Issue IX Feb. 2008
CONTENT
Contact
Next courses & registration New class offer / Content Book recommendation Preventing burn out / Call for helpers
NEW
Valérie Saintot (Uta Elbers) (Sandrine Corvoisier)
NEW CLASS OFFER E-mail course
NEXT PROGRAM 18 February – 15 April 2008 We are looking forward to being in contact with you in a form or another. The journey of self-discovery is a rewarding one. Maximising the use of one’s own potential takes commitment and self-discipline. It helps becoming more focused, increasing the ability to concentrate AND relax. One can benefit from it in all aspects of life, at work, at home, when practicing sport or leisure activities, for oneself or at the collective level. TO REGISTER, PLS SEND AN E-MAIL TO valerie.saintot@ecb.int
The meditation room th CB 6 floor 907
Our website
www.mindfulnessatwork.org Our mission is to create a space empowering colleagues to acquire a real-time work/life balance and to integrate personal insights and empathy into their work ethic.
Book recommendation st
How can I navigate the 21 century? Over the last 30 years, access to knowledge has also become global. The sum total of human knowledge is available to us. The experience, wisdom, and reflection of all major human civilisations are open to study by anyone. The American philosopher, Ken Wilber, has taken up the challenge to map this reality in the so-called ‘Integral model’. He has written an incredible number of books on the topic. Recently, an accessible ‘very short introduction’ to this stream of post-modern philosophy came out. If any question in relation to systemic thinking, human potential, personal and spiritual development interest you, it is very valuable to get in touch with this source of knowledge. The web portal is also very rich and a hub for more, much much more… www.integralinstitute.org
Preventing burn out / Call for helpers We are starting to gather information material and intend to make contact Europe wide with professionals and centres dealing with the issue of stress at work. We would like to make this project move faster. We welcome input in the form of helping hands, web links or book references. Please contact valerie.saintot@ecb.int.
Our new class offer Mindfulness Mindfulness
Meditation
E-mail course
Tuesday 12:45 – 13:30
In this class, we will offer a supportive framework to explore the body & mind interactions. It is a process where the participants are invited to increase their awareness of what they are experiencing. The backbone of any Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program is to use the body and our senses as entry doors into our inner space. The qualities discovered can only become unconscious competencies if the experience is repeated a sufficient number of times. In the first classes, we are particularly learning to concentrate, developing body awareness, accessing the information provided by the senses, learning not to judge, cultivating the beginner’s mind. In the following classes, we take particular aspects of the practice and deepen them: emotional mastery, the observer position, the wise mind process. It is an invitation to engage in a never ending quest. To get to the level where you can actually harvest lasting benefits, we need to develop a number of competencies over a number of sessions which are interconnected. We therefore expect participants to attend regularly after they have registered.
Meditation Thursday 12:45 – 13:30 The content and format of this class has not changed since we started the mindfulness project. We practice meditation in a rather classical set up, inspired by the way of Zen. Upon arrival, we practice a few body awareness techniques to settle into the class mood, we alternate two sitting periods separated by either a silent walking time or a moment to listen to a passage from the major world sources of wisdom. It is a drop in class, meaning that while regular participation is highly recommended, sessions are not interconnected. Registration is nevertheless needed to be able to let you know about the possible absence of the facilitator. NEW
E-mail course Dispatch on Thursdays The world goes virtual, us too. We received the feedback that a number of colleagues would really like to attend the classes but do not manage. We thought of creating an e-mail course and give it a try. On a weekly basis, over a period of eight weeks to start with, registered participants would receive on Thursdays an e-mail with some suggestions for their individual practice and selfreflection. We will take over some of the steps of a program created by a UK based acclaimed meditation teacher David Fontana. It is a progressive method of approaching meditation and can be summarized in four main phases: In the first 8 weeks e-mail dispatch, we will concentrate on phase 1. The four phases are: Phase 1: Beginning self-awareness Phase 2: Concentration and mindfulness Phase 3: Tranquility Phase 4: Insight