Mindful Wellbeing and Performance

Science-based mindfulness is a process of neural training that produces remarkably positive outcomes in wellbeing, cognitive performance, and emotional intelligence. Over the past decade, it’s been incorporated into the daily training regimen of the world’s most elite organizations, including the U.S. Olympics Team, the U.S. Navy Seal Teams and Special Forces, Formula One Racing, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and dozens of professional sports teams.

Personal performance starts with our mental strength and physical wellbeing. The world’s most accomplished athletes, entrepreneurs, and business leaders - including the CEOs at 7 of the 10 most valuable companies in the world - now practice mindfulness meditation. Why? Because it is a powerful force-multiplier for personal health, happiness, performance, and productivity.

Course Overview

The Mindful Wellbeing and Performance course helps individuals and teams navigate the new normal of volatile change, complexity and uncertainty. It is a comprehensive introduction to the nature, science, and essential mindfulness practices that relieve chronic stress and anxiety - reduce the impact of information overload, digital distraction, unconscious bias, conflict, exhaustion, and burnout - and give us the mental space and emotional strength to thrive.

Each week’s lesson and daily practices work together to strengthen an important skill or solve a specific challenge to our wellbeing.

Course Components

The Mindful Wellbeing course includes:

• A live 90-minute master class
• Pre-and-post course assessment
• 8 weekly self-study lessons
• 8 weekly progress exams
• 8 week series of daily video practices
• 8 optional coaching sessions
• A comprehensive final exam
• Membership access to IOSM research, information, and tools
• Unlimited 24/7 phone, text, chat, and email support

Graduates Earn:

• IOSM-MWP Certificate
• IOSM-MWP Digital Badge
• Free annual recertification
• SHRM and HRCI recertification credits

Course Outline

Week 1: Introduction to Mindfulness

Three decades of research have confirmed that the mind can physically change the brain and body - and mindfulness proves it. This class provides an overview of the nature, science, hands-on practice, and application of modern mindfulness.

You will learn:

• The psychology and neuroscience of mindfulness
• How mindfulness strengthens our brains and bodies
• The foundational formal and informal mindfulness practices

Week 2 - Reducing Stress and Anxiety

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have named chronic stress the most dangerous global epidemic of the new century, and confirm that the workplace is far and away the primary source. This class is an exploration of strategies and practices that relieve workplace pressures, stress-related burnout, and chronic illness.

You will learn:

• The evolutionary wiring and triggers that creates negativity, chronic stress, and mental exhaustion
• How mindfulness is applied to reframe worry, rumination, self-critical and depressive thinking
• Mindfulness practices that reduce chronic stress, and increases mental and emotional resilience

Week 3 - Reducing Distraction and Attention Deficit

Information overload, workplace distraction, and the addictive properties of our digital communications and social media are steadily eroding our attention spans and capabilities to do deep work. This class explores practices that physically strengthen brain networks associated with focus, concentration, and attention control.

You will learn:

• The sources and science of information overload, digital distraction, and workplace ADD
• How to apply mindfulness to suppress distraction, and increase attention control
• Mindfulness practices that strengthen our abilities to direct and sustain concentration

Week 4 - Adapting to Change and Uncertainty

Our brains are wired to fear change and loathe uncertainty - yet we live in a world and workplace that is undergoing volatile and rapid disruption. How can we overcome our evolutionary resistance, and develop the mental skills to welcome and embrace change? This class explores mindfulness as a positive catalyst for change management.

You will learn:

• How change and uncertainty triggers fear that hijacks our emotional state
• How mindfulness helps us consciously navigate from the known to an uncertain future state
• Mindfulness practices that develop the mental skill to embrace change

Week 5 - A Positive and Growth Mindset

Motivation, engagement, and performance all flow from a positive, "growth" mindset. But our brain needs help in recognizing and overcoming its evolved circuits of pain, fear, and worry. This class explores mindfulness practices that interrupt our negative bias and reactivity - and strengthen circuits for positivity, expanded learning and growth.

You will learn:

• How our brains get started and stuck in a cycle of negativity
• How mindfulness is applied to reframe mindsets and change behaviors
• Mindfulness practices to reconcile, change course and move forward

Week 6 - Developing Social and Emotional Intelligence

Science has proven that self-awareness, empathy, compassion, and social grace aren't immutable traits, they are trainable skills that can be intentionally developed through neural exercise. This class examines the visceral power of social and emotional intelligence, and how to strengthen these foundational inter-personal capabilities.

You will learn:

• The framework and competencies that comprise social and emotional intelligence
• How to use mindfulness to strengthen self-and-social-awareness, empathy, and communication
• Mindfulness practices for care, kindness, and compassionate behaviors

Week 7 - Communication and Collaboration

Mindfulness enables us to listen deeply and consciously - to pay close attention to aural tone, non-verbal cues, and body language - to connect with our intuition - and to create rapport. This class introduces strategies and practices for strengthening awareness, attention control, and effective interpersonal communication skills.

You will learn:

• How to connect closely and cooperatively with others
• How to conduct an articulate and productive dialogue
• Mindfulness practices that increase intuition, attunement, and rapport

Week 8 - Mental Strength, Grit, and Resilience

Our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world can be frustrating, discouraging, and exhausting. But mindfulness dampens the negativity that saps our energy, reduces our stress, anxiety, and worry - and gives us the mental strength to cope with difficult situations and bounce back from adversity. This class explores practices that build our emotional stability and resilience

You will learn:

• The principles of elite performance
• How mindfulness connects us to the state of flow
• Mindfulness practices for mental toughness, grit, and resilience