nature, yoga, tai chi, dance, sports, photography, and
the arts are just a few examples of mind-body practices
that can build mindfulness. As Kabat-Zinn has pointed
out, the simple exercise of meditating on the breath
teaches us some important truths—the mind is at the
mercy of whatever crosses its field of vision, hearing,
smelling, thought. This truth is not bad or wrong but
it can be humbling to try to focus on one thing—like
the breath—for five minutes. The more we practice
mindfulness, the greater our capacity for awareness
and sustained attention.
Moving Toward Change
At its most basic level, coaching is about facilitating
positive change for the client. There are many
coaching-related theories about the process of
change, including stages of readiness to change, inner
experience of adult transitions, steps for motivating
client change and processes for developing insight
into why some change efforts fail. What these theories
have in common is an underlying purpose—to expand
the client’s awareness of previously unseen aspects of
her experience. When we’re aware of something, we
can observe, reflect on and act upon it. However, if an
aspect of our experience is outside our awareness, we
cannot see it and therefore cannot change it. This is
why expanding awareness—bringing more of one’s
experience into consciousness—is an inherent part of
any process of authentic change.
Recent evidence from the brain sciences indicates that
the mind and the brain are intimately interrelated. It is
now known that the brain can change itself in response
to experience throughout life—a phenomenon called
neuroplasticity. Mindfulness encourages behavioral
change by harnessing the power of neuroplasticity to
create new neural connections and pathways, laying
the groundwork for new habits that lead to changes in
behavior. Moreover, recent insights from the emerging
field of interpersonal neurobiology describe the mind as
an embodied and interpersonal process that regulates the
flow of energy and information. Thus, how we focus our
attention matters, as it directly shapes not only our own
minds and brains but also the minds and brains of others.
Mindful awareness helps us cut through our habitual
behavior—the automatic-pilot experience of everyday
life—to open up mental space for choice and presence
in action. Many coaching moves are designed
to do just that—slow down the action and
create space for choice. For example, a coach
might gently interrupt a client’s narrative to
inquire, “Where do you feel that in your body
right now?” The question, if timed well, evokes
immediacy and creates awareness. Journaling
can cultivate self-reflection. Asking the client to
keep a log of a specific behavior (“Just notice
it,” we might say) creates space and time to
observe the behavior and choose whether
to do it or not. Such activities interrupt the
automatic quality of habitual response, creating
possibilities for change.
Mindfulness benefits our clients by increasing
awareness of not only their conscious
behavior, such as setting a goal and taking steps
to achieve it, but also less-conscious behaviors,
such as subtle shifts in emotions, impulses
and intentions. This kind of awareness is
invaluable for a leader whose presence and
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