Mindfulness is popping up everywhere nowadays.  Google and General Mills (the Cheerios people) both have corporate Mindfulness programs, McGill University trains all of its medical students in it, even the U.S. Marines apparently have a program for their soldiers.  So, it should be no surprise that schools are adding mindfulness more and more into their school day. CBC Radio’s The Current had a great segment yesterday that discussed how B.C. schools are using mindfulness, to great success, in the classroom.

The benefits of mindfulness are no secret to us here at Sugar Ridge.  In fact, Sugar Ridge was born out of a desire to help others cultivate a greater sense of mindfulness in their lives.  Mindfulness shows up in every yoga class we run and there are very specific programs for individuals, like the upcoming Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Retreat, that allow you to take more time to understand and cultivate mindfulness into your daily life.  MBSR has many benefits (which is also discussed in the CBC podcast, above), but, beyond learning to slow down and lower stress in your life, it has been researched to effectively address issues surrounding anxiety, depression, chronic pain, ADD, and many other specific physical and mental health issues.  It is quite amazing that such a straightforward and simple process can have so much benefit to our lives!

As demonstrated by the corporate forerunners of Google and General Mills, companies are seeing how mindfulness not only helps employee wellness and productivity, but the bottom line: when people are less stressed and more focused, they miss less work and can work more effectively.  Sugar Ridge also has mindfulness-based programs to bring into the workplace.  From ongoing mindfulness training for your staff and half day workshops right in your workplace, to offsites at Sugar Ridge and corporately sponsored retreats.  There are many possibilities and the right program can be tailored for your company`s specific needs.

We are excited to keep mindfully bringing about greater awareness in individuals and organizations.  It ultimately makes for a happier world.  And, we`d all love that!