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I love water, and always have. From the ocean…to lakes…to waterfalls, being near the calming sound of the water helps me gain focus in my life. The morning stillness helps me slow down my thoughts, and bring laser-like concentration to my day. 

When I feel my focus evaporating, a mindfulness meditation helps me identify those nasty bandits that steal my attention. I’m constantly surprised by how quickly a simple meditation can help sharpen the quality of my thoughts.

Meditation need not be part of a religious or philosophical practice. It can simply be a discipline of refocusing the mind and training your attention.  With meditation, you encourage a restful state of mind…one that is open, present and nonjudgmental.  Deep meditation helps you experience the richness of every moment, by focusing on staying in the present. Through observing your thoughts and gently controlling their direction you start to experience a profound relaxation.

Research from Biological Psychiatry showed that meditation can rewire the brains of ordinary people like you and me…not just monks who spend hours a day meditating.

The study followed a group of unemployed people who were looking for work, and experiencing high stress levels. The group was split up into two parts…one group practiced formal meditation and mindfulness. The other group did stretching exercises while talking and joking, and were instructed to ignore the way their body was feeling.

The meditative group not only were able to better handle the stress of unemployment, but their brain scans also improved. The scans showed increased communication among the parts of the brain related to stress and the parts that process calm and focused reactions. Plus, four months after the study, the researchers showed that even those who had stopped meditating had lower levels of unhealthy inflammation, likely due to the positive changes in the brain.

Before you begin your day, take time to focus on your inner voice and spending a few minutes quieting the mind and re-wiring your brain with this 10-min guided meditation audio. By calming the nervous system and improving circulation, this practice can smooth emotional hills and valleys into a level path while building sensitivity to distraction and establishing a routine that supports focus.