Workshop

Mindfulness Training
for Reducing Stress and Optimal WellBeing
CEO CF Fall-Meeting 2014
Elsbeth Timmer

 Agenda
What is Mindfulness?

History and Background

Current Neuroscience Research

Benefits of Mindfulness in Leadership

Experience and Dialogue

Definition MINDFULNESS:
Mindfulness is a trainable skill which enables us to
be more present in the moment, aware of what is
going on inside and around us non-judgementally.
Jon Kabat Zinn

Origins of Mindfulness and

Mindfulness in the West
Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Monk
Brought Mindfulness to the West

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

Molecular Biologist
Founder MBSR




The Mind/Body Connection:
Fight or Flight and Stress

Fight or Flight Response

Maladaptive Human Response

Stress Reactivity and Conditioning

SR

S top
T ake a breath
O bserve / Options
P roceed / Plan

Awareness

S R
A

How does one train in Mindfulness?

Informal practice:
Bringing ones full
attention to the task or
activity at hand in the
present moment, nonjudgmentally

Formal Practices:
-
-
-

Meditation (paying
attention to what is):
Body Scan
Mindfulness Yoga

Why we do this? To understand what effect our own

emotions, feelings and our reactions to those have on
our body, mind and well-being. Creating awareness.

7 Pillars of Mindfulness Practice

n

n
n
n

Non-judging: Not getting caught up in our ideas and

opinions, likes and dislikes.
Patience: An understanding and acceptance that
sometimes things must unfold in their own time.
Beginners Mind: Seeing things with fresh eyes, with a
clear and uncluttered mind.
Trust: Trusting in your intuition and your own
authority.
Non-striving: Trying less and being more.
Acceptance: Coming to terms with things as they are.
Letting Go: Letting our experience be what it is.

Growth in Mindfulness Research

Basic Science Research shows that

regular practice of mindfulness:
- Strengthens the immune system
- Has positive changes on brain structure
- Lowers stress bio-marker cortisol (stress
hormone)

mindfulness training cultivates:

- the innate capacities of the mind to be present
- to step out of automatic pilot
- to create space so we can be clearer, calmer, more
focused, more creative, and more compassionate.

Meditation is Brain Training

Increase in volume and density of left

hippocampus; brain area responsible for
memory and learning (top-down control)

Mindfulness Programs in the

workplace have been shown to:
n Reduce

cost of absenteeism and turnover

n Improve cognitive function
n Enhance Employer/Employee client relationship
n Enhance employee job satisfaction
n Enhances well being and reduces health care costs.

Companies offering Mindfulness Based Stress

Reduction Programs
Aetna International,
Apple Computers,
Boeing,
Cargill, Inc.
Compusense,
Deutsche Bank,
DOD,
eBay,
Facebook,
Ford Motor Company,
Genentech,
General Mills

Google,
Hughes Aircraft,
Kaiser Permanente,
NASA,
Nortel Networks,
Plantronics,
Target,
Texas Instruments,
Twitter,
Qualcom,
Yahoo! to name a few

Data on Mindful Leadership

n

From General Mills

Leaders report
n 83% increased
productivity
n 80% better decision
making
n 89% better listening

The Resilient leader and

Emotional Intelligence:
The ability to monitor ones own and others
feelings and emotions.
n The ability to discern amongst those.
n The ability to act on that information.
n

Mindfulness is the foundation of EI

EI Framework

Daniel Goleman: The ability to understand and feel

our own emotions is critical for understanding and
empathizing with the emotions of others

What Business Leaders Are Saying

n

The main business case for meditation in the workplace is

that if you are fully present on the job, you will be more
effective as a leader, you will make better decisions, and you
will work better with other people. I tend to live a very busy
life. This keeps me focused on what is important.
William George - Former CEO, Medtronics

The biggest impact has been on my ability to quiet my mind.

Its allowed me to increase my focus when my team is
presenting ideas to me.
Joe Ens, VP Marketing General Mills

Experiential Learning:
You are your own Laboratory, explore
with kindness and curiosity.
Or Like the book of Google:
Search inside Yourself

Home (meeting) Work

n

While listening to other people, pay kind attention to

your reactions and thoughts (preparing an answer,
judging etc.)
Become aware of your breathing and bodily sensations,
before you take the phone out of your pocket
Use the everyday cues in your environment as
reminders to "center" yourself, e.g. the telephone
ringing, sitting at the computer terminal, waiting in line
for a coffee, etc.

Local Resources
8-Week MBSR classes, look for local offers
n 5-day Mindfulness Tools Intensive Program
n Online MBSR course
www.umassmed.edu/cfm/ (199 USD)
n Mindfulness at the workplace
n Meditation Groups (Vipassana, Zen)
n Yoga Studio
n

Further Reading
Full Catastrophe Living: Jon Kabat Zinn
n Search Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan
(google)
n Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat
Zinn
n Peace is Every Step, The Path of Mindfulness
in Everyday Life, Thich Nhat Hanh,
n Finding the Space to Lead, A Practical Guide
to Mindful Leadership, Janice Marturano
n