Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2016 - 21

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION PRACTICE
* Find an erect and relaxed posture,
with hands and arms resting
comfortably, your body balanced
and stable, and your lips slightly
apart, with a subtle inner smile.
* Reach your head gently upward
(imagine a string pulling upward
from the crown), your chin
slightly tucked and your head,
neck, and spine relaxed and
erect. Keep your shoulders loose
and your chest open.

* Feel the sensations of your body.
Let your body rest actively.
* Take note of your breath. Notice
the sensation of inhalation and
exhalation wherever it is most
prevalent for you: at the nostrils,
the rising and falling of the chest,
or the abdomen.
* Notice thoughts, feelings,
sensations, sounds, sights and
smells as they occur.

Have you experienced flow in the
classroom? You have fully absorbed the
material, it is flowing through you, and
you are energized, completely aware of
the verbal and nonverbal responses of
participants. Every move you make has a
positive impact. You immediately become
aware of any distracting thought or feeling
and let it go to remain in the "zone."You feel
any frustration, anxiety, disappointment
or other negative emotion that may arise,
but you are not controlled by it.

LEARNING TO
CONCENTRATE IS
LIKE EXERCISING
A MUSCLE.

* Bring your attention back
to your breath.
* As soon as you notice that
you are lost or distracted,
return to the body and the
breath, and begin again.

MANAGING YOUR THOUGHTS: GET REAL
Your mind is probably filled with a
never-ending waterfall of thoughts. Your
thoughts are sometimes so engaging that
you are drawn into a mental journey; others
bring up strong emotions or link you to a
memory that distorts your perception of
what is happening in the present.

This is the experience of enhanced
mindfulness and concentration. This is
being in flow.

Mindfulness meditation helps the mind
settle into a calm state. Thoughts and
feelings still come up, but you are able to
see each one more clearly. You can choose
the ones you want to follow and let the
others pass by.

BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS

Managing your thoughts allows you to
get REAL:

Would it benefit you to have more
moments of flow, to be more present
and less distracted, to be less reactive
and more responsive? Mindfulness
meditation has been used for thousands
of years, but scientists have only recently
studied its benefits, which, according to
LivingMindfully.org, include:
* Self-awareness, -trust and -acceptance

Optimal performance occurs when the
performer experiences flow. In his book
"Good Business," Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
uses the term "flow" for the state of
consciousness experienced by people when
they are deeply engaged and genuinely
enjoying the moment. Flow occurs when
there are clear goals, immediate feedback,
the capacity to perform and concentrated
focus on the present. There is a sense
of timelessness and the feeling that the
activity is "just happening."

* Accept all thoughts,
feelings and sensations
with a friendly attitude.

* Relaxed: Calm, cool and collected
* Energized: Ready to act
* Accepting: Knowing what you can
and cannot change
* Listening: Caringly and carefully attentive
to what is happening in and around you

* Calm even when faced with difficulties

There are three components to getting
REAL:

* Acceptance of life and its challenges

Effort: just the right amount to keep things

* The ability to adapt to and cope
with change
* A decrease in the physical symptoms
of stress
* Decreased anxiety and depression
* Better concentration and creativity
* An improved immune system

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - FALL20 1 6 I WWW.TRAININGI NDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

moving. The most important part is to be
relaxed. Yet, as with anything, it takes time
and effort to break old habits and cultivate
new ones. It takes effort to give up control
and let go of enticing thoughts.
Just notice and allow everything to unfold
on its own. You will notice your reactions
when things are not as you think they
should be. For example, you may find that
you are thinking more than you should

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2016