In the military it is called ‘Tactical Breath’. In schools, universities and corporate organisations, it is called ‘Mindfulness’. In the heath spa, it is called ‘Me Time’. In the gym or on the sporting field you might call it ‘In The Zone’. In the Buddist temples, it is called ‘Meditation’.
Some people are turned off by the term meditation. They may think it’s all mystical and about chanting and mantras and sitting in the lotus position for hours on end.
All the above names for it are the same thing. It is really just a technique of ‘centring’; focussing and getting present; being in the now and being present. Physically, we are always in the present, but our brains are always dragging us out of ‘the now’ into the future or the past. It is time to take back your brain.
There is a formula for meditation that forms the basic foundation for every single type of meditation there is.
- Focus on a single point.
This mean pay attention to one thing that is going on in or around you. Often this your breath or respiration cycle. This is because it is easy and always present. But it does not have to be that. People often close their eyes because it prevents from being distracted but this is not required either. I like to meditate to the sound of running water, ideally whilst watching the water run down, following different drops as they snake their way down. - Let all your thought go and be in the present moment
- Brain hike! (you will get distracted by your thoughts)
This is inevitable. You have 50,000 thought per day. Do not try to ‘not think’, that is impossible. The important thing is… - Bring back your attenion to a single point of focus
That is the key and where the benefits are gained. Refocussing back to the single point of focus is the strength and conditioning for your brain. Each time you bring your attention back to the breath or whatever is like a crunch, chin up or squat for your brain.
Is Meditation Suitable for Everyone?
Having a meditative practice can benefit almost everyone. Meditation is for athletes. Meditation is for musicians. Meditation is for CEOs. For anyone who has to make decisions, especially in a stressful environment, which is everybody.
If you are making a decision and you are coming from an emotional place, it is notgoing to be good. You want to slow it down, press your inner pause button, take in all the inputs and recognise all your thoughts and emotions, then press play and go with the best course of action.
This will train you to live your life as it is happening. In the present. That is where all the good stuff happens. We can only truly experience the present. The rest is just your brain hallucinating. Mental rehearsal has its place but it is key to experience your life as it is happening.
Former professional professional football and elite handball player [1], and author Lewis Howes, in his School of Greatness podcast with former fashion editor, director, and stylist (Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and Glamour) and author of ‘Unplug: A Simple Guide to Meditation for Busy Skeptics and Modern Soul Seekers‘ Suze Yalof Schwartz had this to say about meditation benefiting athletic performance:
As an athlete, you want to talk about meditation, you talk about getting ‘in the zone’. Like, ‘How do I reach the zone so that I can achieve my goal: be the best athlete?’.
If you want to get in the zone, you’ve got to be present. So how do we activate that right now? You’ve got to let go of the fears, all the things, the mistakes you’re potentially gonna make or who’s watching or whatever’s happening, you’ve gotta focus on the moment right now. And that is meditation!
Instead of calling it meditation, we should just call it The Zone. If we called it The Zone, everybody would be doing it!
World renowned sports psychologist Jim Afremow, PhD discussed meditation in his best-selling book ‘The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive‘. With athletes, in practice you want to try to amplify your state to be more present but in a competition you will have so much anxiety or intense emotions that you want to slow your breathing down to be more present. If you are ampted up in the competition, you will have high muscle tension and be stressed. You want to slow down your breath, let things come to you and get clear thoughts.
If you can breath, you can meditate and if you breath you should meditate. Everybody should!
Mindfulness can be extremely helpful for most people in improving their emotional, as well as physical health. But the practice is not suitable for people suffering with schizophrenia or who are going through a psychotic episode.
New evidence is also coming to light that suggests that, while uncommon, meditation can trigger negative experiences in people with no history of mental illness. This is not to cause alarm, but it is important for all meditators, or those considering taking up the practice, to be aware of.
For those suffering from a serious mental health condition, consultation with your doctor is vital. Depending on the nature of the illness, sometimes meditation is best avoided rather than practiced.
The reason for this is that sustained meditation practice can alter our levels of consciousness. And for most people, this is a positive effect—it moves us into the witnessing state, which is the awareness that neutrally observes ourselves in action, while our ego-mind goes about its daily business. For most people, this is an interesting experience which facilitates our spiritual growth.
But for those who struggle to have a firm grasp of our three-dimensional reality, moving into what is termed a “higher state of consciousness” is unhelpful, as it creates confusion about what is real in the material sense.
For the general population who would have no reason to be concerned about taking up meditation.
We meditate for the benefits it brings to our mental, physical, and emotional well-being over time. Most people notice an improvement in their moods, reduced anxiety, and greater resilience in the face of stressful situations. If you notice the opposite effects, during or after meditation, it is best to stop the practice and to seek medical help.
Another important point to be aware of is that the effects of meditation are amplified when people meditate together in groups.
So, go get at it!
Scott
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PSS. If you want to watch and/or listen to The School of Greatness podcast with Yalof Schwartz and hosted by Lewis Howes, titled ‘Meditation That Works for Anyone’ you can do so below.
If you want to watch the full podcast, you can do so by clicking here!
Sources: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/07/meditation-faqs-is-meditation-suitable-for-everyone/
https://lewishowes.com/podcast/h-suze-schwartz/
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