Mindfulness from Google comes to India

Mindfulness from Google comes to India

October 2017

Two years ago, Peter Bostelmann worked as a delivery executive at SAP (Systems, Applications, Products), one of the world's largest business software providers. Today, he is the Director of Mindfulness Programmes and attributes his and the company’s success to Google’s Search Inside Yourself (SIY) programme. This programme inspired Peter, a mindfulness practitioner, to introduce it to his office.

SIY is a two-day experience illustrating the benefits of mindfulness practice, particularly in the workplace. The programme teaches tools to cultivate focus, self-awareness and resilience so that people can create a better world, and lead and collaborate more effectively. SIY is a combination of presentations documenting the scientific studies in neuroscience and psychology that support mindfulness as a vehicle for training emotional intelligence. It also includes exercises that one can do throughout the day, and at home and have workshop-style conversations with others to find ways to integrate the practices in their lives.

Former Google employee, Chade-Meng Tan, designed SIY and it quickly became the company’s most popular training programme. Interest outside Google also grew tremendously, leading to Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) being established in 2012. The independent, non-profit organisation not only conducts around 30 SIY programmes every year for Googlers across the world but also works with other corporate, non-profit and government organisations.

Wisconsin, USA, based Connie Cudnohowski who participated in one of the mindfulness sessions says, “SIYLI content is engaging and presented by the best in the industry! Leadership training frequently provides a lot of content but it may or may not be retained. SIYLI training actively involves the participant in the process resulting in actionable and memorable learning points that you actually take back into the ‘real world'.”

SIYLI will debut in India on October 5 and 6, 2017, at the International Convention Hall, Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai. ‘Thank you, India’ is the Indian partner for SIY public programmes. Hemant Bhanoo, a certified SIY teacher and former Google engineer, will facilitate the programme along with Dr Laura Delizonna, a researcher with Stanford University.