A TASTER session on how businesses can be transformed through the practice of mindfulness will be held in Worcester on Wednesday.

Worcester company Mindfulness for Business aims to give businesses renewed vitality and creativity with a more productive workforce through the practice of mindfulness.

David Giles of Mindfulness for Business said: "Mindfulness has recently become something of a buzz-word in business circles.

"It is being used by the biggest names in international business such as Apple, E-Bay, the NHS and General Motors, to reduce stress and improve workplace effectiveness

"Being Mindful is attending to the present moment with open awareness.

"When mindful, we pay attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment.

"Mindfulness can be practiced anytime and in any place, but it is also developed more formally by deliberately focussing on a particular object. This steadies the mind and helps us see with greater clarity how things actually are.

He added: “Businesses are only as effective as the people within them and people are most effective when they are not stressed and able to focus on the tasks in hand. We know that Mindfulness can transform businesses.”

Mr Giles said it was no surprise big companies such as Starbucks and Toyota were using mindfulness in their operations.

He said: "These are very demanding businesses.

"They are using Mindfulness because it is effective. It is really starting to become embedded in the development of UK business planning.

"The spread of its use has really accelerated since its endorsement by the UK Government, following the publication of the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group (MAPPG) interim report, Mindful Nation UK. Transport for London is an excellent example of the positive effects of Mindfulness on a business.”

Alison Dunn of Transport for London (TFL) reported almost immediate results after launching a Mindfulness programme. “The thing I’m most surprised about is how big a part of our work it’s become. It’s popular with employees – partly because it isn’t therapy – and our teachers enjoy running the workshops too.

There is no ‘type’ of person best suited to mindfulness. It can help anyone with symptoms of stress."

Since 2009, around 600 Transport for London employees have been through the programme and qualitative evaluation shows that, immediately afterwards, nearly all employees said that they made changes to their lives as a result

Among employees who have attended the course, the number of days off for stress, anxiety and depression fell by 71 per cent over the following three years, while absences for all conditions dropped by 50 per cent.

More than half reported improvements in happiness at work.

Mr Giles added he believed these results could be replicated within smaller businesses.

"We believe that the efficacy is even more evident in smaller businesses, which rely on the well-being and effectiveness of smaller workforce groups. We are currently running taster sessions and courses in the Midlands for business leaders, HR specialists and staff welfare managers. Everyone is welcome to come along – we would like businesses and individuals to experience the positive effects that Mindfulness can have for themselves.”

Wednesday's event will be at the Hive, from 6.15pm to 8.15pm.

To book a place mail empowered@mindfulnessforbusiness.co.uk