According to the Health Education and Behaviour Journal, 20 minutes of meditation clearly reduces stress in the workplace for individuals, as well improving sleep patterns and quality.
A six-week “stress reduction programme”, was designed for office workers to fit into break times so as not to impose on either work or home time in the US.
The programme was adapted from an existing theory developed by Prof. Jon Kabat-Zinn known as the “Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)”, which is intended to help people attain an increased awareness of the factors which cause them stress.
Mindfulness is enabling one to relate non-judgmentally and directly to whatever is happening in your life. Mindfulness starts first with becoming aware of our thinking patterns, which soon enables one to become aware of their changing emotional content. Through this awareness, mindfulness provides an effective way of taking charge of ones’ life, mindfulness teaches to do something for oneself that no one else can do for them. It is systematically and consciously working with one’s own stress, emotional, physical pain, and the challenges and demands of everyday life.
In contract to mindfulness, most people recognise states of “mindlessness”, during which we operate on “automatic pilot” or mechanically, through a loss of awareness of the Present moment resulting in forgetfulness and separation from self. Mindfulness restores a balanced sense of health and well being through increased awareness of all aspects of self, including one body, emotions and thoughts.
EXERCISES:
Mindfulness (by Dav Panesar)
Mindfulness of Body (by Dav Panesar)