 With a record 2.5 million people signed off sick at present, the government is considering an initiative to allow GPs to refer patients to life coaches to help people get back to work. I'm not sure the government quite realise what they might unleash! I write from experience. Four years ago, after a stressful time at work, I signed up with Zen meditation teacher and life coach Nick Scaramanga, founder of Zen Skills. I joined an eight-week meditation course in Sussex and it revolutionised my life. Since that course, I have made huge life leaps, ended up leaving the stressful job, lived on a canal boat for a while and now have moved to the other end of the country, started a book festival and a new career. For this week's Big Happiness interview, I chatted to Nick about why meditation will not only make you healthier and happier, but also how it can transform your life: What do you think about the idea of the GPs referring patients to a life coach? I don't know enough about their plans to comment. But what I do know is that when you go to see a doctor, you get 10 minutes, if you're lucky, and that isn't a lot of time. Coaching and meditation create space for people to notice what is really going on for them. It allows you to connect with another person but more importantly, connect with yourself. I practice and teach Zen meditation and I see how meditation will not only improve your life but also your health. You hear that life coaching improves your health anecdotally but there are hundreds of studies that show meditation will impact your health in positive ways. How does meditation impact your health in positive ways? Studies show that just 30 minutes of meditation a day will boost your health, empathy, joy, intelligence and creativity, as well as reduce your stress, anxiety and depression. It also helps us develop concentration, focus and a deeper awareness of){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
With a record 2.5 million people signed off sick at present, the government is considering an initiative to allow GPs to refer patients to life coaches to help people get back to work. I’m not sure the government quite realise what they might unleash!
I write from experience. Four years ago, after a stressful time at work, I signed up with Zen meditation teacher and life coach Nick Scaramanga, founder of Zen Skills. I joined an eight-week meditation course in Sussex and it revolutionised my life.
Since that course, I have made huge life leaps, ended up leaving the stressful job, lived on a canal boat for a while and now have moved to the other end of the country, started a book festival and a new career.
For this week’s Big Happiness interview, I chatted to Nick about why meditation will not only make you healthier and happier, but also how it can transform your life: