What is Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness is a very simple concept which has been around for several thousand years but it is only in recent times that it has been recognised by medicine and science as having the capacity to enhance people’s lives. Mindfulness means to pay attention on purpose in the present moment, non-judgementally. This type of attention brings about a greater awareness and allows us to look at the world once again with open eyes. It provides a very simple but powerful way of getting back in touch with our own innate wisdom and potential.

“Each moment missed is a moment unlived” ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Adopting Mindfulness approaches can help you to manage stress, avoid burnout, enhance leadership capacity, and steady your mind when in the midst of making important business decisions, career transitions, and personal life changes. Mindfulness is nothing mystical, and it is not dogmatic – it is nothing more than mental exercise for a healthier mind.  The practice is simple but it is not easy and its power lies in its practice and its application.

It has been found that organisations that stay upbeat and energised may have a competitive edge over those where pessimism reigns. Research suggests that positive people tend to do better in the workplace and cognitively process more efficiently and more appropriately.  Studies have revealed that Mindfulness lowers stress and improves peoples’ sense of well-being. It makes people better at seeing options whereas stress narrows our vision. And if you’re mindful you become more empathic and empathy is the heart of emotional intelligence.  Mindfulness enhances self-awareness. It is self-awareness that is the foundation for emotional intelligence, now accepted in the corporate world as more important than IQ for stellar performance and outstanding leadership.

A wide range of recent findings have cited the specific business benefits of mindfulness within organisations, including:

• Reduced costs of staff absenteeism and turnover
• Improved cognitive function – (i.e. better concentration, memory and learning ability)
• Improved productivity
• Enhanced employer/employee and client relationships

Mindfulness pioneer Sylvia Boorstein wisely reminds us,

“Mindfulness doesn’t change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. What changes is the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is. It teaches the heart to be more accommodating; not by beating it into submission, but by making it clear that accommodation is a gratifying choice.”