Why Leaders Need Meditation Now More Than Ever

I learned to meditate over ten years.?My therapist led meditation groups, called Satsang, (“keeping the company of truth”), where we meditated in groups. This made it very easy to learn meditation because we were carried by our group energy.

But keeping up the practice has proven difficult.?It requires discipline, and as my therapist taught:?the key to meditation is never to quit!

But I am back again and experiencing benefits.?I do exactly as I was taught.?I breathe through my nose to a count of 7, hold to a count of 4, then easily and slowly breathe through my lips to a count of 8.?This is the trademarked protocol taught by my therapist.

The author says that practicing meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety, calm the amygdala, the survival part of the brain, and increase our ability to think.?He states meditation also increases our ability to think creatively and gives us the possibility to be empathetic with others.

I am not sure about this, (the creative thinking and empathetic part) but I can say the following:?when I slow down, I am less likely to interrupt you, act as if I know everything, blurt out something sarcastic to be “funny,” and need an agenda instead of trusting the universe to provide the agenda.?I am more trusting of letting things just be.?I am more comfortable with silence if silence is what is showing up.

When I am stressed and my OCD is acting up, I can get negative.?I can engage in creating worst-case scenarios, which my brain then repeats over and over.?I am involved in something which might create the very thing I am trying to avoid.

BUT when I take the P-A-U-S-E I talked about many moons ago (remember?)?

Pause

Awareness

Understanding

Surrender

Experience

I am much more likely to stop the negative self-talk and allow my mind to be more open.?Nothing helps more than a few moments of quietly following my breath.

I also agree with the author who suggests a few practices which can help in time of crisis: (Read Covid)

Meditate first thing in the morning

Rather than jumping out of bed and hitting my emails, computer, phone, etc., I try to take 5 deep breaths to center myself. I often read inspirational books.?I make sure my stomach is relaxed before I begin my day.

Start each meeting with a few minutes of meditation

If I am meeting with a team, it can be a good practice to follow the breathing method as talked about above.?But if I am meeting with one client, it is imperative that I meet with that person completely relaxed and mindful.?I have done my breathing and will not ask my client to do this with me.?I am welcoming any “state” this client may be in, confused, chaotic, relaxed, all-over-the-place, whatever.?I can’t ask my client to take care of me, so I don’t.?Sometimes we can begin with meditation, but mostly, I begin a session with a client in a relaxed, open and calm manner, ready to take on whatever this person brings.

I have been taught that it only takes 60 seconds of silence for the nervous system to re-calibrate.?If nothing else, I can request this.?

I realize I can be anxious, high-strung, intense.?It is just “me” sometimes.

Meditation has helped me slow down when I want to slow down, think clearly, sleep better, and be a little less irritable with my family.?Yes, even someone as perfect as me can get a little cranky from time-to-time. ??

Do you meditate??What practice do you employ?

For more: https://coachingwithcraigllc.com/