What’s the buzz about meditation?
Meditation improves your performance by developing focus and supporting emotion regulation.
Meditation for Improving Focus
When meditating you consciously choose where you focus your attention. You continual bringing your awareness back, time and time again; each time you notice you've drifted off, and your mind is wandering in random thoughts. The continual practice of returning your attention to a point of focus rewires the part of your brain responsible for attention regulation, and so building your 'focus muscle'. Whether the mind goes off on a whim every second, five seconds or 10, it does not matter. Each time you notice is a ‘mindful moment’ where you bring your attention back. It doesn’t matter how many times the mind wanders, this is an integral part of the meditation practice. Each time you practice you’re laying down the path for concentration and attention to be more well travelled, and so ‘thicker’ and this is what changes the neural pathways and so changes your brain to be more able to focus your attention, both in and out of meditation.
Meditation for Emotion Regulation
Meditation supports you in becoming less at the whim of your emotions so you can make better decisions and also improve your tolerance. With regular practice you soon develop the ability to take a pause, or a breath, after an emotional trigger. With some of the techniques I teach in our Introduction to Meditation course, participants often find one to be an instant circuit break to reactivity. You can then consciously respond, rather than impulsively react. These gaps you have between trigger and action can be life changing; allowing you time (even just a second) to consciously decide what to do or not do next, empowering you to live intentionally. When you practice meditation regularly you will also notice you develop an ability to relate better with others. Your relationships improve as a result of the ability to pause and not be so caught up in the emotions that present when you’re working with difficult people or have challenging relationships.
Experience this for yourself, by joining our Introduction to Meditation Course. More details about the course content can be found in our calendar of events.