Be Still

Here’s a special one-off article on the benefits of meditation and in particular mini-meditations – especially useful for those busy busy days!

“The more tranquil a [person] becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.”
— James Allen, 1864-1912, Author of As A Man Thinketh

What Is Meditation?

The goal of meditation is to focus your attention and calm your mind. In general, meditation is best practiced in a quiet place with few distractions.

There are many different types of meditation, each of which involves different techniques. Transcendental meditation, for instance, entails repeating a word or phrase (known as a “mantra”), while tai chi is considered a form of moving meditation.

Although meditation is often practiced for spiritual purposes, the benefits of meditation also include greater physical and mental relaxation which can have a calming knock-on effect in all areas of your life, including business and speaking!

Why Meditate?

The benefits of meditation may include the following:

• relief of stress and/or anxiety – great for those pre-gig nerves.
• pain management
• improvement in mood and/or symptoms of depression
• improvement in sleep

Mini-Meditations

If you’re anything like me, trying to find a chunk of time to meditate each day becomes an effort.  Which is why I love mini-meditations. Many people (even in the work-place) use very brief meditations at strategic points during the day. I know speakers who have a visualization ritual before stepping on stage.  These meditative experiences may not be more than a minute or two in length – and I call them ‘mini-meditations’.

I like mini-meditations and think they can be a great tool for business and speaking.  You can use a mini-meditation at any point during the working day.  Useful if you’re in overwhelm, in stress, feeling frazzled or pulled into a squillion different directions.   They’re a great way to instantly tap into your inner calm.  A mini-meditation or mantra is also a particularly powerful tool before getting on stage.  Imagine inducing the feeling of utter calm and reassurance before you face your audience!

How To Mini-Meditate

You could close your eyes and take deep breaths, counting them.  Following one’s breath is a great way of focusing on the self.  You could repeat your mantra.  You could do some tai-chi moves!  You could have a visualization technique of calm and success. Anything that connects you back with your inner centre and gives you a feeling of calm.  A mini-meditation could simply be a breath of fresh air – literally and metaphorically.

Down With The Stress!

Mini-meditations, scattered throughout your workday and used pre-speaking gigs, can take the edge off tension buildups and made a marked difference in your ability to handle the stress of work or handle pre-stage nerves. Imagine handling work with a relaxed attitude! Imagine facing your audience whilst radiating inner peace! There’s also another great benefit – meditation is known to lower blood pressure.

So this week, why don’t you build some mini-meditations into your work day and observe the effect this has on your stress levels.  I think, like me, that you might find that taking time out to reconnect to yourself will reward you with a renewed sense of purpose and most certainly take away the overwhelm, leaving you with a feeling of peace.