Office Mindfulness Tips: getting started

Many of us would like to be more mindful at work, but where to start? The environment isn't changing, nor is the daily workload or our all-too-human colleagues. Is it possible to start practicing mindfulness, without anything else having to change?

The good news is that with mindfulness, we start practicing exactly where we are. And that means when we're in the office, that's where we start. 

Working with Anchors is a practical, straightforward way to bring mindfulness to your workplace:

1. Choose an 'anchor' - something that is a part of your daily office life. It might be scanning a keycard, your coffee brewing, turning on your computer or refreshing your email.
2. Establish your attention - unclip the past and future, and rest your attention on this anchor. Let your 5 senses take in the experience, unhurried and curious. Then draw your attention inside your body, all the way down to your footprints. Sense your living presence, your moving breath. Be here now.
3. Practice little and often - time will strengthen your ability to establish this attention with ease. 

Repetition and creative engagement are key: discover what you are naturally interested in (coffee works well for me!) and start there. 

You can download a pdf of my Anchors infographic (A4) to help your office get started.