SANTA MONICA, Calif. — As their work day began, many of the people inside an office complex less than three miles from the beach made their way into a cafeteria filled with natural light. Gray couches sat scattered about the room, and an ambitious mission statement spread across one baby blue wall: “IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS OF THE WORLD.”



For the more than 200 employees at the world headquarters of Headspace, the time to meditate had arrived. Houston Texans safety Andre Hal walked in and found a seat.



It was almost 10 a.m., the start of Hal’s third and final week interning for the phone app that offers guided meditations, and each day at work included this, an optional, 10-minute session. Programmers and artists sat on those couches and the wooden benches that lined the room’s perimeter, while Hal and another NFL player, Eric Lee of the Detroit Lions, settled in around a table, their bodies overflowing from chairs.



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