Over the last few years, the practice of meditation has appeared to go from being niche to mainstream. Anecdotally, many have found solace in the practice of meditation. Today, I want to shed some light on this topic and share exciting news on a new TELUS partnership.
What are meditation and mindfulness?
In popular media, the word meditation and mindfulness are often used broadly, and with a variety of applications. So I went searching for a more concrete definition, and share with you the best one I’ve found:
In the book Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman & Richard J. Davidson, they defined meditation and mindfulness as follows:
“Meditation is a catch-all word for myriad varieties of contemplative practice, just as sports refers to a wide range of athletic activities. For both sports and meditation, the end results vary depending on what you actually do.”
“Some meditation traditions reserve “mindfulness” for noticing when the mind wanders. In this sense, mindfulness becomes part of a large sequence which starts with a focus on one thing, then the mind wandering off to something else, and then the mindful moment: noticing the mind has wandered. The sequence ends with returning attention to the point of focus”
What are the benefits?
Referring the research from Goleman & Davidson, they scientifically demonstrated the following benefits, based upon studies of brain activities among participants from meditation retreats:
- Better emotional regulation
- Improvement in emotional regulation, and reduced reactivity in the amygdala: an area of the brain susceptible to stress.
- Compassion & Empathy
- Builds compassion and increased likelihood of helping someone in need
- Better concentration
- Strengthens selective attention, reduces damage to concentration from multitasking, and lessens the duration of mind-wandering.
Real Life Examples
My favourite author/podcaster - Tim Ferriss, has been studying and interviewing world-class performers for years, from celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Foxx, to world class athletes, and even special ops commanders, to get their special sauce to success. From the 200+ interviews he has done for his book Tools of Titans, the one consistent habit is meditation:
“More than 80% of the world-class performers I’ve interviewed have some form of daily meditation or mindfulness practice. Both can be thought of as “cultivating a present-state awareness that helps you to be nonreactive”.”
How to get started?
This is the magic moment you’ve been waiting for. Like all things: “There is an app for that”.
Allow me to introduce you to Calm - An award-winning mental fitness app, with an amazing library of sleep, meditation and relaxation content. TELUS has partnered with Calm to bring its content to your living room and mobile devices, available starting today. Here’s how:
1) Relax and explore a selection of Calm’s content on Optik and Pik, available for free to active TV subscribers
- Visit Healthy Living Network on channel 346
2) Get access to hundreds of more titles with a Calm Theme Pack subscription on Optik TV
- Add Calm as a Theme Pack to access even more titles - including hundreds of meditation, sleep and relaxation titles within Optik TV. As a bonus, subscription to the Theme Pack will also include unlimited access to Calm Premium on the mobile app, available starting in January 2021.
- To subscribe, visit channel 351, or by logging in TELUS My Account
3) Don’t have Optik? We’ve got you covered with TELUS Rewards.
- If Optik TV is not available in your area, you can redeem your TELUS Rewards points for a special offer on Calm Premium subscriptions for unlimited access to their apps - you can redeem it for yourself, or as a gift for your friends and family.
- Visit telus.com/rewards
To help you get started right away, here are some of the most popular content on Optik:
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