Mindfulness Practice During Work

Benefits of mindfulness meditation are well-documented over thousands of scientific research studies. It’s no secret that a 20-minute daily practice of mindfulness meditation:

• Improves physical health conditions, such as balancing blood pressure and alleviating physical symptoms of illness
• Grows brain cells in brain regions of contentment, memory, and attention
• Reduces age-related myelination, helping stave off dementia
• Automatically cultivates emotional intelligence
• Brings inner peace
• Makes our lives better and easier

We may know that it’s good for us in all of these ways. At the same time, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to automatically incorporate a 20-minute morning meditation practice into your already-full day, especially at first.

The excellent news is that to enjoy the benefits of mindfulness meditation, you don’t have to sit in the lotus position and focus on your breath for 20 minutes each sunrise. You can incorporate meditative moments throughout your day.

1. Walking meditation. As you walk, wherever you go, sync your breath with your steps and focus on just counting your steps and coordinating them with your breath. That’s it. You can walk at a normal pace and even breathe at a normal pace. When you’re very stressed or angry, begin with regular pace and work to slow the breath. Do this as you walk to and from your office destinations—kitchen, restroom, colleagues’ workspaces, and whenever else you’re walking alone. Even just a few breaths and steps at a time will help deliver the benefits of the practice.

This is an abbreviated version of walking meditation. The full version calls for one step per breath, breathing slowly and focusing acutely on everything that is happening in your legs and feet as your weight shifts and foot rolls with each step. The full walking meditation is excellent for those who have a harder time with sitting meditation or who just feel like moving while meditating—though it may not be ideal during work.

• Commuting meditation. How do you commute to work? Whatever your vehicle, you can use the opportunity to tune in to your breath. If you’re on public transportation, stick some noise cancellers in your ears to help cultivate a more serene internal space, and totally check out. If you’re driving or cycling, stay present on the road of course, and also direct your attention to your breath. Keep the radio off and tune in to your internal space. Breathe in, breathe out, and focus on that.

• Breaktime meditation. This one is easy. When you have a break, take some or all of that time to check out of society and tune in to your inner world. Sit in the breakroom, or go for a walk, or be wherever is comfortable for you. Close your eyes if you can, and focus on your breath. Slow and deep, in and out. More time is better, but even a couple of minutes of this is better than no minutes.

• Meeting meditation. When you’re sitting in a meeting, your full focus is rarely required 100% of the time. There will be some moments in the meeting when something is being discussed that doesn’t exactly concern you. You check out in these moments anyway—so use them to tune in to your inner world. Bring your focus to your breath. Slow it down, and focus on just that. You can probably get in at least a few mindful breaths before the topic turns and you need to bring your focus back to the meeting.

• Conversation mindfulness. Many work conversations are laden with statements of your position on something (“I think we should do this”) and agreements to do something (“I can take care of that”). How many times has your mouth made statements your brain later wishes it hadn’t? In these conversations, take a beat. Hear the other person, and rather than instantly responding, give it a full breath. Allow their words to settle and your brain to fully comprehend all parts of what they’re saying before thoughtfully responding. Wait. Breathe. Then speak. The more meditation you do, the easier this piece is.

Remember that the full benefits of mindfulness meditation come with a perspective of compassion, for self and other, as the driver for the practice. Even snipers can be mindful as they pull the trigger on their target. The most productive aim here is of cultivating compassion for the suffering of self and other and wishing to alleviate that suffering, so remember to meditate from this foundation.

It’s true that 20 minutes each morning is an ideal practice of mindfulness meditation. With this practice, you will see dramatic changes in your life in a short time.

At the same time, just because you can’t dedicate 20 minutes every morning to your mindfulness meditation practice doesn’t mean you can’t do it at all. Any amount of mindfulness meditation you can incorporate into your day will benefit your life and the lives of those around you as you become a healthier and happier person. You can insert moments of mindfulness meditation into your day regularly and often—and privately. No one knows what’s happening in your head anyway, so take advantage of your quiet moments to help yourself advance. Soon, you’ll see things ease up for you, and your smile will radiate even more.

And, if you do want to do the very best for yourself that you possibly can, get your tail out of bed 20 minutes earlier and develop the discipline of a mindfulness meditation practice first thing in the morning. You can use an app such as Plum Village for a variety of meditations recorded by Buddhist monks and nuns who have dedicated their lives to the mindfulness practice, or you can join us at The Alignment Portal (www.thealignmentportal.com) for live guided meditations in the morning hours, to help you cultivate a beautiful and serene space for a maximally productive and insightful day.

However you get your mindfulness meditation into your day, the more you can do it, the better you will feel and the easier your life will become. Such is the vast power of this deceptively simple practice.