10 Ways You Can Be Mindful in the Business World

Staring at a computer screen mindlessly is not how we are meant to spend our days. There is pride we take in our work of course but we need a balance. The amount of stress you experience in the business world takes a toll on your health. Sitting in one spot all day thinking about a meeting from yesterday or work that hasn’t been done for tomorrow is not healthy for the mind or the body. This is why mindfulness matters and why yoga is a great way to obtain the ability to be mindful.

You can be mindful at your desk, before a meeting, waiting for a flight or in your hotel room. Mindfulness takes some practice and it’s helpful if you do things like yoga and deep breathing to prime yourself. Meditation is the root of mindfulness. It has been used for thousands of years to help people with mental wellness. Here are 10 ways that will help you be more mindful in the business world.

1. Breathe Deeply

When you do some deep belly breaths, you give yourself the opportunity to reset. You will instantly feel a change in how your body feels. That helps you to become mindful. So whatever stress you were experiencing or whatever task you were doing, you will shift it. Mindfulness is a moment to moment practice. The more you take in those deep breaths, the more experience you have with mindfulness.

One of the easiest breathing techniques with the greatest benefits is deep breathing into the belly. When you’re not paying attention, you may breathe shallowly. This tells the brain that it needs to be ready to fight or run away. Those messages are sent to the body and before you know it, you feel stressed out for no reason. When you get air into the lower lungs, you deeply relax the body immediately.

Deep Belly Breathing:

• Put your left hand on your heart and your left hand on your lower belly.
• Breathe deeply into your throat, chest, and belly for a count of four.
• Hold for a count of four.
• Exhale out of your mouth slowly until all the air in your belly is gone.
• Repeat this up to five times and try to do this a few times during your workday, especially when you feel stress.

2. Acknowledge Tension

When you stare at a computer screen for long periods of time, you may not realize what’s happening around you. Stagnant sitting can cause a lot of tension in the body. If you don’t realize it’s happening, you won’t be able to care for yourself. Every once in a while, check in with how your shoulders, hips, and lower back are feeling. If you feel tension, you can then do some simple yoga poses at your desk. Give yourself a hug, do some neck rolls. These simple poses help relieve some tension but first you have to be mindful enough to acknowledge it’s there.

3. Take a Moment to Do Nothing

Sometimes we busy ourselves because we don’t want to look inside. The thing is, those things are always there. You will eventually have to deal with whatever emotional issues are going on. When you give yourself some moments throughout the day to do nothing, you can sort through emotions with mindfulness. This helps you to have more clarity while you are working.

4. Notice What the Inner Voice is Saying

If you find that you have a lot of anxiety running your business, it may be that your inner voice or ego is sending you messages that make you feel this way. If you are mindful at all times, you allow your life to unfold naturally. You can’t feel anxious in this state. Your inner voice may be holding you back from truly flourishing. When you just take notice about what the ego is telling you, you are being mindful. Try the practice of listening to the inner voice just before a meeting and see if you relax a little more.

5. Listen to People Fully

Mindfulness is being in the moment and that means being with the people you’re with. Many of us will check our phone while we talk with others. This isn’t helping to be more productive. Listening to people fully will help you understand what they need. You may even see something in them you didn’t notice before. You become more trusted and likeable when you make eye contact and listen to people fully.

6. Get Lost in Tasks You Love to Do

There are probably aspects of your workday that you love to do. Do them with your whole heart and you’ll enjoy more fulfilling work days. This is a great time to be mindful which helps you to feel extremely grateful.

7. Sit Down to Eat

Take the time to sit and eat. Don’t check your phone or sift through work things. Walk away from your desk and take a true break. You can eat mindfully which allows you to enjoy the taste and texture of the food. This can be rejuvenating and set you up for a productive afternoon.

8. Think About What You Can Do for Someone Else

When you do things for others, it brings a lot back to you. Helping colleagues or business partners out makes you more trustworthy. It is also deeply rewarding. Instead of thinking about what you can get out of people, you might want to think about what you can do for someone else. This is an act of mindfulness that brings greater fulfillment to your day. It can also increase your sales because you’re the kind of person people want to do business with.

9. Walk Mindfully

Take the time to walk every day and when you do, do it with conviction. Notice your feet in front of you. Smell the air and notice the sights around you. You will get a sense of spaciousness and wash away any anxiety you might be feeling. Don’t think about work. Just be in the moment you’re in.

10. Practice the Foundations

Mindfulness takes work. We will often leave our own bodies and float into various thoughts that have nothing to do with the moment. Yoga with its poses and breathing techniques were designed to help people meditate so they are the basis of any mindfulness practice. When you do yoga, you use the breath to help you go deeper into poses. Sun salutation or warrior sequences can be moved through with the help of breathing. Yoga is done at your own pace through your breath. You focus on how the body feels within a certain pose. This is how you begin to understand what it feels like to be mindful. There are many poses that help alleviate anxiety and ease tension from sitting all day.

You’ll be surprised at what the practice of yoga, breathing, and meditation can be as you navigate through the business world. As a small business owner or someone who works for a big corporation, you will be seen as the genuine article. Remaining calm under stress and seeing people in a genuine way will help you find greater success.