Page 9 - Mindfulness

DEVELOPING FAST MINDFULNESS
So, what can we do to be mindful when we’ve only got ten to twenty seconds?
In these situations, yoga and traditional meditative techniques may not be possible.
In my work with elite footballers, I use a blend of neuroscience programs, neuro linguistics and hypnotherapeutic techniques to help achieve fast mindfulness. The aim? To improve concentration, reaction times and decision-making enabling players and coaches to be calmer under pressure. A key switch from an anxiety state to a preferred state includes the building of personal anchors which work similarly to the famous Pavlov classical experiments case where a dog was conditioned to unconsciously develop an association with certain events ie. being fed.
There are some great examples of people who have been developing their own techniques to help them tune into what I have begun to describe as “fast track mindfulness”, something that on the face of it seems strange. I have a good friend who works in emergency services. He has on many occasions been faced with confronting calls where he often doesn’t know what to expect. Before he arrives, he always takes a deep breath. In my family I have a nurse, a doctor, a policeman and a paramedic. In conversing with each, they have started to build their own anchors too.