Mindfulness teaches us how to integrate 2,600 year old Eastern practices into contemporary Western everyday life by integrating body and mind in the present moment without judgment or expectation. The definition of mindfulness developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a famous teacher of mindfulness meditation and the founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program is:
“Paying attention in a particular way,
In the present moment, and
Mindfulness is being used more and more in a variety of settings including the workplace. It is now widely recognized as key to overall productivity, health and well-being. The use of mindful practices are taking hold in companies such as Google, General Mills, Goldman Sachs, Apple, Medtronic, and Aetna, as well as many nonprofit organizations and public agencies.
In the book Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan from Google, mindfulness is described as a critical practice for the development of emotional intelligence. As a mind training practice, mindfulness is most often learned and practiced through meditation. Another recent book, Train the Mind, Change the Brain, written by a science writer for the Wall Street Journal, reports on the research that supports the importance of mindfulness meditation practice in changing the brain.
Mindfulness Resources, including books and local classes
http://www.csh.umn.edu/wsh/reflectivepractices/ Instructions for a mindfulness practice and links to guided meditation and classes from Center for Spirituality and Healing
http://www.siyli.org/ Resource related to the book Search Inside Yourself including videos and training opportunities
http://instituteformindfulleadership.org/ Definitions of mindfulness, articles, links, and training options
http://www.mindful.org/ Numerous resources on developing and using mindfulness and access to electronic updates and e-magazine
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/mindful-leadership/ On-going blog with mindful leadership reflections and practices.
https://insighttimer.com/ A downloadable app for smartphones and IPads with bells and timer