Time to look inwards

Meditation is becoming the new buzz word to make a killing on the Wall Street. Ironic isn’t it – the saints and seers meditate for enlightenment while the financial wizards are now taking to meditation for making more money!

Right from Goldman Sachs to Harvard and University of California, meditation is being recognized as the best tool to stay calm and focused, not get deterred by losses and remain happy. Sounds like an impossible task but apparently many are meditating, trading and making more money than before.

The practices of mediation differs – could be like Vipasana – focus on one’s breathing or Transcedental – focus on one object; the benefits are proven. The instructor at Goldman, Elizabeth Sudler teaches meditation to the employees and she apparently has a long long queue of some hundreds – all now on waiting list; holding their breath so that she can teach them to observe their breath! The employees at Goldman say that they are more tuned in, more alert; more significantly, most can now unwind real fast after work, thus able to sleep better.

Harvard Medical School conducted a study and proved that meditation improves our ability to process information, make rational decisions and keeps us calm – putting to rest that fight-or-flee instinct when put in a tight corner. The University of California also conducted a study and found that those meditating were more perceptive , alert while being relaxed.

It’s an ancient Indian practice and like yoga, we need the Americans to show us what we really have. Today, almost everyone thinks its hip to practice yoga and soon it will be meditation.