Todd Perelmuter's Blog, page 60
November 4, 2021
6 Meditation Mistakes that Can Cause Anxiety
While most people who meditate experience amazing results, it’s not uncommon for negative emotions to come up. There are 6 common meditation mistakes that can cause anxiety.
Whenever we try anything new, it can take some time before we get good. Not only that, when you’ve been living your whole life constantly doing things, not doing things can feel very uncomfortable. Thanks in part to smartphones, most of us spend all our time constantly entertained. We’ve unconsciously trained our minds to find peace and quiet miserable.
When we first sit down with no distractions and just try to be present and observe whatever arises, oftentimes suppressed emotions can bubble up to the surface. This is normal and allows for proper healing.
But luckily, there are some things to avoid and things you can do to overcome anxiety and other negative reactions. Here are the 6 common meditation mistakes and that can cause anxiety what you can do instead.
Your daily practice of meditation is a marathon, not a sprint. You want sustainable, slow progress. If that sounds too slow for you, don’t worry, meditation is about learning patience. Forcing too much too soon is one of the most common meditation mistakes that can cause anxiety.
By making 1% progress everyday, according to compounded interest, you’ll be 100% better at meditating in 70 days. You’ll also be 100% more peaceful, calm and joyful. All the benefits will exponentially grow.
But if you try to do too much too fast, you are more likely to quit. Not only that, trying to meditate for too long at a time early on is a mistake that will cause needless anxiety.
Meditation is a time to be gentle with yourself. To express self-love. To nurture and heal yourself. And also, most importantly, to listen to your body.
Start with just 1 to 5 minutes if meditation is causing a lot of anxiety. If you can, do it twice a day. But start small with something you can stick to and then make a commitment. Set a fixed time and do your best to never miss a day. However, if you do miss a day, don’t be hard on yourself either. Meditation is a beautiful process of love and healing.
There are many different ways of practicing meditation. From guided to mantra to breath and beyond. Some are easy while some are difficult. Some are incredibly beneficial and others are less so.
Here we’ll focus on the three main styles and also how to avoid the meditation mistakes that cause anxiety.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is the easiest style of meditation. It typically consists of beautiful music and a voice that guides you to focus on something you wish to improve.
You can think of guided meditation like hypnotherapy. You’re in a deeply relaxed state as a soothing voice guides you towards healing and self-improvement.
While it can be incredible for dealing with specific issues, it is not quite the same as meditation. True meditation allows time for introspection and self-examination. In this way, we become our own therapist. We can become more conscious of our thoughts and emotions. And we can also consciously let go of negative feelings.
If mantra meditation is too difficult, absolutely give guided meditation a try. Try to find videos online that provide some silence as well as guidance. Here is a great example of a guided meditation to start off your daily practice.
Mantra Meditation Can Help Prevent Anxiety
Mantra is the medium difficulty meditation and the one I highly recommend for beginners. As Buddha said, “Always take the middle path.” The path that’s not too easy, but also not too hard.
This style provides a myriad of benefits while producing a very pleasurable experience that everyone can enjoy.
To practice, simply choose a mantra. I recommend “Om” as it has no particular meaning. This way it can easily make your mind clear and free.
Then, repeat the mantra over and over in your mind for 1, 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes. You’ll know what is right for you.
Only use the mantra while sitting in meditation and not randomly throughout your day. This will build your muscle memory in your brain to recognize that meditation time is happening whenever you think the mantra.
Starting Out with Breath Meditation Can Cause Anxiety
In this meditation, we simply focus on our breath. It is also called mindfulness meditation because we are practicing being mindful of our breath.
While being the most beneficial, it is also the most difficult. If you have a very chaotic mind, it can be very difficult to simply focus on your breath.
After using mantra meditation for a few weeks or months, you may wish to advance to breath meditation. But starting out with breath meditation can cause anxiety.
If you would still like to start off with breath meditation, using soothing meditation music can help lower anxiety.
Meditation is about relieving stress, not adding to it. We’re so used to being perfectionists in our daily life that we put pressure on ourselves in meditation. It’s exactly that kind of habitual thinking that meditation can help us break free from.
It’s so important in meditation to go easy on yourself. Furthermore, meditation isn’t about any desired outcome. It’s about the here and now. If you are sitting in meditation, you are doing it perfectly.
Know that there is no “doing it wrong” when it comes to meditation. Effort is all that matters. What you put in, you get out. Being too hard on ourselves is also a big meditation mistake that causes anxiety.
We all want to sit like a yogi in perfect lotus position on the floor with no pillows at all. But it’s important to remember that many cultures in the East are used to sitting on the floor at all times. Additionally, many people in Asia don’t even have tables and chairs. This is how they grew up.
For Westerners, sitting cross-legged on the floor can be very difficult. Also, it can be downright painful for some. This can easily lead to anxiety and also make us toss in the towel on meditation.
When you’re starting out, feel free to sit in a comfortable chair or on the couch. Additionally, you can sit in a bed with your back up against the headboard or with pillows at a 45-degree angle.
Over time you can gradually work your way up to half-lotus and then full lotus position. You can use pillows or no pillows. Whatever your body calls for. As long as you make sure you’re not lying down and that you won’t fall asleep, it’s all A-OK.
Whether we stub our toe or feel intense emotional pain, our reaction is the same. We tend to want to look away from the pain. We actually fear and resist the pain, which causes more suffering.
In meditation, we practice looking at the pain. We explore it, we accept it, and we heal from it.
It’s important to remember that as negative thoughts and emotions come up to just allow them to be. Don’t fight them, because that will only make them stronger. Don’t ignore them, because that will only make them louder. Just let them be. Observe them. Notice they aren’t as bad as you thought when you were too scared to look.
Really look closely at the nature of these emotions and see what they truly are. Observe your thoughts without judgements. Simply accept them and they will diminish.
Sometimes people have certain expectations about their meditation practice. They expect perfection right away or they think it’s not for them.
If suppressed emotions bubble to the surface, that is a wonderful thing. It means they’ve been pushed down for too long. That’s where they cause problems like illness, stress, anger and hot tempers.
Whatever comes up in meditation is good and healing. It’s like having a good cry at the therapist’s office.
Don’t rush your feelings or expect change overnight. Stick with it. If you’ve been suppressing emotions for decades, allow time for you to heal through meditation. Experiencing anxiety is just a sign that underlying your conscious mind is anxiety you have yet to deal with. Not letting go of expectations is one of the biggest meditation mistakes that can cause anxiety.
The more unpleasant meditation is at the start, the more necessary meditation is.
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Check out this guide for tips on getting started with meditation.
Follow @toddperel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for uplifting messages, tips and inspirations.
Check out our podcast on Spotify, iTunes or Google for answers to common questions about corporate mindfulness and meditation.
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The post 6 Meditation Mistakes that Can Cause Anxiety appeared first on EastWesticism.
November 3, 2021
Why Successful Leaders Start Their Day with Mindfulness
As Spiderman’s uncle said,“With great power comes great responsibility.” This immense responsibility has led many successful leaders to discover the benefits of starting their day with mindfulness.
From CEOs Jack Dorsey to Arriana Huffington and Jeff Weiner. As well as basketball coach Phil Jackson and team leaders Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Also creative geniuses like Jerry Seinfeld to George Lucas and the Beatles. For all of them, mindfulness has been their key to achieving success.
In this article I’ll share how mindfulness helps leaders succeed, what benefits can be gained, and how to implement mindfulness in your life.
Why Successful Leaders Need Mindfulness
Being the boss and being at the top of your field comes with a lot of pressure. The stakes have never been higher and it all depends upon your state of mind and also mental performance.
Leaders have to be aware of everything under their purview, stay self-motivated and motivate others. They must also be focused on the future without losing sight of the present.
Successful leaders must be mindful of the details and the big picture. It’s enough to drive anyone mad. This is why practicing and developing mindfulness is essential.
By practicing meditation in the morning and mindfulness throughout the day, leaders can sustainably perform at their peak.
Successful Leaders Use Mindfulness for FocusLeaders are always juggling a million little moving parts in their heads. Always thinking and always trying to improve. This can often make focusing difficult. Also our mind becomes less organized. We become scatterbrained, forgetful and can even burn out.
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on one thing and putting your whole attention there. It is practiced not only in meditation, but in every task we do.
Some people still believe that multitasking is a skill. But all the studies show that it doesn’t exist. Instead of doing multiple things at once, we really just jump back and forth between tasks quickly. And it turns out, we do those multiple things much worse than if we just focused on one at a time.
By practicing mindfulness, we expand our attention span, we improve our focus and concentration, and our mind can become calmer and less chaotic. This of course leads to better sleep, more awareness of our thoughts and actions, and less prone to bad habits.
Mindfulness for Making Better Decisions
Clear-eyed, sober decision-making is essential when you’re a leader. Whereas getting bogged down in worries, doubts and fears can derail a company.
There are many things we can do to clear our head: swimming, running, walking, yoga, or the less healthy drugs and alcohol. But while all of these things can bring temporary clarity, only mindfulness retrains our brain to always be clear and decisive.
Mindfulness helps us become aware of our own thoughts, feelings, impulses and decision-making process. We can focus more intently on problems at hand and we can block out irrelevant information more easily.
Mindfulness helps us be more conscious of every angle of a problem, and more and intentional with our decision-making. Furthermore, we become more aware why we’re making a decision, and how it will affect our organization in the short-term and the long-term.
This higher awareness is really just tapping into our highest intelligence. Our blind spots disappear and we can make decisions that save money, increase profits, and also improve the lives of workers and customers alike.
Successful Leaders Use Mindfulness for Less StressBrain scans and studies show that the more aware we become, the less stressed we become. This is because we become more identified as the witness of our thoughts and experiences rather than the recipient of said experiences.
Mindfulness creates a distance between us and what is happening to us. Just like we can look back on something terrible from a few years ago and laugh about it, mindfulness gives us that big picture view right now.
This slight change in perspective is incredibly profound. Instead of a stressful thing happening to us, we can experience it as an exciting challenge to overcome. Instead of being stressed, we notice stress. Rather than being angry, we observe anger.
By being mindful and not identifying with stress or negative emotions, stress is immediately diminished. By simply observing our thoughts and feelings, they no longer have a hold of us. They become just passersby in our constantly changing mind.
We stop being lost in thought the moment we become conscious of our thoughts. The more mindful we are of our thoughts and emotions, the less they affect us. It is like stepping off a rollercoaster and just watching from a distance. We see the rollercoaster, but we aren’t screaming with every drop and turn.
Successful Leaders Use Mindfulness for Creativity
When we practice mindfulness, that is observing without thinking or labeling, our entire brain lights up with activity. Different parts of the brain start communicating that don’t normally do so. We are able to see problems from different perspectives and come up with innovative solutions.
By getting out of our head, big ideas have space to enter. We can be fearless with creativity, unafraid to try new and bold ideas.
We can use mindfulness to focus longer and more intently on problems. Then we can clear our minds and be fully present so we can find the greatest solution. Our intuitive wisdom and higher intelligence can get to work when we can pause our lower thinking brain functions. This is what they mean when they say the best ideas come out of nowhere.
To this day, scientists do not understand how creativity works. The most creative people do not understand where their ideas come from. But many recurring themes have emerged.
Creativity tends to strike us like a bolt of lightning when we are not thinking. Whether it’s playing music (Albert Einstein), going for a walk (Steve Jobs), or sitting under a tree (Sir Issac Newton). All great insights tend to happen when we’re being mindful and present. Practicing mindfulness gives us access to this state of mind 24/7.
Mindfulness for Communicating BetterWith mindfulness, you’re not just more aware of what’s happening around you. You also become more aware of yourself. This is the cornerstone of communication.
Through mindfulness, we become more conscious of our words, our inflection, and our body posture. We move, speak and act with greater intentionality for maximum impact.
We also become more aware of how the people we are communicating with are receiving our message. Our relationships become stronger and we become expert communicators.
People will notice if we are not fully present when we communicate. This is literally where the term “absent minded” comes from. We are physically present but our mind is elsewhere. Every little thought we have is subconsciously picked up by the person we are speaking with.
Mindfulness helps us be more present so that our thoughts, words and actions all align. We give our full attention and our entire being is conveying the unified message we wish to present.
Mindfulness for Health, Well Being and Relationships
When you feel well, you think and perform better too. And not just in the boardroom. Mindfulness helps us make smarter, healthier decisions too. This is because more conscious, less habitual thinking helps us reduce addictive behavior.
When we are less stressed, we don’t turn to food, alcohol or laziness to feel better. Instead we make decisions that will make us feel better now and later.
We sleep better when we can stop our mind from racing at night. This gives us more energy throughout the day. Practicing meditation is like the ultimate power nap too. It creates a deeply restful state for the brain and gives us a huge energy boost.
Feeling great helps us be there more for others as well. With more energy, we can spend more time tending to our relationships and caring for others. When we are self-absorbed, tired and lethargic, doing things for others tends to be a struggle.
Practicing mindfulness also helps us develop greater compassion. By being more aware of others and their needs, we increase our empathy. It helps us get out of our heads, become more confident and less self conscious.
For all these reasons, busy successful leaders have found that mindfulness helps them maintain greater health and relationships.
Money Can’t Buy HappinessWhy would someone who has everything meditate? It’s hard, it’s not as fun as yachting, and it also takes up precious time.
But what successful people have found is that investing in their happiness pays off the biggest dividends.
Every pleasure in life is only temporary. And if you try to chase pleasures, you’ll only come to find that they end up bringing more pain than pleasure.
A chocolate cake is great for a few moments in your mouth. But you’ll get sick if you never stop eating cake.
Jet skis are super fun, but even if you tried to do that nonstop, eventually you would get bored.
A big purchase only brings momentary pleasure and then you need something else to buy.
Chasing pleasures from external sources can never bring true and lasting happiness. You will always need more and more and it will never satisfy you.
Only mindfulness can bring you lasting, deep, joy and peace. We all know that happiness comes from within. But it takes mindfulness to fully realize this truth.
How to Start Incorporating Mindfulness into Your Day
Establishing a daily meditation routine is essential for developing the habits of mindfulness. This is a great resource for people new to meditation.
Every activity we do can be a mindfulness exercise. Simply practice being fully present. Put all of your attention on what you’re doing in that moment. Notice what you’re seeing, hearing, feeling, etc… By putting your awareness into your senses, you’re getting out of your head and into the now.
Check in with your body every morning. Slowly scan it from the top of your head to your toes. Get in the habit of noticing if you’re holding onto stress or tension anywhere.
Take conscious breaths throughout the day. Just take a moment to check in. Notice how you’re breathing. Is it calm, deep and slow. Or is it choppy and irregular. Feel every sensation in your breath. Feel the air coming in your nostrils, going down the back of your throat, expanding your belly, and then coming back out.
The more presence we bring into our lives, the more mindful we become. We create a spaciousness in our mind that lowers our stress and boosts our happiness. Even just small moments can break a habitual or negative stream of thoughts. It helps us snap back into the present moment where problems and stress do not exist. These moments of stillness may start small, but they will multiply and expand over time. Eventually, your whole life will be peaceful, regardless of the events in your life.
Email Hello@EastWesticism.org for executive meditation and mindfulness coaching.
Check out this video on mindfulness.
Follow @toddperel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for uplifting messages, tips and inspirations.
Check out our podcast on Spotify, iTunes or Google for answers to common questions about corporate mindfulness and meditation.
Get peace and calm delivered.
The post Why Successful Leaders Start Their Day with Mindfulness appeared first on EastWesticism.
October 31, 2021
How Can I Trust Finding Love Again After Being Hurt So Bad?
Love isn’t always easy. Usually the journey to finding true love is filled with heartache, anger, sadness and depression. But also joy, comfort, companionship, laughter and fun. Unless you get so lucky as to marry your first date, there will be some heartbreak. Fortunately however, there are some ways to help you trust finding love again after being hurt.
To quote Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield. Sometimes we get hurt. Times can look bleak. But if we persevere, we can succeed in our mission. At any age, after any number of marriages, no matter who you are, love is out there waiting to find you.
So, let’s explore some ways to heal from traumatic relationships, how to attract a mate, and how meditation and mindfulness can help with both so that we can trust finding love again.
To Find Romantic Love, We Must Practice Universal Love
After hard breakups, it’s easy to be bitter. It’s easy to see the world as cruel. We may think that there’s nobody out there for us and why even bother trying.
But, the secret to overcoming these feelings is universal love. Universal love is the practice of loving everyone and every thing platonically. This is a powerful practice that opens our hearts and minds to the universe.
I know it can be hard at first, but not loving universally is what creates bitterness and resentment. It creates judgements and negative opinions that fill up our mind and disturb our peace. Loving even those who’ve hurt you does nothing for them, but it does everything for you. You don’t have to spend time with them, but internally you are letting go of hatred and welcoming in love.
One way to practice universal love is with curiosity rather than judgement. Ask yourself, why would this person have acted this way? What trauma have they experienced? What in their upbringing made them like this? Did society support them or let them down? You will always find that we are all shaped by our experiences. Some us were lucky enough to great parents and great teachers. Many of us were not.
Universal love doesn’t mean letting all the criminals out of prison. That would be foolish. Universal love on the other hand comes from wisdom. But, what it does mean is that maybe we wish to rehabilitate prisoners rather than inflict vengeful punishment on people who will one day be released anyway.
This powerful loving-kindness guided meditation video is a great way to start practicing universal love.
Being Present Can Help Us Trust in Finding Love Again
All breakup pain is caused by focusing on a breakup in the past or a lack of hope on finding love in the future. We became attached to a person and detachment causes suffering. Or, we became attached to the idea of being with someone and being alone causes suffering.
In all of these situations, we’ve become fixated on the past or on some imagined future. We obsess over the past or the future. And we are not mindful of the present moment, where life and everything else is actually happening.
We must practice meditation and mindfulness to be present. Mindfulness is becoming aware of the nature of our mind and the cause of our suffering. Meditation is the mind-training for being more present and focused with our awareness. As we rest our awareness in the present moment, the weight of our past and future becomes greatly diminished.
How to Be Present to Trust Finding Love Again After Being Hurt
To practice this, we simply have to observe our outer world and our inner world more. Observing whatever is happening in the now. This shoots us into the present moment when we simply observe the now without labels or judgements. Just notice the reflection of light off of whatever you’re looking at. Pay attention to your thoughts. Scan your body and notice any sensations you feel. Observe all the details of your in breath and out breath. This will automatically calm you down and release any tension.
Then, when we’re ready to start dating again, you’ll be more present on dates. You’ll be responding rather than overthinking. You’ll be less self-conscious and more confident because you’re out of your head and in the present moment. This is highly attractive.
Letting Go of the Past and the Future Helps Us Trust Finding Love Again
You have to let go of expectations and just go with the flow. The right person is out there but you will find them at the universe’s schedule. The more you put yourself out there, the sooner it will happen.
Let go of any timeframes, ideas about dating, ideas about true love, and just be. Don’t let past experiences color your perception of all people because everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way.
Healing from the Trauma of Relationships Past
Before getting back out there, healing is important. Give yourself time. Be patient with yourself. Losing a loved one, whether from death or a breakup, hurts the same. Here is a great article on how to use meditation and mindfulness to help with grieving that really applies here as well.
Take time for self-care. Feel through your feelings. Don’t resist or ignore your feelings because then they will just stay buried. Observe how you fixate on the negative and remember to think about the positive. There’s always 9 positive things for every 1 negative thing that happens. But when we grieve, we tend to only focus on the bad. This kind of negative fixation is a lack of mindfulness to the totality of the situation.
Simply expand your awareness by turning your focus to the good. Whether that’s the good times you had with that person, or that you now have the opportunity to find someone even more right for you.
The Law of Attracting a Mate
The less you focus on an outcome, the more you attract. When your goals are simply to have a good time and not finding a mate, you both will have a better time.
As people, we can sense desperation, neediness and insecurity. The key to attraction is simply presence. When we see an actor who is magnetic, we say, That person has an amazing presence.” In reality, what we mean is that the person is 100% present. They seem care-free and confident because they are not in their head. They have no ulterior motives and they appear genuine and relaxed.
This is the state we must be in for attraction and it is possible for everyone with practice. It’s about being comfortable in your shoes. This comes from knowing yourself and knowing yourself comes from meditation. When we meditate, we spend time with ourselves without any distractions. We observe our deepest thoughts with 100% focus and attention.
Know Thyself and Know Thy ValueThe more we know ourselves, the more confidence we exude, the more relaxed we are, and the more at peace we are in any circumstance. If a date goes bad, no bother because self-worth isn’t tied to external validation.
This peace and joy you exude when you have not a care in the world about any outcome other than this moment will be contagious. People will want to spend time around you. You will create an energy field around that will make others feel more at ease. Furthermore, they will want to be around you more.
Some people may be so in their head and struggling that they don’t recognize your own energy. That’s ok too. They were never meant for you. But the right person on the right wavelength is out there and you can trust and know that you will find love again.
There is No Choice But to Be an Optimist
You have to keep hope alive. Life without hope is no life at all. There are many people out there who will bring magic to your life. Never forget that.
People think we have 3 options in life: be an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist. But can you see the future? No? Great, me neither. That means that being realistic is a myth. Realistim is usually pessimism in disguise.
Being optimistic doesn’t mean expecting everything to go right. It means simply hoping that it does. If it doesn’t, that’s ok too because your mind is now in a habit of constantly looking for positive solutions and believing that positive outcomes will still come. If something goes wrong, you still know that this will pass and that something positive is just around the corner.
Optimism trains our brain to see the good in life, even if something we hoped for goes wrong. It’s a mindset of positivity over despair. It’s a mindset that helps us keep going when all looks lost.
There is nothing naive about optimism. It is a conscious, wise realization that there is good and bad in everything, that everything is constantly changing, and a choice to keep going with a great attitude.
You will find love. And more importantly, like every celibate monk knows, you can even love being alone until you meet that right person.
You can hear more on topics like love on our podcast on Spotify, iTunes or Google.
Be sure to follow @toddperel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for uplifting messages, tips and inspirations.
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The post How Can I Trust Finding Love Again After Being Hurt So Bad? appeared first on EastWesticism.
October 23, 2021
Can Corporate Meditation Lower Employee Turnover Rates?
Employee turnover rates are at all time highs today. 95% of workers are thinking of quitting their jobs and the number one reason is burnout. Even before the pandemic, 1 in 5 people quit their job every single year on average. With poor employee retention costing the U.S. businesses $1 trillion a year, companies are starting to wonder, can corporate meditation lower employee turnover rates?
While employee turnover rates have been a problem for a while, the pandemic has made it much worse. Employees are now rethinking their lives. They’re prioritizing mental health over grinding away day after day. Furthermore, they want fulfillment, not just a paycheck. During these strange times, we’ve all thought about our own mortality and how precious life is.
We’ve thought about our purpose and the meaning of our lives. The costs that low retention puts on employers is staggering. From empty positions to vetting and retraining new hires, retention rates can make or break a company. Moreover, projects get delayed, morale plummets, and productivity craters.
In short, companies need to start getting serious about employee retention. So, can corporate meditation lower employee turnover rates? In this article, first I’ll share what’s really causing poor employee retention. Secondly, how meditation can help. Thirdly, the results from companies who’ve implemented corporate meditation. And fourthly, how to get started at your company.
Why are Employee Turnover Rates So High?
We live in a different world than our parents did. People today are accustomed to having devices in their pocket that will show them anything they want in a nanosecond. This on-demand culture has given us higher expectations for everything in our lives.
Employees expect more from their employers. They want to feel important, valued, and validated. A paycheck is no longer the most important thing in their lives. They want fulfilment, respect, and to love what they’re doing.
Corporations have tried to cater to this. They’ve tried game rooms, bean bag chairs, and open floor plans. Companies have tried livening up the office decor, trivia games, Beer Friday, Massage Mondays, and Taco Truck Tuesdays. However, while all of these things may be fun and quirky, they don’t add meaning or value to their lives.
Game rooms are fun, but they’re usually a cruel reminder to a workforce that never has time to enjoy them. Beer Friday is fun, but it doesn’t make the job more satisfying.
With all of these noble efforts, turnover rates are higher than ever. These attempts failed because they misunderstood what truly makes workers happy.
How Corporate Meditation Can Lower Employee Turnover Rates
Instead of Taco Truck Tuesday, corporations would be better served trying out Meditation Mondays.
In study after study, meditation is shown to:
Give our lives the meaning we crave.Help us enjoy each moment more fully.Meditation helps workers be more present and engaged. Corporate meditation programs help workers focus and be less distracted.Lead to lasting joy and serenity.Create a sense of fulfilment and contentment.Reduce stress, which improves their physical health as well.Help employees recharge, relax and reenergize to avoid burnout.
Corporate meditation doesn’t just improve business relationships, it improves our personal relationships as well. We become better listeners and more aware of our loved ones’ needs. When not just work satisfaction but life satisfaction improves too, workers become more loyal and dedicated.
At the end of the day, work is about work. The perks on the side don’t change our experience with what we’re doing the majority of time we spend at work. Only meditation can help us accept the present moment as if we had chosen it.
Through corporate meditation programs, employee turnover rates can be lowered because they improve how we experience work. Consequently, anger, negativity, complaints, gripes, and resentments are all diminished. This leads to better focus, creativity, productivity, and problem-solving skills.
What Happens at Companies that Implement Corporate Meditation?
Fortunately, we now have decades of research on how corporate meditation impacts companies and lowers turnover rates.
For example, a chemical factory in Detroit had its workers meditate for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. The results were staggering:
Profits up 520%Productivity up 120%Quality up 240%Employees missing work down 85%Sick days down 76%
All of this is evidence that employees were healthier, more engaged, less stressed and less burnt out. That is to say, it’s all the things that lead to lower employee turnover rates.
Out of a survey of 500 employees who took a corporate meditation and mindfulness program, they reported:
91% said it improved the company culture52% had better office relationships46% were more innovative and creative66% felt less stress63% manage their work better60% had more focus, mental resilience, and made better decisions88% would recommend it
Furthermore, a study at the Tavistock Institute found that workplace mindfulness improved job performance and lowered turnover intention.
Meditation is the New Coffee Break and Can Lower Employee Turnover
Coffee was first introduced to the workforce at a necktie manufacturer in Denver, Colorado during World War II. The women working the factory were only able to work these intricate looms for about 4 hours a day. They convinced the management to give them some time every morning and afternoon for a coffee break. Productivity exploded and the coffee break became a mainstay in corporate America ever since.
Today, a meditation break is taking the place of coffee in corporate America. It doesn’t just give employees energy though. It gives them a greater quality of life in every possible sense.
How to Start Corporate Meditation at Your Office
Today, corporate meditation and mindfulness programs can be in-person or remote. They can be daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annually or annually. Furthermore, they can be keynotes, half-day workshops, or retreats.
No matter what fits with your company’s goals, needs and schedule, a corporate meditation and mindfulness program can be designed just for you. The benefits will speak for themselves.
Email Hello@EastWesticism.org for a customized meditation and mindfulness program for your company.
Check out this video for better focus and improving our ability to pay attention.
Subscribe on YouTube for videos on mindfulness and guided meditations.
Follow @toddperel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for uplifting messages, tips and inspirations.
Check out our podcast on Spotify, iTunes or Google for answers to common questions about mindfulness and meditation.
The post Can Corporate Meditation Lower Employee Turnover Rates? appeared first on EastWesticism.
October 21, 2021
Why Google and Nike Offer Corporate Meditation to Their Employees
Meditation isn’t just for monks anymore. The more popular it’s become, the more giant corporations have discovered just how beneficial meditation can be. Not just for their employees, but for their bottom line. That’s why Google and Nike offer corporate meditation to their employees.
Meditation is like the OG of microdosing in that it’s a mind hack similar to the one Silicon Valley has recently discovered. Except meditation is free and there is no danger of overdoing it. Furthermore, the benefits of meditation last forever, not just during the few hours of a microdose.
In this article, I’ll talk about what corporate meditation is. Second, why companies have implemented corporate meditation. Third, what improvements they’ve seen. And fourth, how your company can start getting the same benefits as Google and Nike.
So What is Corporate Meditation?
Corporate Mindfulness and Meditation programs like the ones at Google and Nike help employees reach their fullest potential. They teach secular, science-backed techniques that improve creativity, productivity and focus. Simultaneously, they decrease stress, reduce turnover rates, and lead to fewer sick days.
A speaker will come in semi-regularly to teach a combination of mindfulness and meditation geared for the corporate world. They tend to either give a one or two-hour keynote, or lead a half or full day workshop. These may be done in person or remotely via Zoom.
Alternatively, corporate meditation may be taught during a weekend or a week-long retreat off campus.
Many corporations, like Nike and Google, tend to have annual retreats. They’ll also have monthly or bi-monthly keynote speakers and/or workshops. And they’ll also provide weekly meditation classes.
In these events, employees learn how to meditate as well as simple techniques for managing emotions. Through this combination of instruction and meditation practice, employees can get more done, in less time, with less stress.
Why Have Companies Like Google and Nike Implemented Corporate Meditation?
Despite being well-known, even Google and Nike are not immune from the high turnover rates in the U.S. Burnout and turnover cost large companies trillions of dollars a year.
Additionally, Google and Nike wish to attract the best talent. So, making their offices the happiest places to work is the best way to do it.
Game rooms, extra time off and bean bag chairs have all been tried. But, they fail to address the true source of joy and fulfillment — the mind. Complaining, negativity, and taking on stress all remain, no matter how many bean bag chairs there are.
When we’re stressed, we make costly mistakes. If employees are worried, innovation is stifled. And if you’re alive today in the 21st century, technology has made it harder to focus and pay attention.
The Effects of Workplace StressIt isn’t just psychological either. 43% of all adults suffer physically from stress. Up to 90% of all doctor visits are related to stress. Stress can lead to headaches, diabetes, asthma, skin disorders, arthritis, depression and anxiety. It even leads to heart disease, increased blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and death. OSHA estimates that stress costs companies $300 billion in the U.S. alone!
These coping and stress-reduction skills don’t just stop when an employee leaves the office. They are important skills that stay with them when they get home and for the rest of their lives.
Companies like Google and Nike are investing handsomely into corporate meditation. They do it for profits, for their employees’ well-being, and for their employees’ friends and families.
What Happens After Companies Implement Corporate Meditation?
Innovation is what drives business today. It’s the only thing that ensures any company will be around tomorrow.
When we meditate, our whole brain lights up with activity. Different regions of the brain that don’t normally communicate with each other start talking. In this heightened state of awareness, we can see solutions we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. We gain a new perspective on a problem. Furthermore, we create the space in our mind for new ideas to enter.
Creativity is about focusing on a problem for a long time, and then clearing the mind. Einstein played violin or rode a bike to do this. Sir Issac Newton sat under a tree – essentially meditating.
It is vitally important for creativity and innovation to practice the art of meditating. To calm the body and mind. To slow down, clear our head, and enter a deeply relaxed state of being.
Meditation: The Greatest Tool for CreativityWhile violin and bike riding are great, nothing boosts creativity and performance quite like meditation. When we’re biking or playing violin, we’re still using a great deal of brain power to not fall off or to move our fingers in the right way. Only by sitting still with our eyes closed can we completely free our mind from the normal constraints of the day.
By being in a heightened state of concentration as we repeatedly focus on our breath or a mantra in meditation, we develop greater powers of concentration and focus.
As we observe our thoughts and emotions without distraction, we become conscious of unconscious thought patterns. We become our own therapist and we can tap into our habitual thinking and rewire our brain consciously. Rising stress can be easily be observed and released. Tension in our body can easily be recognized and relaxed.
The more we meditate, the more being aware and at peace becomes second nature. Our mental and physical health improve. Our relationships become better. Stress, nervousness, worry, doubts and fear become diminished as we become more focused on the present moment.
Every single employee becomes a better speaker and a more engaged worker. They become more positive, more creative, happier and healthier. That is why companies like Google and Nike have implemented corporate meditation and continue to do so.
How Your Company Can See the Same Benefits from Corporate Meditation as Nike and Google
To find a good meditation and mindfulness instructor, it is our recommendation that you find someone with a wide range of experience and knowledge.
The founder of EastWesticism, Todd Perelmuter, spent 9 years learning meditation and mindfulness from dozens of world-famous monks, lamas, gurus, shamans and behavioral scientists. He belongs to no one particular religion or sect and teaches a completely secular, science-based method all over the world.
Earlier in his career, Todd spent a decade working in advertising in New York City as a Creative Director, as well as performing stand-up comedy and improv. He uniquely understands the corporate world as well as meditation and mindfulness. And he bridges those two worlds with a humorous and entertaining style. Email Hello@EastWesticism.org for a customized meditation and mindfulness program for your company.
Subscribe on YouTube for videos on mindfulness and guided meditations.
Follow @toddperel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for uplifting messages, tips and inspirations.
The post Why Google and Nike Offer Corporate Meditation to Their Employees appeared first on EastWesticism.
October 20, 2021
Are Corporate Meditation and Corporate Mindfulness Programs the Same?
Words like meditation, mindfulness, and spirituality get thrown around a lot these days. Each word can mean very different things to different people. In this article, I’ll discuss what each one means. And we’ll get to the bottom of what corporate meditation and corporate mindfulness programs are. Furthermore, how they’re different, and how they’re the same.
First, a Little Background on Meditation
If you’re like me, you’ve heard people say things like, “For me, swimming laps is my meditation.” Or, “Making art is meditation for me.” Or, “Going for walks is my meditation time.”
I get it. When I used to act or perform comedy, I felt the same way. Going skiing, shooting a bow and arrow at a target, working out, and rock climbing. They all were times when I cleared my head and I was totally in the present moment.
But all of these experiences are meditative, not meditation. They force the mind to be present, but they do not train it to be present after the activity is over. They do not train the mind to see the world as it truly is. Nor does it teach us to live more presently, consciously, intentionally, and peacefully.
Jumping out of an airplane will definitely propel your mind into the present moment. But, this can lead to adrenaline addiction.
Going for a walk may help clear the mind. But, most of your mental activity is actually focusing on balance and not getting hit by car.
True Corporate Meditation Programs Teach Mind Training
All of these meditative activities can be beautiful, profound ways to spend our time. They are important and they make life worth living.
But sitting still with eyes closed, focusing on either your breath or a mantra, is the only true form of meditation. This is the mind training that helps us see the world differently long after the meditation is over.
In this meditation, we learn focus and patience. We gain a heightened awareness of our thoughts and our surroundings, calm and peace. We reconnect to the present moment with no desired outcome or achievement. Our still body helps us achieve a still mind.
After learning sitting meditation, there are ways to turn activities such as eating and walking into a meditation. But walking meditation is much different than just going for a normal walk. Here’s a great video on walking meditation.
What is Mindfulness?
Some people think mindfulness is clearing our mind. This is not mindfulness. This is mindlessness.
Mindfulness is becoming fully aware, or mindful, of everything that is happening within us and around us. When we are lost in thought, we have lost our awareness of where we are. When we are present, we are seeing what is happening as it truly is.
Mindfulness is the byproduct of our meditation practice. Continually focus on the present moment, like on your breath or mantra, and you will train our mind to be present.
When we are fully captivated by a movie or exciting activity, we experience presence. But, we have lost awareness of ourselves because the activity is so hyperstimulating.
Corporate Mindfulness Programs Raise Our Awareness
By learning to focus on breathing or mantras with the same level of attention as a movie, our awareness rises. We become aware of our subconscious and unconscious thought patterns and behaviors. We can break free from bad habits. And we can observe negative emotions with equanimity.
As we become more aware of thoughts and feelings, we no longer identify with them. Rather, we can simply observe them come and go. With mindfulness, we understand deeply the impermanent nature of all phenomena and do not get attached to them.
Mindfulness can best be described using the ocean. Our thoughts are like the waves on the surface. Sometimes they can be dark, chaotic, noisy and large. As much as we try, we can’t force the waves to stop or simply ignore them. But, we can expand our awareness to the deep, vast, still, and peaceful quiet underneath the surface. When we do this, the waves on the top don’t seem so large or important. This is mindfulness.
What is Spirituality?
This is the big one. Does it imply a spirit or soul? Does it mean sacred geometry? Believing in crystals? Magic? Ghosts? Is it anti-Christian or pro-Christian?
Since no two people may agree on what spirituality means, I will describe what we mean at EastWesticism. Here, spirituality simply means psychological wellbeing.
There is a physical world, and there is a nonmaterial spiritual world. The latter is the world of thoughts, emotions, mindset and attention. It is experience itself. While we cannot always control external circumstances, we can control how we perceive them. This is what we mean by spirituality.
Spirituality helps us find peace, love and beauty beneath the surface of whatever is happening. Too often we become fixated on a story in our mind rather than what is actually happening. We obsess over why something isn’t the way we wish it was.
Through spirituality, we accept the present moment. We can still work to change it, but with calmness and wisdom. It is about seeing life as it truly is.
What are Corporate Meditation Programs?
Corporate Meditation Programs are any type of meditation instruction for employees and executives. They may be an hour, a half-day, full day, or weekend retreat. It can be daily, weekly, monthly or annually.
During the course of the program, there will be some time for instruction, some time for practice and some time for questions.
The type of meditation will be based on the skill level of the students. Regularly occurring programs may divide workers into skill levels. The teaching can be customized as well based on how advanced workers are.
Often, the meditation we teach for beginners is recommended for new corporate meditation programs. It is both easy, enjoyable, and incredibly profound and transformative.
What are Corporate Mindfulness Programs?
Corporate Mindfulness Programs typically consist of keynotes, workshops or retreats as well. However, they focus on skills outside of meditation to help workers manage their emotions.
Corporate Mindfulness Programs help workers relate better to coworkers. And they ensure greater fulfillment and joy in their lives and jobs.
Why Corporate Programs Must Include Meditation and Mindfulness
True wisdom and understanding comes from two things: knowledge and experience. Both are necessary for becoming an expert in anything.
A doctor cannot become a doctor just by reading books. Nor can they just start cutting people open and hoping for the best. They need both knowledge and experience before they can become a doctor.
Meditation is the experience and mindfulness is the knowledge. They must both go together for people to reach their fullest potential. We need to know the why, not just the what, to truly understand and learn about something new.
It’s one thing to be told all things must pass. It’s another to experience it firsthand. Whereas mindfulness is learning the concept, meditation is the experiencing. In meditation, you watch all your thoughts and feelings come and go. You see every impulse and craving, every dislike and discomfort, every sight and sound arise in the mind and fall away. Only then can impermanence be understood on a deep level. You’re not just aware that it’s true. You know it’s true.
At EastWesticism, all of our Corporate Meditation and Mindfulness Programs include both. Meditation is essential to achieve lasting positive changes. But Mindfulness is equally necessary for understanding how and why it works. It’s vital for people to fully understand on both an intellectual level and an experiential level.
You can read as many books as you want about basketball, but unless you practice you won’t be any good. This is why mindfulness and meditation must be taught together.
Book Your Company’s Corporate Meditation and Mindfulness Programs Today
Email Hello@EastWesticism.org for a custom program for your business.
Subscribe on YouTube for videos on mindfulness and guided meditations.
Follow @toddperel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for uplifting messages, tips and inspirations.
The post Are Corporate Meditation and Corporate Mindfulness Programs the Same? appeared first on EastWesticism.
