Well, I am back to work today after a great break – plenty of Christmas fun with the kids, time to swim, get to the beach and catch up with friends.  Now it is time for me to really put focus and attention into my resolution of being more patient with my family and taking the time ot really connect with them.  This seems pretty easy to do in holiday mode but I know from experience it gets harder when the pressures of work, kindy, swimming lessons and other activities start to ramp up. 

So how does mindfulness help with this?  It helps by bringing my attention back to the present, allowing me to notice what is going on and to make a choice about how I act.  I usually do this by focussing more on listening – to others and to myself.  Listening mindfully to others tells me where they are at and listening to myself helps me hear where I am at!  Maybe your New Year’s resolution is similar to mine or maybe you are focussed on diet, exercise, hobbies or self improvement.  Whatever your resolution is, using the senses that are associated with it will help you keep choosing to stick with it moment to moment.  For example:

Hopefully these ideas will help you to stick with your resolutions.  Remember that by being in the present and focussing on what is going on we get to recommit to our resolutions each moment.  Have a great year.

We would like to wish all of our Mind Gardener followers a Christmas full of peace, clarity and joy. We sincerely hope that the seeds you have planted in 2011 flourish in 2012.

We are grateful for your support and inspiration over the past 12 months. 2011 has been kind to us and we are particularly grateful for:

• The 4 new corporate clients who, together, we have achieved great things and who we’ll continue to work with in 2012 and beyond;
• Our partners and the alliances we have made who are equally committed to furthering the Mind Gardener message;
• All of the inspirational people we meet at speaking engagements;
• And of course the amazing opportunity we have been given by Hay House to publish our book internationally next year!

We have had some great achievements over the year but the thing that continues to fill us with pride is the email, card or contact from a person who has changed their life as a result of what they have learnt from Mind Gardener.  I am always inspired by these people and so happy to be making a difference.

Over the holiday period, Martina and her partner Phil are in Europe exploring France, Spain and whatever takes their fancy on the day (and writing a book!)  Louise is spending the break around Brisbane catching up with friends and family and enjoying festivities with her husband Brett and children Eva (4) and Sam (1).  And I (Susan) am taking some time off with my husband Jason and my kids, Holly (4) and Jack (3) and spending a lot of it at the beach (which will include sitting under a tree and writing a book!)

We wish everyone a mindful break and we hope that you come back refreshed for a big year with Mind Gardener.  2012 is the year to get wired for success !

On Friday we celebrated the end of the year in true Mind Gardener style. No champagne and over-eating for us – we took to the country for a mindfulness practice with horses. Every year we try to do something different that is in line with our purpose which is to cultivate consciousness. What better way to cultivate consciousness than to interact with a highly intuitive animal who reflects back your thoughts and provides insights into your behaviour!

Imagine our surprise upon arriving when our instructor pointed at a field of unbridled horses and asked us to pick one, catch it and bring it back. Today was all about interacting with horses but not in a way you’d expect. We had to move horses and get them to do things all through using our energy.

The first thing we learnt is that horses have great instincts. They can sense things from 100s of metres away.  They can sense your emotions, and without ulterior motive, will reflect them back to you.  I don’t know what the first horse I went to was sensing when I approached him and he quickly turned his head and ran away. Ok best I move onto another one who liked my energy!  And I found one.  His name was Jesse and he was a beautiful dark brown horse.  He was happy to stay with me and for the next hour reflected back the uncertainty and indecisiveness I brought to tasks I knew nothing about.

This confidence increased and it wasn’t too long before we were doing circle work with the horses and directing them to walk, trot and cantor purely through our energy.

The day was a relaxing way to end a busy year but also so much more. It taught us so much about ourselves, about leadership and about how we work as a team. My particular lessons were:

1. That I need to nurture my strengths more including building relationships. I soon had Jesse eating out of the palm of my hand but often forgot this skill when trying to get a task done.

2. That sometimes influencing others mean you need to go where they are going before you can turn them around. Never stop the momentum – work with it. (I knew this in theory but practiced something different in a new situation with a horse!)

3. That one of the most underestimated abilities of leaders is to give clarity and avoid mixed messages - again I have known and taught this in theory for some time but the challenge comes when you are leading in very unfamiliar environments. I think this is something I will work on in providing leadership to our team – more certainty and clarity in direction.

We would highly recommend the power of horses in further developing your self awareness. If you are looking for an experience for your team be sure to check out www.leadershiphorsepower.com

At Mind Gardener we have experienced and witnessed the benefits of mindfulness practice over the last ten years. It is always exciting to see emerging research confirming our experience and that of our clients. A recent study has revealed more reasons to be mindful.  This study shows that the brains of regular meditators are structurally different from the brains of non-meditators in ways that protect them from illnesses such as ADHD, autism and schizophrenia.

The study, conducted at Yale University, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to look at the differences between meditators’ and non-meditators’ brains. Meditators had decreased activity in the “default mode network”, an area of the brain that is associated with attentional problems, anxiety, ADHD, autism, schizophrenia and even Alzheimers disease.  The impact of these differences is that meditators seem to have fewer “me” centred thoughts and more present focussed attention. A predomination of circling ‘me’ centred thoughts is characteristic of many mental illnesses so the ability to switch attention to the present can be protective against these illnesses.

From Mind Gardener’s perspective one of the most exciting findings in this research is that the positive impacts of meditation are found regardless of the type of meditation practiced.  This means you do not need to subscribe to any belief system, you only need to practice regularly.  The key aspects of meditation to practice are:

1. Awareness of arising thoughts.

2. Returning attention to a single point of focus.

This can be done anywhere and during any activity – washing up, showering, cleaning teeth, walking along the street or going to a meeting.  By looking for opportunities to be aware of what your thoughts are doing and then choosing what they are focussed on, you can experience the benefits of regular meditation.  It is healthy for your brain and your emotions!

We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded an international publishing contract with Hay House, the world’s largest and most respected publisher of self empowerment books. Releasing a book to support our Mind Gardener Guides has been on the agenda for many years, and this news brings the dream closer to reality. More details of our book will be provided over the coming months. At the moment we are digesting the news and busily writing! you can follow our progress on our Facebook page.

Thank you to all of our followers for your encouragement and inspiration. We look forward to bringing you a great book that will help make a difference in everyone’s lives.

Have you noticed a sparkle in the eye of shoppers at christmas?  Did you know that giving lights up the same region of the brain as eating chocolate and winning the lottery?! So it looks like we’re all in for an overdose of feel-good chemicals at this time of year!

There is no doubt that we live in a time when people are re-thinking their gift-giving practices.  The simple joy of giving can so easily get lost in the stress of finding something for the person who has everything, and the hassle of fitting shopping into a busy life. But “meaningful” is making a come-back, and it’s all to do with our brains.

The part of your brain that registers pleasure and fulfillment lights up when you do something nice for another person, whether you are rewarded for it or not. Even watching an act of kindness or giving between other people can have the same effect. And the more meaningful the gift or the effect of the gift on others, the more pleasure you experience.  We really are designed to look out for each other, and gift-giving is one way to show we care.

So giving meaningful gifts and bringing back the simple joy of giving is not only a way of making a positive difference to loved ones, it can also boost a person’s own happiness and pleasure.

Here are some tips on how to make sure you offer gift-giving experiences that are more meaningful:

1. When making your purchasing decisions, think in advance of the upcoming opportunities and remember the purpose of each gift event. Reflect on what the event or time of year really means before you even start thinking about what gift ideas you will offer.  Even if the receiver is not religious, Christmas has positive messages that appeal to all. So if it really is the thought that counts, make some time to reflect on the thought before you choose your product offerings.
2. Don’t only think about what people need, but think about how you want them to feel when they unwrap the gift.  Giving someone a practical gift just because it’s something they need at the moment does not trigger the pleasure centers in the brain.   Ensure you offer and display gifts that appeal to the five senses.

Whether you are giving, receiving, thanking someone or eating chocolate, the simple joy of connecting and caring is a magical pathway to happiness.  Enjoy the many ways that gift-giving lights up yours and others’ brains!

And don’t forget the specials we have on at the moment with our Mind Gardener Guides – the ultimate meaningful gift !

You can give a life changing gift this Christmas and your gift will also feed the homeless. From Friday 18 November until Friday 16 December we’re offering special prices for all Mind Gardener Guides, and free postage within Australia.  And we will give $1 for each Guide purchased to OzHarvest. So you will provide 1 meal for a homeless person every time you buy a Mind Gardener Guide.

Watch our video to find more.

Is kindness a good human trait or a neural disorder? That’s the question posed in this article in the Weekend Australian in the lead up to World Kindness Day yesterday. It’s true that acting with kindness activates the same part of our brain as gambling or drugs, but it seems a sad interpretation that we should lump kindness in the basket of the risks to our mental health. Selfless acts are probably one of the main reasons that human communities thrive. Kindness keeps the world turning. Noone is saying we should set our own needs aside in every situation, but sometimes it’s the best thing for our own mental health to do just that!

So what’s your verdict? Is kindness a good human trait or a dangerous neural disorder?

All of us in the Mind Gardener team started a 10 week mindfulness program last week.  We have been practitioners and teachers of mindfulness for over a decade so you may ask – why?  Well, there are a number of reasons that we chose to go back to the start and see our practice with a beginner’s mind.

Firstly, we have always tried to practice what we preach.  Mindfulness is a journey that is never completed.  Every person benefits from a regular practice. The core of the Mind Gardener concept is to create a daily practice.  With mind fitness it basically comes down to atrophy – if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.  In our team we rotate through the Mind Gardener guides and discuss their application in our lives.  In fact we do this over and over and we get something different out of them each time.  Our mindfulness course provides us with another practice to add to our repertoire.

Secondly, we believe that you can only be an effective teacher when you are a good student. Like any activity, you can become complacent. Or the ego kicks in saying “I already know all of this stuff.” As soon as you do that, you stop learning and growing.

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few. (Shunrya Suzuki)

It’s important to approach all things in life with a Beginner’s Mind.  Put simply this is a mind that’s not already “made up”.  It will benefit you in business, as a parent, partner or in your creative pursuits.

Think about whether you have a beginner’s mind.  Do you:

• Look at opportunities like you have a lot to learn?
• Look at experiences like a beginner would (even though you may be advanced)?
• Let go of preconceptions when looking at something?
• See many possibilities for ideas that are presented to you?
• Feel comfortable in saying “I don’t know” rather than always thinking you know?

Approach everything this week with a beginner’s mind and see how the possibilities open up for you. We certainly will be!