Nexus Summit afforded the opportunity of listening to and meeting individuals involved in promoting social good. NExus is a community that seeks to encourage philanthropy, impact investment, creating opportunity zones, Human Rights, SDGs and the betterment of humanity. Having participated in the capacity as a volunteer speaker support and a participant, being my first Nexus Summit outing, I found this profoundly enlightening and educating on so many levels starting from the insightful plenary sessions with fervent speakers, to the revealing syndicate sessions and the interesting session topics covered to the wellness lounge. Participating in the summit reinforced my learning and exposed me to some interesting practises I now partake in and look forward to doggedly adopting as a lifestyle. Major takeouts of the summit for me amongst so many, are along the lines of Cultivating Gratitude and Presence, Practising simple meditation tools for busy professionals.

Of a truth, the world is highly fast-paced today due to a plethora of reasons- technology, personal goals and aspirations, innovation etc. Needless to say, that this has negatively impacted on our lives today, that as busy professionals, the possibility of living life in a bubble and running on autopilot is more often than not the case. Invariably, this impacts our general living, health, social life and the list is endless. As goal-oriented professionals, we tend to get inundated in life’s pursuit paying laser-focused attention to our activities with minimal consciousness to our health, social life, mental well being and even our entirety appears to be the case oftentimes, hence my particular interest in learning more about the above areas. We need to take time introspectively to nurture our well being in its wholesomeness. Here are some helpful tips to practise daily.

A simple meditation exercise 

  • Sit comfortably upright on the chair without your head tilting back ward.
  • Close your eyes. 
  • Simply breathe naturally- In and Out.
  • Focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. Observe your chest, shoulders, belly.  Your mind might wander and get lost in thoughts and and reach a point of reference sometimes, return your focus back to your breath.
  • Note that no meditation experience is exactly the same, could be smooth today and bumpy tomorrow, but you keep the consistency.

Tips

  • Meditate at least twice daily for at least 15mins- Morning before the day’s activities and Night right before bedtime.
  • Avoid the use of caffeine before meditation 
  • Avoid late night eating

Benefits of Meditation

  • Improved blood circulation
  • Lower heart rate
  • Less perspiration
  • Slower respiratory rate
  • Less anxiety
  • Lower blood cortisol levels
  • More feelings of well-being
  • Less stress
  • Deeper relaxation

Cultivating Gratitude & Presence

There is a myriad of benefits in cultivating gratitude. Even in the simplest of things, we have so much to be grateful and thankful for. For it is acknowledging the small things we unconsciously unlock the big things coming our way. It goes without saying that ‘Gratitude is the sign of  noble souls. When you are grateful, you are thankful for the now, appreciative for what is to come, never taking anything for granted and counting your blessings always, even in the darkest of times and places. Gratitude teaches you to pay it forward.

Being grateful doesn’t mean that life is perfect; it doesn’t ignore complaints, burdens, and hassles. But when we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life.

Gratitude helps one:

  1. Celebrate the present
  2. Blocks toxic and negative emotions
  3. Achieve a higher sense of self-worth
  4. Alleviate stress 
  5. Pay it forward

Tips

  • Count your blessings by mentioning at least 5 things(as you wish) you are grateful for. Could be done in the morning or in the evening or at any time of the day.
  • Keep a gratitude journal
  • Help people as much as you can. It brings a sense of happiness and gratitude to be able to show up for people even in the littlest of things.

Benefits of Gratitude to Physical

  • Stronger immune systems
  • Less bothered by aches and pains
  • Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking

Psychological

  • Higher levels of positive emotions
  • More alert, alive, and awake
  • More joy 
  • More optimism and happiness

Social

  • More helpful, generous, and compassionate
  • More forgiving
  • More outgoing
  • Feel less lonely and isolated.

Despite playing speaker role support at the summit which entailed frequent movement, I participated actively in the summit and found it enjoyable. I tried out some cool stuff too like the sana device at the wellness lounge which is a neuromodulation wearable for the control of chronic pain, addiction, and mental health. The device promotes brain balance, which leads to a more restful state of mind, and mental clarity.