I don’t think anyone would disagree that our minds are the most valuable resource each of us possesses. Despite this understanding, how much time do we actually give our brains to become energized and just “chill?”

Every day our minds are processing information about the past and the future, how to deal with our anxiety and our fears. We eat, and go to the gym and exercise to make our bodies healthier.  We choose specific clothing to make ourselves appear successful; all of this is done without a thought of whether or minds are on overload. Many also take ‘cigarette breaks’ because it seems to calm the body, but we know this creates other problems.

We may take classes to ‘smarten’ the mind; but if our minds are always on overload, how much do we really retain?

If we are to be successful, we must have a mind that can focus and free of stress.  One study reported that the average brain experienced the flight/fight response over 12 times a day.  A mind filled with these stresses leaves little space for creativity and the ability to concentrate of things that are important and forward moving. In order to be successful, one requires a mind free of encumbrances that all it sacred space in which to dissolve from the pressures and worry of the day.

Today I interviewed Bethany Gonyea Founder and Director of NUMINOUS, sponsor for the Albany Peace Project. For over 20 years, Gonyea has watched people invoke to power focused halting intention to facilitate health and well-being during hundreds of biofeedback sessions. 

 “The ability to quiet the mind and allow it to rid itself of anxiety, says Gonyea, frees up inward space and energy that can be used for more powerful things. Imagine if a business had a meditation space where people could energize their minds.  How much more productive could they be?”

Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures called “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago.  Buddha, “one of history’s major proponents of meditation,” and meditation icon, first made his mark around 500 B.C. His teachings were spread far and wide across the Asian continent. It finally started to gain popularity in the West in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits. meditationcenter.com.

Yale University has been studying the effects of meditation on the brain for over several years. Brain waves were examined through MRI scans stress— related brains before and after mediation. Over time, the study has shown the brain developing a non-centered awareness and mediation decrease ‘mind wandering or what’s called ‘monkey brain.’ Over time, meditation has shown a more centered awareness, the lessening of the mind wandering.

“As Gonyea states, a process as simple as meditation, one that is free and devoid of drugs has the ability to not only change the health of our minds but to impact the world around us.   Following these exercises, the mind is open to more critical and focused thinking.”  Gonyea learned about Transcendental Mediation research that suggests when a relatively small group of people meditate; it correlates with a calming effect on the entire population. Imagine if businesses encouraged meditation several times a day how much more productive they would be?”

To learn more about Bethany Gonyea, NUMINOUS and The Albany Peace Project, listen to the interview at Focus on Albany, in its entirety.

Lisbeth Calandrino, http://www.lisbethcalandrino.com,  has been a business consultant for over twenty years helping build customer service and sales strategies. To have her come to your business or speak with her, reach her at Lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com., or call 518.495.5380., EST.