Meditation isn’t just for hippies

As a self-proclaimed hippie whoo was born a couple generations too late, OWL be honest here and admit that even this hippie had no place for meditation in her life up until now. Have you ever met a yogi? I rest my case. So many of the meditation coaches and friends I had that were “super into mindfulness,” didn’t appear to have any magic secret ingredient that I was willing to try. Meditation was for the monks, the buddhists, and many other people whoo weren’t me.

(Enters science). I’m a big fan of the field of science. As a Christian whoo occasionally attends church when not living in a pandemic, my deep understanding of prayer and the existence of God is based on understanding the neuroscience of spirituality and quantum physics. Our brains were literally wired for this! In the words of Albert Einstein, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

And thanks to fMRI technology, we now know the physical changes that occur in the brain after 8 weeks of just 15 minutes of meditation a day. Your PFC, the part of the brain that controls executive functioning and critical thinking, well that part increases in activity and creates what the Neuro nerds call Neuroplasticity in the PFC. If that wasn’t reason enough to mediate, that pesky fight or flight Amygdala part of the brain, the part designed to keep us safe back when our PFCs weren’t fully functioning, well that part shrinks! Like laundry and George Castanza on a cold day, we can actually decrease the anxious, always on alert part of the brain that is no longer serving us. More importantly, practicing meditation teaches you how to direct your thoughts and get control over your own mind.

So meditation physically changes the brain, that’s cool, but that wasn’t enough for this hippie to give it a go and start meditating. I know, I know, I’m stubborn. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist and this chick with ADD did not see how she was going to possibly meditate long enough to make any real changes. Also, it’s sorta the brain’s natural reaction to wanting to explore something new. Wired to resist change, my Amygdala wasn’t super stoked about meditating. But once I found out you didn’t have to do it perfectly to still see significant changes in the brain, I was willing to give it a try.

Spoiler alert, meditation is THE secret recipe for executives, leader, and team success in the workplace. Remember that stuff I mentioned about changing the brain, well even the best and brightest brains change too. It turns out what’s great for hippies is also great for the same individuals wearing corporate hats and making brilliant decisions. Guided meditation is a powerful ingredient I use in all my coaching programs.

If you think meditation is cool, you should see what the brain is like on gratitude! As in, actually see it, because fMRI technology is proving what the hippies & original gratitude posters have been saying OWL along. Your brain on positivity is capable of so much more than a brain on constant alert. Literally, areas of your brain will light up with activity, and remain less active or even completely dark on the brain whoo doesn’t practice gratitude.

Now that I’ve joined the hippies and taken up this meditation habit, I’m no longer limited by some of the restrictions my ADD brain had on me, specifically the one where my thoughts wander and I can’t bring them back. I can’t prove it, only because I don’t own an fMRI machine, but after meditating for the past 6 months, I can tell you that my short-term memory is much stronger than it was before, and I make a hell of a lot more sense when explaining complex ideas. Prolonged stress over a period damages the hippocampus, affecting our brain’s ability to function. Meditation reduces and reverses the effects in the hippocampus, and exercise actually stimulates growth of new brain cells! That’s right, fMRI technology has crushed the old myth that we only get the brain cells we are born with, man science is cool.

Imagine if you looked at exercise and meditation as a way for you to be more successful as an executive, leader, team member, or just human living your best life. That’s right, the secret to your best life is also meditation. And gratitude. And a few other things like deepening your understanding of your values, your brain, and your life purpose. Here I am sounding like that hippie again, and yet…When you understand the neuroscience of spirituality and how you can master your mind with meditation, you’ll start to wonder why you didn’t just say yes to the movement and start mediating ages ago.

Ready to check it out for yourself? Tune in to my latest episode of Laugh, Learn & Empower, bring your favorite pen and journal, and get ready to meditate!