Relaxation Consulting
The importance of being CALM
How can we be more effective both in and out of work? What one thing would make us more efficient in every way? (Ask the audience and repeat suggestions as they are being said). The simple answer is To be Calm.
Cast your mind back to the last challenging situation that you experienced. Get into the feelings and sensations of that event. Are you all there? I’m sure you can all think of something! Ok, now replay that same scene with a brushing of lashings of calm. First of all sense your body to be nice and relaxed and calm in that same situation. Your mind to be clear
and calm in that scene. And then re-design that experience with this filter of clam. Would it look any different?
We all know by now that being calm is a good thing. It does not mean that we are slower or sloppier. In fact quite the opposite. Take the example of a martial artist:
In martial arts, a very important factor that will determine the effectiveness of the martial artist is the stability with which he will ground himself to the earth beneath him. Visualise now a perfectly poised black belt martial artist preparing himself by grounding his whole body into the earth before he begins movement.
Observe the depth of concentration and centring that happens in preparation for every kick, strike or block. Imagine how he’d breathe deeply to allow the core of the body to be pulled down towards the floor as if by a magnet through the legs and feet to the centre of the earth.
Then, and only then is he READY and you know that whatever he does or says will be impactful because it is coming from a place of calm.
With the rest of us ‘non-martial artists’ who go about our business in everyday life we can take a leaf out of our friends book here. When we are calm we can benefit from:
Buying time to figure out what our next step is going to be. Creating calm also creates space in your mind and also in your reactions. Think of the times when you did something without really thinking logically about it and spurted out the wrong thing and put your foot in it. This little simple tool can really help with that.
Practicing calm will regulate your heart beat and allow you to be in control of your emotions and reactions. This is how you do it. Just as when we are in a situation of danger (or a perceived situation of danger = stress) the breath will begin to race and the body will pump out adrenalin hormones, ring the red alarm bell and send you into ‘fight or
flight’ alert mode. You can reverse this pattern by consciously connecting to your breath. I will show you how. (demo)
Being clam will give you a good, strong presence as a person. This gives you credibility because you will look like you know what you are doing (which you do when you are calm) and others will also listen to you much more if you are coming from a place of calm. Imagine someone you know of who has great presence. May be someone famous, or some wise historical
character. Can you see that they are coming from a deeply calm space? I will show you how to do this.
Here are some tools to play with and practice
The calm that I am talking about is the Relaxed, Aware and Ready position that we in Nia call RAW. When we get RAW we:
Clear our mind of internal chatter by taking a breath, and then 4 more. (20 connected breaths)
We listen to the breath as it goes in and out.
We listen even more carefully to the beat of our own heart, we need to be very still and quiet to do this and it is therefore a very good exercise.
Sense our feet on the ground, supported and stable.
Become present to the moment of NOW.
Become alert and receptive to what is happening around us.
Wait to see what happens next.
Have you ever tried to talk to someone about something quite important and you got the impression that they were sort of listening but not really? I sometimes test this one out with my dear partner and then randomly start talking about something completely different to see if he notices. You can work out the rest!
So anyway, wouldn’t it be nice if when we spoke, the person listening really was listening to you and was interested enough to create a space of calm for you to talk and share what you had to say?
This is why it is important to be calm.
This talk can be designed to last for an hour as I believe that any longer than that and concentration diminishes. Short, sweet, punchy and effective is the way to go.
I offer relaxation consulting to bring you all of these benefits. The sessions consist of an initial session with you and your team. I will take you through these exercises and give you the tools to access calm at the flick of a thought. I will also be available for ongoing consulting and support thereafter.
Call Maria Contreras for more information and a brochure: calm@niamaria.com 07811 150641
