In short, mindfulness means being fully present in the moment. It is a way of life that allows you to be conscious of what is going on right now, as well as of your power to influence that. To respond, instead of react, and to take a little pause to check in before speaking and taking action.

Is it the same as meditation? The short answer is no. You can see meditation as a means to an end – meditation is a tool you can practice in order to become more mindful. Meditation and mindfulness techniques are great to practice at your office, off-site, or team-building company event in order to decrease stress, anxiety, and burnout, and increase employee happiness, teamwork, and retention. Whether a person has some experience or or is completely inexperienced with such techniques, they simply work and are a game-changer for each individual and team.  

Harvard psychology researchers studying mindfulness have revealed a variety of amazing effects of mindfulness practice. Some of the newest studies from 2022 indicate improved resilience when pursuing challenging goals, making fewer mistakes, and even feeling anxiety and pain less intensely. Other studies show an improved ability for collaboration, navigating conflicts, leveraging creativity, critical thinking thanks to mindfulness practice. 

According to Harvard researchers, when leaders are stressed, the anxiety can be felt across the entire organisation, causing only 7% of people to believe their leaders lead effectively, and often causing people to walk away. On the other hand, short mindfulness practices throughout the day can significantly improve leaders’ ability to separate themselves from stressful situations, observe events from a neutral position, and control their response, instead of immediately react, allowing them to take better decisions and lead in an inspiring way. Thus, leaders are able to increase the “psychological capital” of an organisation. And whether you are leading teams of 100s of employees, are a start-up founder with a small team, or even if you have an Instagram account where you inform your community about a certain topic you are passionate about, your ability to lead effectively and inspire others is one of the most important skills you can develop.

Business yoga classes are a physical practice, which also includes movement and synchronising it with the breath. These practices can have a different focus, e.g. to specifically mobilise the neck, shoulders, back, and hips, which need the most attention when we spend a lot of time working with technology. 

And the scientific results above really come to show that wherever you put your mind, you put your body as well. We have so much more control over our well-being than we realise. If you can see things differently, you feel differently, and you act accordingly. And you can always see things differently.