Mindfull or Mindful?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bright Field

I have seen the sun break through

to illuminate a small field

for a while, and gone my way

and forgotten it. But that was the pearl

of great price, the one field that had

treasure in it. I realize now

that I must give all that I have

to possess it. Life is not hurrying

on to a receding future, nor hankering after

an imagined past. It is the turning

aside like Moses to the miracle

of the lit bush, to a brightness

that seemed as transitory as your youth

once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

~ R. S. Thomas ~

I have been thinking a lot about the many conversations I have with individuals I coach, teams I work with and coaches I train. No matter what our roles and positions everyone seems to be afflicted with a constant busyness and overwhelming list of tasks and things to do, myself included.

But the one thing that allows me to bring my whole self and sanity back into my work is a fundamental belief in mindfulness, engagement in a reflective and creative practice on a regular basis and a deep sense of meaning and purpose that I draw from my spiritual path and beliefs.

I am noticing how many of our conversations reside in the future, deeply seated in the what if’s. On training courses the cynics and critics in the group will quickly make themselves known by the phrase, “ But what if… ?”

Our preoccupation with the past and the future and what could, and notice the emphasis on could, erodes our ability to be aware and fully present in the here and now.  It shuts off our innate ability to draw on an arsenal of resourcefulness and creativity. A lack of mindfulness shuts us down to our best thinking. Just think about how much is missed when we are constantly pre-occupied with being elsewhere in bodies and in our minds.

I find this preoccupation happens a lot with coaches whether experienced or new to coaching. It’s so easy to fall back into the trap of getting caught up with the voices in our heads which vocalize thoughts and feelings based on past experience, usually negative or unconstructive dialogues or they become tangled or muddled with future thinking about what or how we think we should or shouldn’t be performing. All of which dulls the quality of our attention and awareness on the person we happen to be working with. One could suggest we are mere shadows of ourselves when we work from a lack of mindfulness awareness.

Speaking on a video about mindfulness from the School Of Life, Professor Mark Williams read the above poem by R. S. Thomas.

The poem reminds us that, “Life is not hurrying onto a receding future, nor hankering after an imagined past.”

Mindfulness is important for all parts of our life from work to the personal. When we allow our thoughts to rob us of the goodness of a moment, any moment, whether it is stealing us away from the taste and sensory experience of the food we are eating, to the experience of really receiving the person we just brushed past without really looking at to not really listening and being present in the conversation we are having, we are shutting ourselves down to so much of what is alive and vital in the moment ad inside of us.

How much is missed we can ask ourselves? Automatic pilot does not get more done, although many of fall into the trap of believing that it does. In fact research has shown it lessens the effectiveness of our ability to be creative. In my mind that means it impacts on the quality of our decisions, the quality of how we manage and lead. It impacts on so many layers of our personal and professional lives.

In the training of coaches I am engaged in we make a real effort to encourage coaches to integrate a reflective and mindful presence in their work as coaches and beyond the role of the coach both at work and at home.  I am always encouraged when managers and leaders participating in some form of coaching training say how much a difference coaching is also making in their personal and family lives.

Of course we teach coaches the models and tools required but in the same breadth we invite them to lay down the tools and techniques when required and do what the therapist, Irvin Yalow was quoted as saying. “Technique is what you use until the therapist arrives,” So often coaches new to coaching will hold on tightly to techniques but as Yalom says we will no longer require holding onto the techniques as much when we fully arrive and are present in the moment with both ourselves and the coachee.

Try these simple mindfulness techniques, which will attune the quality of your awareness and ability to be more engaged and mindful throughout your day. These techniques can be used before, after or during your coaching sessions when your awareness wanders, you become distracted or preoccupied or you simply want to improve your mindfulness capabilities.

One Minute Breathing

Focus on your breath for one minute. Focus on the rise and the fall of the breath even in the event of lots of thoughts flooding the mind.

Mindful Observation

Choose an object that is visible right now in the space you are in. Put your focus and attention on the object for one minute. Once the minute is up continue mindfully observing as long as you are able to.

Give Your Brain A Break

Take 5 minutes in-between a meeting or a conversation and daydream. Focus your attention or awareness outside a window, close your eyes or stare into space.

Mindful Eating

Choose one of your daily meals and eat it as mindfully as you can. Before you taste anything on your plate, take in the colours and the smells. Get curious about where the food came from. What does the aroma’s of the food remind you of? If there is no smell imagine what the smell should be like. Take tiny bites and savour the food on your tongue so you can accentuate and stimulate those taste buds.

Mindful Body Scan

Take 5 minutes to carry out a mindful body scan. Close your eyes and relax your breathing. Make sure you are standing or sitting comfortably. Give yourself permission o do nothing with your emotions or feelings except to notice them. Starting at the base of your feet talk yourself through a mindful body scan of each region of the body.

Move your awareness from the soles of your feet, up your legs and thighs and so on until you reach the crown of your head. When you have arrived at the top of the head take three deep breaths and rest quietly and just notice how you feel. This mindfulness practice will bring you more physically and mindfully into your body. Try before a coaching session.

Coaching Question For You

• What activities help move you into a mindful state?

 

 

 

 

 

 

image:www.deborahwilliamson.co.uk