professional mastery

Mindfulness & Coaching

Many of us have chosen a life where we are constantly occupied juggling work, home, finances, social engagements, children and other conflicting demands. Parts of our life run on auto –pilot, mechanically and in other areas we feel over stretched. We often become so busy that we forget what we are doing or who we are. We forget to look at the people we love and appreciate them until they’re gone. Even when we have some leisure time, we do not know how to get in touch with what is going on inside us. So we turn on the television or pick up the phone as if we might be able to escape from ourselves.

My life was pretty much the same, till 5 years ago, not presently though. Today I lead a life that is in alignment to my life purpose. My vision is

I still have a full calendar pretty much every day of the week, however it is filled with meaningful activity. I feel refreshed and energised each day and if I take stock, I can confidently say that I am leading a purposeful life. My most enriching experience has been walking a parallel path of material fulfillment & spiritual enhancement. As I reflect over the last 5 years, I find that my journey has been an interweaving of two disciplines that I continue to learn, practice and teach – Mindfulness & Coaching

I chanced upon Coaching very accidentally, and decided to explore it further, I signed up for an online certification program – and studied it deeply for 9 months. The experience was akin to nurturing a baby in my womb. I read everything there was to read about in the first trimester, the second was filled with experiencing it through peer coaching and the third trimester was the tough one – waiting to deliver (read graduate as a brand new Coach). At the end of 9 months the baby was born – me – in my new avatar and I had to find a name to call myself, which is how I chanced upon Mindfulness as a concept and decided to call myself a Mindfulness Coach, because Fulfillment Coach was too common a name – and mindfulness in essence meant the same to me.

As I took my first step on this journey here is what I discovered. In our daily life, although our body is in one place our mind is often in another. We breathe but we forget that we are breathing. The foundation of all mindfulness practice is to bring awareness to our in-breath and our out-breath. Paying attention to our in- breath and out-breath brings our mind back to our body. Regardless of our internal weather – our thoughts, emotions and perceptions – our breathing is always with us like a faithful friend. Whenever we feel carried away, sunk in deep emotion or caught in thoughts about the past or the future, we can return to our breathing to collect and anchor our mind. At that moment, when we consciously bring awareness to our breath by just taking a deep breath – we experience life as being perfect. This is how I start all my Coaching sessions by Breath Awareness through a process called Centering.

Each session begins by anchoring my client to their breath by consciously paying attention, this helps silence the outer noise and bring their acute awareness to the noises within. My clients have shared that when I consciously guide them through this short 3 minute mindfulness exercise, it manifests itself either as a sense of calm giving great strength to the discussion that follows and often it raises the awareness to a deep seeded chaos that manifests itself through focusing purposefully on the breath, either way the client moves forward. I have found that mindfulness helps my client access their inner sense of being and when that is augmented with coaching, they are able to leverage that positive mindset into action.

Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to, and seeing clearly whatever is happening in our lives. It will not eliminate life’s pressures, but it can help us respond to them in a calmer manner that benefits our heart, head, and body. It helps us recognize and step away from habitual, often unconscious emotional and physiological reactions to everyday events. It provides us with a scientifically researched approach to cultivating clarity, insight, and understanding. Practicing mindfulness allows us to be fully present in our life and work, and improve our quality of life.

During each session with my client, they are able to access their most resourceful state by focusing on the areas in their life that are working well for them. This positive focus helps build the energy to explore possibilities that will help them create and design the course of their life. This awareness coupled with a sense of being in charge of themselves, strengthens the clarity and attention they bring to their coaching conversations. A deepening of their own self-awareness and a conscious evaluation of their own behaviors, attitudes and competencies builds confidence to make conscious choices, that aligns with their goals. My clients have been able to recognize, accept, realign and adapt to the standards they have set for themselves. This heightened sense of awareness drives a sense of self-responsibility and makes they accountable for the life they wish to create and celebrate.

Mindfulness is the source of happiness and joy. The seed of mindfulness is in each of us, however we have forgotten how to water it. Coaching has the power to touch our seeds of peace and joy and allow them to manifest for our enjoyment. Although this sounds easy, everyone can do it, it takes some training and practice. Integrating the principles of Mindfulness and Coaching, I am able to get my client to fully witness, contemplate and enjoy every experience that life has to offer.

For me as a Mindfulness Coach, through my own practice – I am able to offer my complete presence to the client, and hold a place of trust and non-judgment for my client to freely and fully express themselves. I become a proactive change agent in their rapidly evolving world.

Mindfulness and Coaching, powerfully reinforce each other and promote enhanced quality of life, work performance, and leadership capacity. In my experience, I have found that by integrating mindfulness practices to my coaching practice, my clients deepen their self-awareness, are more grounded, emotionally more resilient and approach their life with a sense of abundance. They are more effective leaders and more fulfilled human beings. The process is rewarding for me as a coach and the outcome that my client achieves is both sustainable and meaningful.