14676: Mindfulness in a VUCA World: Meditation Practices for Busy People

There is just no better word to describe our world of today than volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). Our global concerns mushroom in a wide range of areas, including but not limited to poverty, food insecurity, global warming, refugees, mental health, drug cartels, gender inequality, cybersecurity problems, disinformation, lack of press freedom, and corruption. With all these shattering realities, the urge for inner peace has increased worldwide and meditation has gained the prominence it long deserved in societies throughout the world. As dissatisfied workers and disturbed society members are calling for more attention to their wellbeing, many contemporary workplaces and civic organizations are creating facilities for employees and citizens to meditate. The effects of allowing meditation in professional and civic organizations should not be overlooked. Meditation is known to enhance practitioners’ self-directed learning (SDL) readiness, leading to a surge in their innovative ability as well as improved performance (Li-An, 2011). Among its many advantages, meditation calms the nerves, enhances breathing, increases brain functions, soothes pain, results in better sleep, improves focus and concentration, and balances mental and emotional health (Lugo, 2020). Understanding that meditation leads to numerous personal and performance-related benefits (Marques & Dhiman, 2009), we aim to use this PDW to jointly engage in short meditative practices, each with a different focus, but all aimed at increased wellbeing and collective improvement.