Mindfulness at WorkWE TEACH MINDFULNESS FOR BETTER MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK Book a Session Now "It has really helped me deal with work stress - I can't recommend the course enough." What We Do Our Programmes Overview & Bespoke Programmes Introductory Sessions Mindful & Compassionate Leadership Course Mindfulness Champions Training Sustainable Mindfulness Programmes for Healthcare Settings Why Breathworks? Who We've Helped Case Studies Who We've Worked With Resources Taste of Mindfulness Course Tips and Tools 3-Minute Meditations Business Case for Mindfulness in the Workplace Breathworks Home A taste of mindfulness: an introduction to the Breathworks approach Welcome to the course! Here you'll find a comprehensive introduction to the Breathworks approach to mindfulness that you can access from the comfort of your own home or the ease of your desk at work. Why learn mindfulness? Mindfulness is a scientifically proven way to: increase resilience, productivity, and creativity increase focus and attention improve communication and relationships improve decision-making reduce stress and anxiety This course has been designed to give you a taste of what a mindfulness practice has to offer that you can start benefiting from right away. Course Overview Progress through the content, exercises and guided practices at your own pace and at a time that is convenient to you. This course includes: An introductory webinar (20 mins) Mindfulness exercises (25 mins) Breath enquiries (20 mins) Guided practices (35 mins) Additional resources Next steps Bonus commuter meditations (20 mins) All practices are downloadable, so you can take them with you to access anywhere, anytime. Downloading Audio file To download embedded tracks, click on the three vertical dots to the right of the player. For Soundcloud tracks, click on the soundcloud icon to the left of the track. This will open soundcloud in a new window. Click on the more button and you'll find the download option. You'll also find a whole host of additional Breathworks meditations to enjoy at your own leisure! Introductory Webinar To get started, here is Breathworks Senior Associate, Singhashri Gazmuri, sharing a bit with you about what mindfulness is all about and how a mindfulness practice can support you to reduce stress, improve resilience, and live a happier, healthier life. Take 20 mins to watch and listen in a quiet space. We've also put together a helpful handout with more information about what mindfulness is and is not, it's benefits, ways to start practicing today, and the Breathworks 6 step process, of which this course is the first step! The following steps are covered in our Mindfulness in the workplace course. Drinking a cup of tea (or coffee!) mindfully This exercise invites us to do something we probably all do at least once a day, usually at work, more mindfully and get curious about the effect. So take five minutes to make yourself a cuppa (or a coffee!), find a relatively quiet place to perch, and listen to Breathworks co-founder and author of The Little Mindfulness Workbook, Gary Hennessey, guide you through the exercise. Led Breath Enquiries The breath provides an immediately available tool to support us to get out of our heads, and into our bodies. Understanding the ways we habitually hold our breath when stressed and learning how to breath more fully reduces stress and improves well-being. Here, Breathworks co-founder and internationally recognised mindfulness author, teacher and trainer, Vidyamala Burch, leads you through three different exercises to help you get in touch with the breath in the body and begin to discover the benefits of becoming more aware of your breath. You'll want to set aside at least 20 minutes to progress through the exercises and a bit of time at the end to notice the effect they have had on you. Where is the breath? Your browser does not support the audio element. Please click here to download the file Feeling the breath in the body Your browser does not support the audio element. Please click here to download the file Breathing as a way to reduce stress Your browser does not support the audio element. Please click here to download the file The Three Step Breathing Space Now that you've explored the breath and its benefits you can begin to introduce breath awareness into your daily life. The three-step breathing space is a simple way to begin to pause throughout your day and take some space for yourself. This practice will support you to bring awareness to present moment experience, noticing sensations, thoughts, and emotions and learning to allow them to come and go without judgment or resistance. In this way, we begin to learn how to respond to what life throws at us, rather than react. We recommend you try one or both of the following practices at least once a day for the next week. Take some time after each practice to notice the effect it's had on you. Three minute guided practice Led by Breathworks founder, Vidyamala Burch Ten minute guided practice Led by Breathworks Associate, Andrea Cygler Your browser does not support the audio element. Please click here to download the file Body Scans for improved sleep Another mindfulness practice that can help us to relax and unwind is the body scan. The practice is simple. By bringing our attention to different parts of the body, we support the body to let go of tension we may not even realise we were carrying. Here are both of Breathworks founders, Vidyamala & Sona, leading you in a body scan specifically to help you improve your sleep. To prepare for this practice, make sure that you are well and truly ready for bed. Limit as best you can any distractions like mobile phones, computers, or other people! Get yourself into your favourite resting position and make sure the room is warm enough and that you've got extra blankets nearby in case you get cold, as our body temperature can drop naturally during the practice. We recommend you try this practice each night for the next week and notice the effect it has. Did it support you to fall asleep more easily? Were you able to sleep deeply? Did you stay asleep longer than usual? Did you feel well-rested upon waking? What have you noticed about your energy levels throughout the day? Have they gone up, down, stayed the same? Additional Resources We thought you might be interested in learning more about the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace, particularly if you're interested in starting a programme yourself. Here are some useful articles and resources we've gathered for you. An interesting field study from 2018 funded by the Kalapa Leadership Academy looked at outcomes such as burn-out and perceived stress, psychological well-being, organisational and team climate, and personal performance. A comprehensive summary from Science Daily of research conducted in 2016 by Case Western Reserve University highlights the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace. A well-researched article from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre covers both the benefits and potential challenges of mindfulness at work, particularly when focusing on mindfulness as a way to support improved mental health. And finally, here's a helpful resource from the Mindfulness Initiative to support anyone interested in bringing mindfulness into their workplace. Includes research, tools and case studies. What's next? If you've benefited from this course and want to learn more, we recommend you: Commit to one mindfulness practice a day Introduce a three-step breathing space into your daily routine Have a look around our website, particularly our workplace blog Take a Breathworks mindfulness course or bring us into your workplace Come on a one-day Breathworks masterclass Go on a Breathworks mindfulness retreat Stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter But wait, there's more! We thought we'd throw in a couple of extra practices you might want to check out. Here are two 10 minute commuter meditations that you can listen to on your way to and from work. Led by Singhashri. Enjoy! Thank you for participating and wishing you all the best as you continue your mindfulness journey! Manage Cookie Preferences