The practice of staying in the present moment has been growing in popularity and may be coming to your place of business. You heard right. From the US Army to Oxford University the practice of mindfulness is being embraced in some surprising places.

The signs of a wide-spread mindfulness movement don’t stop there.The practice is being taken ever more seriously within a host of corporate businesses. Its popularity in the workplace makes sense, its focus on stilling and uncluttering the mind has been shown in many studies to vastly improve attention span and concentration.

Employees at General Mills, the parent company behind Haagen Dazs ice cream and Green Giant vegetables, have been practicing yoga and meditation in the workplace too. Janice Marturano, deputy general counsel explains ‘That compassion towards ourselves, our colleagues – and our customers – that’s what the mindfulness practice is all about.’

So exactly what is mindfulness and what can it do for you personally and professionally? Mindfulness is paying attention in a certain way, in the moment and non-judgmentally.It teaches you to stay focused on the present experience and observing your thoughts as simply thoughts, neither right nor wrong. Mindfulness is not about emptying your mind or even achieving a certain state of mind. It is about beginning to notice what is happening in the mind and body moment by moment and developing a curiosity and acceptance of this.

Mindfulness training helps you to pay attention to things as they actually are rather than how you imagine things to be, which will reduce stress. It helps with focus and clarity while working with your customers thereby improving customer satisfaction.

There are also a host of psychological and physical benefits too. In a study by the US National Library of Medicine, after practicing for 8 weeks the brain shows more activity related to learning, memory and the ability to regulate emotions. Not only that, but there was an increase in positive feelings and reactions as well as a huge boost to the immune system and physical stamina. That’ll get you saying your daily OM’s!

Next week: How to practice living more mindfully every day