What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a way of training the mind using meditation.

Two skills define a mindful mind:

Focus is the ability to concentrate on the current task.

Awareness is the ability to recognise and release unnecessary distractions as they arise.

Essentially, mindfulness trains our attention and awareness skills in a particular way using supportive attitudes. Attention underpins so much of our performance at work enabling us to focus on a specific task, solve problems and make decisions. Importantly, we learn when to mentally step back and more objectively examine our mental processes. In this way we comprehend our thoughts as just thoughts rather than over-identifying with them and treating their content as if they are irrefutable facts even when they aren’t. From this new perspective we can notice more clearly our habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving along with the complex interplay of all these processes.

This greater self-awareness generates more choices in how we relate to and respond to our experiences. We can then consciously choose more resourceful responses rather than reacting in old, and often unconscious, unhelpful ways. In this way, we can release ourselves from habits that no longer serve us well and cultivate new effective habits in their place. This develops greater psychological flexibility which positively affects our performance and well-being at work and in all aspects of our life.

I specialise in using secular mindfulness in work settings to improve performance and enhance well-being.

Why choose mindfulness?

Mindfulness is evidence based and is supported by a wealth of peer reviewed research.

Neuroscience studies have established that our brains have ‘neuroplasticity’ which means they can change structure and function in response to thoughts and experiences throughout our life. Mindfulness training provides practical experiences that can change our brain to be more resourceful.

Research shows how mindfulness trains attention, optimises use of brain resources, reduces mind wandering, increases working memory capacity and enhances emotion regulation. Findings also demonstrate beneficial outcomes for our physical and mental health.

How does mindfulness work?

Mindfulness is experiential and pragmatic.

Through a range of practices we develop attention skills and achieve greater objectivity and clarity. From this new perspective we can choose more resourceful actions.

By being with our internal experience we learn more about ourselves. We deepen our understanding of our enduring patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. By stepping back into a position of kindly observer we change our relationship to whatever issues present. We achieve greater objectivity and clarity and notice more of the available information that we would otherwise have missed. By creating a sense of spaciousness we enable insights to emerge and discover more resourceful ways of responding. All of these processes interact to generate increasing cognitive flexibility which improves our performance and enhances our well-being.