Meet our Local Love Ray Good a once globe-trotting DJ and entrepreneur, who encountered first hand the impact of stress on his wellbeing that led him to find his own meditation practice and then to becoming a mindfulness teacher. Ray has over 25 years of meditation learning and is passionate about helping others combine simple mindfulness tools to improve their lives. Here he talks to Bree & Emma about his journey, why mindfulness is such an essential element of operating a successful business and how and what he believes is the best way to integrate meditation into your working day.
Can you share with us a little about your DJ days, were you always conscious of your health and wellbeing?
It was a lot of fun, I was playing at clubs and festivals all over the world, meeting so many amazing people and basically being paid to party. But they were hectic days too, and the lifestyle was not always conducive to good health: late nights, smoky clubs, long-haul flights – and with so much travel not much of a chance for home-cooking! There was also a lot of stress and pressure. As well as DJing I was organising festivals, running club nights, managing a record label and my own record store – and there was a point that I just felt overwhelmed by it all and en route to burn-out.
I realised very quickly how important it was for me to look after my physical and mental health to balance out that lifestyle. Part of that was watching what I put in my body and making exercise a priority, but it was maintaining a consistent meditation practice that really helped me manage my stress and maintain my sanity.
When were you first introduced to Mindfulness?
I tried my first meditation class 25 years ago and have maintained a daily practice ever since. My life certainly hasn’t been smooth sailing since but meditation has been a constant companion to help me through the tough times and appreciate the good. It’s the pause or space in my day that allows me to unplug and refocus, to face whatever is ahead of me with a greater awareness & a clearer mind.
It seems almost opposite ends of the spectrum – DJing to Meditation. Do you agree or are there some similarities?
DJing to me was a meditative experience I could be performing in front of 5000 people & as soon as I put on my first record (you can tell I am old skool ) I would be 100% in the moment: focused, mindful & in a state of pure flow.
When you DJ and lead a meditation class you know how to program & take people on a journey. Also, like meditation, music, and dance are both amazing mediums to get you out of your head and into the present moment through the senses.
Other than meditation, what do you do to boost your mood?
I exercise daily, I like to swim, ride or walk. I also do yoga a couple of times a week, again, I have had a practice for over 25 years – I taught myself while djing around Europe! There was no mobile phones or the Internet back then, I had a lot of free time on my hands & still have the 70’s yoga book I learned from on my bookshelf.
I also find that what I put in my body has a huge effect on my mood and try to maintain healthy whole-foods based diet.
Spending time with my partner, friends, and family is also vital to my happiness.
Having owned multiple businesses, what advice can you give to others who are starting their own business?
Your mind is your most valuable and precious resource its essential that you take time out of your day to look after it.
Why do you think Mindfulness is so important to successful businesses?
Smart business operators are beginning to realise the importance of the mental health and well-being of their staff to the success of a business.
Life is becoming more and more frantic and fast-paced. On top of the pressure of juggling work, relationships, social lives and more, we’re living in an age of information overload: technology and our obsession with social media means we’re constantly plugged in and switched on
Practising mindfulness can benefit not only mental health enormously, but have profound effects on productivity and quality of work through improved focus, clearer thinking, better communication, decision making and increased creativity. It enhances self-awareness and can significantly improve relationships and interactions. Mindful workers are better workers.
Often the people who need meditation the most are the ones who say they don’t have time. Can you tell us an easy way to integrate mindfulness into your everyday?
You can mentally recharge by taking one “mindful breath” before starting a new task, like answering the phone or walking into a meeting etc. It takes roughly six seconds, and in that time you bring your full attention to one deep breath, the in-breath and then the out-breath, resetting your body and mind.
Tell us about your amazing venture with Dr Richard Chambers “Recharge”
Recharge was born out of our shared desired to bring the benefits of mindfulness meditation to an audience that may not have experienced it otherwise – to make it accessible and attractive to the masses in a sense.
So many people still view meditation as the domain of Buddhist monks or yogis – yet there is so much evidence now of it’s huge benefits – which is why forward-thinking and extremely successful individuals including entrepreneurs, CEOs, elite athletes, celebrities, politicians, judges and more, have adopted a mindfulness practice to help them function at their peak.
Recharge offers both corporate mindfulness programs as well as courses open to the public, to equip people with tools to develop and maintain a mindfulness meditation practice to help improve their personal and professional lives.
Although Richard and I come from very different backgrounds, our skills and experience are complementary and part of the essence of recharge. Richard has a pretty impressive CV – he is an internationally recognised expert on mindfulness having published several books and studies on the subject and teaches mindfulness at Monash University. I bring a wealth life and business experience and my skills are in translating the theory into practice in terms of how business and individuals can really integrate these tools.
What can people expect to learn from the 4-week course?
Based on the latest neuroscience & research, we’ll teach you how to meditate and apply mindfulness in your life to feel calmer, clearer, happier, and more present in everything you do, you’ll learn to use mindfulness to help you:
- Reduce stress and anxiety and free yourself from unhelpful thought patterns.
- Focus and be less distracted so you can maximise your productivity and performance
- Manage technology to make it work for you rather than against you
- Be kinder to yourself and others
- Communicate more effectively.
Lastly, because there has to be a question about music…What is your go-to song when you need to relax?
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Relax, of course ( sorry dad joke )
The next Recharge 4-week course runs from June 22 – July 13th
Every Thursday night from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
One Roof, 77/79 City Road, Southbank, VIC 3006
W: www.rechargemeditation.com.au
I: @rechargemeditation
F: @rechargemeditation
