Why is Meditation for Programmers so Beneficial?

You’ve probably heard that meditation helps professionals fine-tune energy levels, de-stress, and improve focus. Perhaps your HR department has implemented a mindfulness program; maybe one of your co-workers can’t stop talking about the benefits of a meditation practice; or you’ve come across telling statistics about its effects.

According to a recent American Psychological Association survey, one in three working professionals in the U.S. reports feeling stressed on the job. That is one of the reasons that many companies, including Google, JPMorgan Chase & Co., General Mills, Bank of America, Intel Corp. and many others have explored offering a mindfulness curriculum with personnel.

If the prospect of a higher sense of well-being has piqued your interest and you want to start a meditation practice, that’s great news. Meditation and mindfulness can and will improve your headspace if you approach it correctly and with some persistence.

Why is meditation and mindfulness so important for tech professionals?

Like many roles in business, programmers rely on their brains to carry the workload. The right state of mind is critical for problem solving, creativity, and attention to detail in order to do the job right.

Coders often talk about achieving a “flow state”--that feeling of being in the zone, deeply engaged in the task at hand, and “during which temporal concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored,” as described by the preeminent flow-state thought leader, author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It’s safe to assume everyone in creative professions knows what the flow state feels like. It’s also safe to say everyone wishes they could achieve a flow state more readily or more frequently than they’re currently able.

Programmers and coders are lucky in that every work day is an opportunity to find your flow. A regular practice of mindfulness and meditation is a tool set that you will use to attain that sought-after feeling state of awareness. Meditation helps you attain flow by training your mind to disregard that which doesn’t serve you.

What exactly is meditation?

So where do you begin if you want to start on a regular meditation practice? There’s no real right answer here. One of the first things you learn when meditating regularly is the individualistic and personal nature of the practice. It’s yours and yours alone. However there are a few guidelines and definitions that will help you start out.

Let’s define meditation as something we do to develop conscious awareness of the moment at hand. One might refer to this as “being present.” Also it’s important to understand that meditation is a formal practice where you cut out time to work on your awareness of the moment. Here are a few common beginner meditation practices.

Mindfulness meditation: The practitioner is encouraged to observe wandering thoughts as they pass through your mind. The goal is to avoid latching onto those thoughts, avoiding becoming upset that unwelcome thoughts invade your headspace. When they do, simply acknowledge your mind’s wandering, and let these thoughts pass. Doing so helps you observe that thoughts and emotions follow a particular pattern. In time, you will strengthen your awareness so that such intrusive thoughts and distractions pass with minimal disruption to your focus on the present moment.

Concentration meditation: Here the practitioner focuses on a single point--the saying of a mantra (a phrase repeated over and again) or focusing on a candle flame, or listening to the toll of a special type of gong. If the mind wanders, again do not pursue the thoughts, but simply acknowledge their presence and return your focus to your mantra, light, or sound.

Setting an intention: Every type of meditation works best when you have a goal in mind. Any time you meditate, ask yourself: what is it that you want to do with your practice? If you’re using meditation to de-stress, acknowledge that at the beginning of your session. If you’d like to improve focus, go into your practice with that understanding. Doing so makes meditation a deliberate, goal-focused endeavor.

Building a meditation regimen

It’s beneficial that you introduce your own patterns of ritual into your meditation practice. Some people meditate first thing in the morning, others right before bedtime. Some people sit, others stand or walk. People who do yoga may stretch and breathe for 60-90 minutes before the final shavasana corpse pose, which is where the heavy-duty meditation takes place. Find what works for you, and become consistent with it.

If you’re new to meditation, find a way to sit or lie comfortably in a quiet area. You might have a mat, cushion, or special chair that helps you be comfortable. You might start out meditating for five minutes at a time. That seems short at first glance, but if you’re new to practicing mindfulness, it’s remarkable how long it feels in the moment!

One great way to get acquainted with meditative practice is with guided audio. Youtube is an excellent and free resource. Three personally-recommended starter videos:

• 20 minute mindfulness meditation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2zdUXve6fQ)
• 20 minute concentration meditation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQVYtm2aAr8)
• 10 minute guided meditation for focus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcqZ47d398k)

How will you experience benefits of regular meditation?

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of programming occurs during the ‘blank canvas’ phase of a new project. So, where to begin? That’s a hard question and a source of anxiety and thus procrastination for a lot of creatives. Mindfulness and meditation helps us acknowledge and let go of thoughts that don’t belong when you don’t know where to begin solving a problem or challenge. Your daily meditation exercise strengthens your brain to be more effective at passing on thoughts that don’t serve your goals.

When your mind isn’t chasing anxious emotions like self-doubt, impending deadlines, and other negative feedback loops, that’s when your awareness starts to flow in a manner than serves you. It is then do we become mindful of the task at hand--something extremely useful in DevOps and Scrum project management structures where you’re asked to be very adaptive during springs, all while maintaining sharp focus with one eye on the clock.

In stressful situations when you feel stumped by a problem, or you’re running behind on a deadline, your meditation practice also helps. You’ll acknowledge your stress, acknowledge frustration, but your mind is strong enough to avoid dwelling on the negativity. Meditation is what allows you to bounce back into your flow state after feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, and in doing so, helps you to be more productive--and more positive--at work and in your personal life.