CORPORATE

“meditation and intuition are the two most valuable executive tools for the 21st century” Harvard Business School

Meditation is an amazingly effective life skill .. one that empowers us to self-manage our health, mind and body, and develop a greater sense of wellbeing, connection, compassion, awareness and focus!

Before starting Quiet Mind Meditation, I spent many exciting and challenging years in corporate recruitment .. an industry that is highly competitive, always on and crushingly stressful!

What support me most throughout my corporate career, was my 20+ year meditation practice.

Meditation gave me the ability to self manage my stress and focus throughout the day, enabling me to hold a place of stillness and calm amidst the chaos and busyness that was always happening around me .. as well as heightening my concentration muscle and awakening my creativity.

This ability to self manage and reduce stress (when and where you wish or need to) as well as developing a greater sense of personal wellbeing .. is incredibly powerful, not only for the individual, but extends outward, to relationships with family, friends, and community.

Research on meditation skills that has been brought into organisations, as part of employee wellbeing and team building programs, has been shown to:

• Decreased sick days
• Increased productivity with increased energy levels
• Higher worker satisfaction and greater focus (potential for increased employee retention and engagement)
• Greater office harmony, team focus and creativity.

While some stress is appropriate in life, essentially when the brain secrete hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in order to mobilise and motivate us to achieve our goals and get things done; this can sometimes tip over into a negative influences, where too much ongoing stress becomes detrimental to our performance and our health.

When filled with stress and anxiety our attention diverts from the task at hand and focuses on the cause of our stress .. our prefrontal cortex – the control panel of the brain – becomes compromised so that our ability to pay attention, comprehend and learn, plan and reason are hijacked in order to handle the stress.

Key Reasons Why You Should Meditate

There is now an abundance of interesting and insightful scientific research around meditation and mindfulness practices, and after 30+ years of my own personal meditation practice (ie my own inner laboratory of experiments and experience), I know there are significant benefits, sometimes immediate and others that come with ‘practice’, to cultivating a regular meditation practice.

Here are some of my favourite reasons why you should meditate:

#1 Stress Management
#2 Heart Health
#3 Slow Aging of the Brain

Why Meditation at Work?

A national poll commissioned by Lifeline Australia found that 91% of adult Australians feel stress in at least one important area of their lives, and more alarmingly 41% of Australians indicated they were experiencing unhealthy levels of stress. Medical research estimates as much of 80% of illness and disease are stress related.

A regular meditation practice allows us to recognise and release stress, and has been shown to:

· Empower us to self manage our health
· Reduce stress
· Gain greater calmness & ease
· Build collaboration and understanding
· Address lost productivity
· Reduce sick leave and non-engagement
· Develop a greater sense of wellbeing
· Magnify awareness and concentration
· Raise energy levels
· Clear the mind of excessive noise
· Enhance decision-making & creativity

Is it any wonder that some of the most creative, innovative and inspiring global organisations have embraced meditation instruction for their teams .. think Microsoft, Google, Boeing.

Quiet Mind @ Work Brochure

I would be delighted to discuss how I can introduce the benefits of meditation to your organization and team, and tailor a program to match your goals and budget .. from a one-hour workshop to a six or eight-week course.

How can Quiet Mind @ Work benefit my workplace?

Meditation has been practiced across the globe for thousands of years .. because it works. Science shows us that meditation reduces cortisol, the stress hormone, and everyone wants to lower their stress levels. Whatever business your organisation is in, a happy and more engaged team will also be a more focussed and motivated team .. making for a positive and creative workplace. Modern research continues to support some of the amazing physical and mental benefits including:

• Lowers blood pressure and heart rate – meaning it’s highly effective as an anti-stress therapy and has zero side affects. Lower stress, anxiety, frustration and overwhelm in the office can considerably improve relationships and team engagement.
• Improves our immune system – less colds and flu would be a great start, with indications that there is also a significant likelihood of assisting with more challenging conditions. Stronger health among staff improves work engagement and achievements at work.
• Improves our neural coordination and over time long-term meditators have been able to change the neuroplasticity of their brains – we can become more efficient thinkers and happier people as well (YES!)
• Boosts production of DHEA the only known hormone that decreases directly with age .. so dare we suggest there is the possibility of slowing the ageing process?
• Heightens activity in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, the area associated with relaxation and happiness
• Improves our concentration and our ability to focus effectively. Meditation activates brain waves associated with the state of consciousness in which higher level thinking and insight occurs
• Shown to improve Emotional Intelligence as meditators are more in-tune with their emotions and how to regulate their emotions
• Can build greater collaboration and understanding within the team, supporting and strengthening internal relationships.

But, we are so busy!

Meditation can not only rest and refresh the mind, it also combats fatigue and gives us a renewed sense of wellbeing, improved levels of concentration and the capacity for heightened creativity – which might be just what is needed to push forward or problem-solve that current project!

Our goal is to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to understand what meditation is and experience some of the amazing benefits found in a regular meditation practice. Participants will also take home some immediate Meditative Exercises that take only a few minutes, can be done almost anywhere and at any time, and are excellent circuit-breakers when stress is starting to build.

What type of meditation?

We focus on practical, straightforward and simple-to-learn practices. Participants are encouraged to observe their own experience in our meditation time, and ask questions; and often comment that they notice an immediate sense of ease and clarity of mind. We also provide insight into some of the amazing health benefits that come from a more regular practice, and how to begin.

We highly value the immediate stress relief found in short Meditative Exercises which are often based on the breath, working with the bodies natural ability to relax by extending the exhalation and making the inhalation more efficient. Fatigue and anxiety in the workplace is often exacerbated by inefficient breathing .. learning to notice your breath and rest with your breath can instantly make you feel better. There are potentially thousands (if not millions) of meditation techniques being practiced across the globe. We focus on the tried and tested practices .. steeped in the meditative traditions with a nod to current studies and research; including Breath Awareness, Mindfulness Practices, Mantra and Movement Meditation. We want you to enjoy your practice and recent research supports the belief that finding the right meditation practice ‘for you’ is paramount to your continued practice of meditation.

TRY this 8 minute Breath Counting Meditative Exercise on our InsightTimer page. And then schedule some time to explore the other guided meditations also available on InsightTimer.

Onsite Meditation

We have guided meditation inside lunchrooms, warehouse open spaces, grassy edges outside office buildings, inside an art installation at a gallery and many different boardrooms .. ideally, you have a space where there is a lower chance of being interrupted (by humans and industry and phones). Most participants will appreciate having a chair, with the ability to sit on the floor if possible, and a relaxed configuration is preferable. No special dress requirements, although we will encourage staff to remove their shoes (so prior notice of this intent can be helpful).

*If you are unable to access suitable space then let us know and we may be able to source an external space with an additional fee for room hire.

What is the cost?

For most of our group programs the charge per employee is usually around $20 depending on number of participants, timeframe and location. Often an organisation will fund our program through their Wellness Initiative; sometimes they will offer to subsidise employee contributions; and then there are times when a group of friends or colleagues gather and cover the class. We also offer ongoing Practice Meditation Sessions to continue developing and benefiting from group meditation at work.

Contact Sarah directly on 0417 403 714 or email sarah@quietmind.com.au to discuss your needs and receive a copy of our brochure ‘Corporate Wellness through Meditation’