Have you read the latest study about meditation? Probably not, because even as you read this sentence another has likely come out. There is a steady stream of new research and news stories about the benefits of meditation and other mindful breathing practices. As they report, meditation boosts energy, helps with focus, reduces stress and anxiety, increases resilience and possibly, subtly, changes your life and your brain for the better.
Of course, not everyone believes in the power of meditation, but once converted, the big hurdle is making meditation fit into your schedule. Just the thought of cramming another thing into your day is stress-inducing.
Here’s a radical proposal: Start your new meditation habit at work. Yup, that work. The office. Busy, stressful, un-meditation-friendly work.
It turns out, the office is actually an ideal place to meditate specifically because of those reasons. To quote one of my favourite films, The Razor’s Edge, in which Bill Murray’s character searches for the meaning of life, “It’s easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain.” It’s harder, but more rewarding, to be one in the office.
Not only is work likely one of the major causes of your stress, but it is also a victim of it. A stressed out, unhappy employee is not a productive one. You can counterbalance the negative and even make your office a more peaceful, creative and industrious place with the effect and influence of your meditation practice alone.
It doesn’t need to be a big time commitment — 10 to 15 minutes each day is plenty — and even a couple of minutes can be useful. The key is to commit to doing something, otherwise it’s not effective.
Whether you have never meditated before, need a refresher or are just getting started there is no shortage of books, articles and free videos and podcasts available. So start there.
Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan. In his book on mindfulness and happiness, Meng offers meditation techniques he introduced at Google that range from basic to one (my personal favourite) that asks you to visualise yourself as a force multiplier for goodness, as if you are (my words) some kind of Buddhist superhero.
Stop, Breathe & Think. This app has a growing library of meditations. These all start the same, which is repetitive, and the narrator’s voice so soothing it threatened to put me to sleep. But guided meditations can be useful for beginners and the app tracks your progress, as if you were going to a transcendental gym.
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hahn. The renowned pacifist Buddhist monk has written many volumes, but this classic has a whole chapter of meditations, some as little as 10 breaths long. The narration contains others, so it’s worth reading the entire short book.
One Moment Meditation by Martin Boroson. This guide starts with the premise that all you need is one minute. Short chapters help you optimise that minute and learn to take it with you wherever you go. And when you get good at that, it reduces that power minute to a power moment.
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