Enhancing Mental Health at Workplace with Transcendental Meditation
Many of us try our earnest best to satisfy the demands set upon us, some in our personal lives, some at the workplace. The constant pressure to keep up with the growing demands all around often leaves us feeling hustled and stressed leading to burnout.
Talking of workplace, while we appreciate the value of hard work, which is irreplaceable and the aim to climb the corporate ladder on the dint of success earned by merit is credible, we collectively need to understand that it is not possible to continue delivering stellar results by working long hours in the absence of periodic rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.
There are many companies which have sterling employee stress-management programs in place, but the need of the hour is a more fundamentally acting strategy which removes stress at the root.
Deep Rest – A Forgotten Habit
“Rest and Activity are the steps of Progress”
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Just contemplate for a moment, how exactly it is that you walk. You take one foot forward, plant it on the ground in front of the other, then pivot on it to bring the other foot forward.
We repeat the process alternately with each foot, one foot moving forward, the other resting, then the one that was resting goes forward while the moving one stops, and so on.
We cover great distances based on this simple action of alternating rest and activity, repeated many times over.
Now imagine if you were to stop both the feet. That would bring you to a standstill. And what if you were to take both feet forward? You would look funny, hopping all over the place? And if you keep hopping like that for several minutes, say an hour?
It would be chronically exhausting to do that and any is a highly inefficient way to move ahead! Imagine doing it daily, hour after hour, day after day. It will eventually lead to severe exhaustion and total inability to perform the hopping. You just wouldn’t be able to continue any more.
Our nervous systems, and in fact all other biological systems in our body are naturally designed to function like this.
Do activity, take rest and then resume. This is why we don’t keep awake 24 hours a day, no matter how fit, strong or young. We need the sleep to stay awake.
While we are unfortunately tuned to constantly keep our minds engaged nowadays through some or the other distraction, we have forgotten the art of resting. Even sleeping for that matter. Most of us don’t get that quality shut eye like we used to.
Being silent, still, peaceful - being able to sit without needing to talk or gossip, scroll through reels, binge on OTT platforms, check mails or a thousand other ways to spend our idle time.
Our minds are working on overdrive, thoughts upon thoughts slipping on top of each other, wrestling, sliding, colliding, pulling us both ways.
The Simple Solution
In his seminal work, The Science of Being and Art of Living, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi mentions that it takes Prana, fundamental life energy, to think.
The more thoughts we have, the more Prana we use, the more exhausted we get. You may have noticed that when you overthink things, your natural sense of ease is often lost, and you end up feeling tired, irritated and overwhelmed.
The fact that the brain alone uses up 25% of all the glucose (the sugar in the blood that provides us energy) in the body, tells us that mental function is an energy intensive process!
It is easier to recover from a gruelling workout than from overthinking, our physiology and nervous system are resilient naturally, until we test their limits and that is when things becomes vulnerable and gets easy to run over.
We are habituated to doing the same. We ride our nervous system rough, constantly feeding sensory inputs, eating hard to digest food, sitting and thinking too much, or when active, stretching beyond limits.
The only thing needs to be done, is to pull the mind back to where it finds maximum rest and rejuvenation and then restart with a refreshed mind. There is a place within which can help the mind regain Restfulness.
It is because, as per the Vedic literature, the mind is derived from pure consciousness, the most fundamental substratum of the universe, which is by its own nature full of peace and bliss.
If you want to see the evidence, see children; simple, innocent, naturally behaving adults and meditators. They are never short of energy! They are active, yet have vast reserves of energy.
This is because their minds are using energy optimally and the load of stress is manageable. However, that may not be possible for all of us, to be like that, since we are now conditioned to operate in a different way.
All that is needed to be done, is to pull the mind back to its silent, still, peaceful source, deep within us. Yoga and meditation are excellent for bringing us back to ourselves.
The technique of Transcendental Meditation very easily and naturally helps us to become rested, relaxed, energetic, blissful and enthusiastic again, in just 20 minutes of comfortable practice twice a day.
Transcendental Meditation – a tool for achieving full workplace potential
Various scientific studies conducted on some of the most stressed populations of workers, including frontline medical personnel operating in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, have found TM to be effective in relieving stress, anxiety, burnout and depression.
TM aids us not just to survive, but to go beyond and thrive. Case studies conducted in large corporate settings have shown that practicing corporate executives benefit from better health, improved creativity, enhanced leadership qualities, more job satisfaction and higher quality of life overall.
“I practice Transcendental Meditation and believe that it has enhanced my open-mindedness, higher-level perspective, equanimity, and creativity. It helps slow things down so that I can act calmly even in the face of chaos, just like a ninja in a street fight.”
- Ray Dalio (Long time Transcendental Meditation practitioner,
Founder of the world’s largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and best-selling author of ‘Principles’)
TM is designed to be effortlessly integrated into your in-house corporate wellness program, since it does not need any special conditions.
It has a five-decade track record of successful implementation in many of the largest corporate institutions in the world, including General Motors, IBM and American Express.
You may need long hours to achieve your office deadlines, but you need only 20 minutes twice a day to completely rejuvenate yourself, sitting on your own office chair, or wherever you would comfortably like to sit.
Regular practice is the only condition required to reap benefits for health, productivity, emotional balance, energy, happiness, calmness, better relationships with coworkers and bosses and innumerable others.
It’s a small investment for your health and wellbeing which will not only help you contribute better to your organization and reap rich rewards, but to live a life with more depth and fulfillment.
Conclusion
Stress, anxiety and burnout are common in the workplace nowadays owing to among various other commonly known reasons, the reduced capacity to handle stress.
To be able to reduce stress, it is important that the mind and the body get deep rest on a daily basis. That is becoming a challenge with our mentally hyperactive but physically sedentary lifestyles.
With a proven, scientifically validated track record of supporting corporate executives, Transcendental Meditation has helped thousands of corporate executives, managers and CEOs experience deep rest, calmness, relieve stress, regain health and achieve their full potential both in the workplace and in life.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I incorporate Transcendental Meditation at my Workplace? Any Corporates which have adopted Transcendental Meditation for their employees?
To seamlessly integrate Transcendental Meditation (TM) into your workplace, consider implementing a structured five-day course that includes an introductory session. This practical approach is designed to fit into corporate schedules, making it accessible for employees. Begin by hosting workshops led by certified TM instructors to equip employees with valuable tools for stress management and well-being. Incorporate TM into your wellness and employee welfare programs. Leadership involvement is crucial, as it sets a powerful example and fosters a culture of mindfulness that promotes productivity, creativity, and resilience within the work environment. Companies like Siemens, BHEL, Little Zombies, Maharishi Ayurveda, and Action Footwear have successfully adopted TM, enhancing workplace well-being and productivity. By offering regular TM sessions, you can create a supportive atmosphere that nurtures mindfulness, reduces stress, and boosts overall employee morale, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more focused workforce.
How long will it take for me to see the results of doing Transcendental Meditation at my workplace?
Transcendental Meditation typically starts to show its effect from the very first sitting itself, though the benefits add up over time, with regular practice. However, to get long-term, sustained relief, the time frame may vary from person to person depending on their individual stress levels.
Are there any well-known corporate leaders who practice Transcendental Meditation?
