Mindfulness At Work: A Guide To Strengthen Your Work Relationships

Introduction 13 lectures 45:08 Introduction Welcome to this course. I'm excited to share some amazing mindful workplace practices that will change your life and support your business flourishing by building harmony and synergistic team play. By enrolling in this course you will learn practical techniques for skillful communication such as taking input, how to stand tall in yourself and relate from a place of being connected and grounded in yourself. A healthy workplace is a successful workplace. If you want to feel more at peace, get more done, have more success in your work, and create team play in your workplace—where everyone feels appreciated and accepted—then this course is for you. The Practice of Standing Tall In this section, I share with you an embodiment skill that is the foundation of standing your ground and standing tall in the world. This will help you to show up and speak what’s true for you in both your personal and professional life. Join me as you drop down through your feet and feel how the earth rises up to meet you. You can use this anywhere—while waiting in line at the store, or when you’re relaxing with friends, or sitting at your desk at work. See how this changes your experience of yourself and how you interact with the world. Move and Relate with Confidence I want to teach you how your body can support you to relate to others with confidence and clarity. You will open the heart by dropping the shoulder blades and aligning your body. From this space, you can speak with greater confidence and greater clarity at work, in relationships, and with people you admire even if they intimidate you. Breathe and feel what it’s like to speak with an open heart. Move through your life with confidence and ease. Practice this 1-2 minutes per day and you will experience lasting changes. Knowing What You Know Some of the biggest challenges that arise in life are derived from not trusting ourselves or not listening to ourselves. In this section, I will offer you exercises so that you can discover your body as an ally. When your body is your true friend you will experience wholeness, integration and relaxation which enables you to move through your work day and your relationships with more ease. I will walk you through a process called sensation tracking. It is a practice of bringing your awareness to what is occurring in your body which helps you to notice the information your body is providing you. In noticing and being present, you will know more precisely what you need. Perhaps you may notice that your neck is tense from sitting in front of your computer? What your body may be asking for is a stretch or a little walk. Self-care invites you to connect with yourself more deeply. Practicing good self-care creates sustainability. When you listen to your body and tend to it, it will work more efficiently and have greater longevity.The PracticeSet a timer and practice this for 2-3 minutes everyday. Try it in a calm space at first. Use the phrase “As I turn to myself, what I notice and feel is ______(name the physical sensation).” As you do this, you will begin to come out of your head and feel more connected to your body. Feeling more present and connected creates ease and brings both productivity and relaxation into your day. Send the Inner Critic Packing We have been carrying or traveling with our inner critic for most of our lives. But today, we want to send it packing. We want to thank it for getting us this far, and enough is enough. First you may notice the thoughts of the inner critic. They often include the word “should”…”I should have done better.” Second, through sensation tracking, you will find clues in your body as to how or when the inner critic is arising. You may find it in a furrowing of the brow, or in the breath becoming shallow, or when your shoulders tense up. Let’s reframe it. Let’s turn that “should” around by saying to yourself, “Actually I did the best that I could.” Breathe that in. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, compassion, and self-love. From this place of kindness, you can take a moment to ask yourself, “how can I improve?” The more your practice it, the more your awareness will grow. I suggest that you try this for 5 minutes starting today. Taking Input At work, there’s always going to be someone who will like what we did or have input about how we did something. When there is negative input, we may become defensive or shut down. However, this reaction is draining and interferes with getting things done, potentially even creating a mess that we will have to clean up later. Today I’m going to teach you how to find freedom from this reactivity and learn how to take input so that you may build harmonious relationships at work. Begin with some deep breaths. Then use the sensation tracking tool we learned to be with the discomfort. As we lean into the discomfort, we begin to interrupt our old habit patterns and discover how to respond maturely rather than react. By taking a breath before anything comes out of your mouth or stepping away if necessary, you create the space to interact and develop your ability to team play more skillfully. Noticing your reactive patterns doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong. It’s actually a good sign! You are making changes as you pause to step away from polarization where someone is right and someone is wrong. Be willing to experiment to saying yes to the input, to yourself, and your team. “Beyond right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” -Rumi Build Bridges, Not Walls When we build a bridge, we can walk across it. When we build walls, we bump into them. In building bridges, we can create a life that is dynamic, where there is an exchange of ideas and open communication.How do we build bridges? By taking input, by listening openly, and by coming from curiosity. Use your words: “How can I make this work?” or “Yes, I hear what you’re saying.” One phrase we can choose to eliminate from our vocabulary that undermines communication is “yes, but.” It is the opposite of “yes, and” which creates space for dialogue and discovery. Find the space within yourself to say yes even if you don’t agree by staying open to a dialogue which invites harmonious team play and productivity. Where there is productivity, there a generation of energy and income. Saying “yes, and” may even increase your bottom line. Try it and see for yourself. Appreciation Makes Your Team Flow Appreciation is a lubricant that makes all relationships flow. Being connected to yourself and being grounded brings you to the mode of appreciation where you can notice what’s working well. Our minds are conditioned to see what’s not working, where we’re falling short or where others are not up to par. Focusing on the places of lack can be a detriment to your work environment and your team. Practice first and foremost breathing, feeling the ground underneath you as we did in the first video and connecting to yourself. You cannot underestimate the value of a conscious deep breath. When you are grounded and connected to yourself, your communication will be clear and hit the other person’s target. I invite you to take time to be generous and acknowledge others. Say, “Great job on ___,” and be specific. Set a goal to give a minimum of 3 appreciations per day at work especially if you are in a managerial role. If you’re already doing that, set a goal for double that. Observe what happens when you consciously take the time to appreciate the people on your team and in your life. Let your appreciation be a generous offering to the people you work with. I assure you that you will feel good and others will feel good around you. The Quality of Your Attention Matters People respond differently when we are present with them versus giving them our distracted attention. Today I want you to hone in on the quality of attention you bring to your co-workers and to those close to you in your life. I find that by taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day to land in my body, I slow down and am more available. You can refer back to the first video “The Practice of Standing Tall” to ground yourself in this way. Taking just two minutes will increase the quality of attention you bring to each task, to each person you talk to. What if you were to envelope each person with kindness and generosity? It would make a huge difference. This quality of attention also allows for greater productivity because you are present rather than distracted by “the monkey mind.” If you are an employer or supervisor and lead staff meetings, I encourage you to start your meetings likewise. Notice the fullness of the interactions and productivity this develops in your team. Acknowledgement Pumps Us Up! In cultivating mindful relationships and interactions, acknowledging one another is an important piece. At work and in life people make contributions, and sometimes we railroad over their statement without a second thought. How can we bring awareness to acknowledging another before we add our two cents? By practicing with yourself. By valuing yourself. By saying, “yes my contribution matters.” Notice the feelings that arise and the sensations in your body as you say this. Allow the statement to resonate in your heart. As we practice this, we more naturally begin to acknowledge someone when they have a good idea and are making a valuable contribution. People flower under the sunshine of acknowledgement. When they are acknowledged you will find that they will have more energy to give and do more because they are feeling valued for their offering. The momentum of your team is dependent on each person feeling valued. Grounding Meditation This is a 2-minute guided meditation to ground you in all the practices we’ve learned so far. You can use this every morning to begin your day or at any other time to bring clarity and ease into your body and mind. First being by turning off your cell phone and taking yourself away from any distractions. Now, close your eyes. Take some nice, deep breaths and allow yourself to sense the rising and falling of your chest. Notice that with every breath, your body starts to relax a little bit and your mind begins to get quieter. Sense how good it feels for everything to relax and let go. Be aware of any subtle sensations in your body—in your palm and in your feet or anywhere else. Whatever you might be noticing in your body is simply a signal for your mind to relax and allow your body to settle. Continue to breathe and let everything settle, dropping in and down. Feel your mind become quiet and your body relax. And feel a sense of clarity, ease and overall happiness that the quietness of your mind allows. Now to come out of the meditation, wiggle your fingers and toes before opening your eyes gently. See the world afresh, feeling invigorated and excited for a productive and fulfilling day. Grounding Meditation Conclusion We’ve travelled so much together through this Mindfulness at Work course. By utilizing these practices, you can take your business to the next level. You will raise your level of communication, shift the way you relate to others at work, awaken appreciation and acknowledgment of others’ contributions, and increase overall productivity and happiness in your business. We spend a lot of our waking time at work and I invite you to experience a more fulfilled and happier time at your workplace. Go for it! I am cheering you on. Mindfulness Journal Worksheet Introduction. 13 lectures 45:08 Introduction Welcome to this course. I'm excited to share some amazing mindful workplace practices that will change your life and support your business flourishing by building harmony and synergistic team play. By enrolling in this course you will learn practical techniques for skillful communication such as taking input, how to stand tall in yourself and relate from a place of being connected and grounded in yourself. A healthy workplace is a successful workplace. If you want to feel more at peace, get more done, have more success in your work, and create team play in your workplace—where everyone feels appreciated and accepted—then this course is for you. The Practice of Standing Tall In this section, I share with you an embodiment skill that is the foundation of standing your ground and standing tall in the world. This will help you to show up and speak what’s true for you in both your personal and professional life. Join me as you drop down through your feet and feel how the earth rises up to meet you. You can use this anywhere—while waiting in line at the store, or when you’re relaxing with friends, or sitting at your desk at work. See how this changes your experience of yourself and how you interact with the world. Move and Relate with Confidence I want to teach you how your body can support you to relate to others with confidence and clarity. You will open the heart by dropping the shoulder blades and aligning your body. From this space, you can speak with greater confidence and greater clarity at work, in relationships, and with people you admire even if they intimidate you. Breathe and feel what it’s like to speak with an open heart. Move through your life with confidence and ease. Practice this 1-2 minutes per day and you will experience lasting changes. Knowing What You Know Some of the biggest challenges that arise in life are derived from not trusting ourselves or not listening to ourselves. In this section, I will offer you exercises so that you can discover your body as an ally. When your body is your true friend you will experience wholeness, integration and relaxation which enables you to move through your work day and your relationships with more ease. I will walk you through a process called sensation tracking. It is a practice of bringing your awareness to what is occurring in your body which helps you to notice the information your body is providing you. In noticing and being present, you will know more precisely what you need. Perhaps you may notice that your neck is tense from sitting in front of your computer? What your body may be asking for is a stretch or a little walk. Self-care invites you to connect with yourself more deeply. Practicing good self-care creates sustainability. When you listen to your body and tend to it, it will work more efficiently and have greater longevity.The PracticeSet a timer and practice this for 2-3 minutes everyday. Try it in a calm space at first. Use the phrase “As I turn to myself, what I notice and feel is ______(name the physical sensation).” As you do this, you will begin to come out of your head and feel more connected to your body. Feeling more present and connected creates ease and brings both productivity and relaxation into your day. Send the Inner Critic Packing We have been carrying or traveling with our inner critic for most of our lives. But today, we want to send it packing. We want to thank it for getting us this far, and enough is enough. First you may notice the thoughts of the inner critic. They often include the word “should”…”I should have done better.” Second, through sensation tracking, you will find clues in your body as to how or when the inner critic is arising. You may find it in a furrowing of the brow, or in the breath becoming shallow, or when your shoulders tense up. Let’s reframe it. Let’s turn that “should” around by saying to yourself, “Actually I did the best that I could.” Breathe that in. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, compassion, and self-love. From this place of kindness, you can take a moment to ask yourself, “how can I improve?” The more your practice it, the more your awareness will grow. I suggest that you try this for 5 minutes starting today. Taking Input At work, there’s always going to be someone who will like what we did or have input about how we did something. When there is negative input, we may become defensive or shut down. However, this reaction is draining and interferes with getting things done, potentially even creating a mess that we will have to clean up later. Today I’m going to teach you how to find freedom from this reactivity and learn how to take input so that you may build harmonious relationships at work. Begin with some deep breaths. Then use the sensation tracking tool we learned to be with the discomfort. As we lean into the discomfort, we begin to interrupt our old habit patterns and discover how to respond maturely rather than react. By taking a breath before anything comes out of your mouth or stepping away if necessary, you create the space to interact and develop your ability to team play more skillfully. Noticing your reactive patterns doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong t and feel how the earth rises up to meet you. You can use this anywhere—while waiting in line at the store, or when...