Mindfulness practice at busy times
Have you heard of the term VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous)? This military term was originally coined during the cold war and referred to the decision-making strategies in the world of the constant tension and change. The puzzle of the twenty-first-century leaders is how to shift this acronym and focus on the direction rather than a problem: Volatile to Visionary, Uncertainty to Understanding, Complexity to Clarity and Ambiguity to Agility. In either case, we know that living in the 21st century requires calm, resiliency, focus and clarity.
Inspired by the results of the research in neuroscience CEOs are taking retreats, starting meditation programs and finding ways to implement mindfulness as part of their organizational culture. Once mindfulness is part of a working culture you will have more space to sit with your eyes closed or to ask for a moment of silence during meetings. Otherwise finding a space to practice mindfulness at work is not easy and keeping your eyes closed for 10 or 20 minutes may seem odd and weird.
The good news is that mindfulness does not have to be done in a lotus position with your eyes closed. Instead of doing formal mindful meditation you can have a mindful moment when you connect with your breath, somatic sensing when you are holding your cup of coffee or non-judgmental awareness of the way your mind is racing while you are trying to make an important decision. Formal mindfulness practice will help you to enter these states easily but if you really don’t have time to do it, practicing informal practice will provide much more benefit than not doing any practice at all.
Here are some suggestions about how to bring informal mindfulness practice into your busy schedule:
When driving your car, bring full attention to your hands on the wheel. Bring awareness to what you are seeing on the street
The way I see it... If you need both of your hands for whatever it is you're doing, then your brain should probably be in on it too. Ellen Degeneres
Before sending an email, take three deep conscious breaths. Step into the shoes of the email recipient and ask yourself how would it feel to receive it.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop
Slow down your walk through the office. Notice the way your feet are touching the ground and pay attention to the members of your team. What do you notice their posture is telling you?
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Confucius
What they say about it...
As CEO of a few hundred staff company, I always thought I was too busy for meditation. But it has really helped me not only to de-stress, but to do better work. Mindfulness is giving me a clearer mind which leads to sharper focus, faster, and better decision making. Mindfulness is to the mind as exercise for the body. Andy Tian, CEO Asia Innovations Group
Dalida introduced Mindfulness to me over the course of several sessions. It helped me to perform better in my job as a corporate executive in a multinational enterprise, to cope with its challenges and achieve a better work-life balance. I recommend it as a great way to achieve good results even within the constraints of a busy professional life.
Jan Heydolph, formerly Head of Corporate Strategy, Volkswagen Group China
Learn more about mindfulness at work
To learn more about how to practice mindfulness at work and during busy times connect with Dalida Turkovic, executive and mindfulness coach, on:
April 3rd 7.30 – 8pm, online
April 10th 7 – 9 pm, live event with Bare @ Naked Hub/Wework.
Register for the events by extracting the QR code:
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Dalida Turkovic
Founder of Beijing Mindfulness Centre
Dalida has worked in the field management training and consulting in China since 1995. While living and working in this fast-changing environment she gained deep insights on the pressures people have in their professional and personal environment. In all her work Dalida is driven by a profound interest in what moves and motivates people. She believes in big change through small steps, whilst keeping the body and mind in balance.
She believes in the wisdom of emotions and coaches her clients to use this wisdom to bridge professional challenges and enhance presence at home, with their families.
Dalida is the founder of the Beijing Mindfulness Centre, author of Mindfulness for Beginners, the book for mindful parenting, and holds certifications as Professional Certified Coach (ICF) and Mindfulness, Wellness and Somatic Coach (Mindfulness Coaching School).
Her TEDx speech “The road less traveled” is available on https://bit.ly/2vEvaUd.
www.beijingmindfulness.com
hello@beijingmindfulness.com
Tel: 010-64034923
Address: No.44, Qian Yong Kang Hutong, Dongcheng, Beijing