Relevance of Mindfulness in Coaching - Essay Example

Relevance of Mindfulness in Coaching This paper provides an ephemeral overview of key concepts, notions, and teachings that are connected with mindfulness practices and how it relates or reinforces coaching. First thing that the scholar sources tell is that the ideas and descriptions are just ideas and descriptions (Anderson, 2009). Mindfulness is a scientific study that is updated and modified frequently; some things that might work in theory might not work in reality. This paper will point out some of the paths that cultivate mindfulness and how it can enlightens the coaching process. Though not all-inclusive, it points to evidences and opportunities for personal development and investigations into further possibilities of how mindfulness can glorify and strengthen the coaching process. Basics and Definitions The conception of mindfulness has been defined in many ways by numerous authors, teachers, and experts, although using words and definitions to contain mindfulness is as if “a finger pointing at the moon,” a quote from the Zen philosophy. If someone focuses only on the finger, they will miss the entire moon. The following definitions are valuable however the concepts and definitions broaden as people start to grasp the idea of mindfulness. Recent studies on mindfulness practices discovered not only mental and physical profits but also revealed parallel changes in the brain that constantly hold back the mind from reaching its full potentials. Moreover studies on such practices also indicated the resilience of the mind for magnifying importance in any activity that seeks to decrease human suffering and increase emotions tied to happiness and wellbeing. Therefore, it has great relevance to coaching practices. Although these definitions and concepts provide a useful point of retreat, to truly nurture mindfulness in hearts and minds in the daily life requires steady practice and a razor sharp focus. Mindfulness Mindfulness is about waking up from a life which is on autopilot. Mindfulness is more than just being aware of the surroundings and people: It involves being aware of nuts and bolts of the mind mechanics. It has to do with thinking about the thinking process. Mindfulness is that cognitive process that helps people wake up from oblivion about their own minds and with the inner reflection that it is people who make choices and change the reality. The way any individual focuses attention helps them directly construct and mend ways the mind thinks and operates. It is about programming the brain (mind) to be more aware and effective. Productivity only comes when the mind wants it. But how can the mind want it? Mindfulness is the answer. “When we develop a certain form of attention to our here-and-now experiences and to the nature of our mind itself, we create a special form of awareness called mindfulness” (Siegel, 2007). Mindfulness can be considered a moment-to-moment but non-judgmental awareness of the surroundings. This awareness or the comprehension of reality is cultivated by paying attention (to anything and everything) in a certain way. This certain and precise way is nothing but the present moment. That’s the first most important thing about mindfulness or ‘mindful awareness’. The second most import thing about mindfulness is to be aware of the present moment in a non-reactive, non-judgmental, and in an openhearted way as possible. It is because mindfulness is nothing but the ability to realize and acknowledge what is happening around is happening the way it is exactly happening and not in a certain way we wish to see it happen or imagine it is happening. In short, it is seeing objects and actions as they are and exist and not the way anyone would want to see them (Kabat-Zinn, 2005). In the words of Silsbee (2004); “Mindfulness is the state of awareness in which we are conscious of our feelings, thoughts, and habits of mind, and able to let unhelpful ones go so that they no longer limit us. It is important to recognize, within ourselves, the presence or absence of this quality”. How Mindfulness relates to Coaching Now the major question is, how does this concept apply to coaching? A coach or a teacher needs to be ‘aware’ (the way it has been discussed above) to be able to deliver. This deliverance can be in the form of knowledge, wisdom, skill, or anything that a coach or a teacher considers himself worthy of delivering. The key aspects of teachings in the Buddhist culture that directly relate to the job nature of a coach are; awareness, experience and the whole concept of attachment and avoidance (it can be repulsion or aversion) that ends in suffering (Silsbee, 2004). Awareness or consciousness has five major aspects. In the ‘Pali’ language of Buddha these aspects are known as ‘skandhas’. Skandhas can be thought of as a nomenclature of that part of mind which is considered ‘aware’ and comprises of the physical form (tangible aspects); the body as well as those organs that feel and sense feelings. Human feelings, emotions, and various sensations; including the cognitive understandings (perceptions), elucidations, and faith; the mental dilapidations, thoughts, metaphors, symbols and notions; and last but not the least, the consciousness itself are enclosed by the concept of consciousness as common people are aware of it. The relevance of mindfulness in coaching can be elaborated if this concept is understood in the light of the ‘Reflective Practitioner’. A good coach needs to be a reflective practitioner and this character can best be understood by the works of Donald Schön (1987) and McGonagill (2000). They suggested that coaches would do well to desire being reflective practitioners. Even if they aren’t naturally reflective, the mere desire of being reflective can serve them in more than one way. For instance, a reflective practitioner is skilled in demonstrating the following abilities: Consciousness of one’s sifters for making the meaning of coaching in communications; Mindfulness (awareness) of one’s suppositions, approaches, and tools; Persistence in maintaining an inquiring stance towards their usefulness and what they contribute to the society; Capability to consider each new client as a new challenge to the prototypes and old tactics that are continuously in evolving. McGonagill (2000) correctly points out and clears what exactly it means to reflect in the present moment. Acquiring and mastering the ability to reflect is the essence of being a reflective practitioner. Eventually, to be a reflective practitioner means see everything in the moment where everything one could see if someone were to freeze that very moment, get disengaged with that moment (both physically and mentally) and then sits at a space from where he can look at the moment with compete objectivity and then reflect on it. The importance of mindfulness in coaching is paramount. Coaches that are mindful (more aware) and live in the present are more suited for coaching jobs. They can fulfil their responsibilities in a more mindful way. The relation between mindfulness and coaching has more to do with who the coaches ‘are’ rather than what they ‘say’ or ‘do’. Works Cited Anderson, J. (2009). Mindfulness in coaching. (Masters thesis, Fielding Graduate University). Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Coming to our senses: Healing ourselves and the world through mindfulness. New York: Hyperion. McGonagill, G. (2000). The coach as reflective practitioner: Notes from a Journey without end. Palo Alto, CA: Davies Black Publishing. Schön, D. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Siegel, D. J. (2007). Reflections on the mindful brain. Adapted from The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being, New York: WW Norton. Silsbee, D. K. (2004). The mindful coach. Marshall, NC: Ivy River Press. Read More