Finding time to meditate at work can be a powerful boon to both your inner peace and outer satisfaction during the day. The poise, patience and intuition in handling both negative and positive situations that comes from a practice of meditating is rewarding in many ways. A successful regular practice at your work place can be established in a few easy steps.
The most important step in the beginning is to realize that taking the time; even 7 minutes of your workday to engage in a seemly non-work related activity will reap benefits to both you and your productivity.
Most problems and challenges in life continue to remain so simply because we are caught in a mindset that does not allow for new creative understanding of the situation. The simple act of clearing the mind and reaching to a deeper part of your inner awareness for peace, calm, and inspiration can clear out unproductive emotions, habits and thoughts that lead you into experiencing the same frustrations over and over again. In contrast thinking harder about a problem quite often leads to stress, insecurity, self doubt, and repetitive thought processes that result in a closed minded vantage point. Regaining clarity and focus through meditation is a fresh energizing restart to the whole work day allowing for spontaneity, enthusiasm and creativity.
Taking a break to calm and relax the body as you meditate can have many health benefits as well. Slowing down the breath, heartbeat and overall rhythm of the body reduces stress allows the physical to operate with a deeper sense of wellbeing. Scientific study has shown that stress reduction achieved through meditation directly helps alleviate many chronic injuries and pain.
Most importantly, though, is the rejuvenation of your inner light and aspiration. Our contribution to our line of work is a manifestation of who we are. When our offering to the outer world comes from an inspired higher inner consciousness we create more harmonious world around us. This becomes apparent in both our output and attitude at work. Energy, enthusiasm, intuitive insight, creative problem solving, patience, poise, confidence, detachment, and ability to see everything from a higher vantage point all evolves naturally through meditation.
So, where, how, when and how long does one meditate at work?
There are basically three options for places to meditate. The first one is obviously at your desk. If possible place a picture of something that inspires a sense of peace or inspiration on your desk. Do not use a picture on your computer screen, but an actual photograph of nature, or an inspiring spiritual figure. It can help to have a small flower in a cup or small vase as well. Keep this area of your desk reserved only for this secrete shrine for meditation. A beautiful energy will envelope that small area. Or find a secluded area in the workplace that you can sit alone and uninterrupted for an allotted time. An empty meeting room, storage room, balcony or rooftop often makes for a perfect place to sneak off to for a meditation. If you are lucky enough to work near nature such as a park or other beautiful vista then taking a little extra time to walk to a special secluded spot can be very rewarding.
Start your meditations with concentration to focus and clear the mind. Even if you only have a few minutes to meditate it is important to first quiet down the work mindset and release any tensions that come with it.
This can be done by focusing on and slowing down the rhythm of your breath, releasing all attachments to thoughts with each exhalation and then drawing in clarity with each inhalation. Another technique is inwardly repeating an inspiring quality such as peace, love or light and powerfully envisioning that quality entering into you and flowing out into your entire consciousness. If you have something simple and beautiful to look at such as a flower, river, lake or the sea, pick out one small aspect of it and enter into that part of nature’s creation becoming one with its life energy.
Bring the focus of your mind down to one simple task or thought for 30 seconds to a minute. Do not worry if your mind temporarily follows another train of thought, simply refocus on your point of concentration once again, and concentrate a little longer and deeper. We really can improve our concentration by practicing it making it a very practical skill to use in our inner meditations and achieving outer goals.
To enter into meditation make sure to sit up straight either with your eyes closed or looking at your picture or a beautiful part of nature. Even if your eyes are closed, if you are sitting up straight no one will think you are sleeping and will usually respect that you are focused within. Place your concentration on the middle of your chest where your spiritual heart center is located. Imagine a warm golden light or your favorite flower slowly expanding inside. Completely immerse your awareness on this beautiful energy as if you yourself are sitting inside your heart. Allow this harmonious peaceful energy centered and emanating from the middle of your being to eventually immerse your entire body and awareness. Finally allow that beauty light and harmony to permeate your entire workplace cultivating peace, harmony and oneness.
There are many other visualizations you can do that only take a few minutes. Each week at our free meditation classes we explain and practice a number of them. Please do join us and find ones that work best for you.
You may not have the liberty to choose when you can take a break to do a short meditation. If this is the case then set aside some time to meditate in the first part of your scheduled break to make sure you are not rushed or forced to skip it altogether. If you schedule is more casual then find a regular point during the morning where you have enough energy to focus and stay awake and can utilize the benefits from your meditation of more peace and poise throughout the day. Noon time or right at the beginning of a typical lunch break is also a very powerful time to meditate. Confidence, dynamic energy, and more intense focus can be developed by meditating at this time.
If you are inspired and focused then five to seven minutes can be enough time to meditate at work. If you have the luxury to go longer all the better but make sure that work related thoughts do not creep back in compromising the quality of your meditation. It is always a good habit to allow a minute or two more to contemplate afterwards and allow the benefits of your meditation to soak in before rushing back to all your tasks.
Creating a meditation practice at work not only benefits you but really does offer a spark of light to everyone in your workplace. Consistency is important enabling you to make progress going deeper within and eventually revealing and manifesting this light in everything you do throughout your job. Most people who stick with it eventually find meditating at work one of the most rewarding parts of the day.
“He only works and works.
She only meditates and meditates.
But only a life of both
Work and meditation
Can hope to achieve
A world of perfect harmony.”
Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part 96
