Cultivate Mindful Connections

Ready to unlock the secrets of building meaningful connections at work? Discover how loving-kindness meditation can transform your workplace interactions and elevate your professional relationships. This episode of the Mindful in 5 Summer Zen Series, led by certified Mindfulness Practitioner Spiwa Jefferson, delves into the power of nonverbal communication and the ripple effect of sending out positive energy. Learn how a simple practice of compassionate wishes like "may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe, may you live and work with ease" can significantly enhance feelings of social connection and positivity.

We don't just talk mindfulness—we practice it. Find out how visualizing positive energy before meetings can change the dynamics of your interactions. Spiwa guides you through a brief loving-kindness meditation, and offers insights from chapters five and six of her book, Mindful in 5, focusing on turning moments of loneliness into opportunities for growth. Visit spiwajefferson.com for these chapters and additional resources, and let empathy and understanding lead you to a more harmonious work environment this week. Be mindful, be well, and stay connected.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Mindful in 5 Summer Zen Series. I'm your host, spiwa Jefferson, certified Mindfulness Practitioner, lawyer and author of the Mindful in 5 book series. While you're soaking up the sun and savoring the cheerful season, we're here to help you find your zen, infusing your summer with mindfulness, balance, peace and purpose. In each episode, we'll share simple, science-backed strategies to help you thrive and feel clear, softer and supported. If you are in your winter season, no matter. Grab your favorite drink, find a comfy spot and let's dive into today's transformative practice. Do you sometimes feel isolated or disconnected from others at work? Research by Hutcherson and Company found that loving-kindness meditation, a mindfulness practice focused on cultivating compassion, can increase feelings of social connection and positivity towards others. Today, our topic is cultivate mindful connections, and we're going to explore a simple loving-kindness practice to nurture more meaningful connections with your colleagues. As an aside, those of you who have been following the Summer Zen series for a while know that this is a very different approach than we have been using in the prior seasons. With every new season, and with every new season, and with every new, every fresh period in the life of this podcast, I am constantly experimenting with new approaches and new methods to bring mindfulness and centering techniques more into the forefront of your ability to practice. I want to make them accessible. So, rather than just talking about practicing mindfulness meditation this summer as part of our Zen series, we are actually experimenting with doing it in the short episodes that we have.

Speaker 1: 2:23

So, with that, if it's safe for you to do so, close your eyes and take a deep breath, exhale, bring to mind a colleague you be happy, may you be healthy, May you be safe, may you live and work with ease. Notice any warmth or openness that arises in your heart as you offer these wishes. The reason this is so powerful is because something like 80% of our communication is nonverbal. So, however you feel towards someone, leaks, it leaks out of you. They can sense it. If you are a rep who is making a sales call, whether it's by phone, whether it is in person, how you feel about the person you're calling on, whether it's a client or a customer, they can sense that, based on the energy that you are putting out there, I like to say, you attract what you reflect. So by saying phrases like may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe, may you live and work with ease, you are putting out there this positive energy that is more likely to come back to you as you relate to your friends and your colleagues and your co-workers. Open your eyes whenever you feel ready. By extending compassion and goodwill to others, you are planting the seeds for more positive and supportive relationships. As you interact with your colleagues, remember to approach them with an open heart and a genuine wish for their well-being. Take five minutes before every meeting to just visualize and push out that positive energy to the people that you're going to be meeting with and see if it makes a difference in how you interact with them and how they respond to you.

Speaker 1: 4:33

To further explore the power of mindfulness for cultivating meaningful connections, I invite you to download chapters five and 6 from the day section of Mindful in 5, titled Lonely Opportunities and Evaluate Friendships. These chapters offer valuable insights and strategies for turning moments of loneliness into opportunities for growth and connection and connection. Visit spewardjeffersoncom and subscribe to our email list to receive these chapters and other resources to support your mindfulness journey. You can also check out the show notes for this podcast, which will have links to resources that you can use, including cross-references to relevant episodes that may be of interest and that you can use this week. So, as you go about your week, focus on cultivating mindful connections. Lead with empathy and understanding. Until next week, this is Be Weigh saying be mindful and be well.

Speaker 2: 5:41

Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend, follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book and journal from SpeedwayJeffersoncom, or unsigned copies from Amazon, barnes, noble or wherever you get your books. Visit SpeedwayJeffersoncom to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.