Who is Ray Dalio?
Best recognized as the founder of the investment firm Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio is an American businessman with an estimated net worth of $14.1 billion as of January 2016, according to Bloomberg.
In 2011 and 2012, he was named as one of the top 50 most influential people by Bloomberg Markets.
In 2012, he was included in the list of top 100 most influential personalities in the world by Time magazine.
But when interviewed as the #1 key to his business success, what did Dalio say? "Meditation, more than any other factor has been the secret to whatever success I've had," said Dalio.
Wow, how incredible is that!
It doesn’t matter what your outcome may be, incorporating meditation as a daily practice will improve EVERY aspect of your life, from your mental state, your levels of stress, your relationships, and yes, even your business.
This is a great time of year to pick up a simple meditation habit.
We’re focused on our health and well-being again, it’s too cold to spend a lot of time outside, and during this winter slump, clearing our minds can do us all good.
However, I know many people who feel resistant to the idea of meditating.
Or they’ve tried it and found it too hard to sit still and keep their minds from wandering, so they tell me they “aren’t any good at meditation.”
I’m here to tell you there’s no such thing as being “bad” at meditating! Like so many skills, it just takes practice.
I can also tell you that while resistance to meditation is understandable and normal, there are so many great reasons to meditate!
- It lowers your stress levels.
- It can decrease anxiety and tendency for depression.
- It can decrease your blood pressure.
- It eases your body into more restful sleep.
- It can prevent muscle tension.
- It helps your body eliminate toxins.
- It can increase your nitric oxide levels.
- It can strengthen your immune system.
- It changes the way your brain responds to stressors.
- Long-term meditation changes the physical structure of the brain in ways that improve memory and focus.
- Last but not least, it helps you GET OFF YOUR ACID! Since it reduces stress levels, and stress causes more acid than any food you could consume, meditation goes a long way toward alkalizing your body!
Once you start practicing, you’ll see the benefits in your own life.
After all, how many people do you know who used to meditate? I don’t know any. I know people who do, and people who haven’t tried it yet!
So if you haven’t tried meditation, or if you have tried it but didn’t think it was for you, I want to give you several really great, easy ways to try meditation that are different than anything you might have tried in the past.
This week, challenge yourself to give one of these six meditations a try. Even if you hate it, try it again the next day.
Set a timer for five or ten minutes for the first time you try it. A short amount of time will take away the intimidation factor people feel about meditating. You can do just about anything for five minutes, right?
Okay, let’s break down each one and what to do…
1. Chewing Meditation
As you enjoy a meal, take the time to chew each bite fully, 30–50 chews per bite. Remember, digestion starts in your mouth! The objective is to liquefy your food. Focus on the taste and texture and how they might change and sweeten the longer you chew. Go slowly and really savor the experience.
The added benefits of this meditation are improved digestion and feeling fuller from less food. Don’t forget to chew your soups and smoothies too!
2. Savoring Simplicity 
This one can also apply to food, but it doesn’t have to. You’re going to focus on tuning into a single food or a simple object like a pillow.
Let’s say you choose a strawberry. Hold the strawberry and think about where it grew and how it arrived in your hands. Feel the texture. Enjoy the sweet burst of juicy flavor as you eat the strawberry. Tune into the complexity of a seemingly simple food or object. Spend at least a full five minutes with each simple thing.
3. Breathing Meditation
This is a wonderful one that will calm and center you in any situation. It can also be used when you feel overwhelmed by a craving. Very often, the craving will pass by the end of 10 to 20 breaths.
To practice, close your eyes, place your hands on your belly and just tune into the sensations around the inhale and the exhale. Gradually begin to deepen the breath, taking 10 to 20 slow, deep, conscious breaths deeply into and out of the belly.
You can do this meditation several times in a row or frequently throughout your day.
4. Visualization
This is a great way to put attention on what you would like to bring into your life. By creating images in your mind and connecting emotionally with these images, you begin to send the message to the universe that this is what you want.
When visualizing, stay with the image of what you want in your life and the feelings it evokes for a good three to five minutes.
If creating images in your mind is difficult, cut pictures out of magazines or other media that represent your goals and dreams. This is a powerful tool, so take the time to think about what you really want, not just what the ego is driving you towards.
5. Gratitude Meditation
This is so simple, yet immensely powerful. If I have one favorite meditation, the gratitude meditation is probably it. It is especially important if you find yourself spiraling down the hole of negative thinking and negative manifestations in your life.
This can be done anytime, but it can be particularly good first thing in the morning or before going to bed. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and meditate on all that is good in your life.
If you are having trouble finding something good, simply feel gratitude for the gift of breath and a healthy body. Your objects of gratitude can be as big or as small as you want. You may choose to write down these items after or before meditating on them. Do this for as long as you want.
You can also combine this with the other meditations like walking or chewing.
6. Walking Meditation
With the walking meditation, the intention is on fully taking in the smells, the sights, the sounds, and the sensations of your walking experience. Try to put your attention on only one thing or one sensory organ at a time. So in other words, focus on what you hear only. Take the time to drop in and just allow any thoughts outside your present experience to fall by the wayside.
This can be a great meditation if you have trouble sitting still.
Meditation is an important part of detoxifying your body, so I recommend it as part of the Get Off Your Acid 7-Day Cleanse, which will remove acids and toxins from your body leave you feeling more energetic and younger than you’ve felt in years!
Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/20/meditation-relaxation-response.aspx http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/12/how-meditation-changes-your-brain.aspx