THE CALM TECHNIQUE IN ACTION

Effective though they may be, these variations should not replace your morning or evening performances of the Calm Technique. They are not intended as a substitute for those two sessions, more a calm bonus to help you maintain your peace and harmony throughout the day.

THE CALM BREAK

The most stressful environment any of us ever has to face is the daily grind: the office, the factory, the building site, even the home. It's almost as if there were some cynical design to turn our workplaces into little purgatories of competitiveness and insecurity. Even when we enjoy every stimulating moment of our working day, we still have to contend with more stress situations per minute than in almost any other activity outside wartime. In surroundings like these, even the best morning and evening meditations are sometimes insufficient to compensate.

In these times, even two minutes of the Calm Technique during your working day will bring significant benefits. Five minutes is better. Instead of a coffee break (remember coffee fuels tension), take a Calm Break. A five-minute walk by yourself, hearing only your Calm Expression or your footsteps, will do more to help you through the day than all the coffee in the world. A five-minute meditation in some quiet place will give you more energy and enthusiasm for the rest of the day than any caffeine and sugar break. A Calm Break can make your day.

This is not hiding from reality, it is simply maximizing your potential. If everyone in your workplace is slowly (or quickly) going mad and cultivating stress-related ailments, it is not a 'reality' you should be party to. Besides, you will find that having a sense of order and calm in your work life will not only be more beneficial to you and your work, but it will have a calming influence on all who work with you.

I'll give you an example. A man I met, let's call him Peter, worked in an advertising agency. As you may guess, advertising is one of the most insecure, political and volatile industries one can work in; the stress-related casualty rate is quite staggering. Peter learned a meditation method which was of great benefit to his life in general. But he still had to spend twelve hours a day in an insecure and highly stressful environment. He needed more. When exposed to the principle of taking a Calm Break several times a day in the seclusion of his own mind, away from the pressures and the politics and the decisions, he considered it blatant escapism. He thought it would take away the hard business edge that he'd spent so long developing. He felt sure it would take away his drive, his hunger for success, his aggression. He felt that it would soften him professionally. Eventually his work situation took its toll, and he made the decision to quit the business.

Persuaded to give it one more go, only this time taking Calm Breaks several times throughout the day, he tried again. Usually at this particular stage of these types of stories, the subject gets everything out of life he wants, with no extra effort, and everything changes overnight. We all know that, in real life, such things don't happen. However, Peter did make an effort to change the way he thought about his work. He sought time to himself during his working day to take stock, to recharge his batteries. He applied the Calm Principles (see page 148). He took Calm Breaks. And as soon as he learned to relax he was no longer one of the insecure people of that industry. He was free of doubts and insecurities, and not surprisingly, he was free to do his best work ever. Now he is one of the most relaxed, most sought-after (and most highly paid!) advertising consultants in the country.

After you are very familiar with the Calm Technique, it is beneficial if you practise it occasionally with your eyes open, gazing unfocused at some spot in front of you. Although it may feel a little unusual to you at first, it will soon become second nature. Then, when you have mastered the Calm Technique with your eyes open, you'll find that you can steal moments of privacy during the day without drawing attention to yourself. A three- or five-minute application of the Calm Technique in the office, while travelling to work, standing in a queue or waiting for the lift can work wonders.

THE CALM PRINCIPLE

Even if you'd never read about the Calm Technique, you could still achieve a great measure of calm and wellbeing in your day-to-day life by applying a very simple practice called the Calm Principle. Essentially, it makes every act of your day an act of meditation. Everything you do is done in such a way that it enriches your life and makes you a happier, more contented, more successful human being.

The Calm Principle is deceptively simple. All it demands is that each thing you do, you do completely and to the best of your ability. While you're doing that one thing, you ignore distractions and concentrate all your attention on that one moment. If you have a mundane chore to do, you absorb yourself in it totally without seeking 'relief' through conversation or entertaining thoughts. You approach even the most unexciting or most trivial task as if it were the most important thing that had ever happened in your life. Because at that very moment, it should be!

Life exists only in the present. 'Future' and 'Past' are nothing more than abstract concepts; yet they dominate our lives and are at the root of almost every emotional disorder or discomfort ever experienced. In Western society, concerns for what's passed and what's yet to happen cause more insecurity, anxiety, fear, frustration and tension than any other condition. The Calm Principle helps you to overcome your regrets about the past and your concerns for the future. The way you do this is simply by concentrating your life in the present, by living each moment to its fullest and by devoting all your attention and appreciation to that moment.

-- This excerpt was taken from The Calm Technique by Paul Wilson