Protecting the Wealth of Inner Peace With Meditation

The first step is peace. Before leaders can have any conversation around increasing productivity, enhancing team performance, building team camaraderie, living our purpose, solving complex problems et al., the first step is becoming peaceful inside.

In the absence of inner peace, accomplishments in the world outside can come with a heavy price. After all, peaceful leaders have the ability to eliminate conflict and bring peace and harmony within their teams and organizations. They can effectively empower others helping them rise to their potential. When our nervous system is peaceful, qualities of connection, empathy, caring, compassion and humility well up. Our perception, observation and expression become sharper.

David Rock, an expert on the neuroscience of leadership, founder of NeuroLeadership Institute and editor of NeuroLeadership Journal offers the SCARF model that defines five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. These five domains activate either the ‘primary reward’ or ‘primary threat’ circuitry (and associated networks) of the brain. Additionally, according to integrative neuroscientist Evian Gordon, human behavior follows the ‘minimize danger and maximize reward’ principle as an overarching, organizing principle of the brain (Gordon, 2000). Turbulent situations and events in our professional and personal lives can impact these?five domains unfavorably lighting up the primary threat circuitry more often than we want. Just over the last two years, we have experienced the pandemic, war in Europe, the Uvalde tragedy, rise of mass shootings, layoffs and now an upcoming recession.?

For protecting my peace within, I have been meditating for 15 years. I firmly believe that it has helped me become a better communicator who is centered, resilient and brings clarity. Meditation helps us become?better managers, facilitators, coaches, teachers and parents. Global humanitarian and peace envoy Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s meditation practices have helped me and millions around the world lead a better quality of life and navigate the toughest times. He is coming to the Bay Area this week bringing the global “I Stand for Peace” campaign. This is a great opportunity to meditate with 2500+?people. I invite you to experience deep peace within.

Details of the event slated June 9th are here.

I’d also love to know how you protect your peace within! It's my leadership hack!