Meditation is Vital in today's busy non-stop world for Training, Conditioning & Elevating Mindset!
Yes, this is a bold statement, but after over 10 years of work in the Personal Growth area as a coach, working with Individuals, Leaders & Organizations and being surrounded & inspired around the growing science of the Mind & Meditation - this is Real, this is what happens when you meditate - you Change & Elevate your Mindset.
Why is Mindset so important - because unless you have been living under a rock, you now know that Mindset is Everything! Your Mindset determines how you experience your life, how you create your life, how it unfolds for you, your success, your happiness, your fulfillment and yes even your health and healing. Your mindset will help you navigate the challenges and change that life throws your way almost daily. Almost everything you desire to experience and create begins with Mindset. And while other things like reading great books help with mindset - in today's busy, noisy world, it's not enough and it doesn't go deep enough.
So what is Mindset? It's your way of thinking, your frame of mind, your collection of thoughts and beliefs about you and the world.
Because Meditation is such a powerful & proven way to train your Mindset, I often want to call this powerful daily practice something else because, let's face it, we still get hung up on the word. When we hear it we may bring up images of monks on mountain tops or we often see it as a "nice" thing to do or a "when I have a bit of time" kind of thing to do. So that's where I say: How's that working for us so far? Burnout, depression, a lack of fulfillment as well as significant health issues are at an all time high.
In my work, recently, with an organization, for some, especially those non-stop, rushing around Leaders, the "M" word was seen as something more for those who didn't have anything better to do with their time, instead of a vital way to train the mind to serve and support your mindset throughout the day. But this is changing, as the pace of change is surpassing our ability to cope and navigate it. So while this attitude is fascinating...I digress so let's get into this...
Here are 3 incredible ways that Meditation Impacts your Mindset:
1) Meditation Rewires your Brain & Mind.
So this section could be pages and pages long as today there are literally mountains of science in this area but I'll cover a few key points.
- Meditation increases the volume of Grey Matter in your brain. Grey matter includes the region of your brain responsible for muscle control, sensory perception - such as seeing, hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision-making and self control. So who wouldn't want more Grey Matter? Grey matter is impacted significantly from stress and as we age. A UCLA study shows that Meditators had better functioning and better preserved brains! Wow!
- Meditation also significantly dials down that "ME ME ME" centre - the part of your mind that is always wandering, worrying, easily overwhelmed, anxious, unfocused, doubting and in Fear mode. It's also called the Monkey Mind - no wonder! Even when the mind wandered, studies show that Meditators had an easier time getting the mind back on track instead of it spiralling out of control. Now who doesn't want that?
Are you super inspired yet? Here's another way it impacts Mindset...
2) Meditation helps you Access and Optimize the Subconscious Mind
Okay this is a Massive Wow for those that have done any reading about this part of our mind. Like an Iceberg there are powerful "mind layers" that lie below the surface and that is almost impossible to access and optimize when the brain is in busy mode. These mind layers do much of the Heavy lifting!
Meditation is the Best training technique there is to tap into and even control this incredible Subconscious Power.
The subconscious mind is vital for Memory Storage, so Meditation is the secret to intelligently diving into and navigating this vast area. The Subconscious mind is vital for data filtering and with meditation you are more effectively filtering the 2 million bits of information coming at you almost every second - hence less overwhelm and anxiety! So Meditation ultimately leads to you becoming a more mindful and happier person, not over night, but as you practice each day, not sometimes or when you "feel like it", you'll get there.
The Subconscious Mind is where Creative insights and thinking emerge. There are more and more highly successful and creative people in the world today who credit meditation as their own secret "go to" habit for generating transformative ideas - it's where innovation begins and they know it!
Still need more proof? Okay here's more...
3) Meditation helps you access Heart Intelligence!
So what does the heart have to do with Mindset? A LOT. Through incredible research from the Heart Math Institute (HMI) we are coming to know that the heart is a sensory organ that powerfully guides decision making and our understanding of ourselves and the world. Mindset is served and strengthened through elevated emotions like gratitude, joy, compassion, acceptance and selflessness. This is not "whoo whoo" stuff we are talking about here. Scientists are now actually measuring the impact of our thoughts when combined with an elevated emotion. If a thought is not married with an elevated emotion it's kind of like a flat line on an EKG - it's not going anywhere and it's not doing any kind of magic. It's not truly transforming Mindset. And I find this is where we need a lot of help and support with. You cannot "fake" an elevated emotion like joy or gratitude - you have to actively generate it. So when you meditate the brain begins to communicate with the heart - your brain becomes more coherent and these coherent signals are sent to your heart - creating heart coherence! When this happens you are actively accessing elevated emotions and this reinforces your Mindset. Truly magnificent stuff!
For way more on this area - read anything by Dr. Joe Dispenza - he is truly leading the way by bringing the science of the Mind & Meditation to the forefront.
Oh here's my good friend & global entrepreneur Kim Fitzpatrick....Meditating.
Now as I get set to end this blog I have to share that all of these amazing reasons and more have inspired Symphonies for the Mind. A monthly meditation journey that I create to help you truly transform and elevate your mind - your Mindset.
I know you can just download an app and while that's okay, maybe it won't keep you inspired and on track for the long run - and mindset training is a journey and a daily thing.
Being inspired by the Mind & Meditation I create meditations around themes of personal growth and transformation. That is where to do the work! I hold live monthly coaching calls to inspire you and support you - I also know that it's human to get off track and so I help you through that. Something an app cannot do...as well.
So if all of this inspires you maybe right now you don't need another book on Mindset - maybe you just need to get your cute butt on a seat and learn to calm that gorgeous brain & mind of yours....and if you need inspiration and help check out www.angelakontgen.com/symphonies-for-the-mind
with love and great respect for the awesome power and potential of the human mind...
Angela
Meditation Coach & Creator
