Mindfulness - Approach Perfect

Rigorous evidence supports mindfulness and it is universally accessible.

Mindfulness has a very high return on investment.

Increased Productivity

Anxiety and stress can considerably decrease productivity, particularly on complex tasks requiring working memory, decision making, and context switching. Just eight weeks of 20 minutes of daily practice literally shrinks the amygdala—the brain’s “fight, flight, or freeze” center—and thickens the prefrontal cortex, associated with awareness, concentration and decision-making. Mindfulness increases our productivity by helping us reach our optimal level of physiological arousal.

9-minute talk segment

Improved Communication Through Deeper Listening

When we listen to another, we often fall into the trap of primarily thinking about what we intend to say next and only vaguely listening to what the other person is saying. Skillful practice improves our awareness. This awareness allows us to realize when we are not listening carefully and redirect our attention back to the speaker. We can even become aware of more non-verbal cues and become much more effective communicators.

8-1/2 minute talk segment

Better Outcomes During Conflict

If we can actively work through a conflict cognitively, we can learn from one another and achieve a better outcome. However, we’re at risk of an emotional conflict that harms our working relationships and causes us to miss a significant opportunity. Mindfulness practice helps us avoid emotional conflict by increasing our awareness so that we can extricate ourselves before we quarrel and can even resolve the triggers that cause us to become emotional in the first place.

7-1/2 minute talk segment

Increased Focus and Happiness

A Harvard University study found that we we spend about 47% of our waking hours mind-wandering and that “how often our minds leave the present and where they tend to go is a better predictor of our happiness than the activities in which we are engaged.” Mindfulness practice can significantly reduce mind wandering and thus our focus and happiness. Assuming 1,500 hours of potential work time per year, just a 5% increase in focus would be like gaining an extra week and a half of productivity.

I can help you and your team develop greater mindfulness.

Public Talks

I speak about the key benefits of mindfulness in knowledge-work environments at companies and events. Depending on the session length, I can also provide meditation instruction.

Meditation Classes

I offer secular and workplace-appropriate introductory meditation instruction for organizations and businesses. I offer everything from brief 1-hour classes to in-depth 6-8 week practice courses.

Wellington Pragmatic Buddhism Community

For those wishing to explore a bit deeper, I plan to offer a weekly Pragmatic Buddhism and meditation study group at my home in Wellington, New Zealand for free.

Mindfulness does not require a reconsideration of faith.

Although meditation is often associated with several religions, sophisticated mindfulness practices can be found in virtually every religion, tradition, and culture. Mystics associated with many different traditions and cultures often find that they are describing similar experiences and insights, merely with different labels, models, and stories. While many practitioners see meditation through the lens of their faith, it is available and useful to those of all backgrounds and requires no reconsideration or adoption of faith. With respect to mindfulness, the only faith required is similar to that of developing any skill: the faith that it could be of benefit and that one can develop the skill with practice. As with any other developed skill, practitioners often find early benefit and can replace faith with the knowledge of their own empirical experience.

Meditation Styles

I teach four styles of meditation in The Mind Illuminated tradition, a complete system integrating Buddhist wisdom and brain science. The Mind Illuminated is not a religious or faith-based practice and no conversion of faith is discussed or expected, but I can adapt my teaching for organizations that are particularly sensitive.

Tranquility and Calm Abiding

I teach śamatha meditation, which is similar to the typical breath-concentration meditation many people are familiar with. Practicing this technique develops stable attention, powerful mindfulness, joy, tranquility, and equanimity.

Insight

I teach vipassanā meditation, a form of body-scanning mediation similar to that taught at many popular 10-day retreats. It can lead to powerful insights into the true nature of reality that transform our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to the world.

Loving-Kindness

I teach a loving-kindness meditation, otherwise known as mettā. This technique conditions our minds to readily enter a state of ease, peace, love, and happiness. I offer a free, 30-minute guided mettā meditation on SoundCloud.

Listen on SoundCloud

Analytical

I teach a form of analytical meditation that can help solve difficult challenges through an indirect approach.

My Meditation Experience and Background

I have practiced meditation for over 2,000 hours, spent over 150 days in mostly retreat, and have received nearly 200 hours of instruction in a meditation teacher training program.

I am studying with John Yates, PhD. (Upasaka Culadasa), a neuroscientist, scholar, and meditation master with over 4 decades of experience. He is the author of “The Mind Illuminated,” an acclaimed and highly-detailed meditation textbook. I teach exclusively in his style but offer a purely secular lens where necessary. Like Culadasa, I teach mediation from a progressive and scientific perspective. Although the instruction draws from an authentic lineage of Buddhist wisdom and philosophy, it is firmly grounded in modern cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

I also study with Dr. Tucker Peck, a meditation teacher and clinical psychologist, who studied with Sharon Salzberg and Upasaka Culadasa. I’ve also spent a month in retreat with Daniel Ingram, author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha.

Contact Me

I’d love to speak with you! Click here to easily book a free 30-minute video consultation at a time that meets your needs. If these times don’t for you, send me a message and we’ll work it out.

I’m located in Tākaka, New Zealand and serve teams both in-person and remotely. I prefer to plan and train in person and coach remotely. My timezone, NZT, is ideally suited for teams and individuals in both the Americas as well as East Asia.

I also seek to provide long-term, pro-bono mentoring to a New Zealand entity or entrepreneur focused on innovative or scalable approaches to urgent or highly neglected issues, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Send me a message.

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