Meditation can be equally as beneficial at work as it is at home. In my personal practice, I have noticed seven distinct ways that workplace meditation has improved my life. Try it for yourself to see if you notice these same positive impacts:
1. An improved ability to make decisions.
Decision-making requires careful thought and consideration. Jumping into decisions on a whim without really thinking them through can have serious consequences – especially if the decisions have the potential to significantly impact your company. Before you make a major decision, spend some time meditating. You may be surprised by the clarity and focus that meditation allows you to achieve. Suddenly, the path forward becomes much clearer, helping you make your decision with confidence.
Although your emotions shouldn’t rule the decision-making process, they also shouldn’t be discounted altogether. By quieting your mind and focusing internally, you can achieve greater clarity during the decision-making process, allowing your decision to be guided by a combination of logic and intuition.
2. Better emotional control.
Meditation gives you deeper insight into your own feelings and emotions. Perhaps equally as important, it also gives you insight into other people’s emotions. It allows you to notice small details such as a person’s body language or the expression on their face, giving you a heads-up when their emotions are heightened.
This can make it easier to empathize with the people around you so that you can do a better job of leading them. Connecting with employees on an emotional level can result in greater loyalty and in a better experience for everyone who comes in contact with your company. When your employees feel like they are valued, they are far more likely to perform at their best.
3. The ability to focus on the present.
In any type of business, it is easy to get distracted by all of the details that need to be attended to. Unfortunately, these distractions can keep you from getting anything done. When you meditate, however, you learn to focus your attention on the present moment. That means that you can address the issues that are occurring right now rather than being distracted by details that can be addressed at a different time.
Offices should have a quiet space, where people can sit and reflect or meditate on their day. If you can, a quiet outdoor space is ideal. Many areas no have included a custom wall water feature manufacture in their spaces to encourage staff to relax.
4. Memory improvements.
Having a good memory can make you much more efficient and effective. Meditating regularly can improve your memory by allowing you to keep your mind clear and focused. This makes it easier to remember everything from important statistics to the names of the people that you meet. Relationship building is a lot easier when you can remember names and details about the lives of your clients and business associates. You can enhance the memory-boosting effect of meditation by eating foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and by playing brain games to keep your mind active and engaged.
5. The ability to be a better listener.
With so many distractions in the workplace, it is easy to allow your mind to wander rather than listening closely to the person who is talking to you. When you meditate, however, your mind is more focused, allowing you to listen closely when people speak. Active listening can foster trust and can improve communication, resulting in better relationships with your employees and clients.
6. A better understanding of your life’s purpose.
Without a clearly defined purpose, life can feel a little bit meaningless. When you meditate, you have a chance to identify the things that are the most important to you. You can get a clearer sense of the direction that you want your life to take and the things that you value the most. This can make it easier to ensure that you are continually working to create the life that you want. Best of all, when you pursue your passions, you inspire others to pursue theirs, as well.
7. The ability to be a strong leader.
Leadership is all about gaining the respect of the people around you. When you are in full control of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you give off a sense of strength and stability. These characteristics can make you an extremely effective leader that people are naturally drawn to. Meditation gives you a chance to focus your mind and clear away any clutter that may be distracting you. This, in turn, can allow you to gain more control over your feelings and actions, putting you in a position to be a great leader.
How To Meditate At Work
Finding Time For Meditation
It is usually beneficial to choose a specific time of the day for your meditation practice. Most people find it easiest to schedule meditation during their lunch hour or during a designated break time. That way, they are less likely to be interrupted. Ideally, you should shoot for a minimum of 20 minutes of focused meditation. At first, it may be challenging to stick to this schedule. Over time, however, it will become easier.
Choosing A Place To Meditate
Although you can meditate in an office with the door closed, you may find it beneficial to go outside instead. Sitting out in the open air can make it easier to focus your mind. If that isn’t possible, you can always meditate indoors in a quiet, secluded area. Over time, you can even learn to meditate with your eyes open so that you can meditate anywhere, regardless of where you are.
Choosing A Meditation Style
There is no right or wrong way to meditate. In fact, there are many different styles of meditation out there. Some of them have you pay attention to your breathing. Others have you say a mantra over and over again. Still others have you focus on clearing your mind completely.
An increasingly common way to meditate includes using the power of technology. Apps such as Mindz are providing app led meditation. Unlike other apps, Mindz takes a more scientific approach, providing you with feedback on your session. Mindz is the world’s first app that uses bioscience feedback to help people master the most important meditation skill, mindful breathing. According to its creator Tom Mole, it could be considered ‘the fitbit for meditation’. The free 8 week training programme is grounded in science, yet provides an easier path to mindfulness. If you want to go down the app route, it’s well worth considering.
A good meditation technique for beginners is the Kriya Yoga technique. This practice, which follows the teachings of the Indian yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, focuses on controlling your body’s energy and your breathing.
The benefits of meditation are being discovered by some of the leading companies in the world. From Google and Intel to Aetna and Apple, some of the country’s top businesses are using meditation to get better results. These results are even backed up by scientific research. For instance, researchers at Harvard discovered that regular meditation can help rebuild gray matter in a study that was done over a period of two months.
