| Learning how to meditate at work can make a big | | | | use the image of a god or goddess as the departure |
| difference in your perception of your workplace, and | | | | point for meditation. |
| even start to make it relaxing and, dare I say, | | | | Intention and Attention |
| enjoyable. | | | | The best way to carry out any work, whether at |
| We all like to decorate our desks with things that | | | | home, at the office, or out and about – mundane |
| remind us of home and family, holidays and happy | | | | or heavy weight - is with complete mindful ness - |
| memories. By all means do this, but keep part of | | | | that is, with all the attention and concentration you |
| your work space for contemplative materials that | | | | can muster and a sense of living one hundred |
| can help you practice your meditation techniques. | | | | percent in the present. This involves working with |
| Here are some suggestions: | | | | 'intention'. Then you will find the task of relaxing |
| To the right of your desk pin a postcard or drawing | | | | rewarding and even joyful. It will certainly be creative. |
| of something that you consider spiritually intriguing - a | | | | For some jobs, depending on your character, that's |
| rose window, the Virgin Mary, a Tibetan thangka, a | | | | easy, but all of us sometimes have to do things we |
| native American medicine wheel, a mandala or an | | | | dislike or would simply rather not tackle, and here's |
| Indian yantra. Choose a picture that strikes a chord | | | | the challenge for your new found meditative skills. |
| with you - it may be simple or very elaborate, if | | | | Learn To Meditate To Make Hard Work Easier |
| you're artistic, you might want to make your own | | | | At the beginning of a particular task - the more |
| drawing. | | | | onerous the better – tell yourself that you will |
| Straight ahead of you, pin a picture of a tranquil | | | | give it your complete attention. If it's something truly |
| landscape in which you'd like to imagine yourself. | | | | hideous, give yourself an achievable time limit, say, 20 |
| Whenever you feel work oppressing you practice | | | | minutes. |
| visualizing yourself in that landscape, with its particular | | | | So, close your eyes for a moment, take a breath |
| weather, smells and sounds. | | | | and tell yourself, 'I am going to give my complete |
| If you are a sensual type, something you can touch | | | | attention to doing the accounts (for example) for 20 |
| will be appealing. Bring a natural object such as a | | | | minutes and then I'm allowed a break.' |
| stone, a crystal, a piece of bark, a shell, a dried | | | | You may have to do a lot of 20-minute chunks in |
| flower and keep it in your top drawer. Don't leave it | | | | order to complete the task, but you will find that you |
| on your desk as you need to keep its associations | | | | can go for longer and longer periods, until eventually |
| undiluted. | | | | you don't have to give yourself an incentive. |
| Tranquil Tunes | | | | Then do your job with complete mindfulness. Every |
| An excellent aid to office meditation is your own | | | | time your mind strays from the task in front of you, |
| private headset, though naturally this should not | | | | bring it gently back, just as you would in meditation. |
| interfere with your work. Choose natural sounds or | | | | Think of your work as being rather like climbing a |
| even white noise to block out the world around you. | | | | steep hill. You need to set an easy pace that won't |
| Or you could make a recording of yourself talking | | | | over-stretch you. If you concentrate on each step |
| through a visualization. | | | | as you take it, making sure that it is the most |
| Yantras | | | | perfect step, that your weight is beautifully |
| These are abstract geometrical mandalos in the Hindu | | | | distributed, that it is easy to manage, then suddenly |
| tradition. They are used as a visual focus for | | | | you arrive at the crest of the hill. |
| meditators. The most well-known is the shri yantra | | | | Before you know it the task is done and you have |
| which shows the meeting of the masculine and | | | | an enormous sense of achievement. Perhaps it was |
| feminine force, represented respectively by upward- | | | | even fun too. |
| and down ward pointing triangles. Hindus may also | | | | |