Many employers are looking for ways to support the health and well-being of staff. Understandably stress and anxiety are particularly high amongst staff in the public, private and third sector due to the demands of working and living. For example, often working from home means long days seated in front of a computer screen and little respite from family or the four walls of the living space.
I have been delivering a series of weekly drop-in session via Zoom for staff in schools and St. Andrews University, but also at Home-Start, Scotland and NHS and Social Care, Fife. Over the last three years I have also been providing training to Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The drop-in sessions have been between 45 – 60 minutes long. The aim of these sessions is to provide staff with an opportunity to experience a break from the pressures of work and the stress of living. Specifically, Be Mindful Fife integrates energy movement with body and breath meditation practices. This is to encourage participants to shift the focus of their attention away from cognitive processing, and towards an awareness of being present in the body with kindness.
Each of the practices are delivered with no expectation that the participants have prior knowledge or understanding of mindfulness training, but also to meet the needs of those that do. In doing so, the intended outcomes are for participants to leave sessions mentally and physically refreshed. Secondly, participants are equipped with techniques and strategies for self-managing their health and well-being.
Evaluations of participants experience have been exceptionally positive. See a sample of comment below. So much so that contracts have been renewed to support the health and well being of staff. Employers have also purchased the eight weeks Mindfulness Based Living Course to support staff (this is a recognised mindfulness course by British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches. For queries regarding the quality of my teaching or the impact of these drop-in sessions, reference and contact details can be supplied on request. A single taster session can be supplied for a small fee to determine whether this is right for your staff.
Bloc of Eight Sessions
This cost includes eight 45-minute sessions over eight consecutive weeks integrating energy, movement and body and breath meditation practices. My professional Zoom licence allows me to hold sessions for up to 100 participants. At the end of the eight weeks, a short report on the number of participants that attended each session and the comments collected will be submitted by Be Mindful Fife. All comments are collected via the chat box on Zoom, but an independent evaluation form can be used if preferred.
