During the two-day Mindfulness Workshop themed “Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity,” Tzu Chi staff were divided into small groups. They formed circles around their peers, offering heartfelt blessings to those standing in the center. The atmosphere was warm and uplifting.
Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) held a mindfulness workshop themed “Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity” for its staff on 11 and 12 August at the Singapore Jing Si Hall. Dr Lo Yao-Ming from the Department of Social Education at National Taiwan Normal University was invited to conduct this workshop, guiding participants to practise relaxation through breathing and mindfulness exercises. The idea is simple: one must first learn to care for oneself in order to better care for others.
This was the second time Dr. Lo Yao-Ming was invited to Singapore to guide the staff of Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) in mindfulness practice.
This was the second time Tzu Chi has held similar workshop. Event Coordinator Hong Sing Chuen expressed that they received much positive feedback from the first session held last year. Therefore, they decided to organise another session this year, so that more Tzu Chi staff can cultivate a healthier physical and mental wellbeing through “Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity”, and in-turn, create a better work environment.
“Right mindfulness is about being fully aware and present in the moment. This includes being aware of one’s body, emotions and thoughts. Gently set aside the judging mind for now and approach each moment with curiosity and acceptance instead.” explained Dr Lo Yao-Ming. He further added, “To combine right mindfulness and compassion means that we first take care of the awareness of our mind and body. As our inner awareness deepens, we naturally become more attuned to the suffering of other sentiments beings.”
He went on to explain that “Whenever I am angry or anxious, I can notice my body becoming tense or my emotions fluctuating. This helps me develop a better understanding on how people react when they are anxious.”
Sleeping better with every breath
How do we cultivate mindfulness in our daily lives? That can be achieved in every single breath we take. There are multiple ways to calm our emotions and return to the present moment, among which, many Tzu Chi staff find the mindful sleep technique particularly helpful.
Kan Mei Leng from Tzu Chi Food Farmacy admitted that the constant pressure from work often left her lying awake at night, with unfinished tasks and thoughts on how to make improvement still swirling within her mind. She shared, “After yesterday's class, I truly didn't check my phone when I got home, nor did I dwell on work matters, I simply focused on deep breathing. I find the effect to be very delightful.”
Dr Lo Yao-Ming explaining to the participants on how to observe one’s sleeping position.
23-year-old Tan Chee Hang also mentioned that his initial decision to join the workshop was to slow down the pace of his life, and it had brought him profound benefits. He shared that the “mindful sleep technique” was the segment that resonated with him most. He said, “Even though I did not fall asleep, I felt completely relaxed. When I closed my eyes, my brain started to rest. When I reopened my eyes, I felt completely rejuvenated.”
Integrating Right Mindfulness into daily life
Scientific studies have proven that people who engage in long-term mindfulness practice exhibit up to 96% stability in brain activity patterns. Interestingly, beyond formal meditation practices such as walking meditation or mindfulness yoga, one can engage in informal mindfulness practice during their daily life, such as by savouring food mindfully during mealtime, breathing mindfully while waiting at the traffic light, or paying attention to footsteps and appreciating the surrounding view mindfully while walking.
-
Dr Lo guided the participants to cultivate subtle awareness through a simple exercise of noticing the color, shape, and smell of dried grapes. -
In addition to frontline workers, many of the staff participating in the workshop were support personnel who spend long hours at their desks. Under Dr Lo’s guidance, they practised deep breathing. -
The two-day workshop was specially scheduled on weekdays to encourage staff from different departments to participate and to provide opportunities for cross-departmental learning and interaction.
Au Foong Yee, from Tzu Chi Great Love Preschool, started practising mindfulness in the past one month. She first learned about the concept of mindfulness from this workshop. Au Foong Yee is a cancer survivor, and due to the nature of her job and personal reasons, she often experiences frequent emotional fluctuations.
However, after a month of mindfulness practice, she had benefited greatly and was now better equipped to face daily challenges. She expressed, “Breathing is free, so why are we not practising mindful breathing?”
Au Foong Yee (second from the left), who is from Tzu Chi Great Love Preschool, was fully immersed in the workshop activities, especially the mindful walking.
From this workshop, Au Foong Yee gained a deeper understanding of mindfulness practice. One of her biggest takeaways was about the “last ten steps” exercise from mindful walking. Dr Lo Yao-Ming led the Tzu Chi staff to imagine, “If you have only 10 steps left in your life, how would you take them?”
This gave Au Foong Yee greater clarity about what she truly wanted. At the same time, she felt immensely grateful because despite having endured the challenge of battling cancer, she had learned to listen to her body and allow emotions to flow rather than resist them. She mentioned that if there were future opportunities, she would like to continue attending the workshop as each session offered her new insights. At the time, she hopes that Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) can provide more preschool teachers with the opportunity to learn about mindfulness.
Only do one thing at a time
Modern life is extremely busy—as symbolised by the Chinese character “忙” (busy), where the heart (“心”) is “lost” (“亡”) in the midst of the frenzy. Dr Lo Yao-Ming reminded the Tzu Chi staff to concentrate on performing one task at a time, to take one step at a time, and be fully present to enjoy each moment. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have its own concerns. The troubles of one day are enough for that day”, he advised.
During one of the activities, participants were required to walk around in blindfold. Many experienced anxieties during the process, worried that they might knock onto something or fall, potentially causing injuries to others. However, Dr Lo Yao-Ming pointed out that those were just thoughts, not facts. He explained, “We can focus on taking this step well. This present moment is where we can decide. To return to the present moment, take one step at a time. As for whether we bump into someone or encounter other situations, simply return to the present moment, and we can still move forward.”
This two-day workshop ended in an atmosphere of gratitude and warmth. Dr Lo Yao-Ming praised the participants, “The atmosphere in the workshop over these past two days had been truly uplifting. Everyone was deeply engaged, especially during the small group discussions.”
42 Tzu Chi staff who attended this workshop took a group photo with Dr Lo Yao-Ming in the Buddha Hall.
Share 
