Studies have shown that mindful meditation not only reduces stress and encourages awareness and acceptance, but also helps in building self-compassion and resiliency, to help us bounce back especially in any challenging or difficult times.

The ongoing pandemic has induced a lot of uncertainty, doubts and fears which have in turn intensified the stress levels for all. It has drastically impacted the mental and emotional health of all individuals.

This is where meditation comes in!

Meditation has been shown to strengthen immunity, reduce anxiety, and help you to get a good night’s sleep, all aspects of self-care that are important to keep in mind especially for the entire CXO and the leadership community who are undergoing immense stress. At present and otherwise too, leadership and CXO community have high work challenges and what is important for them is to not let the external world control their emotions, feelings or their working mind.

Meditation does not require long hours of practice, one can realise its benefits even by giving just 10 minutes of time; and the RoI of these 10 minutes can be experienced in the entire 24 hours of the day, with an enhanced focus level, reduced stress levels, amplified decision-making abilities and many more.

In order to reap the benefits of meditation, one needs to practice it on a regular basis and make it a way of life. It is a myth that to become a real meditator, you need to shut yourself off from the world for long hours. A 2018 study conducted by researchers at Mass General and Yale University, however, shows that short duration meditation can deliver powerful benefits by increasing the cognitive performance of the leaders.

While some of the top world leaders who have experienced the benefits of meditation say that it gives them an edge in this competitive business world, some have in fact built meditation into their company’s culture as a part of wellness initiatives.

To name a few leaders who have adopted meditation as a way of life are Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates; Marc Benioff, Co-Founder and CEO of Salesforce.com; Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn; Ariana Huffington, CEO of Huffington Post; Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft and the list goes on.

Meditation is becoming increasingly popular, not as a new-found spirituality or a cult but because of a necessity to transform oneself and create inner strength within. It is a practice that teaches us to live a life that is positive and without any stressors and is now becoming an integral part of living a healthy lifestyle.

Meditation as a practice can reap huge benefits for the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of the leaders such as:

#1 Lowers stress levels
Meditation is a great technique to achieve a state of relaxation that helps in dealing with everyday challenges. Johns Hopkins University in a study concluded that just 30 minutes of meditation can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress.

#2 Promotes creativity
Since meditation is known to relax the mind while making it more focused, the direct impact of it is that it induces creativity in a person. So, if you need inspiration and better decision-making skills then go ahead and meditate.

#3 Healthier life
While meditation has a direct impact on the health such as it lowers blood pressure, increases immunity, decreases sensation of pain etc; practicing meditation regularly also slows down the ageing process.

#4 Helps in goals
Some very influential people in the world such as Oprah Winfrey, Russell Brand, Ellen DeGeneres are followers of meditation practices. The Oxford Mindfulness Centre in a study discovered that after just eight weeks of daily meditation, study participants were able to identify more specific life goals and were more likely to achieve those goals as they had focused direction and a self-guided path laid out.

#5 Makes you happier
Last but not least, happiness is most sought-after feeling and emotion by everyone, and meditation has proven to increase the happiness levels. In numerous studies, it has been found that regular meditation helps in increasing the levels of happiness and it directly impacts our brain chemistry thus bringing the desired changes in building the happiness hormone.

In meditation, there are no set rules and no particular ways which are right or wrong. It is in fact a journey of exploration that can help the leaders and CXOs to discover a path of excellence.

At an organisational level, I do feel that it is imperative in the present times for the HR leaders to come forward and take the initiative to raise awareness around the need for Emotional Wellness as a part of overall wellbeing.

HR can play an important role in strengthening the emotional wellbeing by promoting meditation and encouraging the practice at every level in the management. Meditation practitioner experts are hired to play the role of a facilitator for the employees and leaders to enable them to find congruence in their thinking, emotions, and actions by challenging and addressing their limiting beliefs.

These experts share mindfulness and meditation techniques and show how to use them daily in their regular scenarios. HR leaders can also feature these tips through their internal communication platforms while bringing awareness to the importance of mindfulness coaching in an organisation. For instance, to begin with, even a simple practice such as initiating a meeting that begins with a short meditation will contribute towards having a positive and an organised start leading to effective and focused decision making within the organisation.

Meditation is not just about sitting cross-legged and doing some breathing exercises. It is a practice by which you can transform your mind to be better equipped to handle the stressors and pressures of daily life. It has several benefits that can facilitate the leadership and CXO community in making their lives easier while helping them become calm and focused. This calming effect leads to enjoying the present moment and create harmony within one’s mind and body making it healthier and happier.

Key takeaways

• Meditation is a practice that teaches us to live a life that is positive and without any stressors.
• Meditation has been shown to strengthen immunity, reduce anxiety, and help you to get a good night’s sleep.
• In order to reap the benefits of meditation, one needs to practice it on a regular basis and make it a way of life.
• Meditation is in fact a journey of exploration that can help the leaders and CXOs to discover a path of excellence.

At present, leadership and CXO community have high work challenges and meditation can be a mantra for wellness, especially in times of pandemic, writes Ektaa Sibal, India’s number one Inner-self Transformation Specialist, International Meditation Expert, Global Executive Leadership Coach and a Gifted Energy Healer with inborn intuitive abilities.