‘As an informal practitioner, I am very clear subjectively that meditation
enormously benefits my life.’ (Alun Williams County Councillor)
County Councillor Alun Williams took part in a formal mindfulness course many years ago and has since continued to practise meditation and study the principles of mindfulness and Buddhism. Alun generously shared his reflections with Mindfulness Wales on how his regular practice impacts his experience of a busy and demanding role in the council, which often requires on the spot decisions of how to respond to people and situations.
Most mornings Alun sits for half an hour, and this has a discernible impact on how he manages subsequent challenges that come in the day. This practice enables him to step back and take a wider or longer view of the situation at hand, seeming to create space between moments and events that reduce feelings of rush or pressure. The resulting spaciousness helps him to better consider what impact his interventions or reactions may have in the bigger picture.
Communication at work offers a lot of opportunities to explore the impact of Alun’s practice. Sometimes he is involved in events where a lot of people want to talk to him about different things at the same time. In the past he knows that he may not have considered some of those people to be as important to spend time with relative to others, and has appeared distracted and cut conversations short. The mindfulness approach has enabled him to avoid distractions or thoughts about something else, and to be better focussed on each interaction, taking everyone equally seriously. Subsequently he enjoys and gains from all the interactions much more.
At the same time, committing to this individual focus supports him to better identify those few people who are genuinely taking up an unfair amount of time or time better spent elsewhere, and he is able to respectfully communicate clear boundaries.
Similarly in the role of chairing meetings, mindfulness assists Alun to genuinely focus on each participant (whilst still being aware of the needs of the overall meeting) and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to take part. When he gets this right, he notices that his examples of interaction can ripple out, positivity influences the tone of the meeting and possibly the behaviour of others too. He has also observed and appreciated this approach to interaction from others too:
‘I was once in a meeting with a fairly well-known person and about 20 others. This person had a very notable ability to make everyone in the room feel personally valued and noticed. That stuck with me. I’m not sure I can emulate it but I think it’s something to aspire to.’
Mindfulness can also be a powerful antidote to negativity. In the field in which Alun works there are a lot of negative voices or people who are unhappy in some way, and this can have a debilitating effect on mood and a consequent loss of productivity. Mindfulness supports Alun to maintain his focus on positive approaches and to avoid negative influences along with the impact these can have. He also tries to advise others to do the same.
Finally, Alun also recognises the importance of having a community of practice and attends a number of local groups. The ‘sangha’ (Buddhist name for practice community) provides a theoretical and ideological background for him, leading to avenues for further reading and development. There are opportunities for shared learning such as giving insights, reinforcing principles, demonstrating good practice, acknowledging pitfalls and offering ideas for navigating them.
‘Having the opportunity to contribute to something larger bolsters a feeling of community and support. Whether it’s donating towards the cost of a room, clearing up after a meeting, or contributing verbally it all adds up to the whole.’
Contact details:
alun1001@yahoo.co.uk