The topic of meditation in its many guises has attracted an increasing amount of interest in recent years, resulting in old ‘hippie’ connotations. This has gradually given way to a range of reactions from mild curiosity about its benefits to solid scientific studies being conducted into its many advantages for adults and children alike.

In a society where there still exists a very distinct dichotomy between the heart and the mind, a regular practice involving meditation is a powerful tool that has the potential to bridge the gap between the two, if the both the heart and mind of the individual are open to it. The only way to establish that connection between heart and mind is to practice regularly, and if life ‘gets in the way’ then why not consider bringing the practice into schools and the workplace?

Spiritual Teacher and Master, Sri Swami Purohit believes, “When we live from the heart, we receive true clarity about our life and can make decisions without attachment” meaning we become better workers and students because we are clear in our thinking.

Our formative years are defined by the World Health Organisation as the ages between birth and eight years old, which means that the introduction of a form of meditation practice as early as at primary school level cannot be anything but a positive step.

And various studies have shown that children of school age (5 – 11yrs in particular)  across the world have benefitted enormously from the introduction of meditation and “quiet time” as part of the school day, along with gentle encouragement from their teachers to sit and notice their breath, their thoughts, perhaps tuning in to some gentle music, even for just 10-15 minutes per day.

These studies have shown that, as a result, children are less prone to aggressive behaviour, more compassionate towards their peers, more empathetic and overall less worried about the pressures of their schoolwork and exams. In an era where technology and social media are a vast part of life from an extremely young age – bringing with them their own double-edged plethora of benefits and anxieties, meditation incorporated into the educational environment is a particularly potent anchor and balm for the busy young mind.

“When we as children practice meditation and connect to our heart,” says Sri Swami Purohit. “We are learning the skills we need to navigate life as an adult, it is important that we are able to teach our young to master their thoughts and emotions from an early age. They will as a result, grow up with a calm mind, good concentration, increased clarity and improved communication.”

So, what about the wider family – and adults in corporate environments also experiencing their own level of stress.

It is widely known that many adults suffer as a result of busy lives: burnout is a real illness, juggling responsibilities, juggling work, money worries, fear from the instability of the current economic climate and the stories we see and read about in the news each day about the state of our planet…the list goes on. These stresses in turn manifest themselves as (for example) anxiety, depression, insomnia, panic disorders, high blood pressure, time off work and accidents due to the mind being otherwise consumed by things outside of that present moment.

This begs the question of how we as adults can nurture future generations in their meditative practices whilst effectively practising what we preach by developing our own. Given that we spend so many of our waking moments at work, it makes sense for businesses to pay close attention to the many benefits that supporting mindfulness and meditation at work can bring: less employee sick days for the above ailments, increased morale, overall productivity levels rising as a direct result of staff feeling like more than just an employee number to name but a few.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive or fussy exercise. Simply providing a quiet breakout room if location practicalities permit, where staff can retreat for a few moments to simply breathe away from the clamour of a frenetic environment without fear of reprisal, could make all the difference for someone who is anxiously debating whether they can face leaving their warm bed in the morning to tackle a busy working day.

All is not lost however, because there are businesses who are open to bringing mindfulness practices into the office. With mental health becoming a serious issue for many, businesses who aren’t taking a closer look at staff health and wellbeing will pay the price.

“The exciting thing about the growth of mindfulness in the corporate space is that these practices are helping individuals to not only cope better with stress and dial down at the end of the day, but become more emotionally intelligent team-players contributing to a more compassionate and conscious leadership culture,” says Neil Seligman – Author of Conscious Leadership.

A business that nurtures the wellbeing of its employees by utilising the power of mindfulness and meditation is inevitably a happier place for everyone to be.

To learn more about how you can integrate such practices in your business or educational setting and experience a range of inspiring talks, meditative practice, mindful movement and creative workshops, please come and visit The Mindful Living Show on 6/ 7 March 2020.