The Power of Meditation
Chapter 1: Meditation and Success
Mediation for the Modern Life
Somewhere in Silicon Valley, a group of computer programmers sits silently
in a room together, legs crossed and eyes half-closed, listening to the
sound of their own breath. Elsewhere, the owner of a small real estate
company starts her day by breathing deeply and engaging in yoga poses.
Still, elsewhere, a data entry specialist finishes his turkey sandwich and
returns to his cubicle, puts on his headphones, and breathes deeply while
listening to the sounds of bells and waterfalls.
Meditation looks different for different people, but one thing is for sure: it is
quickly gaining popularity in Western culture. It has many professional and
personal benefits, including increased productivity, reduction of stress and
depression, and reduction of troubling physical symptoms such as
headaches and muscle tension, to name.
• A relaxing environment:
Whether in the woods, by the lake, in a studio, or in your living room, mediation usually occurs in an
the environment that is physically comfortable and free from noisy
distractions. Some people choose to sit on a cushion and focus on
their breathing in complete silence, while others may choose to lay on
their beds and listen to relaxing music.
• Posture or movement: during mediation, the participant will generally
sit in a specific posture, such as with the legs crossed, spine straight,
and hands resting on the knees. Sometimes participants will lay
down or engage in specific movements, such as yoga or t’ai chi.
• Focus: while meditating, the participant will focus on several
things from their simple breath, the feeling of energy moving through
the body, an object, a value or ideal, or a word or phrase called a
mantra.
How Meditation Increases Success;
The idea of being successful, or being able to accomplish what you have
set out to do or being able to achieve the state of mind you desire, is
usually associated with words like “persistence,” “patience,” “hard work,”
and “goal-setting.” Meditation most likely wouldn’t even be one of the top
hundred words associated with success. But it should be.
Think about it. If one activity, alone, could improve several aspects of your
mind and your body at the same time, from problem-solving skills to
general creativity to blood pressure, immunity, and headaches wouldn’t
Do you think it could greatly contribute to your overall success in life? The
healthier you are and the more empowered you feel.
Making Meditation Work for You;
While meditation can be a prolonged activity, it doesn’t have to take hours
of your day. Even a ten or fifteen-minute session of meditation can provide
some benefits of relaxation.
The following list serves as a reference for different kinds of meditative
practices. Choose one or two that you think you might enjoy and
incorporate them into your schedule. Many people prefer to meditate early
in the morning before starting their day to help them start with a positive
outlook. Others choose to meditate just before bed to help them relieve
anxious thoughts and drift off to sleep peacefully. A few meditative
exercises are detailed later.
The Practice of Meditation.
• Deep Breathing or Breath Focus: Involves closing your eyes and focusing all of your attention on the experience of your breath filling
your lungs and leaving your body. This is the basis of most
meditative practices, and many methods build upon this.
• Body Scanning: This method is used primarily for relaxation. It
involves paying attention to different parts of your body in sequence,
allowing yourself to tense and then relax each part, paying attention
to how each part feels during the process.
• Energy Focus: Focusing your attention on the energy that flows
through you and finding a sense of being “centered” or “grounded,”
meaning a place of relaxed and empowered wholeness. May also
involve the use of “chakras.”
• Gazing: This is a variation of the Breath Focus technique. Instead of
having your eyes closed, you can choose to focus your gaze on an
object.
• Visualization: Entails closing your eyes and focusing your attention
on an image of a peaceful place, such as a beach, a mountain, or a
favorite hiking trail.
• Guided Imagery: Involves listening to a teacher or a pre-recorded
track to guide you through peaceful images and engage your senses.
The Power of Meditation
• Mantra: Involves repeating a word, syllable, or phrase many times,
either in your mind or out loud.
• Music: Involves listening to soothing sounds of bells, harps, stringed
instruments, wind instruments, and nature sounds while focusing on
your breathing.
• Yoga: This exercise is actually a form of meditation, as each
movement is carried out slowly and methodically, paying attention to
the breath and energy in the body. It is especially effective when
paired with a beautiful setting in nature or meditative music.
• T’ai Chi: A form of meditative martial arts that allows the user to
focus on the inner energy flowing through the body.
• Qi Gong: Combines relaxation, meditation, movement, and breathing
exercises to restore and maintain a sense of balance. Focuses on
the Chinese concept of Qi, or energy, particularly concentrated
around the spine, torso.
• Walking Meditation: Walking can be used as a form of meditation
when the user focuses attention on the feeling of movement, allowing
all other thoughts to pass by.
• Insight or Mindfulness Meditation: Involves practicing mindfulness on the random stream of inner thoughts, feelings, and sensations as
they flow by. It includes a focus on the present state of being as
opposed to future or past events.
• Positive Affirmations: Entails focusing on the positive thoughts that
will help you accomplish your goals. Examples include “I am
successful,” “I am loved,” “I can do this,” or “I can do anything I
set my mind to.”
• Reading Reflection or Quiet Time: Involves reading a poem, sacred
text, or scripture and reflecting upon its meaning or personal impact.
It can also be paired with spoken words, sacred music, or journaling.
• Movement Meditation: Involves attaining a sense of groundedness or
centeredness and then allowing your body to move in various ways,
focusing on the feelings of your body.
Chapter 2:
The Benefits of Meditation
The Benefits of Meditation for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
If you have ever attempted to start your own business, you are probably
very familiar with the stress of working long hours, taking on increased
responsibilities, and trying to problem solve your way through unexpected
challenges. You might find yourself struggling to find time to eat three
square meals a day or sleep more than a few hours each night. Some stress is natural and unavoidable. Over time, however, increased
and prolonged exposure to stress will erode the health of both body
and mind. It can lead to an array of symptoms, including frequent
headaches, upset stomach, and digestive issues, chest pain, difficulty
sleeping, and hypertension.
Furthermore, after engaging in meditation, even the daily tasks of pouring a
cup of tea, driving or filing papers can become a form of meditative
concentration as your mind is already geared up and ready to apply this
newfound mindfulness in everyday situations.
Corporate Meditation and Employee Morale
Some businesses hire corporate meditation services to encourage.
Meditation results in reduced costs of employee absenteeism because
employees can enjoy the health benefits of meditation, including reducing stress, injury, and less Illness because their bodies will be healthier. Additionally, employees who feel that their job is actually helping them be more productive and healthier will report overall higher levels of job satisfaction, resulting in less employee turnover.
Professions require them to use their creative thinking skills or concentrate for extended periods, such as engineers, designers,
architects, programmers, and artists. Additionally, meditation can help
employees learn new tasks because it improves memory retention and
general learning ability. When the mind is relaxed and free from
distractions, it can work much more productively at the task at hand.
Meditation can help increase employee morale for several reasons.
Finally, employee morale can be increased by introducing a
corporate meditation program as employees may feel that their employers
care for their general well-being. Employees will find it easier to take pride
in a company that takes pride in them.
Research studies are beginning to prove the benefits of corporate
meditation programs. According to Project-Meditation.org, a Detroit-based
the chemical plant implemented a corporate meditation program. After just
three years, they reported an 85% reduction in absenteeism, a 120%
increase in overall productivity, a 70% reduction in injuries, and a whopping
520% increase in company profits.
The Benefits of Meditation for Personal Well-Being
Meditation, especially when used as a regular part of a healthy lifestyle,
has multiple benefits. When you review the list below, it will be easy to see
why so many people incorporate it into their professional and
personal lives to help them achieve a greater sense of success. How many
other activities can provide so many physical and mental benefits?
Physical Benefits;
• Decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol
• Improvements of symptoms of insomnia
• Reduction of symptoms of PMS
• Reduced thickness of artery walls, reducing the risk of heart attack and
stroke by 8 – 15%1
• Improvement of chronic pain symptoms
• Reduction of the distressing symptoms of asthma, allergies,
depression, cancer, fatigue, and heart disease2
• Decreased muscle tension
• Improvements in levels of energy
• Increased immunity to fight off disease
• Improvements infertility as meditation helps regulate bodily
hormones
Mental Benefits;
• Decreased anxiety and nervousness
• Increased feelings of independence and confidence
• Causes the brain to age more slowly by increasing grey matter in the
brain4
• Increased creativity
• Increased ability to problem-solve
• Increased ability to concentrate
• Greater sense of self-awareness
• Improved ability to learn new tasks
• Increased productivity
• Increased emotional stability
• Increased sense of intuition
• Increased ability to resist impulsive urges
• Increased job satisfaction
• Improvements in listening skills
• Increased tolerance
• Increased ability to empathize Chapter 3
The Practice of Meditation
Preparing Body and Mind for Meditation
Meditation involves being intentional and mindful while placing your body in
a comfortable position. Before you begin to engage in meditation, make
sure that you have an allotted amount of time in which you will not be
disturbed by phone calls or demands from family members or coworkers.
Choose an area in which you feel safe and relaxed, with soft lighting and
minimal noise. Make sure that your body is relieved by visiting the
restroom, drinking water, and eating a snack or a meal beforehand so that
bodily urges do not overwhelm you and distract you from your meditative
exercises. You may even want to make sure that your body is clean and
that your skin is moisturized so that you can feel most comfortable when
gaining awareness of your body and so that discomforts do not overwhelm
you.
Adjust the room temperature or wear appropriate clothing so that
your body will be neither too hot nor too cold. Use a comfortable cushion
with a soft fabric to sit upon.
If you are using music in your meditation, use something you are
familiar with that does not have any surprising clangs, screeches, or riffs.
Put your music player on constant repeat so that you will not have to break
your attention to start a new song.
Meditation Exercises
The following are a few simple modern meditative practices that you can
easily incorporate into your daily schedule. These exercises are
appropriate for beginners and are easy enough that you can practice them
in almost any environment, whether you are in the comfort of your living
room, your office or cubicle at work, or sitting beside a river or fountain or in
the pavilion of a beautiful garden.
Many of these exercises can be effective when used as little as ten or
fifteen minutes per day. As you gain comfort with meditation, try engaging
in it for longer, even as long as thirty minutes or an hour or more, when you
can do so. Choose one or two that you think you might enjoy and
give it a try.
• Deep Breathing: This is the core of most meditative practices. If you
are unfamiliar with meditation, start here and do this meditation
several times until you are comfortable with it before moving on to
the different forms of meditation. Begin by finding a quiet,
comfortable area. Turn off your cell phone and any other distractions.
Place yourself in a meditative sitting posture. Focus all of your
attention on your breathing.
Notice how it sounds when you inhale and how it feels as your breath
fills your lungs and then leaves your body through your nostrils.
Breathe deeply and slowly. When your focus shifts to some mental
distraction, slowly return your thoughts to the simple act of
breathing. Continue until you feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
• Music Meditation: Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, where
you can comfortably listen to music. Turn on music which you find
relaxing. Many people prefer to use instrumental music, especially
ones that include the sounds of strings, bells, or nature. Focus on the sounds and melodies of the music, allowing it to affect you. When your
thoughts wander, return your attention to the music, breathing slowly.
• Positive Affirmations: Go to a place where you can feel safe and be
uninterrupted from distractions. Engage in a meditative sitting
posture and breathe deeply until you feel relaxed, clearing your mind
of worries and fears. Think upon one or several positive affirmations
about yourself. Here are some examples of positive affirmations you
can use, or you can choose your own.
• I can achieve anything upon which I set my mind.
• I am doing work that I find enjoyable and fulfilling.
•I am competent and able to face any challenge this day
• I take pleasure in my own solitude.
•I have the power to choose my own path.
• I love and accept all of who I am.
The Power of Meditation
• I view my setbacks and losses as a gift.
• I trust my intuition and my heart to guide me.
• I am more than good enough.
• I see the perfection in all my flaws.
• The past has no power over me. The future will not control me.
• I have a unique contribution and purpose in this world.
• I am created in the image of God and am blessed with divine
power and energy.
• I am an heir to the abundance of God’s kingdom.
Meditation: – a word, sound, phrase, or
scripture upon which you would like to focus your attention. You
might want to choose a quality that you want to incorporate into your
life, such as “love,” “peace,” or “forgiveness.” Alternately, you might
choose a favorite quote or scripture that has personal meaning.
Once you have chosen your one word, sound, or phrase, go to a
quiet, comfortable place, remove yourself from distractions, and engage in a meditative sitting posture. Start by breathing deeply.
When you feel relaxed, say your word or phrase either to yourself
mentally or out loud. Repeat your word several times, slowly.
Meditate upon the meaning and impact of the word.
• Body Scanning: Go to a quiet, comfortable place and turn off your
cell phone and other distractions. Place yourself in a laying posture
for this exercise, resting upon your back with your arms and legs
straight and your neck and spine elongated. You may choose to lay
on a mat or your bed. Engage in deep breathing, taking deep and
slow breaths. First, notice what areas of your body are in contact
with the mat or mattress. Focus on softening these areas by tuning
into each part and relaxing it, whether you notice your hips or your
head feeling the pressure.
Next, set a mental intention to leave all distracting thoughts or sounds
and solely focus on your body. Agree to accept every feeling in your
body, whether it is a pain or relaxation. Focus your attention on various
parts of your body, starting from your toes to the soles of your feet to
your ankles all the way up to your head.
Give each part of your body individual attention. Notice the various
sensations of your body, whether you are feeling warmth, tension,
pain, or relaxation. Imagine breathing relaxation, warmth, or
acceptance into each part of your body. Finally, after you have paid
attention to each part of your body, focus on how your body feels as a
whole. Although traditional body scanning involves remaining still the
entire session, you may also want to experiment with a variation by choosing to gently stretch or massage areas of your body that need
to be relieved of tension as you engage in body scanning.
• Visualization: Go to a comfortable, quiet place free from distractions.
Engage in a meditative sitting posture. Start by breathing deeply,
focusing on the sound and feeling of your breath, and allowing your
body to relax. When you feel relaxed, visualize an image of a
peaceful place, either real or imaginary. Common places include
beaches, mountains, or forests. Alternately, you could imagine a new
place filled with fantastic creatures like unicorns and fairies or alien
plant life. Focus on each sense. How does the place look? Imagine
the visual details, focusing on each one. Imagine what you would
feel, smell, taste, or hear in this location.
• Guided Imagery: Choose a pre-recorded guided imagery track or
attend a guided imagery session with a therapist, teacher, or
meditator as your guide. Many guided imagery sessions are
available for free online through video services such as YouTube or
audio and video podcasts. Listen to the instructions provided,
visualizing each detail of the guided imagery as you listen.
• Walking Meditation: Choose a place to walk in which you will feel
comfortable and safe, whether it is a sidewalk, a park, or a hiking trail.
Instead of focusing on walking to exercise or reach a specific
destination, focus simply on the feeling of movement and the soles of
your feet pressing into the ground as they propel you forward. Slow down your walking pace so that you can focus on each
movement of your legs, arms, and torso. Allow thoughts to pass
through your mind without focusing on them, judging them, or holding
onto them.
• Reading Reflection or Quiet Time: Find a quiet place, free of
distractions. Silence your cell phone. Read a poem, a sacred text, or
a scripture. If you like, read it several times and focus on each
phrase independently. Then, reread it and focus on the meaning
of the poem or phrase as a whole. Quietly reflect on the meaning of
the passage and the impact upon your life. Listen to sacred music or
spoken words. Write your thoughts in a journal, being sure not to
judge any thoughts you may have. Alternately, you can choose to
simply copy the text into your journal once or repetitively while
breathing deeply as a means of concentrating, focusing upon, and
memorizing the text.
• Energy Focus: Find a quiet place free of distractions and engage in a
meditative sitting posture. Breathe deeply, focusing your attention on
the sound and feeling of your breath entering and leaving your body.
Focus your attention inward, gaining awareness of your feelings of
being centered or grounded. The idea of being centered basically
means returning your scattered thoughts and attention to
yourself and the space of your body. If you notice that your energy
feels imbalanced or unfocused, try to refocus your attention to the
energy at the core of your body. Alternately, you can also focus on different chakras or areas of energy from Hindu tradition. The seven
chakras are a complicated concept, but in short, they are:
•The Crown Chakra – at the top of the head, this chakra is
associated with spiritual connectedness, understanding, will,
and the color violet or purple.
• The Third Eye chakra – slightly above the center of the eyes,
this chakra is associated with intuition, psychic knowledge, and
the color indigo.
• The Heart Chakra – at the breast bone, this chakra is
associated with matters of the heart, love, and emotions, as well
as the color green.
• The Solar Plexus Chakra – at the diaphragm, between the
breast bone and navel, this chakra is associated with intellect,
cleansing, life force, wisdom, and the color yellow.
•The Splenic Chakra – at the belly button, this chakra is
associated with creativity and orange.
Now, instead of leaving your eyes closed, open your eyes and focus
your gaze upon the intended object. Try to keep your eyes open
without blinking for as long as possible. When you can no longer
resist the urge to blink, close your eyes and picture the image of the
object in your mind. Reflect upon the nature and meaning of the
object, or simply allow it to capture your attention as you quiet your
mind. Allow thoughts to flow through your mind without holding onto
them or judging them. Return your focus to your object. If your focus
wavers or the mental image of your object begins to fade, open your
eyes again, and repeat the gazing process until you need to blink
again.
A variation of this exercise uses colored candles, with each color
representing different qualities5
. Choose one color and focus on the
qualities as you watch the candle burn. If you choose to use a candle
flame, make sure you are in a place that is free from fans or breezes
so that your flame does not extinguish or fluctuate wildly during your
meditation.
• White – clarity, wholeness, purity, innocence, and simplicity
• Gold – wealth, prosperity, abundance, spirituality, higher ideals
• Silver – clairvoyance, personal transformation, the
subconscious mind
• Purple – commitment, reverence, connecting with the divine,
spiritual development, and higher consciousness
• Indigo – intuition, insight, wisdom, imagination, and clarity of
thought
• Blue – communication, self-expression, inspiration, creativity,
relaxation, trust, and devotion
• Turquoise – healing, independence, and protection
• Green – Love, forgiveness, compassion, inspiration, hope,
dedication, and freedom
• Yellow – generosity, ethics, confidence, self-esteem, discipline,
ambition, courage, inner power, and self-respect
• Orange – sexual energy, sensuality, happiness, friendship, the
ability to survive loss and optimism
• Red – survival, safety, connection to the physical world,
courage, family relationships, physical strength, and vitality
• Pink – loyalty, warmth, and empathic
You must be logged in to post a comment.