If you’re like most professionals these days, you often feel stressed, overwhelmed and distracted. Naropa’s Authentic Leadership Center (ALC) offers evidence-based solutions to shift these destructive patterns while increasing focus, productivity and well-being through cutting-edge trainings and events.

Fall “Mindful Workplace” Event Series in Boulder

Monday night kicked off the ALC’s Fall “Mindful Workplace” event series at Naropa’s Nalanda campus at 6287 Arapahoe in Boulder. The ALC provides cutting-edge training for global leaders from every sector integrating transformational learning disciplines such as contemplative practice, organizational learning, expressive arts, neuroscience, and complexity science for improved performance in work and life.

This week’s presenters were from the Potential Project which offers corporate based mindfulness training here in Colorado and around the world. 

Part of the Potential Project’s success is adapting the language of mindfulness to fit into each client’s unique corporate culture, such as calling the practices the “mind gym” rather than meditation.

They use a simple framework of “ABCD” to introduce mindfulness referring to Anatomy, Breath, Counting, and Distraction– emphasizing that the purpose of mindfulness is to increase one’s awareness and focus. They believe that one can be mindful of being distracted, it’s not about being perfect, but rather about being able to witness oneself non-judgmentally in order to make more empowered choices (vs. being on autopilot).

The Potential Project has worked with hundreds of companies around the world through a growing team of consultants– with an upcoming US trainer training May 2016.  The results of their corporate trainings consistently increase productivity, and ripple out into participant’s personal lives through increased relationships, work/life balance and stress reduction.

The next Mindful Workplace event will feature Boulder-based business consultant Jim Rosen  and will focus on “The Mindful Entrepreneur: Awareness as the Foundation for Leadership and Entrepreneurship”. The topics of the talk will focus on work/life balance, making decisions in the face of pressure and uncertainty, and cultivating healthy teams and culture. It will take place 7-9pm on Thursday November 19, and is open to the public.

Closing the Fall event series will be a Mindfulness Lab December 4-5 including a panel of local leaders on Friday night, and an interactive day of hands-on practice 9-5 Saturday for existing and aspiring leaders.

2016 Leadership Training Program

For leaders interested in a deeper dive into this practice, the ALC offers a 16-week experiential training program with two weeks of on-site coursework in Boulder. The course covers mindfulness, authentic communication, and leading change, and is designed to help you acquire the equanimity, skills, and vision to lead from your courageous self.

The next program will run January-May 2016, and there is a $500 non-credit tuition discount for those who apply by 5:00pm October 16. Read more about the program at http://www.naropa.edu/academics/extended-studies/certificate-programs/authentic-leadership-certificate-program/index.php.

Lotus Thomas