A colleague recently sent me an article about thirteen specific benefits of daily meditation. These benefits range from concrete health outcomes like lowered inflammation, healthy blood pressure and reduced pain, along with improved markers of social well being like increased compassion and interpersonal connection.
Meditation is a daily dose of wellness that is absolutely free, takes very little time, and can be as simple as sitting on a pillow and following your breath, or using a meditation app on your smart phone. However, almost every day I hear someone say, “I know I should meditate, but I cannot seem to quiet my mind,” or “I just can’t seem to make the time.”
For the past few months I’ve been leading a monthly meditation series for the staff at a local social service agency in San Francisco.
You’d probably guess that the participants have been professional caregivers like case managers and social workers, but actually it’s for the people who help the organization function like the folks in Human Resources, IT and Finance. They have been shouldering an enormous amount of stress even though they’re not on the front lines working with clients.
I’m really proud of this social service agency for demonstrating leadership in committing its time, funds and priorities to supporting the well being of their staff.