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In The Mindful People Series, we interview people from different walks of life and get them to share their mindfulness experience, as well as how learning and practicing mindfulness have made a difference to their personal and professional lives.  MiMo: How did you get into learning and practicing mindfulness? Pei Fen: I had no previous experience with mindfulness practice but had heard it being used in undergraduates’ settings to reduce students’ stresses. I attended the preview session with Erin and signed up through the SkillsFuture program. MiMo: Tell us about your experience in the MBSR program. Pei Fen: I thought the 8 weeks were necessary as it gave us enough time to practice and explore various mindfulness practices. It was only when we could appreciate the bodily effects of mindfulness practice were we able to relate it to our daily lives. In fact, many of us experiences the positive effects of the MBSR programs 2-3 weeks into the practice. I have benefited much from my classmates during the program; the sharing sessions provided non-judgemental assurance since we experienced similar struggles. MiMo: How has mindfulness contributed to your personal well-being? Pei Fen: Having the knowledge and experiences of being in a mindful state of mind provides a distinct contrast to being in a frantic, restless state. First, having the awareness of myself being in a fanatic state allow me a choice to remain frantic or go for a change. Although I have just completed the 8 weeks of MBSR program, I am a more restful person than before and I am able to spot frantic moments and centre myself to focus faster. MiMo: How has mindfulness supported you in your professional work? Pei Fen: My work as a registered nurse involves countless moments of multi-tasking. Multi-tasking is seen as a virtue in many cases. However, I can name at least two moments that full attention is mandatory. First the administration of medications deserves full attention from the administrator, to reduce the risk of medication error. Secondly, being present when we are communicating with anxious or grieving caregivers. Having mindfulness skills and awareness allow me the control of my attention during important situations as such. These behaviours could improve both patient safety and experiences during their hospital admission. MiMo: How have you incorporated mindfulness into your daily life? Pei Fen: Being a fresh graduate of the course, mindfulness doesn’t come automatically. It does require a conscious effort to choose mindfulness over the hectic daily routine we so often live by. I’ve chosen mindful eating as a daily practice in appreciation of food and health. In terms of work-related stress, mindfulness has given me the opportunity to “take a pause” and to respond to difficult conversations or work arrangements. MiMo: Any words of advice for people who are thinking about learning mindfulness? Pei Fen: Explore with an open mind; we live in a shared world where many things are not within our control. However, learning mindfulness will allow us the control over one of the most powerful organs - our mind. Which can then in return allow us to shape our perspectives for all things. About Poh Pei Fen
A registered nurse, privileged to be working with ill children. In addition to the provision of care to the patients, pediatric nurses take care of the families as well. Mindfulness practices allow Pei Fen to remain centered during emergencies and the ability to provide emotional support to people even in the face of death.
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 WHEN: Tuesday 16 July 2019, 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
WHERE: 46 Sims Place, #01-197, Singapore 380046 ABOUT THE TOPIC: Secular mindfulness is currently being applied in an increasing number of fields such as neuroscience, cognitive-behavioural therapy, healthcare, business and management, and education, with more and more research proving its benefits for our wellbeing. Mindfulness Coach Erin Lee advocates that modern mindfulness should not be learned as a technique but as a life skill, and practiced not for a quick fix but as an integral part of our everyday life. This talk will introduce the foundations of secular mindfulness, and engage the audience in experiential practices of attending to our own body and observing the nature of the mind, as well as inquiry into practice experience to gain insights into how we are living our lives. SPEAKER: Erin Lee Mindfulness Coach and Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher, Mindful Moments Singapore In The Mindful People Series, we interview people from different walks of life and get them to share their mindfulness experience, as well as how learning and practicing mindfulness have made a difference to their personal and professional lives.  MiMo: How did you get into learning and practicing mindfulness? Eileen: I have always been curious about why people practice mediation or mindfulness, since they always share the many positive outcomes and benefits from their practice. By chance I read about the MBSR program and went for the preview session, which led me to signing up for the program with the SkillsFuture credits available. I attended the MBSR program with an open mind and hoped to learn how the practice could help me improve both my daily and work life. MiMo: Tell us about your experience in the MBSR program. Eileen: It was an amazing 8-week journey, especially with the interesting sharing sessions among the participants. Everyone had somewhat similar and yet different outcomes from the weekly practices. I also enjoyed the mindfulness practices as there was no need to have a particular outcome from the practices. We simply practiced to explore how we could integrate both formal and informal mindfulness into our daily life. MiMo: How has mindfulness contributed to your personal well-being? Eileen: My biggest takeaway from the program is that it has helped me to become more aware of things around me and to learn to appreciate them. Instead of always having the need to engage with thoughts or physical sensations, I am learning to rest with them from moment to moment. I find the teachings on Stress Reactivity and Stress Response very beneficial as we learned that we have choices other than reacting negatively out of habit. MiMo: How has mindfulness supported you in your professional work? Eileen: I have found that I am always too quick to react and make judgements; and having learned and practiced mindfulness, I will now do my best to take a mindful pause before reacting and try not to be unnecessarily judgmental. MiMo: How have you incorporated mindfulness into your daily life? Eileen: Mindfulness in MBSR includes practicing in various postures in both stillness and movement, and hence it supports me in many aspects of my life. The movements practice has encouraged me to sign up for yoga classes for my long-term wellbeing, and I plan to incorporate mindful awareness during yoga practice. MiMo: Any words of advice for people who are thinking about learning mindfulness? Eileen: Go in with an open mind, learn the different practices and apply what works best for you. You will learn to appreciate things and people more and to not be too judgmental. You will learn how you are able to manage stress better and how to bring a mindful pause to break our reactive patterns, as well as change our relationship with stress.  About Eileen Foo Being a HR Practitioner with an MNC in retail requires me to work with both internal and external clients from different parts of the world. We need to be aware of the different work and personal cultures so as to build trusting and good relationships. I always do things with an open mind by accepting changes as part of life's process, and I believe that change is always for the better. My personal interests have evolved over time and I am now more focused on developing my personal wellbeing both physically and mentally; I believe that having a healthy mind is just as important as having a healthy body. Traveling is my biggest love and I am now exploring more off-track places as well as challenging activities during my travels, such as caving, water rafting and trekking. My belief in life is to have inner peace that will lead to happiness as well as a healthy mind and body. Are you a mindfulness practitioner or do you know one who would like to share their mindfulness experience on the MiMo blog? Do drop us a message!
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About The AuthorMiMo founder Erin Lee is a Mindfulness Coach and MBSR Teacher at Mindful Moments, and advocate of mindfulness as the way of life. She conducts the classic 8-Week MBSR Program, as well as the 8-Week MBSR Workplace Program. 
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ContributeAre you a mindfulness practitioner and have meaningful experiences or thoughts about mindfulness that you'd like to share? You can contribute an article on the MiMo blog! Please contact Erin to find out more.
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