PERSONAL CHANGE RESOURCES

MINDFULLNESS

Mindfullness

Establishing a mindfulness practice is not a nice to have, but a must have for anyone interested in growing their capacity to lead change, whether for themselves alone or with others.

We too often can find ourselves not wanting to slow down to examine the internal weather of our emotions, thoughts and feelings out of a sense of worry or fear of what we will discover. And yet, it is only through becoming an observer of our own internal weather patterns that we can grow our capacity to more accurately assess what is happening ‘out there’ in the world and relationships we are a part of.

There are many ways to grow a mindfulness practice. Meditation, Journaling, Practices of reflective art making, etc. For some of us, engaging in mindful walking in nature or bycling or starting up a weight training practice can be ways to access embodied mindfulness. We encourage you to experiment with various forms till you find the one that allow you to become more aware of the noise in your thinking and create a moment of pause between experience-thought-action-emotion.

Some examples of mindfulness practices to experiment with:

  1. Meditation

  2. Breathing exercises

  3. Body scans

  4. Yoga

  5. Walking mindfully

  6. Gratitude journaling

  7. Loving-kindness meditation

  8. Progressive muscle relaxation

  9. Tai chi or qigong

  10. Guided visualization practice

  11. Mantras, affirmations or call-and-response song practices

Benefits of a Mindfulness practice

Mindfulness has numerous benefits, including:

  1. Reducing stress and anxiety: Regular practice of mindfulness can help individuals manage stress and anxiety by promoting relaxation and reducing negative thoughts.

  2. Improving emotional well-being: Mindfulness helps individuals develop emotional intelligence and resilience, leading to increased happiness and well-being.

  3. Enhancing cognitive function: Mindfulness can improve cognitive function by increasing attention span and enhancing memory and learning abilities.

  4. Promoting physical health: Research has shown that mindfulness can improve immune function, lower blood pressure, and reduce chronic pain.

  5. Building better relationships: Mindfulness can help individuals communicate more effectively and build stronger, more fulfilling relationships with others.

  6. Improving sleep quality: Mindfulness has been shown to improve sleep