Mindfulness is natural to the state of being alive |#13
By: Harsha Pallapotu
Tags: Meditation, Performance, Trained, Habit Building, Mindfulness

Podcast name: Trained by Nike

Host: Ryan Flaherty

Guest: Andy Puddicombe

Episode: Andy Puddicombe | Meditation in Times of Crisis

The brand name Nike is associated with performance, innovative technology, self-empowerment and inspiring among many other powerful characteristics. Our physical health is important for our well being but our mental health is equally impactful in our daily lives. I have been personally practising guided meditation for over a year and have seen its benefits first hand. I am not only able to maintain clear thinking but have also seen my relationships improve because I found myself having a sense of positive energy that sets the right tone for my day.

However, just like any muscle in our body that needs to be worked upon and conditioned, the mind also needs to be continuously trained. In the beginning, it was a lot harder to sit still than I had anticipated because my mind was always racing with a constant avalanche of thoughts and emotions. It has been especially hard this year that feels like a never-ending decade. So, in the spirit of building a new habit for next year and to reflect on what has been a challenging year for all of us, I revisited an episode from the Trained by Nike podcast featuring Andy Puddicombe, author, public speaker and the co-founder of the guided meditation app: Headspace.

The host Ryan Flaherty is the senior director of performance at Nike and it sounds soo right as a position for a brand like Nike. His experience working with world-class athletes clearly translates into the insightful questions he asks his guest. Conditioning the mind is vital to increasing performance on the field but not all of us are athletes, so why should we care so much? Andy describes meditation as a skill or tool to help us step out of our mind and be comfortable with our thoughts, whatever they may be instead of resisting them. He describes our minds to have two sets of emotions: good and bad. We often get a sense of joy from our good emotions but we also get a sense of anxiety with our bad emotions. Meditation helps us to spend time with these emotions, understand them and get comfortable with their presence. The greatest athletes know their mind and have befriended all the emotions that come along which manifests itself in the high levels of concentration they are able to have on the job.

Andy also mentions that the practice is backed by research and is linked to the brain’s ability to change a.k.a the brain’s characteristic of neuroplasticity. Research has shown that just like how there is more blood flow in the muscles we work on at the gym, the parts of the brain that help us experience happiness and well being receive more blood flow as we practice mindfulness. Andy describes mindfulness as the ability to be present without any distractions and with an open mind. It is hard. I have tried it but it can certainly be achieved.

We all need an opportunity to be away from our lives and meditation allows us to do that. By removing ourselves from the busyness and focusing on our breath, we can experience mindfulness and become comfortable with our state of being. It is a journey for the rest of your life and by having a clear mind, the possibilities of what you can do become endless. I hope if you are reading this, I have convinced you to give guided meditation a shot. If you do, I would love to hear about it as I have had profound experiences by incorporating meditation into my daily life and I would be delighted to hear some of your stories. 🙂