What does it mean to be Mindful?
A brief introduction to what Mindfulness is and what being more mindful will and won’t do. I address some common concerns like “Will my productivity will go down if I slow down”? and demonstrate how a regular mindfulness practice improves well-being, productivity, focus and concentration.

What is formal and informal mindfulness practice?
There are many ways to introduce mindfulness into daily life. Informal practices are a great way to start if the thought of sitting down for ten minutes a day makes you want to run a million miles away.  Research shows that regular formal or informal mindfulness practices extend beyond the activity itself.  Combined they are a powerful duo that will enhance your life and tame stress levels.  A practical approach to mindfulness that addresses the needs of most whether you are a beginner or a seasoned practitioner. A place that everyone can start from. 

What is the stress response and how does it work?
Here we take a look at the stress response from beginning to end and the steps that you can take to calm and reset in times of heightened or chronic stress. We uncover what their specific stressors are and how to handle them as they arise. This section includes group and individual coaching so that participants take away valuable tools they can use in their day-to-day interactions at work. 

Meditation and the Brain
Research now demonstrates how mindfulness meditation actually rewires the brain and gives you immediate and positive impacts. With FMRI brain scan technology seeing is now believing.   


How to recognise the signs of stress
Our bodies give us signs and signals all day long.  Just as the car will alert us when the petrol is getting low or the tyres need more air, our bodies alert us when we are thirsty, hungry, tired or stressed. Here I demonstrate that when pausing to stop and observe your feelings becomes a regular practice it can have a huge impact on your stress levels so that you are in the driver's seat, not your emotions.  
 

React or respond? The choice is yours.
This section is where the participant will learn how to recognise their usual response to stress and replace it with a  useful circuit breaker that stops the stress response from fully playing out.   In today's society, a stress response can be triggered by the urgency of a deadline, to answering an email or forgetting to get the milk on the way home. We look at the impact of reacting and how to pause mindfully before choosing a more considered and appropriate response. 

This amazing and simple technique wakes up the neurotransmitters that activate our parasympathetic nervous system and our rest and digest function. The parasympathetic system helps to lower blood pressure and promote digestion. It is a regular practice of the navy seals used to activate the relaxation response ensuring they perform well in high-stress situations.


Body Scan Meditation 

A body scan meditation is the first step to becoming more self-aware. By creating more self-awareness we can tune in to our bodies and sense when stress is building and where we hold on to it.  With this awareness, we are able to put a quick plan of action in place to turn things around to prevent us from going into the fight, flight or freeze stress response. We finish with a body scan to reset and allow the session to osmose before your staff move on with the rest of their day.