How to Do Computer Meditation------ 10 top tips on How to Do Computer Meditatio
Sitting in front of a computer all day for work is hard on your mind and body. It can leave you feeling mentally drained and physically sore. Through daily meditation, it is possible to increase your productivity, enhance your creativity, and reduce your stress at work. With regular stretching breaks, you can recharge your mind and release the muscular tension that accompanies your job.
1
Meditating at Work
- 1Make time to meditate at work. When practiced daily, meditation can reduce your stress and anxiety, increase your focus and productivity, and improve your general well-being. When practiced in the workplace, meditation provides the same benefits. It can help you to relax, enhance your effectiveness as an employee, and improve your overall on-site experience. To reap these perks, set aside time to meditate each day:
- Meditate during your lunch hour. The midday mental break will rejuvenate your mind.
- Meditate at the end of your work day. Concluding your workday with a brief meditation session will enforce the boundary between your work life and your social/home life.
- Meditate whenever you feel stressed or anxious. Taking a break from your busy schedule can actually help you overcome the feeling that you have too much to do.[1]
- 2Find a quiet spot, if possible. While some workplaces have designated meditation spaces, many business do not. Do your best to find a quiet, comfortable, private location to practice your meditation. If you must remain in your cubicle or office, you can take the following steps to minimize the distractions:
- Close your door and dim the lights.
- Take your desk phone off the hook.
- Turn off your cell phone.
- Put your computer in sleep mode.
- Wear earplugs or headphones.[2]
- 3Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Take a seat in a comfortable chair. Place your feet firmly on the ground, rest your hands on your knees, sit up straight, and lift your chin. As you focus on an object in front of you, take several deep breaths. Gradually soften your gaze and close your eyes.[3]
- 4Focus on your breathing and body. As you concentrate on your breathing, listen to your heartbeat. Do not control your breath, just breathe naturally. Note how your body moves with every inhale and exhale.
- How do your ribs move?
- When do your shoulders rise?
- How does your belly rise and fall?[4]
- 5Acknowledge your thoughts and let them go. As you meditate, thoughts will enter your mind. Instead of fixating on these thoughts, acknowledge that they exist and choose to let them exit your mind. Return your focus to your breathing.
- Do not judge or assess your thoughts.
- As you practice, you may begin to notice a pattern in your thoughts.[5]
- 6Return to a state of awareness. Gradually return your attention to the present. Before opening your eyes, take several deep breaths. Instead of immediately returning to work, remain seated for a moment and take time to assess how the meditation made you feel.
- You may choose to end your meditation session at any time. As you continue to practice, your sessions will get longer.[6]
2
Meditating on the Computer
- 1View your computer as an object of meditation. While practicing mindfulness meditation, practitioners are urged to observe their thoughts, acknowledge their feelings, and then allow them to pass. They are not supposed to judge or fixate on their thoughts. Practitioners are now applying this meditation technique to their work on the computer. This requires you to disengage from work and take a moment to observe and acknowledge the letters, spaces, images, and thoughts displayed on the screen.[7]
- 2Assess your thoughts and feelings. Pause from your work for a brief mindfulness meditation session. Slide your chair back, close your eyes, and or slow your breathing. Ask yourself the following questions and take a mental note of your responses:
- ”What do I feel in this moment?”
- ”What am I thinking about in this moment?”
- ”How am I present in this moment?”
- ”How am I not present in this moment?”[8]
- 3Observe the computer screen for 2 to 3 minutes. Once you are aware of your own thoughts and feelings, turn your attention to the computer screen. The goal of this exercise is to use the computer to transport yourself into a state of calmness, relaxation, and mindfulness that will then carry over to the rest of your workday. As you practice:
- Take note of the letters in a word, the sentences in a paragraph, and the thoughts they are conveying.
- Acknowledge the icons on your desktop, the empty spaces on an open web page, and the cursor in the corner of your screen.
- If your mind wanders, return your attention to the screen.
- Gradually regain your awareness and return to work feeling refreshed and refocused.
- 1Take a series of deep breaths to relieve stress. If you don’t have an appropriate meditation space, you can use deep breathing exercises to enter into a state of mindfulness and relaxation. During a long day at work, deep breathing exercises can help you to recharge and refocus.
- Take a seat in a chair or on the floor.
- Take a deep inhale through your nose for 4 counts (Inhale, 2, 3, 4).
- Hold your breath for 4 counts (Hold, 2, 3, 4).
- Exhale through your nose for 4 counts (Exhale, 2, 3, 4).
- Hold your breath for 4 counts (Hold, 2, 3, 4).
- Repeat this series 10 times.
- 2Stretch your neck and shoulders to release tension. After sitting in front of a computer all day, your body may become tense, knotted, and sore. Stretching your tired muscles is an excellent way to release tension, refresh your mind, and take a short break from the computer. The shoulder stretch is work appropriate. It will help to relax your neck and shoulders.To execute the shoulder stretch:
- Interlace your fingers, lift your arms above your head, and place your palms up.
- Hold the stretch for 5 deep breaths, breathing in and out through your nose.
- Release the stretch and roll your shoulders.
- Repeat the stretch again.
- As you stretch, focus on your posture: look straight ahead, align your arms with your ears, and relax your shoulder blades.[10]
- 3Stretch your chest to relax your muscles. Sitting in front of a screen all day can wreak havoc on your posture. You may slouch and slump your shoulders. To counteract the negative side effects of this poor computer posture, your can execute a heart opener stretch. In addition to releasing tension, this stretch provides you with an opportunity to step away from your computer and refocus your mind.
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Move your arms and hands behind you.
- Clasp your hands together to form a fist at the base of your back.
- Look forward, pinch your shoulder blades together, and elevate your hands and arms as high as you can.
- Hold this stretch for five deep breaths, breathing in and out through your nose
I loved hearing from so many of you that you want more meditations — it really makes my heart sing! And today, I’m happy to give you more!
This week, in an episode of “She Takes on the World TV,” I’m going to share with you three very quick meditations you can do right at your desk, at any point, throughout the day when you’re feeling stressed or just need to power up your productivity. These are super easy to do, but if you do them regularly, you’ll notice a huge improvement in how you feel while you work!
Take a few minutes now to find a quiet spot and get comfortable. Ready? Let’s get started.
Click here to watch this week’s episode on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Eir50sHGaQQ
To recap, here are the meditations I just showed you:
Stress Shaker (releases stress from your body)- Start by taking a few deep breaths then bring your awareness to whatever is causing you stress.
- As you become aware of what’s bothering you say, “I’m willing to move forward and see this differently.”
- Then take a few deep breaths, using the exhalation to sigh and release the tension.
- Once you’ve done this, shake it out and move your body, visualizing your stress being shaken away. Do this for as long as you like.
- Place your hands on your lap.
- Starting with your pinky fingers, tap one finger of each hand at a time (synchronizing your left and right hands) and move through each finger to your thumbs.
- As you tap, recite one word in a five-word mantra for every tap. My favorites include, “I always have enough time,” “I am one with time” and “Time is within my control.” (Or, create one of your own, being sure to focus on you being in control of time instead of the other way around.)
- Turn off your computer.
- Light a candle.
- Bring the flame to eye level, holding it about 12-18 inches in front of you.
- Set your gaze on the flame and look at it for 1-2 minutes.
- Take deep breaths as you do this, releasing any of the tension you may be feeling with each exhalation.
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