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Mindfulness Informed Coaching

If you with to make others happy, practice compassion.  If you want to make yourself happy, practice compassion

- Dalai Lama

a mindful scene of observer and sunset

As an existential coach I appreciate the power of being fully present with a client. It is the only way to provide the compassionate attention that the client needs. A mindful approach is one that values clear awareness, and this takes presence to a higher level.  In a coaching alliance, as in any conversation, even if just one person is fully mindful, the mindfulness soon spreads to the other, like when playing a note on a violin with causes the strings of nearby violins to resonate at the same frequency.

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The mindful approach is one that doesn't simply jump impatiently to solutions, but instead enacts The Pause (Tara Brach) that allows the inner wisdom of the client to surface and generate the best path to positive change.

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Mindfulness has been practiced for over 4000 years, and this capacity to recognise (recognise is derived from re-cognise, to re-know) ancient wisdom lends itself perfectly to coaching. Thich Nhat Hanh spoke of the generative power of loving kindness, and he embodied the practice throughout his extraordinary life first as an anti-war monk in Vietnam, and then as an international peace enjoy and spiritual leader in the USA and Europe.

 

Mindfulness Informed Coaching is coaching from this mindful approach. The coaching alliance builds in the same way to meet the needs of the client, and through exploration and insight, in the creative space between coach and client the change takes place. To paraphrase Abraham Maslow, the process of coaching is the same as the goal of coaching: A compassionate exploration of the true nature and purpose of the client.

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When people first come to mindful coaching it is often because recent experiences have driven them to seek better ways of being and working. Something needs to change, improve or be acknowledged, and mindful coaching facilitates this process. The feeling that life can be unsatisfactory is part of human existence, and you might have a feeling or intuition that something is troubling you and is causing some form of disorientation.

 

A mindful coaching journey is one that provides understanding and clarity, and through a programme of four to six exploratory conversations, positive change and growth emerges. After committing to coaching you will feel renewed energy, purpose and confidence that allows fresh direction to live your best life.

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