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'Mindful Screening': When meditation meets the movies
Mindful Screening Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (NKCTHI) X Riliv was said to be the first in Indonesia that combined meditation and movie-watching experience.
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At 'Mindful Screening Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (NKCTHI) X Riliv', the audience was asked to meditate prior to watching the movie. (shutterstock.com/Mr.Music/File)
What do you usually do when waiting for a film to start in the cinema?
At one screening of Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (One Day We'll Talk About Today), moviegoers were encouraged to meditate while waiting.
Held on Jan. 2 at CGV Grand Indonesia in Central Jakarta, the event titled "Mindful Screening Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (NKCTHI) X Riliv" was said to be the first in Indonesia to combine meditation and film watching. It was the result of collaboration between online meditation and counseling app Riliv and the film.
Prior to the screening, an audio cue signaled the start of the meditation session with information explaining the process. The lights inside the movie theater were slowly dimmed until the room was completely dark.
Sitting on their seats, the audience was asked to relax, close their eyes and focus on their breathing rhythm.
“If it’s still hard for your mind to focus [on the breathing rhythm], don’t worry. It’s normal,” said the voice on the audio playback. “Slowly get your focus back to the rhythm.”
A few seconds later, the audience was asked to count their breathing and enjoy each physical movement upon inhaling and exhaling. They were also encouraged to imagine themselves standing on a green hill with a fresh breeze, which was expected to bring a sense of tranquility, while still focusing on the tempo of their breathing.
The theater’s quiet ambience helped immensely for the audience to concentrate on their meditation, which took around 8 minutes.
Additionally, the meditation session invited the audience to acknowledge their problems and slowly brought them back into their breathing rhythm.
Daffa Widaad Effendi from Jakarta said she felt calm after the session. “I was encouraged to focus and to loosen up,” Daffa said.
Read also: 5 apps for better mental health
The meditation practiced at the event was the first session of Riliv’s Meditasi Dasar 1 (Basic Meditation 1) series for beginners. Available on the app, the session can also be done at home.
Fandi Andrian of Riliv, told The Jakarta Post that people often forget that one of the most important things in meditation is being conscious of their breathing.
He added that meditating before watching a movie helps the mind to stay focused. “People [usually] watch movies after work and they may still be thinking about various problems on their mind – either about work, relationships or family. We would like to calm them down by preparing their mind before watching a movie, so they can be more focused to receive the movie’s message," Fandi said, adding that similar events may be held in the future.
For those who are interested, Fandi suggested practicing meditation at least once a day in their spare time, such as before watching a film or before going to sleep.
Launched in 2015, Riliv aims to spread the benefits of meditation in maintaining mental health and to tackle the stigma that meditation can only be done in certain religions.
The app, which has around 150,000 active users, offers two services named Hening (tranquil) for meditation and Lelap (sound asleep) to help its users sleep using soundscapes and story-telling – the latter is dubbed Cerita Lelap (bedtime stories).
Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini is based on a book by Marchella FP.
Directed by Angga Dwimas Sasongko, the film narrates the story of relationships between siblings Angkasa (Rio Dewanto), Aurora (Sheila Dara) and Awan (Rachel Amanda) with their parents. Premiered on Jan. 2, the film also features Oka Antara, Donny Damara, Susan Bachtiar, Niken Anjani and Ardhito Pramono.
Riliv has also launched a special edition of Cerita Lelap narrated by actors from the film, namely Sheila Dara, Ardhito Pramono and Rachel Amanda. (wng)
