What are the best ways to use mindfulness techniques for coachee well-being?

Using mindfulness techniques for coachee well-being is a powerful and transformative approach. Mindfulness is not just a buzzword; it's a practical and scientifically supported way to enhance mental and emotional health. It offers numerous benefits that contribute to coachee well-being, including stress reduction, improved self-awareness, emotional regulation, and enhanced focus. By training the mind to be present in the moment, mindfulness improves concentration and mental clarity. In my coaching practice, customers use this heightened focus to make better decisions, set and achieve goals, and enhance overall well-being.

One way I like to introduce mindfulness to my clients is to have them sit for a few minutes at the start of our session. They can meditate or ponder or just breathe. They are usually bouncing from one meeting to another and constantly turning their wheels. Letting them be still for a moment allows deep feelings, thoughts, and emotions to come to the surface for us to discuss. I also practice mindfulness after they have responded to a question or prompt and let them sit with it and feel it. Was it true? Is what I am feeling or experiencing true? Is it helping or serving me right now? Without creating this space for them to be mindful they can't get to the deep layers of transformation.

I also offer to start my client's session off with a short meditation to center ourselves between meeting transitions and get grounded. I think it is important to practice what we preach and to ask the coachee how they feel that was for them. The feedback is most often that they find themselves more grounded and slow themselves down between jumping into the next thing. I ask them how they want to build this into their life more. It also gives me a chance to slow down and get present as well.

Yes, I like to teach my clients simple sensory grounded techniques like naming what they see, smell, hear and feel. I like to break it down so it feels simple and not complicated. I also ask my clients to name and track their feelings throughout the day. I explain how naming our feelings and help us slow ourselves down and be more mindful of our internal state. Inviting clients to stretch or even touch their own face helps to learn how to self-soothe in moments of stress.

I like to help my clients create implementation intentions such as if...then statements. If I am getting ready for bed then I will do my yoga stretches. If I am in between meetings then I will check in on my feelings. If I am walking through the door of my house then I will hug my partner. These simple if/the triggers help my clients build important habits.

Mindfulness is not just a tool. It is a way of life.? I was speaking with a person who lived among wild animals all his life. He told me never be afraid of the tiger if you happen to come across it in the wilderness. Just hold your position and it will leave you alone.? It was his way of life to be mindful and conscious while living in the wilderness that taught him that.?? As simple exercises we can practice mindfulness while eating our food. Be conscious of which vegetables we are eating. Is it crunchy, the taste, are we salivating, how does it feel when we roll it in our mouth. Each and every tiny bit of action we focus on is mindfulness.? We can incorporate these mindfulness practices in our daily lives to enrich ourselves.

Mindfulness is not a switch-on, switch-off practice; it's not momentary in nature. It requires a continuous presence in every awake moment of our lives. True mindfulness is about being fully engaged with the present, observing our thoughts and feelings without judgment, and maintaining this awareness as a consistent thread throughout our daily experiences. It's a way of life that encourages us to embrace each moment, whether joyful or challenging, with a calm and non-reactive mind. Mindfulness is no bargain. It's a practice that demands dedication, patience, and a commitment to self-awareness. It's not a quick fix or an easy solution to life's challenges, but rather a lifelong journey of self-discovery and personal growth.