MINDFULNESS - what does it mean?!
“Mindfulness is more than pausing and breathing. Mindfulness is a purposeful, playful, and integrated approach to living, working and being.
Mindfulness is making the choice, moment-to-moment, to be awake, curious and engaged without negativity or judgment.
Mindfulness is a pathway to positivity, inclusivity, and productivity. ”
Our well-being affects our ability to be present and engaged in a meaningful way. We have all experienced the difficulties of being productive and focused when feeling stressed, scattered, emotional, and/or overwhelmed.
Mindfulness practices positively impact overall well-being, improving mental, physical and emotional states, thereby positively impacting teaching, learning, working, and creating.[1]
Mindfulness is intentionally connecting with yourself, your surroundings, the people you’re with, and the task at hand with wakefulness, curiosity, compassion, openness, and non-judgment. In short, mindfulness is being fully alive and connected to what’s happening within you and around you.
Mindfulness Meditation is taking time for your mind and body to focus and settle. It involves quiet, non-judgmental observation and direction of the mind to one thing, such as your breath or an intention.
Mindful Thinking involves developing habits of mind when approaching any task, person or subject matter, such as deeply observing and listening without assumption or judgment, noticing potential, asking relevant questions, and learning and experimenting with a sense of play, wonder, and ease.
Therefore, Mindful Teaching, Learning + Working Includes:
Creating space and time to intentionally connect with ourselves, each other, the task at hand, and the present moment.
Self-awareness and self-reflection in terms of emotions, thoughts, approaches, work produced, interactions, behaviors, tone and word choices.
Taking the time to listen and observe without assumption or judgment.
Teaching, learning and working with clarity, purpose, and meaning.
Making choices that encourage connection, growth, creativity, and curiosity.
Making choices that promote the opening and engaging of the mind instead of the narrowing and closing of the mind.
Cultivating and being open to multiple and diverse perspectives, approaches, and ways of thinking and doing.
Noticing potential and possibilities (rather than problems), and then taking steps to investigate, experiment, question, and create.
Approaching tasks and challenges with a sense of play, presence, and wonder.
Asking relevant and generative questions.
Finding and creating meaningful and welcoming relationships.
Regularly and consistently taking time for integration, reflection, revision and improvement.
Why Mindfulness? Because Mindfulness:
Makes us better teachers, leaders, learners and colleagues through cultivating self-awareness, or self-observation and reflection. We become aware of our thoughts, biases, comforts and discomforts, word choices, tone, body language, actions, and interactions.
Changes our brains for the better, enhancing memory, focus, creativity, and positivity.
Improves our mindset, increasing satisfaction, engagement, happiness and resiliency.
Enhances energy, motivation and productivity.
Reduces stress, anxiety and depression.
Improves physical and mental health, decreasing blood pressure, heart rate and tension.
[1] https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm,
https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/research-on-mindfulness/
[2]https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm,
https://eocinstitute.org/meditation/benefits-of-meditation-for-creativity/,
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/events/scim-mindfulness-meditation.html,
http://www.contemplativemind.org/admin/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/MedandHigherEd.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271904180_The_positive_effects_of_mindfulness_on_self-esteem, https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/research-on-mindfulness/
Additional References and Resources:
https://www.mindfulnessstudies.com/mindfulness/
http://langermindfulnessinstitute.com/
https://mindfuleducators.mindful.org/
https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/
https://www.mindful.org/