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from the churning, internal voice of anxiety that had been driving me. My breathing became deeper and the effect

bit like the gentle detachment I've often experienced during a massage. It meant that, when I started becoming stressed about work or an upcoming tax

was a

bill, for instance, I could simply sit quiedy and repeat my mantra as a way of releasing

transforming my state of mind. The pastyear has seen the transformative

stress and

power

of meditation seized on by big

business across the world as CEOs wake up to the fact that company productivity is based on employee well-being. 'Meditation has finally stopped being seen as vaguely faky, vaguely New Agey, and has fully entered the mainstream,'says

writer and journalist Arianna Huffington, who launched Zhe Hufi.ngton Post,which she sold to AOL in20L7 for $315 million (about d184 million). She is editor in chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, has written about the power of meditation in her new book Iltrizte (f,76.99,WH Allen) and has also installed meditation spaces for employees in her offices arodnd the globe.

In fact, Huffingtons mother taught her how to meditate as a child, but it wasnt something she practised regularly until 2007, when she quite literally collapsed with exhaustion. 'I read a lot about the science around

it

and then made

a datly part of my life.

me&tation

It felt incredible,'

she says. These days, Huffington starts each day with 20 to 30 minutes of 'head time', and practises conscious breathing throughout the day to manage stress. 'It gives me something I can return to hundreds of times during the day in an instant, helping me introduce pauses into my daily life, bringing me back into the moment to help transcend upsets and setbacks. It draws me like a magnet.'

So how exacdy does this

magical natural Prozac really work? Put simply, it counters our hegativity bias'(or the basic

human impulse

to

register difficult

'I was ggnuinelv

ablelotisengage from the churninqinternal voice situations)

ofanxi.ty

by reducing activity in the (the area controlling primal

thoughts as ephemeral, rather concrete reality, allowing them to react events and emotions with greater fexi and creativity, rather than with firmly hdd convictions about how things'should'be-

The relendess pace of modern

combined with increasing demands plad on us by technology, is partly to blame fr the fact that over a third ofus suffers from

anxiely and depression, but the reasoo meditation is proving so popular right now is more complicated. After all, it's an ancient technique, practised for centurieq long before social media and technologgr

pixilated our'brains and broke all our thoughts down into 140 characters. Managing stress, and the multiple, conflicting demands of everyday life, is simply what it means to be humansays Huffington, helps us 'up into the place of stillness, strength and wisdom thatt within us all. You can call it prayer, quiet time or meditation, but it's something thatt endured for thousands of

Meditation,

years. We're

just giving ourselves

access

to

our heritage.'

amygdala emotions such as stress and anxiety) while increasing activity in the part ofthe brain

Numerous other corporate figures are emerging as regular meditators, including Linkedln CEO Jeff Weiner and Twitter

responsible

co-founder Evan Williams. Google has

for decision-making and empathy. Regular meditation is proved to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone in the brain. As a result, as litde as ten minutes' meditation a day helps people recognise

at in-house meditation programmg while in ParJiament, 95 MPs and their

staffhave tried meditation courses; in fact KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Unilever and )

Speed meditation: what it did for me Writer Clover Stroud (le{t) found that just ten minutes'daily meditating rnade her calmer and more productiva. Here she tells us what to expact frorn lleadspace, a meditation app developed by former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe 'l sign up for my "Taketo", and resolve to meditate for ten minutes every morning for ten days. With a busy job, a husband and four kids, I know that if I dgnlt get up before everyone else in my house and do it aione, I will'put it off until the evening, by which time it might not happen. 'The first meditation involves sitting quietly as Andy's calming voice reminds me to breathe in deeply through my nose and out through my mouth. I become more aware of my breathing, which deepens, and I finish the first meditation with a far greater appreciation of my breathing patterns. 'Each subsequent meditation begins in the same way, with deep breathing in and out to the count of ten. Andy talks me through a "body scan", in.which I am made aware of the subtle pressure of my feet on the floor, my hands on my lap and my

274

elbows resting on my chair. Doing the body scan helps me really feel my body and the areas of tension, so that I emerged from the meditation more relaxed and better able to focus on my work for the day. 'Each meditation is very slightly different from the previous one. Sometimes, Andy helps me concentrate on the sounds or smells around me and, at other times, l'm encouraged to think about the emotions l'm experiencing. This is crucial - rather than judging them, I can, for the first time, almost see my thoughts and emotions as something separate from me, as opposed to defining everything about myself. lt is liberating and calming. Just ten days on, I'm a convert. Starting each day with a regular period of quiet and calm doesn't feel like an indulgence, but something completely vital to help me manage the dizzying range of choices and emotional responses that hit me every day and perform my best at work. Most effective is the way Headspace helps me become deeply connected to my breathing, and aware that, at times of stress, I often withhold breath, increasing tension in my body and so increasing my anxiety. By learning to breathe out, Headspace literally helps me blow away my anxieties.'

marlethhe.cor*

H eren the Bank of England have started using meditation at seminars. It's perhaps

not coincidental that this comes at

a

has done for food', realised the benefits of meditation could be accessed most easily

online. While technology might

be

time when the corporate world is facing difEcult questions about global economic

contributing to our collective headache, it could be its cure, too. Today, Headspace

responsibility and the problems of financial inequality.That big corporations and their leading figrrres are embracing meditation makes sense, since stress is an endemic symptom of modern life, and the costs are high: according to the City Mental Health

has reached over a million downloads in

Alliance, f,26 billioo

is

as a

likely your neighbour, mother and boss are plugged into Headspace, too.

'The struggle for mental clarity

spent annually

on sick leave, reduced productivity and re-recruitment

more than 150 countries - Arianna Huffington, Emma Watson and Davina McCall are all vocal fans, but it's just as

result of stress.

After my first foray into the area last year, I started experimenting with different forms of meditation I could incorporate more easily into my busy life. The idea of 'mindfulness'has been popular for a few years now. But for me, attempting to be mindfi.rl (the act of being totally present in

more isolated lives than ever before

'Itwas abitlike beingwrapped In a\rruual duvetand siven

the moment all the time) was simply too

difficult, especially while juggling the demands of a busy job and family life. Going offby myself to practise a session of meditation with its instantaneous, stress-

relieving effect was more appealing, even if fitting two 2O-minute sessions into my day proved a challenge. Then I discovered the most accessible form of meditation around - Headspace, known as 'gym membership for the mind'. Itt a secular meditation app launched in 2010 by Andy Puddicombe, 4!,from Bristol, who spent a decade practising abroad as a Buddhist

monk before returning to the UK,

determined to demystif, meditation. Before developing the app, Puddicombe, who was described by The Nev.tYorkTines as 'doing for meditation whatJamie Oliver

is

fundamental to human existence, and isrit simply a symptom of our modern, digitalised liv.es, although the fact we lead

acuddfle'

intensely stressful period of time when I revisited some of the grief around my mother's illness and death, with intense headaches, insomnia and flickering vision. Regular meditation softened a lot of these physical feelings of stress and tension in my body and, as my body relaxed, my mind

to slow down. Rather than magnifiring every issue into something huge, I felt I had a gentler sense of perspective on things. My focus was also seemed

sharper, so that

I

could work through

problems more efficiently, rather than endlessly churning over old ground.

My problems didnt go away, but my ability to manage them altered, so that they seemed less solid and permanent. 'That's what meditation does: it gives you perspective,'says Puddicombe when I tell him. 'Itt like the difference between battling your way through a storm, and sitting in the calm watching the storm from inside.'And as well as making me happier and calmer, I became much less irritable with my friends and family, so it made their lives easier, too, reducing the contagious nature of stress.

this,' says Puddicombe. 'Meditation helps us regain a sense of collective awareness weVe lost and an appreciation of the present, rather than constantly ruminating over painful past

'Meditation isnt about gaining something, but letting go of firmly held judgements so that we can be more free in our lives,' agrees Puddicombe. 'It has so many benefits, but best of all is the effect

memories or anticipating the future.' I signed up for ten days of'Take1O'ten minutes ofguided meditation in which the softly spoken Puddicombe talked me

it has on those around us. If we're happier, it's better for others, too.'It was a bit like being wrapped in a virtual duvet and given a cuddle, so that I could change my relationship with the rest of the world rather than hoping, fruidessly, it would bend to my will. You cant really ask for more than that. I

contributes

to

through very gende breathing exercises, making me subtly aware of my feelings and emotions, and less scared by them, too.

Using Headspace also coincided with an

F'ive ofthe best psychologrcal apps l. Headspare

2, l,ive Haplry

Free, IOS and Android This meditation app gives you bite-sized

Free, IOS

techniques to improve sleep, focus and mood, and includes 'Taketo', ten daily ten-minute, guided meditations to follow.

T76

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,r,.

\{a.v{f Ufb Free,IOS

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This happiness-

82.99,los

A simple, yet effective,

Free, IOS

boosting app guides you through a set of daily activities, scientifically proven to help both your short- and long-term mood levels.

This thought-tracking app was designed by an experienced

habit-making-andbreaking app that Iets you track your behaviour to identify and then change negative lifestyle trends.

Another mood-

clinical psychologist to help you identify and modify unhelpful thinking patterns.

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tracking app with

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