How meditation is changing business from the inside out

1. Mindful business
Sava Bianca-Dorinela
Group 8202
Coordonating teacher: Mihai Daniel Frumuşelu
University of Agronomic Sciences and
Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest
Faculty of Management, Economic
Engineering in Agriculture and Rural
Developement

2. Content
I. Why did I choose this topic?
II. What is mindfulness meditation?
III. Does mindfulness really work?
IV. The easiest way to be mindful
V. Mindfulness meditation and Monsanto
VI. Bibliography and web sources

3. Why did I choose this topic?
 I am very far of being an expert in the domain of
meditation, but the contemplative practices, as they
are today, could change an entire culture in the
homes of business around the world.
 I chose this topic because I have recently found out
about mindfulness and the big number of
advantages it has when it is practiced by people,
even if they are simple employees or CEOs of their
own companies.

4. What is mindfulness
meditation? Mindfulness is a method of meditation which tries to
improve the state of consciousness of everything
that happens in our minds, in our bodies and in the
world around us. It’s about observing this things and
accepting them as they are, without being mad
trying to change them. The purpose of mindfulness
meditation is to make us more conscious about
thoughts, feelings and fizical sensations.

5. Does mindfulness really
work?
 The practices (meditation, yoga, deep listening and
others) are drawn from diverse wisdom traditions
and adapted to programs specifically designed for
each sector: higher education, law, business,
journalism, environment, biotech sciences,
leadership, government.
 People around the world use meditation to reduce
stress, to increase happiness and the state of
health. Besides that, mindfulness can help us
become easily more focused on a task and it grows
compassion.

6. The easiest way to be mindful
 Mindfulness meditation
demand us just to adopt a
comfortable position (sitting
on a chair, on the back or
even standing up) and to
observe our thoughts, our
emotions and our sensations.
Choose a sensation, like
breathing and be focused on
it. When the thought flies,
obseve it, without being
caught of it, and bring back
your attention on breathing.
And then do it again!
https://www.yoga.felicitari-
virtuale.ro/experimentul.ph
p

7. Mindfulness meditation and
Monsanto
 In the early 90's, Monsanto was the biggest
agricultural company in the world and the first
public enemy for the persons who fight against
polution.At that time, Monsanto had
a new CEO, Bob Shapiro,
who was interesed by the
contemplative traditions.
When a friend a him,
Charlie Halpern, sugested
him to try mindfulness at the
office, the new lider
accepted.
Bob Shapiro, CEO of
Monsanto

8. Mindfulness meditation and
Monsanto
 In 1996, an instructor in mindfulness, Mirabai
Bush guided Bob Shapiro and 15 employees
from the top in a 3 days workshop with the topic
“deep thinking skills” at the institute Fetzer from
Kalamazoo, Michigan.
It wasn’t easy for her to work
with the directors from
Monsanto, because before
starting this project, she
lived in Guatemala with
Mayan people for 10 years,
making projects for a
susteinable agriculture and
Monsanto was the negative
character in that world.
Mirabai
Bush

9. Mindfulness meditation and
Monsanto
 In the first day of the workshop, the employees of
Monsanto presented themselves in costumes and
with briefcases in their hands. “People didn’t even
know in what they have got into” Bush said. During
the next days, Bush lead them with strict instructions
about meditations – long periods of peace and
lessons about self consciousness and compassion.
They have meditated above the value of all species,
including the insects that Monsanto products must
kill. “I looked around the room and saw tears rolling
down the cheeks of many people there.” Bush said.
She was very surprised to see the directors of
Monsanto showing empathy.

10. Mindfulness meditation and
Monsanto
 After this workshop, Bush continued to teach them a
few years. In 1999, they had their own relaxing
meetings, daily sessions, day sessions and other
activities. In that year, Bush talked about mindfulness
and business in another Monsanto offices in country.
 But in 2000, Shapiro was removed from the position
of the director of the company and the most
ambitious program of corporatist mindfulness of all
the time ended. But Bush continued her activity as
the executive director of the Center for Contemplative
Mind in Society and she contributed at the
development of the mindfulness programs from
Google and in the American Congress.

11. Bibliography and web
sources
 Gelles, David, 2018. Mindful busineess: cum
schimbă meditaţia lumea afacerilor din interior spre
exterior, Editura Vellant, Bucureşti;
 http://www.mirabaibush.com/
 https://tricycle.org/magazine/contemplating-
corporate-culture/
 https://giphy.com/gifs/meditation-Mg2QuklkHlEvm
 https://www.yoga.felicitari-
virtuale.ro/experimentul.php

12. Thank you for your
attention!