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Simple Meditation Techniques

Is your job stressful? For many of us, the answer is probably "Sometimes," or even, "Yes!"
Most of us experience some stress while we're at work. A little pressure can be good for
you, by increasing productivity and performance. But too much can affect your physical
and mental health in a profoundly negative way.
One useful technique for dealing with stress is meditation. This is not just a "new age"
practice – people have used meditation for thousands of years to relax their minds and
bodies, and to manage stress.
Meditation can relax your mind and help fight stress.
© iStockphoto/Yuri_Accurs
In this article, we'll look at the practical application for meditation as a stress management
tool. We'll look at some simple meditation techniques, and offer ideas you can use to find
time in your daily schedule to meditate.

Note:
The techniques and ideas we discuss in this article can help you manage short term stress. However, if you find you're
stressed a lot of the time, speak with your family doctor or general practitioner (GP) for advice. Long term stress can
cause serious health problems, so it's important to get help if you need it.

Background to Meditation
Meditation has been around for thousands of years. The word "meditate" comes from the Latin word "meditatum", which
means "to ponder" – to contemplate or think about.
Over the years, people have used meditation to deepen their understanding of the spiritual nature of life. Originally, it was
practiced for religious purposes. Today, however, millions of people meditate as a way of relaxing and managing stress.
Meditation has several disciplines, each of which uses different techniques to reach a state of deep relaxation. But most
techniques involve sitting quietly, while focusing concentration and quietening the mind.

How Meditation Can Reduce Stress

When you meditate, you calm your mind and body. Your heart rate slows down, you sweat less, and your breathing
becomes deeper and more efficient.
This is the opposite of some of the main symptoms you have when you're stressed, such as breathlessness, sweating,
and heart palpitations. So meditation can fight the effects of stress, and help you feel more relaxed.

Note:
Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard University carried out key research into meditation and published his findings in his
book "The Relaxation Response." He looked at various popular meditation techniques, and found that meditation
had a very real effect on reducing stress.

Meditation in the Workplace

Taking time out to meditate can help you fight stress at work, but, for obvious reasons, you might be reluctant to sit in the
"lotus position" in front of your co-workers.
However, there are some easy, discreet ways to meditate in the workplace, even with a busy schedule. Here are a few
different techniques you can try:

Find an empty meeting room or close your office door, and turn down the lights. Sit in a chair, keeping your body
relaxed and your feet flat on the ground, and breathe in and out deeply. Close your eyes. Be aware of your breathing,
and of what it feels like for the air to enter and exit your body. Focusing on your breathing will help your body, and
your mind, to slow down. Do this for five to 10 minutes.
Do a physical relaxation meditation. Sit in a chair, and relax the muscles of your body, starting with your feet. Think
about the muscles relaxing as you move up your body, breathing slowly and deeply.

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Sit up straight in your chair, with your feet flat on the ground. Take slow, deep breaths, and focus your eyes on an
object in front of you. Continue breathing slowly and deeply for five minutes, and keep your attention focused on your
chosen object.
If you're always busy, or don't have a private office or room you can use, then try counting breaths. This is a type of
meditation you can do even when you're standing. All you do is breathe in and out slowly and deeply, counting your
breaths every time you exhale. Focus on your breath, and don't think. Try to make it to 10 without thoughts popping
into your mind.
Go for a walking meditation. To do this, simply walk slowly, with no destination in mind. Allow your thoughts to enter
and leave your mind at will – and try not to react to those thoughts, or even push them away. Focus instead on your
body and the way your legs feel as you're moving.

Tip:
Remember that the main objective of meditation is to relax. Don't focus on being so quiet or so still that you end up
frustrated or even more stressed. Meditation should be easy, so do what feels comfortable for you.

Other Benefits of Meditation

As well as stress relief, there are also other benefits to meditation.
In a study called "Short-term Meditation Training Improves Attention and Self-Regulation," published by Yi-Yuan Tang in
the August 2007 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers discovered that using meditation, even
on a short-term basis, had many other benefits. After only five days of practicing short meditations, study participants
improved their conflict resolution skills; lowered their levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue; and reported
increased energy, longer attention spans, and a stronger immune system.
Another study, "The Influence of a Meditation Relaxation Technique on Group Problem-Solving Effectiveness" by Herbert
Kindler with Loyola University, found that meditation before team meetings made group problem-solving faster, with fewer
transactions. In this study, workers who meditated also felt less tension, and showed more effective teamwork than
workers in the control group.

Learning More
We've covered several ideas and techniques to help you use meditation to manage stress at work. But if you'd like to
learn further meditation techniques, and more about different types of meditation, consider the following:

Research different meditation techniques online. Many Western forms of meditation don't have religious affiliations,
and differ only in technique.
Join a yoga or meditation group in your area.
Read one of many books available on meditation.

Key Points
All of us have some level of stress in our lives. But too much stress can affect our physical and emotional wellbeing.
Meditation can help relax our mind and body, making us stronger and better able to cope with stress in the future.
There are several different meditation techniques, but most involve sitting quietly and focusing the mind.
If you start feeling the negative effects of too much stress, sit quietly and focus on your breathing. Deep, slow
breathing will calm your body, quiet your mind, and lower your stress levels.

Apply This to Your Life

If you're feeling stressed at work, try meditation out!
Make time for meditation in your schedule, perhaps during a break or at lunchtime, and give it a go. Keep a diary of how
you feel before and after each session, and monitor how you feel for the rest of your day. You'll be surprised at how
effective it is!

Where to go from here: Next article

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Ask questions, or share your experience

What members say...

Midgie wrote
Just reading this article on meditation helped me to
relax. As I was sitting in my chair, I could feel my
shoulders drop a bit, my breathing slow down and
even my whirling thoughts slow down just that little
bit!

Many people think meditation has to be almost like a

big production of sitting for half an hour quietening the
mind. Yet, it can be something so simple, like
focusing on your breathing and counting out 10
breaths while you sit in a busy office! Easy, simple
and no one has to know you are doing it, yet, it does
make a big difference!

I really liked this tool for the practical suggestions of

what we can do in an office environment to take a few
moments to quieten the mind before facing the rest of
the day!

Great suggestions!
Midgie

July 29, 2010

bigk wrote
Hi

A reminder perhaps to allow for stress by actively

managing actions you take to help yourself to include
recognizing the when and what you might need to
adapt in your own needs when times need you not to
hold yourself to a constant perception of how you
approach handling the demands asked of you.

This could help you understand it can be more than

acceptable to adjust your needs and still be able to
contribute towards any demands asked of you.

Meditation can help as can many other techniques.

These seem very much in use today and are always
need an open approach.

Bigk

July 28, 2010

Yolande wrote
This article was a timely reminder not to get so caught
up in my day that I forget to relax and just allow my
body to "take a break" from stress. Stress can indeed
be extremely harmful so your emotional and physical
well being in the long run and preventing the damage
is a lot easier than trying to fix it.

Regards
Yolandé

July 28, 2010

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