What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be defined as the daily practice you give your mind that helps you focus on the here and now, without judgment. The goal is to let go of negative “mind chatter” in order to get to know your true inner self.
Rooted in meditation, it has many forms and is practiced by people all over the world. Meditation originated from ancient Hindi and Buddhist traditions, and mindfulness is a modern-day term that adopts many of the traditions and techniques of ancient meditation.
In Yogic tradition, meditation was practiced hand in hand with physical practice (asana) so that people could have the strength and endurance to sit and meditate for long periods of time.
Why is it good for organizations?
A number of studies point out that mindfulness practice:
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reduces stress
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helps you develop positive adaptive responses to negative situations
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helps you to gain greater cognitive flexibility so you are less reactive should problems arise.
In Non-profit work, staff are sometimes confronted with high-stress situations where the practitioner may be dealing with crisis, trauma, and behavioral issues on a regular basis. Furthermore, in a helping role, workers are often giving of themselves, leaving their basic self-care needs behind.
Bringing mindfulness into non-profit organizations provides staff the training , education, and safe spaces that all help to bring balance to their work lives.
If you’d like to explore how to bring mindfulness into your workplace,