September 24, 2020 - Michael Taft

"Teaching Mindfulness for Companies"

www.deconstructingyourself.com

00:03:55 – Sean Fargo introduces Michael Taft
00:07:50 – Introduction to the session by Michael Taft
00:11:12 – Member question: What qualifications to teach mindfulness do companies want to see?
00:14:00 – Michael discusses the importance of gaining experience teaching
00:19:32 – Member question: Do you have any tips for connecting with people in a teaching setting?
00:20:19 – Michael highlights something unique to mindfulness teaching, which is the challenge of projection and transference
00:26:37 – Sean highlights the importance of encouraging people to notice their own experience rather than explaining or offering advice
00:29:08 – Member question: Is there evidence of the impact of mindfulness in the workplace?
00:31:22 – Member question: Do companies want exclusively mindfulness teachings or is it usually combined with other topics?
00:32:43 – Michael explores the opportunity to set ourselves apart by packaging the different modalities we teach
00:41:55 – Michael discusses the challenges of learning and meditating through apps
00:51:18 – Member question: How can you pitch to companies effectively without compromising your teachings in the process?
00:59:25 – Michael explains that it is not necessarily the case that you are selling out mindfulness if you are making it available to people who would not otherwise listen to you
01:07:03 – Member question: How can I get company buy-in for a mindfulness program beginning with a 90-minute session?
01:21:09 – How much depth can we explore in our workplace teachings?
01:31:55 – The effectiveness of breathing techniques and weaving these into mindfulness teachings
01:40:08 – Diversity issues in the mindfulness field in America
01:42:28 – Michael talks about his free online content, highlighting how even if it is not his intention for doing so, free online offerings are a wonderful marketing tool
01:45:18 – Sean shares that this ‘model’ of offering free teachings is what monastics have been doing for years
01:49:04 – Even if you teach the same material as other people, you will find the people who resonate with your own style and energy
01:53:29 – Mindfulness does not have to look a certain way
01:59:12 – Michael explains that he taps into the feeling of being present with the group when teaching online via Zoom

ABOUT Michael

Michael W. Taft is a maverick meditation teacher, bestselling author, and podcaster. As a mindfulness coach, he specializes in secular, science-based mindfulness training in retreats, groups, corporate settings, and one-on-one sessions. Michael is the author of several books, including the bestselling The Mindful Geek, Nondualism: A Brief History of a Timeless Concept, and Ego (which he co-authored), as well as the editor of such books as Hardwiring Happiness by Rick Hanson and The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young.

He has often taught meditation at Google, worked on curriculum development for SIYLI, and is currently core faculty at Wisdom Labs, in San Francisco. Michael is also a featured teacher on the Simple Habit app, and an official advisor to the Therapeutic Neuroscience Lab. He was previously editor-in-chief of Being Human, and was the long-time editorial director of Sounds True.

From Zen temples in Japan to yogi caves in India, Michael has been meditating for over thirty five years and has extensive experience in both Buddhist Vipassana and Hindu Tantric practice. Michael is a senior facilitator in Shinzen Young’s Unified Mindfulness system, and is a teacher of meditation groups around the Bay Area. He currently lives in Oakland, California, and is founding editor of the iconoclastic mindfulness meditation blog and podcast Deconstructing Yourself.