Increase your Inner Capital

As a yoga teacher, I am continually amazed at the questions and overall response during a meditation at the end of my yoga classes.

Here is a list of the top 5 reasons I hear from individuals have difficulty meditating:

1. I can't turn my brain off
2. I'm trying to do it; I just can't
3. I feel physical sensations (i.e., an itch) and get easily distracted
4. The breathing continually is hard
5. I cannot focus and concentrate as I am thinking about everything I need to do

Like your business, all-new strategies take time to implement. If you do not have a plan, it simply will not work.

Your private inner capital is the key to all success. Enter daily meditation practice. To achieve greatness, we must practice a task daily until it becomes more comfortable and part of our morning routine. That is where the magic is.

Our brain consists of 5 different types of brain waves; Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Each of these brain waves has a standard frequency range in which they operate. Below is a brief overview of the primary function of these brain waves.

1. Delta waves - Deep, dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness.
2. Theta waves - Deep meditation, relaxation, REM sleep.
3. Alpha waves - Calm, relaxed, in an alert state.
4. Beta waves - Active, busy thinking, active processing, active concentration, arousal, and cognition.
5. Gamma waves - Higher mental activity, including perception, problem-solving, and consciousness.

During meditation, theta waves are the most abundant in the frontal and middle parts of the brain. These waves derive from relaxed attention. It's a beautiful inner experience. Studies have shown that theta waves represent deep relaxation and are occurring more often, especially in individuals who practice daily meditation.

Alpha waves are also abundant in the posterior parts of the brain during meditation than during pure relaxation. They are characteristic of wakeful rest. This wave type increases when our mind is relaxed from any goal-oriented or intentional tasks. It's also indicative of deep relaxation. This is the time where all your creativity and innovation can be limitless as the mind is not void.

There are so many benefits to meditation. When I am working with executives and coaching them, I often hear, "I don't have 10-15 minutes" to do this. My answer is simple, "Then you need to take an hour." A new habit is hard to implement into a well-organized schedule with a disciplined mind. When I can coach and demonstrate the outcomes and benefits, it's usually a well-received and adopted modality for executives. They can make even more decisions and handle their day better, including travel.

When you take the time daily to quiet your mind, the benefits are limitless. It allows you to be an intentional thinker. When you want or need to solve a problem, increase your creativity or innovation, this is the space you need to be in with your cognition as it only increases your habits of thinking to be self-directed at all times.