Mindfulness: Corporate Speak for Meditation?

Is “mindfulness” just another catchy concept for corporate professionals or is it a genuine lifestyle practice?

With my background in Ethics & Philosophy, my ears always perk up when met with a new term or concept that promises to help ease modern woes. For me, admittedly, the interest is mixed with one part curiosity, one part arrogant intellectualism, and three parts self-depricating annoyance for rarely practicing what I’ve learned.

Whilst I’ve learned about Buddhist philosophy and practices for many years, alongside that of meditation and mindfulness in the traditional sense, the modern concept of ‘mindfulness’ began creeping in to my subconscious about 5–6 years go.

Hearing it, amongst professionals attending ‘mindfulness’ seminars and self-professed lifestyle gurus on Instagram, made me shoo it away like a pesky fly. In the brief moments that I did think about it, two recurrent thoughts came to mind:

№1 → Mindfulness. What a crock of modern nonsense. It is all derivative of ancient Eastern meditative practices conveniently packaged by Western capitalism for corporate wankers that don’t have the time or patience to look up from their venti-soy-carmel-machiatos to breathe. Ugh. * judgey eyeroll *

№2 → Mindfulness. Seriously? It is not an altogether comforting reality that the most distilled version of meditation our society can handle is to remember being mindful. Didn’t we learn this in primary school?

On reflection, these assessments were made subjectively without research and a whole lot of snotiness. Hence, I am taking this opportunity to delve deeper and challenge my assumptions.

Mindfulness: What is it?

In essence, it is the psychological awareness of one’s surroundings both within and outside of oneself from one moment to the next. According to Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre,

An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as the feel of a banister as we walk upstairs. Another important part of mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen moment to moment. It's about allowing ourselves to see the present moment clearly. When we do that, it can positively change the way we see ourselves and our lives.

Mindfulness: Techniques & Strategies

There are seemingly hundreds of techniques and strategies associated with mindfulness. From making your bed in the morning to washing the dishes after dinner, everything can be accomplished mindfully. And that’s the point. The purpose of any mindfulness technique is to train your brain for the present. It means to yank your thought patterns out of the past, lasso them away from the future, consciously acknowledge negative thoughts (dark clouds) and centre you in the now.

Ultimately, however, the exercises (hundreds of which you can find for free online) follow a few basic patterns:

1. Focus on your breathing
2. Focus on your body
3. Focus on the senses (taste, smell, touch, hear, etc.)

Mindfulness: On Balance

There is no doubt that mindfulness has become a catch-phrase of corporate douchebaggery. But what hasn’t?

At the end of the day, when we (and I mean only myself) put aside our elitist arrogance, it’s quite a positive practice. Yes, it is derivative of ancient Eastern meditative practices. But what isn’t?

Yes, it’s aimed at corporate wankers who don’t have the time or patience to look up from their venti-soy-carmel-machiatos. But don’t they need it more than anyone?

Yes, it’s a tempered and rather distilled version of meditation (although based in the concepts of sati and smrti). But isn’t some form of meditation better than no meditation?

And rather than focusing on the “authenticity” of mindfulness, perhaps we should focus on whether it helps, makes a difference, or adds value to someone’s life before dismissing it. If anything, some may argue that it’s authenticity lies in the very reality that it’s meditative practice differentiated for the modern day and modern millennial.

So, listen. Clean slate – have a crack at mindfulness and if it suits your life, your needs and your reality then embrace it! It may even make you appreciate that venti-soy-carmel-machiato just a smidge more than usual.