Can you still your mind for business success?
Karma Studio ran their first workshop at the Bayside Business Network, Still Your Mind for Business Success, at Sandringham Yacht Club on Monday the 26th of May. With more than 25 in attendance, it was a departure from the usual BBN seminar fare (full disclosure: I too presented a talk on writing and rhetoric earlier that month) – instead of neat rows of chairs with business people sitting up at polite attention, Jennifer had us shoes off on the floor…at times even lying down!
Jennifer guided us through relaxation and breathing meditations, yoga positions to improve mobility and posture – essential for office workers who sit down a majority of the day – and a full body relaxation technique from head to toe. At the end of the seminar, I felt eager and refreshed. By all accounts, calm settled over Sandringham Yacht Club. The worries and stresses of our Monday seemed to wash away along with the salt on the rocks outside.
All well and good, but how does you help your business?
Relaxation is the key to doing our best work.
For those with always-active Type-A personalities, relaxing our way to high performance seems like a contradiction in terms. I work in a “creative” industry. I think relaxing and detaching from outcomes brings out some of my best results.
Actor Bill Murray agrees, telling an audience at the Toronto International Film Festival:
“You have to remind yourself that you can do the very best you can when you’re very, very relaxed, no matter what it is, whatever your job is. The more relaxed you are, the better you are. That’s sort of why I got into acting. I realized the more fun I had, the better I did.”
Feeling highly strung with torrents of thoughts running through my head leads to hesitation at the keyboard – definitely something a copywriter doesn’t need! Toxic perfectionism is an impediment to good work. Meditation and stilling my mind helps me achieve a that positive headspace.
Mobility and wellness means fewer sick days and fewer complaints.
56% of Australians do low or no exercise each week (according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics) – and this correlates with the statistic that 63% of Australians are overweight or obese. Physical activity, as we know, is good for us. It helps prevent heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and our mental health. This means we get sick less often. Relieving muscle tension also has profound effects. I also had a great back and neck message from Karma Studio after the seminar. I have to say some of the niggling back, neck and head complaints I’ve had thanks to the sedentary nature of my job have significantly reduced.
You break the habit of stress.
Stillness and meditation gives us pause to break the habit of stress. Some of us can’t relax, because we’ve wired our brain to pile on high-adrenaline situations like an addiction. The neural pathways for stress mimic those found in people with drug or alcohol dependency. If you’re “addicted” to stress, meditation is the rehab and the cure. I couldn’t recommend it more!
// guest blog by Tom Valcanis
