Gwyneth Paltrow on using eyes-open meditation to connect to her ‘highest self’

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken about using eyes-open meditation to connect to her “highest self” and said she relies on it to “feel more whole”. “I was highly motivated to create an app that truly does justice to the teachings I experienced during my meditation retreats, and puts them in people’s pockets – making them practical and personal, any place and any time.” Paltrow revealed that she started to delve into the “whole world of wellness and mindfulness” when her late father, Bruce, a producer and director, was diagnosed with oral cancer in the late 90s. “Stress can cause your immune system to not function as highly, that’s well-documented.” The Shakespeare In Love actress said her friends are “pretty open” and also added: “There’s so much documentation around what meditation does, it’s scientifically proven, so I’m not sure there are a lot of people who disbelieve in its efficacy. “I believe eyes-open meditation could be potentially important for changing the world and deepening how we connect to ourselves, and others,” she says.