Let me tell you about Meditation
No one really knows how old mediation is. Archaeologists date mediation as early as 5000 BCE, with religious ties in ancient Egypt, China, and Inda as well as seeing evidence of it with the religions of Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. It was around the 20th century that mediation become popular outside of religious institutions. In fact, TIME magazine reported in 2003 on the medical benefits of mediation from a 1960s piece of research. So whilst it is very old, it’s still a relatively new concept for many people.

Mediation is the practice where a person engages in mental exercise in order to reach a heightened level of spiritual awareness or inner peace. It is often explained as a brain, mind, body and behaviour practice that uses techniques such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on an object, chanting or using mantras, in order to achieve mental calm and clarity.

Therefore mediation is the practice, compared with mindfulness which is one of many different techniques used in meditation.

Five most common ways to meditate:
1. Mindfulness meditation
2. Body scan meditation
3. Walking meditation
4. Loving-kindness meditation
5. Transcendental mediation

Mindfulness Techniques
In its simplest form, mindfulness means awareness. Practicing mindfulness offers a way to pay attention to the present moment, without judgment. The origins of mindfulness sit firmly in Buddhism but it’s increasingly adopted in the workplace, within hospitals, and in school classrooms.

Mindfulness can help to reduce stress and anxiety and conflict and increase resilience and emotional intelligence while improving communication in the workplace. It’s used for pain management and to help boost the immune system.

Research from Brain And Cognition, Clinical Journal in July 2020 concluded:
• Short course in mindfulness leads to multiple brain changes similar to those people who have practiced meditation for decades.
• Positive changes in areas of the brain can be found related to:
o Conscious decision making
o Emotional regulation
o Memory.

So what are PQs?
PQs stands for Positive Intelligence Quotient, indicating what percentage of your mind that is viewing the world around you as either positive or negative. Our PQ score ranges from 0 to 100, with a score of 75% indicating that 75% of the time we would be thinking positively, and 25% of the time we’re influenced by our inner critics, gremlins or what Shirzad Chamine calls, our Saboteurs.

Research by Shirzad Chamine, author of Positive Intelligence interviewed 500,000 across 50 countries and found that our PQ measures our levels of happiness and well-being, work performance, and strengthening relationships. He uncovered 9 common Saboteurs and one universal Saboteur, our Judge.

PQs follow the practice of mindfulness, focusing on the body’s senses by learning to quieten and not listen to the mind’s internal chatter. Just like mindfulness, the goal is not to be in complete silence but to notice and let go of any thoughts.

PQs are encouraged as a little-and-often practice from as little as 10-second to 10-minutes or more. Whilst mindfulness is often seen as a daily or weekly practice, PQs are encouraged as a little and often technique used throughout the day, anytime and anywhere with the aim to build up your invisible PQ mental fitness battery.

Common PQ practices make use of:
• Listening
• Observing
• Tasting
• Touching
• Smelling
• Feeling

Interested in finding out how to do PQs at work or at home, then join Kate for her next free Mental Fitness HIIT session, check out the up and coming dates on the Resources page.