One of the biggest buzzwords in the mental health field and corporate stress reduction programs is mindfulness. I recently had a licensed counselor mention that she felt foolish recommending mindfulness practice to clients because she didn’t practice it or maybe even really understand it herself. This is not uncommon. I can provide an overview and experience of mindfulness practices to your office, class, or business. In addition to the experiential sessions, you’ll be given a list of resources (books, recordings, etc.) which will enable you to pursue further training should you choose.
My meditation training began with my yoga practice in 1986. Mindfulness is a form of meditation developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and taught in his Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programs (MBSR). Mindfulness practice involves formal seated meditation, incorporates other elements of yoga, and encourages practitioners to practice throughout the day – eating mindfully, washing dishes mindfully, being mindful of thoughts and actions and words, etc.
There are MBSR trainings throughout the world; the one I completed was offered through VCU’s psychology department and taught by Kirk Warren Brown, PhD.
Mindfulness is not a religion, it is not a foreign concept – we all have the capacity to pay attention, and we all know the many ways that our attention becomes compromised. Developing a mindfulness practice often begins with focusing on breath – we all have breath. This breath awareness is expanded with deliberate concentration on breath, body awareness, releasing tension, and walking meditation. Mindfulness is acceptable to everyone. You do not have to sit on the floor, you do not have to sit at all!
