Integrated Financial Training: Westchester NY

In our Aikido school we normally recommend people consider meditation practice to supplement their training. In fact we have outside meditation instructors come in to teach a separate class. Generally, there are many styles of meditation and many ideologies behind them. We do not have a preference for one form over another; the individual is free to choose. But meditation can substantially affect the power and growth of one’s practice. We will just mention a couple of approaches here briefly .  

For the beginner, the ability to quiet the mind is very important. As one starts a meditation practice they often start to recognize just how busy their minds really are. These distractions to one’s focus interfere with one’s ability to perceive the nature of their situation and respond accordingly. For example, in a business situation someone who has learned to quiet the mind might observe their customer is very frustrated but is not vocalizing their concerns. One can then turn their attention to the problem more directly to seek a solution. Many opportunities are lost due to distraction. Just as important is listening to ourselves as we find important clues on the direction we need to take in our lives to find happiness. 

To quiet the mind with a basic practice, one could begin simply focusing on the breath. In particular, this practice is easy because the breath as an object of meditation has neither color nor shape to distract the mind. One can practice experiencing the breath as it touches the tip of the nose to develop single pointed concentration. Developing a practice of 10-15 minutes first thing in the morning in a quiet place is ideal. In the morning the mind tends to be calmer. Later on during the day one can recall this practice and help bring about a sense of calm as various situations arise. This meditation is important to power the activities of the day with more concentration and perception. 

Then towards the end of the day a second practice of visualization. When our mind is clearer, we may become aware of a tape recording played over and over again in our minds. If we look at the content, somehow the message can be something very different from the objectives we know we should be pursuing in our lives. Visualizing ourselves successfully accomplishing our goals is a sort of internal cleansing. When we shower we clean our bodies. When we visualize, we clean our minds of the obstacles we project in our own path. First we check our motivation to be sure the direction for our lives terms will benefit others. Then we spend some time picturing ourselves as successfully fulfilling our goals. The imagination can be a very powerful tool, so we don't have to start small, but can begin very large. We should picture the benefit others receive from our efforts and have a sense of joy from their experience. This sort of practice is better for the evening before we go to sleep and can be done for 10-15 minutes as well.

Once we have completed an overview of where we want to go, we can take a look at the financial specifics of how we can get there through the planning process. Here we need to assess the full financial picture in order to make good decisions. The analysis should seek the maximum benefit with the minimum effort to insure the client receives the best value.