Author and International Speaker

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, meditation is hitting the big time. It's been on the covers of Time and Business Weekly magazines. CEOs and celebrities alike attribute their success and happiness to it. But what's the evidence that it works, and who is doing it? The business world has been won over, in part, by...

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it. ~ Jim Goodwin

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, meditation is hitting the big time. It's been on the covers of Time and Business Weekly magazines. CEOs and celebrities alike attribute their success and happiness to it. But what's the evidence that it works, and who is doing it?

There is more to life than increasing its speed. ~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

Increasingly overburdened business executives are finding new ways to transform working lives spent endeavouring for what seems like less and less return.

The business world has been won over, in part, by findings at the American Institutes of Health, the University of Massachusetts, and the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard University. These indicate that meditation enhances the qualities companies need most from their knowledge workers: increased brain-wave activity, enhanced intuition, better concentration and the alleviation of aches and pains that plague employees.
 

Don't just do something -- sit there

Companies like Apple Computers, Pacific Bell, NASA, Yahoo! and Google offer free meditation classes to their employees.

Sometimes classes are offered as a gesture of thanks for a job well done. At AOL Time Warner Inc., where the sales and marketing group halved, meditation classes were incorporated to help employees deal with the new 12-hour days.

Other companies have added classes to help break up the drudgery of day-long meetings. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals now offers three meditation courses aimed at energizing its 5,000 employees during and after marathon meetings. "We usually had a coffee and a Danish on our meeting breaks and would go right into a sugar slump," says spokeswoman Lorraine Ryan.
 
Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. ~ Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne
 
The research is mounting and it’s impressive. Below is a summary of some of the studies.
 

Meditation research

Meditation significantly controls high blood pressure at levels comparable to widely used prescription drugs, and without the side effects of drugs. ~ Hypertension, American Health Association Medical Journal

Meditators are able to reduce chronic pain by more than 50%, while increasing daily function and markedly improving their moods, even 4 years after the completion of an 8-week training course. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn, M.D. Stress Reduction Clinic, University of Massachusetts

75% of long-term insomniacs who have been trained in relaxation and meditation can fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed. ~ Dr. Gregg Jacobs, Psychologist, Harvard

Meditation decreases oxygen consumption, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure and increases the intensity of alpha, theta and delta brain waves-the opposite of the physiological changes that occur during the stress response. ~ Herbert Benson, M.D. Harvard Medical School

Relaxation therapies are effective in treating chronic pain. The meditation technique of silently repeating words or sounds while ignoring intruding thoughts can markedly ease the pain of low back problems, arthritis and headaches. ~ National Institutes of Health

Two groups were compared: meditators and non-meditators. The meditators were found, on a number of scales, to be less anxious and neurotic, more spontaneous, independent, self-confident, empathetic and less fearful of death. ~ Reported in Atlantic Monthly

A psychiatrist using meditation in combination with group therapy for women with advanced breast cancer found the treatment prolonged their lives an average of 18 months, compared with a control group of women who did not receive the treatment. ~ Stanford University Medical Center

A study of women with severe PMS showed a 58% improvement in their symptoms after five months of daily meditation. ~ As reported in Health Magazine

High school students who study relaxation techniques stay in school more often and have fewer incidents of suspension. ~ The Education Initiative, Mind/Body Medical Institute, Harvard University

In a recent study, 77% of individuals experiencing high levels of stress were able to cool down -- lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels -- simply by training themselves to stay calm.   ~ Reported in Health

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once. ~ Jennifer Yane

Where to now? 

For a great meditation quick-start, try Chris Barrington's Quiet Times CD, which is an easy way to make an excellent foundation in Dru Meditation.

For an easy-to-use yet highly effective meditation audio course, pick up the Head and Heart Solutions package with Chris Barrington, Mansukh Patel, Savitri MacCuish, Anita Goswami and the Dru team. It brings you the The Mastermind Meditation Series, a progressive course of ten guided meditations, each with highly effective preparatory exercises.

1. Entering into the moment
2. Awareness meditation – physical
3. Advanced awareness meditation
4. Guided deep relaxation
5. The creative, centred space within
6. Journey into stillness
7. Into the heart, the source of power
8. Guarantee your emotional freedom
9. Harnessing your power centres
10. Finding unlimited inner strength