatra, co-founder of grounded.com, and an expert in alternative healing methods, mentioned to Shape. He explains that while the upper layers of earth's atmosphere hold a positive charge, its surface has a negative charge. The human body, being similar to a battery, can tap into these natural rhythms and pulsations by establishing connection with the earth. The potential benefits of grounding are still debated among experts. While some believe it helps lower heart rate and alleviates stress and anxiety, others deny its capacity to induce any physiological changes. For Handler, exercise is another vital pillar of her mental well-being regimen. She often shares snippets of her workout sessions with trainer Ben Bruno on her Instagram account. Handler usually does strength training exercises like trap bar deadlifts and single-arm chest presses under Bruno's guidance.