Meditative Practice: Always in the Zone

What if meditation were active? What if being in the zone were the only way? What if performance fulfilled your purpose? It can. With meditative practice—the state of being yielding unbounded courage, insight, strength and grace from a constant connection with the Source—performance is always peak. In this second installment of our three-part "Taking Control" series, we'll talk about how to get there, and, most importantly, how to stay there.

Being in the zone—that point of sublime and unbreakable connection—has myriad mental, physical, and emotional benefits. Being in the zone yields unflappable focus and perspective, even making you keen to what you don't see—others' moods, motivations, and perceptions—all of which impinge on your ability to succeed and accomplish a task. For instance, those at peak concentration have the insight, conscientiousness, and diligence to reach all their career goals (Rostyslav & Vsevolod, 2024). From this peak concentration comes heightened physical ability, not only being stronger than your body appears (think about a stranger lifting a car to save someone pinned under a car or a bystander jumping into the ocean, swimming in record, time to a person or a pet before they drown), but also making remarkable recoveries. There's evidence that those with stronger senses of spirituality have better recovery rates with cancer, Crohn's disease, and cardiac surgery (Almaraz, Saiz, Martín, Sánchez-Iglesias, Molina, & Goldsby, T.L., 2022; Salomão de Campos, Lucchetti, Lucchetti, Chebli, Pereira, & Chebli; Curcio, Turner, Leonard, Bennett, Warren, & Edgerton, 2022) This greater focus and strength imbues a confidence that confers a grounded emotional center, a stable contentment, that won't get you too up or too down, allowing you to fully cherish and appreciate the moment, and weather life's inevitable currents. No matter what comes, you'll duly respond and be better for surmounting it. All these advantages stem from a sacred spiritual space in which you're continually connected to the Source, the Infinite Origin of strength, inspiration, and healing. With this connection, you can always shift to a higher gear.

You want to change your perception of performance, and its end goal. Performance is more than about meeting, or surpassing, imposed standards; it's about continually extending your limits, en route to your best self. Whether it's at work, socially, or with respect to deeply personal goals (with your family or with your community), measure your performance by how much you're growing and progressing—and how you're helping others to do the same—with the resources you have at hand. Also never lose sight of the limitations that may be impeding your progress. Think about how you can grow those resources and skirt the restrictions—oftentimes, by getting outside help, building a team of similarly motivated individuals, or implementing a new or even visionary approach—that will get you and others ahead, perhaps even setting new standards in the process.

In subscribing to that edified view of performance, and hewing to that revamped performance standard, you have no choice but to perpetually be at your best. You'll always have just the right words and just the right approach for the problem. You'll have the determination to acquire that new skill and conquer that new space. You'll have the fortitude to manage the diagnosis and mend that relationship. You'll be able to rise to any challenge. The best part is, you won't be doing all yourself; you'll always be open to the Support that'll get you further, and get you to better. Peak performance will be the only level.

Meditative practice sounds pretty cool; but, how do you get there? Your path will never replicate someone else's; but, some approaches can always help you enter, and then inhabit, this state of being. Yes, routine meditation--especially with holotropic breathing--can help you de-stress and focus enough to surrender to the energy needed to operate at this level. Continue with meditation, even after entering and achieving meditative practice, to strengthen your connection with your core, your link to the Source, and reach new levels of efficacy. Reflective practice--namely, reviewing events and approaches, building on wins and learning from setbacks--will also help you reach, and maintain, meditative practice. It bears mentioning that meditative practice is not a state of perfection. As human beings, we can never achieve that. The best we can do is stay on the path that will always get us to better. Knowing that there is always more to know, and always better to do, is the first step toward enlightenment. For many, organic psychotropics--such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms), betel, and ayahuasca--are useful aids. Psilocybin--colloquially known as magic mushrooms--has helped in treating anxiety and depression for some, with microdoses tending to enhance creativity (Bonnieux,Vanderzwaag, Premji, Garcia-Romeu, & Garcia-Berrera, 2023). Betel (also known as arec palm and supari, among many other names) has similar effects to caffeine (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2024) as it is believed to accelerate central nervous system functioning (WebMD, 2020). Ayahuasca has been shown to stimulate the growth of brain cells, improve mood, and increase mindfulness (Kubala, 2022). Whatever your substance, only visit trusted stores or use trusted dealers, and beware of lethal—and potentially deadly—fake batches (for example the false chanterelle mushroom, hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, is mildly toxic and can have adverse gastrointestinal side effects (Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment, 2021)). Before consuming organic psychotropics, please ensure you have learned how to use them safely and responsibly. 

You don't want to rely on any substance for your sense of well-being, efficacy, or strength. The reserve, with an unlimited connection with the Source, is always within you. On top of everything, be open—willing to pursue alternative paths and unconventional strategies, and take advantage of unexpected, but promising, opportunities—as the "right way" is not always the best way. Going out on a limb could you to the ideal path. Please consult a medical professional before beginning any regimen. Keep the following in mind to stay within meditative practice:

You can also refer to our May post, Health in Your Hands, for additional ideas for getting in the zone.

As you start your day, and before a high-stakes event, follow these steps for peak meditative performance:

What you want will be realized.

We've seen how meditative practice—acting, constantly, within the zone—builds, and buoys, your body and mind. The power to meet the moment, to rise to the occasion, and achieve an even greater goal is always at hand. Life will emerge as the enriching, serendipitous, and transformative journey it was always meant to be. Enter the elevated dimension where doing is the only state of being.

References

Alcohol and Drug Foundation. (2024). Betel nut. https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/betel-nut/

Almaraz, D., Saiz, J., Martín, F.M., Sánchez-Iglesias, I., Molina, A.J., & Goldsby, T.L. (2022). What aspects of religion and spirituality affect the physical health of cancer patients? A systematic review.  Healthcare, 10(8), 1447. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10081447

Bonnieux, J.N., Vanderzwaag, B., Premji, Z., Garcia-Romeu, A., & Garcia-Barrera, M.A. (2023). Psilocybin's effects on cognition and creativity: A scoping review. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 37(7), 635-648. doi: 10.1177/02698811231179801

Curcio, N., Turner, E.D., Leonard, K., Bennett, M.M., Warren, A.M., & Edgerton, J.R. (2022). The role of resilience and spirituality in recovery following cardiac surgery. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 35(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2022.2043985

Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment. (2021). Foraging chanterelle mushrooms: Identification & look-alikes. https://www.growforagecookferment.com/foraging-for-chanterelle-mushrooms/

Kubala, J. (2022). What is ayahuasca? Experience, benefits, and side effects. 

Rotsyslav, C. & Vsevolod, Z. (2024). Exploring the relationship between personality and subjective career success. Conhecimiento & Diversidade, 16(41), 347-375. https://revistas.unilasalle.edu.br/index.php/conhecimento_diversidade/article/view/11504

Salomão de Campos, R.J.D., Lucchetti, G., Lucchetti, A.L.G., Chebli, L.A., Pereira, L.S., & Chebli, J.M.F. (2021). Influence of religiousness and spirituality on remission rate, mental health, and quality of life of patients with active Crohn's Disease: A longitudinal 2-year follow-up study. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, 15(1), 55-63. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjaa130

WebMD. (2020). Betel nut: Overview, uses, side effects, precautions, interactions, dosing, reviews. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-995/betel-nut