One of the primary goals of Yoga of the Mind is to teach meditation to diverse groups of people. The meditation involves simple visualization, breathing and is free from any particular religious or philosophical overtones.

Yoga of the Mind —
Accountant more profitable, less stressed with simple, age-old solution: meditation

David Stevens had a big day ahead of him. In addition to preparing for the corporate tax filing deadline on March 15, the restaurant and small business accounting consultant was scheduled to testify in court on a client’s behalf in the morning, then meet with an agent to begin an IRS audit for another client that afternoon.

Yes, it was going to be a monstrous day.

To prepare for it, he padded out from the bedroom, his four dogs trailing behind, to the living room and dropped into his favorite chair. As he slowly inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, he began to visualize how he wanted the day to evolve. For 30 minutes, Stevens meditated, releasing thoughts and feelings he didn’t want and visualizing those he did. When he finished, he stretched, scratched the dogs’ heads and went back upstairs for his shower and on to greet the day.

It’s hardly how you’d expect an accountant to prepare for that kind of day — some accountants may choose a rigorous workout at the gym before showering, while others may opt for a long run with the dog — yet Stevens has spent most of the past 34 years preparing for each day through quiet meditation.

Meditation’s benefits
The benefits of meditation are almost legendary. Dr. Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that meditation enhanced ongoing brain development. Other studies have shown that it reduces blood lactate — a chemical associated with stress and fatigue. It boosts concentration and focus. Meditation produces a state of rest twice as deep as sleep. And for Stevens, “It’s more effective in helping me create what I want in my life. My life is much more effortless; I get a lot more done.”

While growing up in Pueblo, Stevens was initially intrigued with the idea of meditation at the tender age of 14. He had heard about transcendental meditation from the Beatles through the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late ‘60s. “I was always fascinated by him,” Stevens said. “I knew I wasn’t using my full mental potential. I had had glimpses of expanded awareness in my teens and I wanted more of that.”

After earning his bachelor’s degree in Literature from the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, IA, Stevens made a beeline to San Francisco, where he wanted to study filmmaking. That didn’t work out, so he got a job in a hotel, where he started his career in accounting. The stress of urban living began to affect him and he started meditating again, ironically, something he had all but given up since his college years.

He went back to his alma mater and received his master’s degree in Business, with an emphasis in Accounting. Stevens has always wanted stability and his thought was that if he had a degree in accounting, it would all but guarantee that sought-after security. Yet the job he accepted after receiving his master’s was just the first of 29 in a nine-year period.

Meditation gets through multiple job changes
That’s when he made meditation a habit. “It really helped me deal with the stress of a lot of job changes,” he said. “I’ve always seemed to work in small business and small business is very volatile. Meditation helped me realize that all the changes weren’t personal.”

He also began to have regular psychic readings during that time. “What the psychic readings did was awaken my own intuition,” Stevens said. “I could tell when I was going to get a job and when I wasn’t. I could tell when it was time to look for something else. Eventually, it gave me the confidence to be self employed. I always thought I needed to work for someone else for stability.” Seven years later, he is still helping several clients with their accounting needs — and is more stable than he had ever been

Visualizing leads to a fulfilling life
When Stevens began meditating more than 30 years ago, he followed transcendental meditation, where a word is repeated throughout the meditation. Yet “beginning right after I started being self employed,” he said, “I learned a style of meditation where visualizing becomes active in the body, and I found that incredibly more effective. I felt good, calm and peaceful.”

The benefits of meditation have carried over much more strongly into Steven’s daily life. He now uses visualization meditation to clear fears, concerns and stress. He also uses it to clear past energy and regrets. “It just helps me bring in more of the different qualities I want. For instance, I might work on being open to more opportunities. I can literally meditate in the morning and it’s almost like willing things to happen.”

Beyond the physical health benefits, Stevens has reaped so much more from his life through meditation. “I make more money than I’ve made before in less time,” he said. “So there’s definitely not the financial stress I had almost all my life. I have been able to buy a beautiful home that I’ve always wanted. I’m in a much more fulfilling relationship than I’ve ever had. It’s helped me find more joy in every moment. There’s a greater sense of being in the flow.” He’ll even take a few minutes at the end of the work day to shift gears, so he can better enjoy his home life.

Stevens feels so strongly about meditation, he started a business almost two years ago, Yoga of the Mind, which teaches people — often business owners — how to use the form of meditation and intuition he uses to create what they want with their lives.

“Intuition plays a huge role in business,” Stevens said, and meditation plays a big part in intuition. “People can get a lot of benefit from meditation with as little as ten to 15 minutes a day,” Stevens said. “Between the intuition and meditation, I feel like I’m living in a movie sometimes because it’s helping me create what I want in my life.”

- Kim Jackson