Mindful Leadership Resources

Mindfulness Meditation

Focused Attention Meditation

Open Awareness Meditation

Body Scan Meditation

Resilience Meditation

Empathy Mediation

Join me in this Just Like Me Kindness meditation, recorded in a live session in December 2020.

Additional Mindfulness and Meditation Resources

Mindfulness Meditation FAQs

I have led mindfulness meditation sessions for groups ranging from 10 C-suite leaders to 1,000+ professionals. Below are questions frequently asked of me from participants. These would be helpful if you are looking to get started with mindfulness meditation and build a regular daily practice.

Is there a best TIME OF DAY to do your mindfulness meditation session? Find a time that you’re most likely not to be disturbed and when you can be consistent. For example, in the morning before you start the work day and/or in the evening after the workday can be quite suitable. Try to work up to 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation practice two times per day. 

My MIND keeps WANDERING. Am I doing it wrong? That’s normal, as our minds are habituated to being distracted or in autopilot mode. It’s a gift that you have noticed your mind has wandered, and all you need to do now is bring it back to the object of attention (e.g., breath) and strengthen your mindfulness skills. 

I’m finding myself feeling more EXCITED during the practice. What does that mean? Initially that might feel like the case, since we are not familiar with closely observing our breath, mind or body. Mindfulness practice is about developing deeper awareness of our true mental and emotional tendencies, and some of these tendencies may feel unfamiliar. If the level of excitement gets uncomfortable, try taking intentional breaths for half or a full minute and then return to observing your natural breath. 

How do we control the SUBCONSCIOUS level of our brain? In mindfulness we are not attempting to control the mind, rather become more aware of what is really happening in our mind, as it is happening. The only thing we will get from seeking to control our mind is a headache! Overtime and with practice the increased awareness of the habitual patterns of the mind will help us make a gradual shift towards more of its positive tendencies.  

Is it natural to feel a HEAVY HEAD after the mindfulness session? Sometimes we try too hard with too much intensity to focus on our breath and that creates unnecessary, additional strain. The awareness on breath should be gentle and light, like the touch of a butterfly sitting on a flower. With mindfulness practice we have greater awareness of different kinds of natural feelings (pleasant, neutral or unpleasant). When we notice ourselves distracted or overwhelmed by these feelings we simply return attention to the breath. 

I find it hard to FOCUS while doing a meditation in the morning, because my mind goes to the day’s “To Do” list or to a challenge I am currently facing. If focusing on natural in and out breath is hard during meditation, take intentional breaths. You can do this for a couple of minutes until you attention focuses and then continue with the natural breath. If you still find it hard to focus keep taking intentional breaths for the full practice that morning.  

When I do the “3 breaths” practice and ask myself “what’s most important now” it makes me ANXIOUS thinking about all the things I need to do. It’s natural for the mind to fall back into habitual patterns of rumination and worry. It’s good that you are noticing what’s really going on in your mind and body. The practice is sense and not solving for ‘what is most important’. This is difficult to do if we are not focused and calm.

If asking that question makes you anxious, pause after the first two steps for longer, even a couple of minutes…observing the breath and relaxing the body and come back to ‘what’s most important” when you are more focused and calm…and if necessary even skip the question today.

I feel very relaxed and SLEEPY when I do the body scan? Is it okay to sleep off. If you notice yourself getting drowsy during the practice, bring your attention back to the natural or intentional breath. Take a few intentional breaths to help focus and energize us. We can also use the body scan meditation as way to relax the mind and body to fall asleep at night, that however is not the intent when we are doing our meditation practice.  

How do we MEASURE progress in meditation? Two ways to measure progresses in meditation. First, notice the quality of your meditation, in a breath based meditation notice how quickly you can bring your attention back to your breath when you are distracted, for e.g., have you been distracted for 30 seconds or one minute. 

Second, the real test is how we apply these skills in work and life…how present we are in our daily activities, how aware we are of our thoughts and feelings and what level of focus and calmness we have through the day. For example, if someone says something unpleasant, do we react based on habit patterns or are we able to find the “space” to notice that something has triggered unpleasant emotions and we now have developed the capacity to choose our response with more understanding and empathy. 

Can we use JOURNALING to complement our mindfulness practice? Yes, journaling can be very complementary to a mindfulness practice and help gain clarity on our challenges and opportunities. Suggested journaling prompts include: What challenges and opportunities am I facing this week? What am I grateful for this week at work and in my personal life? What would a good friend, coach or mentor say to me about the challenges and opportunities I am facing?

I have difficult falling and staying ASLEEP in the night? Can mindfulness help?

Like all wellbeing practices, good habits are essential to have a better quality sleep. Sleep is the foundation of wellbeing and helps the mind and body recharge. Conversely sleep quality is affected by what is happening in the mind and body during the day. It's worthwhile exploring what other areas of your wellbeing could be enhanced. Here are my top 3 personal practices:

1. Regular bedtime and wakeup time

2. Wind down rituals, e.g., comfortable space, no TV, phone, computer, inspiration reading, gratitude journal

3. Mindful breathing and/or body scan meditation (available above) when we get to bed, wake up in the middle of the night

Also try the SleepCycle app to track your sleep quality and quantity.

How do I keep the mind from WANDERING? The human mind is a wandering mind and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind, as per Harvard researchers Killingsworth and Gilbert. Overcoming this mind wandering habit is a challenge and we can only do it slowly and we should not judge ourselves harshly if the mind keeps wandering…it’s normal, that is the default state for many people much of the time.

In our mindfulness practice, if we find it hard to focus and the mind keeps wandering then try taking deep, intentional breaths. The physical sensations of the intentional breaths make it easier for the mind to focus and when you notice in a couple of minutes the mind has settled you can return to focusing on the normal, natural breath.

How do I develop the DISCIPLINE of mindfulness practice? Developing a daily habit of mindfulness meditation will surely help you be more focused and resilient in work and life. Establishing a new habit takes 66 days, as per research from the University College of London. During this time you can use the habit formation model…CUE > BEHAVIOR > REWARD…to sustain your mindfulness practice. For e.g., every morning after brushing your teeth (the cue) commit to practicing 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation (the behavior) and only then enjoy a fresh, brewed coffee (the reward). Best wishes!

Meditation Retreats

There are many different types of meditation (just like exercise)! I started by attending drop in sessions in different traditions (Zen, Insight, Yoga, Spiritual) and after some trial found the meditation type that works best for me (Vipassana / Insight).

Below are 2 retreat centers in North America in the Insight tradition that offer retreats. I would suggest starting with a short, introductory (3-5 days) course at one of these locations. These locations are very well recommended by fellow SIY teachers though I have not personally taken a course there. They are very popular and often have a waitlist.

Spirit Rock Woodacre, California spiritrock.org 

Insight Meditation Society Barre, Massachusetts dharma.org 

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I go to Vipassana centers which are more austere with basic facilities and only offer the 10-day format for new students.

Dhamma Siri Kaufman, Texas https://siri.dhamma.org/

Dhamma Dhara Shelburne, Massachusetts https://www.dhara.dhamma.org/