Meditation is about understanding yourself and where you fit into the world. What better practice for the working person?
The trials of navigating the muddy waters of workplace relationships whilst trying to improve your own productivity are lifted when you understand who you are, and where you are. Meditation can also improve your self-perception by boosting self-esteem and confidence.
The clarity of a mind used to meditation is the result of refining your ability to focus and move from one concept to another, and can therefore assist with problem-solving.
Some simple tips for meditation beginners:
1. Find and allocate time for meditation at least once a day.
Meditation is an accumulative process. A single sitting might make you feel at peace for a while, but continuous meditation can improve your general wellbeing. Find time during your day for meditation, and sustain it. Ideally, work should not be a source of stress- meditation can help you overcome anxieties associated with work by bolstering your mental state. Soon you will fall into a rhythm and enjoy being able to wake up feeling energised, and going to sleep feeling at peace.
2. Position
Assume a comfortable position in a quiet space without distractions. The lotus position is a classic, but any upright seated position is good. Try not to lean against anything or lie down to avoid becoming drowsy. In this position, try to stop thinking consciously and let your mind sink down into a more abstract place. Feel rather than think. Focus on the physical feeling of your body- the weight of your limbs, the sensation of the floor or chair beneath you, the movement of the air, and your own pulse.
A popular technique is to concentrate on the sensation of the toes on your left foot, then the rest of the foot, then the ankle. Keep progressing around the body, thinking about the feeling of each part of your body. End at the top of your skull.
This will help you become more comfortable in your own body and aware of how you position yourself. Is your mind fully engaged with each part of your physical body at all times? Are you entirely aware of how you move? Sometimes, unfocused people will blatantly but unconsciously drift off and this will show in their body language. Avoid this by improving your concentration skills and closely establishing the link between mind and body.
3. Breathing
Focussing on breathing is one of the most basic meditative exercises. Count your breaths and establish a rhythm. Count ‘one’ as you breathe in, then ‘two’ as you exhale. Feel the air flowing into your expanding lungs, then flowing back out.
Alternately, imagine your worries being ‘breathed out’ and that you are breathing in positivity. Some people like to visualise- your worries might appear as a dark mass, whilst the positivity in the world could be a bright, warm light.
It is also recommended that before you start meditating, you write down all of your problems and the things associated with them on a piece of paper, which helps with the process of sweeping the negativity from your mind.
This should help you form a more optimistic mindset and more confidence in yourself, whilst reducing stress levels. The problems cannot be erased, but you can gain a better understanding of what they are, where they originate from, and how you can approach them. Your business and work will be where you left them, but you can return them as a rejuvenated person with a fresh outlook.
