Why Mindfulness Matters in Life and Management
When I watch my sons playing at the park, I’m captivated by how they throw themselves into every activity or whim of an idea. Their entire bodies move in ways I haven’t moved in years. There is zero resistance to each and every impulse they have -- swinging from bars that are too high, jumping off the swing at full velocity, and running through an obstacle course of shaky balance beams, webbed rope structures, and steep climbing walls.
They have no fear of danger. Instead, they are 100% in the moment and completely invested in each and every action. Their unadulterated concentration is pure, authentic, and wholly in the now.
I can’t help but be envious of their perfect mindful presence and self-absorbed play. While watching, my mind turns to business and I start to think about how to inject that level of passion and focus into my work. How can I create an environment with my clients where we have that same adventurous commitment to our work -- to be distraction-free and absorbed in the moment?
And then I realize I just missed the last 8 minutes with my kids as my mind wanders again.
Why does mindfulness matter?
There is a joke in meditation circles that goes like this:
“Oh you don’t have time to meditate for 15 minutes? Then, you should definitely meditate for an hour.”
In other words, the perspective shift that happens during and after meditating (or even “off the cushion” practices) makes everything more vibrant, intense, and alive.
The resulting mindful awareness will short-circuit the brain’s propensity for fantasy/storytelling (the voice in our head) that takes us off track.
So even doing a short meditation or mindfulness pause makes you more present in your life. Therefore, you easily have the 15 minutes because it makes the next 45 feel like 2 hours.
Benefits of cultivating mindfulness include:
Increased presence, happiness, and appreciation of what is as you are more able to drop into the “the now”
Increased self-actualization at work through experiencing more of an objective reality
Ability to enjoy life’s vivid details, richness, and beauty
Expanded awareness and objectivity = more clear-headed
Unplugging from thinking only about yourself and increased motivation to serve others
Here’s the tricky part: Mindfulness is easy to experience briefly, but it takes a steady effort to sustain. If you want to live more mindfully and apply it consistently in your work, you must actively develop a mindfulness practice.
Meditation and mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness often seem linked (and there is a connection), but meditation covers more than mindfulness. Meditation has been a trending topic for over a decade, and there are a lot of different types of meditation. Although I’m not a qualified meditation expert, I do have a practice and often coach my clients to investigate meditation as a way to learn more about themselves and their tendencies.
Meditation is very personal and it’s important to explore a few styles to find the right direction for your development. I also recommend working with a teacher who can help diagnose what’s best for you and support your growth.
If you don’t have a meditation practice, now is a great time to start. Every airplane safety video reminds us that we need to put our own oxygen mask on before assisting others. This is true in life and business, too: You have to take care of yourself first, and meditation can help you do that.
Image credit: InformationIsBeautiful.net
Leaders need to remember this, especially right now as we lead our teams through the current COVID crisis. It is imperative to calm the lizard brain’s fight or flight impulses and fantasies and develop your ability to be more mindful and aware of others. A good book for a starting point is The Mind Illuminated by John Yates.
Here are a few meditation apps to help you explore which path is right for you.
Insight Timer (my preference): Has a wide variety of guided meditations and timers you can design.
10% Happier: A less “woo-woo” approach to meditation that captures the fundamentals and appeals to Westerners.
Calm and Headspace: Robust, award-winning meditation apps that claim to aid relaxation and sleep.
Image credit: InformationIsBeautiful.net
Simple mindfulness practices you can use right now.
If you are not ready to try meditation or have trouble sticking with a practice, mindfulness exercises can be a good substitute to help you with anxiety and stress. Here are two simple exercises that I’ve found to be helpful in achieving more mindfulness:
1. Bodyscan
A body scan is simple in principle but can yield quick results, so I highly recommend you try it if you haven’t before.
To experience a quick body scan, sit in a comfortable chair or lie down and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths to relax. Then gradually focus your attention on your big toe and then gradually work your way to your other toes, your feet, ankles, calf muscles to skin, knees and so on.
Feel any sensations at each body part and simply notice them. It might be the first time you’ve paid attention to that part of your body in a long while as we often ignore our body sensations. Imagine breathing into that part of your body and breathing out any tension you might have.
As you finish your scan feel free to return anywhere that felt it held some tension or other sensations. This can be done rather quickly, but I recommend you have at least 5 minutes to start. There are many body scan videos on YouTube and instructions around the web.
2. Mindfulness Walk
See if you can make a mindfulness practice out of the next time you are able to take a short walk (ideally in nature). To get the most benefit, leave your phone and any other distractions at home or in the car.
As you walk, sense into your body and continue to redirect your thoughts back to your body’s sensations. Simply walk and focus on your steps. Right foot and then the left.
Wait, what’s for dinner?
Oops, back to the feet. Feel the legs and their support. Feel the gravity pulling you down into the earth and open your sensations to the whole body. As you breathe in, notice your breath and then go back into your body. Keep redirecting your thoughts back to your physical self and the sensations. Even five minutes is a good practice session.
Each time you bring your mind back to the present moment, you are carving out new pathways in the brain and training your mind to focus. I often have my best ideas after a 30- or 40-minute mindfulness walk. Be ready for a more present (and pleasant) day afterward!
Remember, mindfulness is not the “answer” to all life’s problems. As Jon Kabat-Zinn wrote in Full Catastrophe Living, “rather, it is that all life's problems can be seen more clearly through the lens of a clear mind.”
